On May 26, 2018, Dave Harris will present the sermonette, titled, “Your Report Card,” and Robb Harris will present the sermon, titled, “Is Feeling Believing?”

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.

It is a kind of ritual for people to watch the news each day. That, however, has become an almost unbearable challenge! World news, national news and even local news stories are so filled with atrocities that we often just tune out—it is simply too depressing!

The Bible speaks of these perplexing times—as a warning! Note this prophecy in Isaiah:

“‘…When the overflowing scourge passes through, Then you will be trampled down by it. As often as it goes out it will take you; For morning by morning it will pass over, And by day and by night; It will be a terror just to understand the report’” (Isaiah 28:18-19).

In another prophecy, also directed at the modern descendants of the Houses of Israel and Judah, God reveals the conditions that would and now have come upon us:

“‘“Destruction comes; They will seek peace, but there shall be none. Disaster will come upon disaster, And rumor will be upon rumor. Then they will seek a vision from a prophet; But the law will perish from the priest, And counsel from the elders”’” (Ezekiel 7:25-26).

We must not turn a blind eye to what is happening! In fact, it falls to the Church of God to address the bad news in the light of Bible prophecy. Jesus explicitly told us to “watch” and to be “ready” (compare Matthew 24:42, 44; 25:10, 13; Luke 21:36). In doing this—beyond our own personal preparedness—we are to also report news to the world that isn’t utterly dreadful and so filled with hopelessness!

The news we are to convey is ultimately GOOD NEWS—it is the gospel of the Kingdom of God! This is what Jesus proclaimed. It is the only true hope set before mankind, and it will happen! To be able to know the Truth of how God the Father will establish peace through sending His Son to this world removes the focus for all the bad news we now face.

As bad as things are now in the news, worse times lie immediately ahead—something we already know, because God has revealed this to us. And we, like Jesus did, must continue to look beyond, to that joy which is set before us—in the Kingdom of God (compare Hebrews 12:2).

by Norbert Link

We begin with reports on the fragile relationship between Germany and Russia, as well as China; President Trump’s announcement to cancel the planned summit with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un; and the perceived need by Europeans to unite quickly. We speak on political developments in Italy; the outright admission by Hamas that it is their goal to provoke Israel; and we address end-time fatigue in regard to developments in Israel; articles pertaining to Israel’s temples; and the ongoing insane school shootings in the USA.

We continue with mind-boggling articles about Germany’s laws on compulsory school attendance and an incomprehensible church tax law and their ridiculous consequences; the sexual abuse scandals of the Jehovah’s Witnesses in The Netherlands and of the Catholic Church in Chile; and Pope Francis’ most recent controversial comments about homosexuality. Please view our new StandingWatch program in this regard, titled, “Pope Francis: ‘God Made People Gay!’”

We speak on Ramadan in Germany and the continuing volcanic eruptions in Hawaii; and we address the “very modern royal wedding” between Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, and its “groundbreaking multi-cultural ceremony.”

We also report on Zimbabwe’s attempt to re-join the British Commonwealth.

We conclude with further stupidity of the “gender neutrality” movement.

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

Merkel and Putin Meet

Deutsche Welle reported on May 18:

“German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that the Iran nuclear deal was better than none at all in a press conference with Vladimir Putin on Friday…

“Both leaders said the Minsk accord was the ‘only basis’ to achieve peace in eastern Ukraine, and that work should continue in the so-called ‘Normandy’ format — involving Germany, France, Russia and Ukraine. Merkel noted a ‘major breach’ in the ceasefire in the region overnight…

“Merkel stressed Ukraine should remain a gas transit country even after the Nord Stream 2 pipeline opens, said Germany was ‘ready to play its role.’ Putin said that Russian gas may still flow to Ukraine…

“Putin found warm words on Donald Trump, saying ‘I understand the US president, he protects his business interests. He wants to push his product to the European market.’ According to Putin, ‘Donald is not just the US president; he is also a strong, good entrepreneur’…

“Germany and Russia’s agreement on the importance of the Iran nuclear deal is a rare moment of concurrence between the two countries. Relations have been marred by differences over Moscow’s support for Syria’s President Bashar Assad, its annexation of Crimea and its role in the subsequent conflict in eastern Ukraine, among other things.”

German-Russian Relationship?

Deutsche Welle wrote on May 17:

“… anyone who is pinning their hopes on relations with Russia… by making unilateral concessions on economic sanctions or other shifty compromises is gravely mistaken… such an appeasement policy would only be interpreted as weakness by Moscow… there are many who still don’t seem to have understood that Putin needs the confrontation with the West in order to secure his power within Russia because it distracts the Russian people from the economic stagnation and social problems in the country.

“It is simply naive to believe that any agreement can be reached with Putin on Ukraine. Or that it will be possible to negotiate a new European framework for peace with him. He has already undermined such a framework with his aggressive foreign policy towards Ukraine, through attempts to influence Western elections, and through cyberattacks against German institutions.

“At such times, it is doubtful whether Putin’s Russia, but not necessarily Russia in general, is the right partner for any further expansion of German-Russian energy relations… As long as the Kremlin adheres to its aggressive Ukrainian policy — and it will, because it is Putin’s way of consolidating domestic power – the sanctions must remain in place… we need to significantly increase our German, and also European, defense capabilities, both in traditional terms and against the new dangers of a hybrid cyber war…”

The Bible shows that in the future, Russia and Ukraine will be united against Europe.

Trump Cancels Singapore Summit with North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un

CNBC wrote on May 24:

“President Donald Trump has canceled his historic summit in Singapore with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un next month.  The meeting, which would have marked the first face-to-face encounter between a sitting U.S. president and a North Korean leader, was set for June 12…

“The news came as North Korea made a show of dismantling a nuclear test site, but also on the heels of some sharp words from the North Korean government about America denuclearization demands. Trump’s decision also comes more than two weeks after he withdrew the U.S. from the Obama-era Iran nuclear deal, which lifted sanctions on the Middle Eastern country as long as it limited its nuclear program.

“Doubts had grown in recent days about whether Trump’s summit with Kim would actually happen. North Korea abruptly canceled talks with South Korea out of anger over joint military tests with the U.S. in the Korean peninsula… Earlier Thursday, a top North Korean official, Choe Son Hui, called Vice President Mike Pence’s remarks likening Pyongyang with Libya ‘ignorant’ and ‘stupid.’ Pence had said North Korea could end up like Libya if it doesn’t make a nuclear deal with Washington… The vice president’s comments also echoed those of Trump’s national security advisor, John Bolton, who had suggested the U.S. could pursue a Libya-style denuclearization plan with North Korea. Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi was eventually violently overthrown, a move the U.S. supported. North Korea’s Kim is concerned about regime change…

“There were no immediate details about how the administration would continue to pursue diplomacy with North Korea, which is the only nation to conduct nuclear-weapons tests this century. Yet Trump left the door open for arranging a new meeting with Kim…

“Read the full text of the letter here [from Donald Trump to Kim Jong Un, dated May 24]:

“… We greatly appreciate your time, patience, and effort with respect to our recent negotiations and discussions relative to a summit long sought by both parties, which was scheduled to take place on June 12 in Singapore. We were informed that the meeting was requested by North Korea, but that to us is totally irrelevant. I was very much looking forward to being there with you. Sadly, based on the tremendous anger and open hostility displayed in your most recent statement, I feel it is inappropriate, at this time, to have this long-planned meeting. Therefore, please let this letter serve to represent that the Singapore summit, for the good of both parties, but to the detriment of the world, will not take place. You talk about your nuclear capabilities, but ours are so massive and powerful that I pray to God they will never have to be used.

“I felt a wonderful dialogue was building up between you and me, and ultimately it is only that dialogue that matters. Some day, I look very much forward to meeting you. In the meantime, I want to thank you for the release of the hostages who are now home with their families. That was a beautiful gesture and was very much appreciated.

“If you change your mind having to do with this most important summit, please do not hesitate to call me or write. The world, and North Korea in particular, has lost a great opportunity for lasting peace and great prosperity and wealth. This missed opportunity is a truly sad moment in history…”

Reactions

The Associated Press wrote on May 24:

“Russian President Vladimir Putin, a staunch Kim ally, said the North Korean leader had in fact done ‘everything that he had promised in advance, even blowing up the tunnels and shafts’ of his country’s nuclear testing site. Putin said of Trump’s announcement, ‘In Russia we took this news with regret.’…

“Trump’s announcement appeared to surprise South Korea, which had pushed to keep the summit on track as recently as Tuesday, when President Moon Jae-in met with Trump in the Oval Office and said the ‘fate and the future’ of the Korean Peninsula hinged on the talks…

“Trump, who considers himself a master dealmaker, has confounded aides and allies at every turn of the fateful flirtation with the North. He looked past the warnings of senior aides when he accepted Kim’s invitation to meet back in March. He unveiled the date and the time with characteristic showmanship. And after initially projecting calm in the face of North Korea’s escalating rhetoric, he made a sudden about face, though his letter also waxed poetic about the ‘wonderful dialogue’ emerging between the two leaders…

“The question now is how Trump’s maneuvering will be received. His letter could make the situation worse in a society where saving face can be pivotal. Kim might well take offense at the hardnosed U.S. approach after he released American detainees and destroyed a nuclear site…”

US-China Trade Agreements

CNN wrote on May 21:

“After weeks of tensions, China and the United States have reached a ceasefire. Both sides this weekend said they had agreed to not impose new tariffs on one another while talks continue, after reaching an initial agreement on trade. In a joint statement on Saturday, the countries said China would ‘significantly increase’ purchases of US goods and services to reduce their trade imbalance.”

Focus wrote on May 21 that the US-China trade agreements have a loser—Europe and especially Germany.

Deutsche Welle added on May 20:

“European officials are worried that a new trade deal between the US and China could come ‘at the expense of Europe.’… French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire on Sunday warned that Europe could be hurt if the US and China adopt a new trade deal. ‘The United States and China risk entering an agreement at the expense of Europe if Europe is not capable of showing a firm hand,’ Le Maire told French TV station CNEWS. ‘The United States wants to make Europe and European countries pay for China’s bad behavior. All of that is totally absurd and incomprehensible.’

“Over the past decade, China has been a major source of foreign direct investment in Europe, with Germany the largest recipient on the continent. Germany is also China’s largest trading partner in Europe.”

EU, China and Japan Warn the USA

Deutsche Welle wrote on May 24:

“The EU, China and Japan have decried the Trump administration’s idea to also heap US tariffs on imported vehicles – on top of steel and aluminum…

“The Wall Street Journal said vehicle import tariffs as high as 25 percent were being sought by US President Donald Trump…

“Citing national security was ‘far-fetched,’ said German DIHK chamber of commerce president, Eric Schweitzer and a European Commission spokesman in Brussels, Margaritis Schinas. ‘We should almost regard this as provocation,’ Schweitzer said, estimating it would cost an extra €6 billion ($7 billion) and impose ‘another nasty blow to our economic relations.’

“… Already, the EU is approaching a 1 June deadline on whether it will be exempted from US duties on steel and aluminum based similarly on protectionist rhetoric…

“Japan’s economy, industry and trade minister, Hiroshige Seko, said Tokyo would continue to remind US officials that any trade measures must conform to the WTO rules. Japan accounts for up to 40 percent of vehicles imported into the United States… Last week, Japan… warned at the WTO of possible retaliation…

“In Beijing, Chinese Commerce Minister spokesman Gao Feng warned the US that abusive imposition of national security provisions would ‘undermine the multilateral trade system and disrupt the order of international trade.’ China would ‘firmly defend our legitimate rights and interests,’ Gao told reporters…”

EU Foreign Policy Unification Is NOW!

Handelsblatt Global wrote on May 18:

“Iran, Gaza, Jerusalem: If ever the time was right for EU countries to unite in their foreign policy as in their trade policy, it is now… May 2018 could one day enter history books as the moment when the EU countries including Germany at last embarked on a common foreign policy. The catalyst, as long expected, will have been an external power. Not, however, a common foe, but an ostensible ally: America’s Donald Trump.

“… the US and Europe can no longer pretend to be aligned. The US has forfeited its role of honest broker [in the Middle East]… If there is today an honest broker, it may ironically be Germany…

“Angela Merkel and her EU peers have certainly grasped the urgency of the moment… For Germany to play a diplomatic role… it would need to boost military spending far beyond its paltry 1.2% of GDP…”

Kurz Would Receive More Votes in Germany than Merkel

The left-liberal Austrian paper Kurier wrote on May 18 that more Germans would vote for Austria’s Chancellor, Sebastian Kurz, than for Angela Merkel.

Kurz would receive 38% of the German votes, while presently only 32.5% of Germans would vote for Merkel. The paper points out that it is noticeable that the support for Kurz is remarkably high in all political corners. 80% of voters from the right-wing and anti-Immigrant party AFD voters are clear supporters of Kurz, and one-third of Merkel’s party support Kurz as well. 20% of voters from the grand coalition party SPD and from the Left support Kurz, and even 13% of the Greens would vote for him if they had a chance.

Italy’s Incoming Eurosceptic Government

AFP wrote on May 21:

“Fears of a new European crisis grew on Tuesday over Italy’s incoming eurosceptic government… Governments and markets have suddenly become unsettled as the prospect of populists taking the helm of the EU’s fourth biggest economy suddenly becomes a reality after months of deadlock. A period when the rest of the world seemed to be in denial finally seemed to be over as Italy’s president was tasked on Tuesday on whether to approve little-known lawyer Giuseppe Conte as prime minister…

“Fear number one is that Italy, a founder member of both the EU and the euro, is set to irk financial markets and trigger a new eurozone crisis by refusing to stick to public spending and debt targets set by Brussels. The bloc’s enforcer for the euro, European Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis, issued a tough public warning to the incoming Italian administration to pursue a ‘responsible’ budget policy…

“French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire meanwhile warned on Sunday that the ‘financial stability of the eurozone will be threatened’ if Italy ‘takes the risk of not respecting its commitments on debt and the deficit.’ The Frenchman also warned that Italy still had to clean up its debt-laden banks, whose health has long been a worry for the Eurozone…”

Italy First

Deutsche Welle added on May 21:

“Both coalition parties want to put a stop to immigration from Africa to Italy, and aim to deport 500,000 migrants… Matteo Salvini, until now a member of the European Parliament for the far-right, nationalist League, has rejected criticism of the new alliance. ‘It’s about Italy first…’

“… However, Matteo Salvini made clear that the coalition parties do want to stay in the EU, in the euro monetary union and also in NATO. ‘We want to remain in the Atlantic alliance, but at the same time we also want to aim for better relations with Russia,’ Salvini said… Both populist coalition parties will campaign in Brussels for a lifting of the EU sanctions against Russia imposed in response to the annexation of the Crimean peninsula and Russia’s activities in eastern Ukraine…”

Italy’s modern history of unpredictable and unstable governments is almost unique in the Western world. One never knows what will happen next there, but one thing is certain: Italy will NOT leave the EU or the Eurozone.

Hamas Leader Admits: “Peaceful Resistance Deceptive”

JTA wrote on May 18:

“A senior member of Hamas said that when his organization ‘talk[s] about “peaceful resistance,” we are deceiving the public.’ Mahmoud al-Zahar, who according to some is a co-founder of the Islamist group ruling Gaza, spoke May 13 about protests organized by Gaza on its border with Israel. Dozens of Palestinians have been killed in demonstrations their leaders say is nonviolent; Israel points to evidence that demonstrators have been armed with Molotov cocktails and incendiary kites. ‘This is not peaceful resistance. Has the option [of armed struggle] diminished? No,’ Al-Zahar, former foreign minister in the Hamas government, said during an interview with Al-Jazeera. ‘On the contrary, it is growing and developing. That’s clear. So when we talk about “peaceful resistance,” we are deceiving the public.’

“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday said Al-Zahhar’s remarks vindicate Israel’s firing of live ammunition on some protesters amid an international outcry over Israel’s actions. ‘I agree. Shooting guns and lobbing explosives at Israelis isn’t peaceful at all,’ Netanyahu said in the English-language video message. He also quoted Hamas commander Yahya Sinwar who before Monday’s riots was filmed saying that during the clashes, ‘we will tear down their border and tear out their hearts.’ This, Netanyahu said, ‘is what we are defending our families against. And you would do exactly the same.’…

“The United Kingdom, France, Canada and other countries have accused Israel of using excessive force in Gaza on Monday, though the United States, Australia and several other countries have blamed Hamas for the bloodshed. Separately, the United Nations Human Rights Council accused Israel of keeping Gazans ‘caged in a toxic slum’ during a special session in Geneva on the Gaza border clashes.”

How people can be easily deceived as to the Truth.

Development in Israel Sign for the End Time?

The Guardian wrote on May 19:

“For many on the Christian right, the state of Israel has been seen as a key to fulfilling prophesy… At the opening ceremony, two of the American speakers were evangelical superstars: Pastor Robert Jeffress, the author of several doomsday books about Israel, and John Hagee, who interpreted recent lunar eclipses as evidence that the end times were nigh. The Fox News personality Jeanine Pirro, meanwhile, declared that Trump had ‘fulfilled biblical prophecy’…

“This ‘post-evangelical’ generation was raised on a steady diet of low-budget movies and pulp novels that injected a potent fear of the coming Rapture, a dynamic most eloquently described by the late Billy Graham. ‘I pick up the Bible in one hand,’ he said, ‘and I pick up the newspaper in the other. And I read almost the same words in the newspaper as I read in the Bible. It’s being fulfilled every day round about us.’…

“It’s not only post-evangelicals who are dubious about the end times scenario…”

This development of abandoning the belief in the CORRECT “end-time” scenario (there will be no rapture, and the interpretations of lunar eclipses are far-fetched) is exactly what the Bible forewarns against, because it is when people are blinding themselves regarding the true signs of the time and declare peace that sudden destruction will come upon them.

A Photo with the Third Temple… Just a Joke?

Zero Hedge wrote on May 22:

“As if US-Palestinian relations weren’t already at the lowest point in perhaps all of history, they just sank even lower after a controversial photo… surfaced of the American Ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, receiving a large aerial photograph of Jerusalem… As Ambassador Friedman attended an event sponsored by an Israeli charity, one of the staff members presented him with the framed photograph which featured a photo-shopped imagined Jewish Temple in the place where Al-Aqsa mosque and the Dome of the Rock currently stand. The Israeli Haaretz newspaper describes the image as ‘bearing a simulation of the Third Temple’ placed in the photograph at the heart of Jerusalem’s walled old city, with the ‘Third Temple’ featured front and center…

“Though the US Embassy is reportedly outraged at the incident which it says the ambassador did not endorse and was not immediately aware of, it’s seems hard to miss the huge stone temple prominently at the forefront of the image… The official statement concluded with the following: ‘The U.S. policy is absolutely clear: ‘we support the status quo on the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount.’…

“For its part the Israeli charity responsible for the controversial photograph has issued an apology to Friedman and the embassy… Friedman, however, has been known for engaging in provocations aimed at showing his personal devotion to the Jewish state and preferred changes in US policy toward the conflict; for example, he’s long attempted to pressure the State Department to use terminology more friendly to the idea that the West Bank belongs to Israel…”

Ancient Jewish Coins Found on the Temple Mount

Breaking Israel News wrote on May 22:

“Five exceptionally rare ancient coins from among the very first ever minted by Jews were discovered on the Temple Mount, evidence of Jewish activity at the disputed site.

“The small coins – three in pristine condition and two showing signs of wear – were discovered as part of the Temple Mount Sifting Project, an archaeological initiative started in order to sift thousands of tons of dirt illegally excavated and dumped in the Kidron Valley by the Islamic Waqf in 1999. The Waqf excavations compromised the archaeological integrity of the Temple Mount and sparked outrage in Israel, leading many to suggest that the Waqf was intentionally attempting to eradicate evidence of two Jewish Temples which stood on the Mount for over 800 years…

“The newly-discovered coins bear the letters ‘YHD,’ or Yehud, the Aramaic name for the biblical kingdom of Judea, and are dated to the end of the 4th century BCE. According to one of the co-directors of the project, Zachi Dvira, only five other coins of this kind have been found in the 150 years of archaeological digging in ancient Jerusalem sites. Dvira noted that Jewish pilgrims would bring offerings of first fruits of the season to the Temple around the time of the Shavuot holiday, and would often convert their value to silver in the days of the Second Temple…

“‘These were the first coins ever minted by Jews,’ Dvira said in an interview with Israel’s Ynet news. ‘They express the people’s return to their land after the Babylonian exile, and their ability to hold and maintain diplomatic ties with the ruling empire—then Persia—similar to our relations with the United States today.’… In May 2017, UNESCO adopted a resolution denying Jewish connection to Jerusalem. In October 2016, the international body said the Jewish people have no ties to the Temple Mount.”

The Latest Insane Mass Murder in an American School

CBS wrote on May 19:

“10 people were killed and 10 others wounded in the shooting Friday morning at Santa Fe High School south of Houston. The suspected shooter [a 17-year old teenager] also had explosive devices, including a molotov cocktail, that were found in the school and nearby… Police found pressure cookers and pipe bombs around the school… Among the dead were a substitute teacher and several students…

“Students described [the suspected murderer] as quiet and ‘weird’ because a long trench coat was part of his wardrobe, even on days when the temperature neared 90 degrees… His motive is still unclear… the suspect had information in journals, on his computer and on cell phones that indicated he wanted to commit the shooting and take his own life afterward… the suspect ‘gave himself up’ and told authorities that he did not have the courage to take his own life… [He] posted the phrase ‘Dangerous Days’ on social media before the rampage along with a pentagram symbol.

“Two weapons were used in the attack… a shotgun and a .38 revolver, both of which were legally owned by the suspect’s father… A school resource officer was shot and injured in the shooting… [The suspected mass murderer] played on the junior varsity football team and was a member of a dance squad with a local Greek Orthodox church. His social media pages showed multiple images of guns. He recently posted a photo wearing a t-shirt reading ‘Born to Kill’ and there were also photos of a long green jacket with Nazi regalia.

“… one major question investigators will look into is why [the suspected mass murderer] allegedly opened fire in the art room and whether the class was specifically targeted.

“… the suspect had no criminal history…”

When will America’s violent culture and its fascination with guns and easy access to them ever cease? The answer is clear: Only AFTER Christ has returned to change our minds and hearts and give us a new way of thinking so that we will get rid of all weapons, as so powerfully described by the prophets Isaiah and Micah.

 School Shootings out of Control

Daily News wrote on May 18:

“More people have been murdered in schools so far this year than have been killed while serving in the U.S. military… 31 people — an overwhelming majority of whom were students — have been killed at schools since Jan. 1… Twenty-nine U.S. service members have been killed in the same timeframe, including both combat and noncombat deaths…

“Previous years, the numbers have typically been inverted, with service member casualties outnumbering student deaths by at least double… The number of individual school shootings is also much higher this year, with 16 deadly incidents across the country so far. Last year, there had been four fatal school shootings during the same period…”

Only in Germany: Parents Fined by Police for Not Sending their Children to School

Handelsblatt Global wrote on May 22:

“Police in southern Germany have filed 21 cases of truancy after spot checks at the Allgäu and Nuremberg airports on May 17 and 18. Officers caught families attempting to fly prior to the three-day Pentecost weekend without approval for their children to skip school…

“All German children are required by law to be in classes during regular school hours unless they have been previously excused by the school… German schools often refuse to excuse children prior to long weekends and holidays…

“But the compulsory education laws go further… home-schooling is also illegal in Germany. The Wunderlich family from the central state of Hesse is suing the German government at the European Court of Human Rights after they were prohibited from home-schooling their children. The Wunderlich children were taken from the family for three weeks in 2013 until the parents agreed to send their three children to local schools.

“However, while in the care of the state, officials tested the children. ‘To their certain annoyance, the test revealed the children to be performing at the same level as the average state school student,’ wrote Robert Clarke, the family’s lead attorney, in Christian Today earlier this month. The European court has agreed to hear the case and Mr. Clarke expanded on his position: ‘The Universal Declaration of Human Rights — often described as the constitution of the entire human rights framework — says that parents have a ‘prior right’ to direct the upbringing of their children.’”

Deutsche Welle added on May 21:

“School truancy is treated seriously in Germany and parents can be held liable if children do not attend school from age six to 16… The fine for truancy can be as high as €1,000 ($1,177)…  ‘It’s true that we have to adhere to the rules, but getting the police involved is a bit of an exaggeration,’ said Stephan Wassmuth, head of Germany’s Federal Parents Council. The Education and Science Workers’ Union (GEW) agreed, saying that ‘it makes more sense to have a conversation with parents. Police involvement for individual cases is too strong a reaction.’”

Der Stern wrote:

“Don’t the police have anything better to do? … This police conduct is merely annoyance.”

Die Welt stated:

“… religious reasons can justify an ongoing excuse, which must be applied for ahead of time in a timely fashion.”

The Horror Story of Germany’s Intrusive Church Taxes

Handelsblatt Global wrote on May 18:

“Germany has a church tax — unimaginable in the US or France. Anyone who was ever baptized or christened and has not officially left the church is liable.

“Thomas Bores is not religious. He was christened in the Catholic church during his first year on earth, like the overwhelming majority of babies in France. When his parents asked him at age six whether he wanted to go to catechism, he said no, and that was the end of his religious life. Or so he thought. Decades later when Mr. Bores moved to Berlin, in 2013, he checked the box for ‘not religious’ on his registration form. Two years later, he noticed €550 was missing from his bank account. He asked the payroll department at the company he worked for and was told the tax office had identified him as Roman Catholic and had billed him for back church taxes…

“Members of a recognized confession [mainly the Roman Catholic church and the Protestant church—“Evangelische Kirche”] pay an additional 8 or 9 percent of their annual income tax to that church. And by ‘member’ the authorities mean anyone who has been christened or baptized. The money is automatically deducted just like payroll taxes or social insurance. People are thus on the hook to their church until they formally renounce their membership with an official declaration made in person at a district court that comes with a filing fee of about €30.

“When I arrived in Berlin last year from the United States, I checked the box for ‘konfessionslos’ (not religious) as I registered. That was the end of it, I thought. A few weeks later I received an official-looking letter from the ‘church-tax office’ (Kirchensteuerstelle). It said they needed clarification about my religious affiliation. The questionnaire, which included my tax number and was posted from the same address as my district tax office, asked for intrusive details about my life. Was I ever baptized or christened? If so, where and when? Had I ever been married in the church? If so, where and when? Was I a member of any free church? I was taken aback by the idea of having to share such personal information.

“After digging online, I discovered that this church-tax office is not an actual government agency, and the letter is a deceptive initiative to snare potential church taxpayers. Any person who acknowledges they were baptized or otherwise involved in a church who cannot show paperwork proving they officially left the church is considered to still be a member in Germany and thereby liable for church taxes and back taxes.

“Mr. Bores, the French citizen, determined, with the help of a lawyer, that the church-tax office in Berlin had written a misleading letter to his old diocese in France, which had replied with a copy of his christening certificate. And that was enough for the Catholic diocese of Berlin to claim him as a member.

“This surely must violate privacy laws, I thought, and I found a report on the topic from Berlin’s data-protection official. This 2016 review concluded that because the church-tax offices are not official government agencies, and their employees work for the church, they are not subject to government data-protection laws — even though they are housed in government buildings and receive data from a government agency…

“Many Germans are leaving the church just to opt out of the taxes, which rankles religious leaders. A single person earning €60,000 a year in Berlin would pay about €1,500 of that in church tax. But leaving the church means more than skipping Sunday services. In Germany and Switzerland, leaving the church is a formal affair, requiring an appointment at a local government agency, sometimes a district court…

“The problem also hits Germans. Many of those formerly from the communist East at one point found themselves paying church taxes because the documents related to their religious status did not survive the bureaucratic transfers after reunification…

“Mr. Frerk, the church-tax expert, got into trouble. He was never baptized, never had anything to do with the church, but suddenly received a pay stub that identified him as Protestant. How do you prove a negative? The tax office wanted him to collect letters from every town he’d ever lived in to prove his non-religious status. So he argued with officials for months before realizing what would solve the problem. He went before a judge to declare his exit. ‘What church are you leaving?’ The judge asked. ‘I don’t care, any of them,’ Mr. Frerk replied. With the official papers in hand, he went back to the tax office. Shortly thereafter he received a letter from the church-tax office, saying, ‘If you were able to leave the church, that must mean you were a member. We would like you to now pay us the back taxes.’

“Mr. Bores’ lawyer also advised that he pay the €30 to officially leave the Catholic Church in Germany even though he had never been a practicing Catholic in France. The exit took another three months to be processed. During that time he remained liable for church taxes. Mr. Bores is still fighting in court to get back his €550.”

This horrible and intrusive “church” tax law in Germany, and the appalling methods of the church-tax office, prove that there is NO real separation of church and state in Germany, and it shows the methods with which the churches are greedily trying to get money they are clearly not entitled to. The church tax law is based on a treaty between the state and the church (going back to the Weimar constitution) allowing the state to collect church tax for the church and then transfer the received church tax money to the church. The Roman Catholic church, in collaboration with the Protestant church (“Evangelische Kirche”) and the German state, have always had an incredibly all-powerful influence on the German people in other ways as well, either directly or indirectly. We should take note of the fact that for centuries the church (the woman in Revelation 17) has been riding the European states (the beast).

Sexual Abuse by Jehovah’s Witnesses?

Dutch News reported on May 22:

“The Jehovah’s Witnesses community in the Netherlands will not hold an independent inquiry into the sexual abuse of members, despite being urged to do so by justice minister Sander Dekker. By last month, 267 reports of sexual abuse involving Jehovah’s Witnesses had been made to a hotline set up by the Reclaimed Voices foundation in 2017 after Trouw published a report on the growing scandal.

“Dekker told RTL Nieuws on Tuesday that the organisation’s decision is ‘disappointing’ and that it is ignoring the victims who want to be heard. He has no powers to force the organisation to hold an inquiry… Dekker said last year that the church should look to the example of the Catholic church to dealing with complaints about sexual abuse. In total, 3,712 people have reported being victims of sexual abuse within the Catholic church to a special hotline set up in 2010. There are some 30,000 Jehovah’s Witnesses in the Netherlands.”

All Chilean Bishops Offer Their Resignation to Pope Francis Because of Charges of Child Abuse 

Zenit wrote on May 18:

“In an unprecedented move, the bishops of Chile have presented their resignation, this Friday, May 18, 2018, in the Holy See… The 34 Chilean bishops have been meeting with Pope Francis in Rome from May 15 to 17 to ‘examine in depth their causes and consequences, as well as the mechanisms that have led in some cases to their cover-up and serious omissions towards the victims’ , reported the Holy See in a statement, published on May 12…

“In the declaration, the Chilean prelates ask for forgiveness ‘for the pain caused to the victims, to the Pope, to the People of God and to the country for our grave errors and omissions’… Nevertheless, Bishop Juan Ignacio González, Bishop of San Bernardo, has specified that placing his pastoral offices at the Pope’s complete disposition ‘implies that as long as the Holy Father does not make a determination, each one of the bishops members of the Episcopal Conference of Chile, continues in its pastoral works and in full functions.’”

Pope: God Made People Gay

Catholic News Agency wrote on May 20:

“A victim of the Chilean clergy abuse crisis who met privately with Pope Francis told a Spanish news source that the Pope told him to accept himself and his same-sex attraction, because God made him that way.

“Juan Carlos Cruz, a victim of Chilean abuser Fr. Fernando Karadima, met with Pope Francis privately in April after being invited to the Vatican along with other victims of abuse… ‘He told me “Juan Carlos, that you are gay does not matter. God made you like that and he loves you like that and I do not care. The Pope loves you as you are, you have to be happy with who you are,”’ Cruz recalled.

“The comment is controversial because it evokes a theological debate about the causes of homosexuality. The Catechism of the Catholic Church… states that ‘deep-seated’ homosexual inclination is ‘objectively disordered,’ and that homosexual acts are ‘acts of grave depravity, tradition has always declared that ‘homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered.’ They are contrary to the natural law… Under no circumstances can they be approved.’”

The Guardian added on May 20:

“It is not the first time it has been suggested Francis has an open and tolerant attitude toward homosexuality, despite the Catholic church’s teaching that gay sex – and all sex outside of heterosexual marriage – is a sin… The new remarks appear to go much further in embracing homosexuality as a sexual orientation that is designed and bestowed by God. It suggests that Francis does not believe that individuals choose to be gay or lesbian, as some religious conservatives argue.

“Austen Ivereigh, who has written a biography of the pope, said Francis had likely made similar comments in private in the past, when he served as a spiritual director to gay people in Buenos Aires, but that Cruz’s public discussion of his conversation with Francis represented the most ‘forceful’ remarks on the subject since 2013…”

The Sun added on May 21:

“The Pope’s words signal a much more open and inclusive approach by the often restrictive faith – a move which will likely upset many conservative Catholics. The Vatican has neither confirmed nor denied the Pontiff’s comments to Cruz.”

Regardless of what the Pope says, the BIBLE calls homosexuality a sin. Homosexual conduct is due to choice.

“Ramadan an ‘Old German Custom’ Celebrated Longer than Oktoberfest”?

Breitbart wrote on May 18:

“German radio broadcaster Deutschlandfunk Kultur has claimed that the Islamic holy month of Ramadan is not only an ‘old German custom’ but that it had been celebrated in the country longer than Oktoberfest. In an article, journalist Eren Güvercin claims that Ramadan is a thoroughly German holiday and that there is no question that Islam belongs to Germany.

“Güvercin maintains that the practice is older than the Oktoberfest, also known in Bavaria as Wiesn. While he provides no evidence for his assertion, the earliest Wiesn celebrations are thought to have been held on 12 October 1810 to celebrate the marriage of Prince Ludwig, later King Ludwig I, and Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen. The oldest mosque in Germany, by contrast, was built in Berlin in 1915 and was discovered by an archaeological team in 2015. The mosque, which was made of wood, was thought to have been intended for Muslim prisoners of war as it was built inside a World War One-era prison camp.

“According to Güvercin, the Islamic holy month is as German as the great poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe or noted author of the First World War novel All Quiet on the Western Front Rainer Maria Rilke… The article comes after Interior Minister Horst Seehofer stated that Islam did not belong to Germany and was later contradicted by his coalition partner, Chancellor Angela Merkel. A poll of the German public revealed that they sided with Seehofer with 75 per cent stating that Islam probably did not belong to Germany or absolutely did not belong to the country.”

Güvercin’s statements are ridiculous and can be clearly categorized as “fake news.”

“Hawaii’s Kilauea Volcano Erupts, Releasing 30,000ft Plume of Ash”

The Guardian wrote on May 17:

“Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano erupted anew before dawn on Thursday, shooting a steely gray plume of ash about 30,000 feet (9,100 meters) into the sky that began raining down on a nearby town…

“Kilauea is one of the world’s most active volcanoes. An eruption in 1924 killed one person and sent rocks, ash and dust into the air for 17 days… The volcano has been erupting continuously since 1983. It is one of five volcanoes on Hawaii’s Big Island…”

The Associated Press wrote on May 21:

“White plumes of acid and extremely fine shards of glass billowed into the sky over Hawaii as molten rock from Kilauea volcano poured into the ocean, creating yet another hazard from an eruption that began more than two weeks ago: A toxic steam cloud… Scientists said the steam clouds at the spots where lava entered the ocean were laced with hydrochloric acid and fine glass particles that can irritate skin and eyes and cause breathing problems…

“In recent days, the lava began to move more quickly and emerge from the ground in greater volume. Scientists said that’s because the lava that first erupted was magma left over from a 1955 eruption that had been stored in the ground for the past six decades. The molten rock that began emerging over the past few days was from magma that has recently moved down the volcano’s eastern flank from one or two craters that sit further upslope — the Puu Oo crater and the summit crater. The new lava is hotter, moves faster and has spread over a wider area… The volcano has opened more than 20 vents, including four that have merged into one large crack. It has been gushing lava high into the sky and sending a river of molten rock toward the ocean at about 300 yards (274 meters) per hour…”

Shocking?–“Brides Should Pledge to ‘Obey’ their Husbands”

Daily Mail wrote on May 18:

“Piers Morgan’s wife Celia Walden says brides SHOULD pledge to ‘obey’ their husbands – as the world waits to see if Meghan omits the promise from her wedding vows…  [Walden] admitted… that she did vow to obey her husband Piers Morgan, even though it is now ‘out of fashion’.

“Many brides leave out the word ‘obey’ from the traditional pledge to ‘love, honour and obey’ their new husbands in modern ceremonies…

“Curious about what happened at Piers and Celia’s 2010 wedding, presenter Kate Garraway asked the journalist what she said… ‘I did say obey…’ she confessed. The revelation clearly shocked [presenters] Ben and Kate who jokingly screeched: ‘You fool!’…

“The royal vows were used by Queen Elizabeth in 1947 and come from the church’s Anglican Book of Common Prayer. In them, grooms vow ‘to love and cherish till death do us part’. The bride promises to ‘love, cherish and obey’. According to ABC News, the vows have been modernized, however.

“In 2000, they were changed to: ‘I, (bride/broom name), take you, (groom/bride name) to be my wife/husband, to have and to hold from this day forward; for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part.’

“Princess Diana omitted the word ‘obey’ from her vows at her wedding to Prince Charles in 1981. Kate Middleton followed in her footsteps in 2011…”

As it was widely expected, Meghan omitted in her vows the promise to obey her husband. Whether it is fashionable or not, the Bible clearly demands obedience of the wife to her husband, but of course only as such obedience is supported by Scripture. God would never want a wife to obey her husband in anything which violates the letter or the spirit of the law of God.

A Groundbreaking Modern Royal Wedding

The Sun wrote on May 19:

 “Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s first kiss delights fans as they seal [a] VERY modern Royal Wedding [and a] groundbreaking multi-cultural ceremony with a gospel choir and [an] eccentric American bishop… Royal experts [were] saying the couple have thrown the Royals into the 21st century.

“Ingrid Seward, Editor in Chief of Majesty Magazine said: ‘There’s never a royal wedding like this in modern history’… A gospel choir sang American soul singer Ben E. Kings 1960s hit Stand By Me to the couple, who had earlier been given their new titles as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex…

“Majesty Magazine’s Ms Seward added that the star of the wedding was the American preacher, The Most Reverend Michael Curry… Peter Rolfe, owner of luxury events organiser PAVE London, added: ‘What is obvious is how much the black community have been featured in the ceremony so far, which is different from previous royal weddings [Meghan, a divorcee and former actress, is the child of a white father and a black mother.]. It’s nice to put in Meghan’s heritage with the head of the Episcopal Church was probably the most memorable speaker in the ceremony. ‘He was very arousing. His speech about love caught everyone in the church by surprise… Some of the faces in the church showed they weren’t expecting such a rousing address’…

“Harry wore full military uniform… Kensington Palace confirmed that the Royal brothers would be wearing the frockcoat uniform of the Blues and Royals, with the Queen giving her permission for Prince Harry to marry in his uniform…”

As Deutsche Welle reported, “Michael Bruce Curry, a US Episcopalian bishop [actually, he is the presiding Bishop of the American Episcopal church and a strong supporter of same sex marriage], [gave] an impassioned wedding address. His words [centered] on the power of love to transform human lives.” Episcopalianism is the American branch of the worldwide Anglican community; the Queen is the head of the Anglican church. His speech was in stark contrast to the military uniforms worn by the Royal brothers, as he referred to a world ruled by love, saying that “when love is the way, we will lay down our swords and shields, down by the riverside, to study war no more…” (as quoted by the website of townandcountrymag).

Zimbabwe applies to Re-Join British Commonwealth

Deutsche Welle wrote on May 21:

“Zimbabwe has applied to re-join the British Commonwealth and invited observers to attend its general elections. The move is a major step towards re-engaging with the international community after Robert Mugabe’s ouster.

“Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa officially applied for his country to re-join the Commonwealth almost 15 years after it left… Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland said in a statement that the member states ‘very much look forward to Zimbabwe’s return when the conditions are right.’ ‘Zimbabwe’s eventual return to the Commonwealth, following a successful membership application, would be a momentous occasion, given our shared rich history,’ Scotland said.

“Under former leader Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe left the voluntary grouping of mostly former British colonies in 2003. Mugabe, who ruled Zimbabwe since its independence in 1980, had been suspended by the group for violent and disputed elections as well as the seizure of land from white farmers, which triggered a national economic collapse. Mnangagwa replaced Mugabe as leader following a de facto army coup last November.

“In the letter, Mnangagwa also invited Commonwealth officials to observe Zimbabwe’s general elections which are due to take place in July. The presidential, parliamentary and council elections will be the southern African nation’s first big democratic test.

“In order to become a member of the Commonwealth, Zimbabwe must show that it adheres to the group’s core values including democracy and rule of law as well as the protection of human rights including freedom of expression… If its application were to be accepted, Zimbabwe would be the fifth country to re-join the Commonwealth. The group is currently comprised of 53 countries, mainly former British colonies, representing 2.4 billion people.”

The survival or remnant of the once all-powerful British Commonwealth shows the degree of Britain’s downfall.

New Contemplated “Gender Neutral” Advertisement Requirements in the UK

Daily Mail wrote on May 17:

“The Committee of Advertising Practice is considering introducing rules that could effectively outlaw stereotypical characteristics such as boys being daring or girls being caring in adverts… Ad that seeks to emphasise the contrast between a boy’s stereotypical personality – for example, daring – with a girl’s stereotypical personality – for example, caring – needs to be handled with care, a committee announced today.

“Vetoed: Aptamil baby milk advert that showed girls growing up to become ballerinas and boys becoming scientists and rock climbers… Other notions on the endangered list for advertising include women not being able to park cars and men failing to change nappies…

“Some big brand names have already taken voluntary measures to end what they see as gender stereotyping. Knorr TV ads used to show a mother and daughter in the kitchen but now feature a father and son…

“The consultation finishes at the end of July and any new rules are likely to come into effect by December.”

As the gender neutrality movement is reaching new heights of stupidity, one can only imagine what these new advertisement rules will look like.

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 emphasize the biblical teaching that in the not-too-distant future, prior to Christ’s return, there WILL BE a falling away from the Truth. We have written extensively on this subject. We are setting forth excerpts from several of our Q&A’s:

We state the following in our Q&A on the 144,00:

“… the Bible even prophecies that in the future, prior to Christ’s return, true Church members will fall away from the Truth, because they did not receive the love of the Truth and did not believe the Truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness (2 Thessalonians 2:10, 12). Because of lawlessness, the love of God within them will grow cold (Matthew 24:12), and they will become an easy target for Satan’s ministers (2 Corinthians 11:14-15) who will deceive them through their lying signs and wonders (2 Thessalonians 2:9, 11; Matthew 24:11, 24). Hopefully, their falling away will not be permanent and they will come again to ‘repentance so that they may know the truth,’ and that they ‘may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will’ (2 Timothy 2:25-26).”

The end-time falling away from the Truth refers to converted Christians. It will reach its climax at the approximate time when the man of sin—the false prophet—manifests himself just prior to and during the Great Tribulation, claiming to be God and sitting in the Temple of God.

We say this in the Q&A about a future Temple prior to Christ’s return 

“Another Scripture, indicating the existence of a future temple in Jerusalem, just prior to Christ’s return, can be found in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4. Paul writes: ‘Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day [of Christ’s return] will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshipped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.’…

“However, we read that the returning Christ will consume the man of sin ‘with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming’ (2 Thessalonians 2:8). Therefore, this man of sin will exist at the time of Christ’s return. He will proclaim himself to be God, not just ‘a god.’ It is highly unlikely that Paul was talking about the Church as the temple of God in this context. There is no Biblical evidence that the false prophet will be sitting in God’s true Church, proclaiming himself to be God. However, Christ warned His Church in Matthew 24:11 that ‘many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.’

“One argument that has been advanced for the idea that the ‘man of sin’ is or will be a religious leader within the true Church of God is that he allegedly has to fall away from the truth, which he once knew. This is, however, not in accordance with Scripture. 2 Thessalonians 2:3 does not say that the end-time ‘man of sin’ must fall away from the truth, which he once understood. Rather, the passage only states that Christ will not return ‘unless the falling away comes first, AND the man of sin is revealed.’”

Some have proposed that the coming falling away refers to traditional Christianity, which will exert a more powerful influence on the world. But this interpretation is erroneous.

We state the following in our Q&A about the future apostasy in 2 Thessalonians 2:3  

“The context of these verses is interesting. This is talking about a falling away from the truth, and it is the only place in the Bible where the word ‘apostasia’ is used. The apostle Paul is addressing ‘brethren’ (verse 1) about an apostasy especially at the end time, as ‘the man of sin’ is also mentioned who is to reveal himself during the very last days, and who will sit in the temple of God and pretend to be God himself. This strongly indicates that the Jews will build a temple in Jerusalem prior to Christ’s return, where they will bring sacrifices, and that the man of sin or the false prophet will occupy the temple for a while, when the armies of the beast power will occupy the city of Jerusalem and suppress the daily sacrifices. All of this will be fulfilling aspects of Christ’s end time warning that the abomination of desolation will be set up or standing at the holy place, where it should not be (Matthew 24:15; Mark 13:14).

“It is correct, of course, that an apostasy from the true gospel already began during the lifetime of Paul, when he stated that he marvelled that so many in the Church of God had turned to another gospel (Galatians 1:6-7). But Paul’s warning, taken as a whole, is not about others who did not or do not have the truth, but he is addressing those who had learned it and who would nevertheless ‘fall away’ or leave their own beliefs behind and go off in a different direction.

“It is therefore clear that any revival of orthodox Christianity, including a revival of the Roman Catholic Church, the Greek and Russian Orthodox Church or the different Protestant churches (as mentioned in Revelation 13 and 17), is not in any way to be viewed as being an aspect of the end-time apostasy or falling away from true biblical teaching. How can orthodox Christianity ‘fall away’ from biblical beliefs that they do not accept in the first place, and have never accepted? For instance, the Catholic and Protestant churches have rejected, for nearly two millennia, the weekly Sabbath and the annual Holy Days…

“The Protestant Church, even though they officially rejected and still reject the authority of the Catholic Church to change the teachings of the Bible, nevertheless followed the lead of the Catholic Church and adopted Sunday worship, while rejecting the Sabbath. Martin Luther himself declared that the Bible teaches the observance of the Sabbath, agreeing with the Waldenses who insisted at the time that the Sabbath must be kept, but he concluded that one should instead continue the observance of Sunday, as to avoid an unnecessary uproar. Other Protestant ‘reformers’ such as Calvin understood that Easter is a pagan holiday, which is not enjoined in Scripture, but which the Catholic Church adopted from pagans who kept this day in honour of pagan gods. The goal was to bring those pagans into the fold of the Catholic Church. However, these same Protestant ‘reformers’ did not feel it necessary to abrogate Easter observance…

“At the same time, a false concept of God is being taught, where He is misrepresented as a Trinity—One Person in Three Persons—while the Bible clearly rejects such absurd doctrine. The list could go on and on, but suffice to say that orthodox Christianity could not be part of an end time ‘apostasia’, because they never had the truth in the first place from which to renege, and they most certainly do not have the truth today…

“The true Church of God has always been a ‘little flock’… It must be remembered that ‘a falling away’ doesn’t have to be millions of people. It is a falling away from a small flock, which the Church of God has always been, and therefore, numerically, won’t be millions of people. The ‘falling away’ is only in connection with where the truth is and has been preached – and that is in the Church of God… Paul’s warning for us today is therefore very sobering: Even though a falling away did undoubtedly take place at the time when a new administration came to power in the Worldwide Church of God [WCG], after the death of its human leader, Herbert Armstrong, in 1986, the apostasy from the truth within the Church of God will continue. As many fell away from the truth then, so many will still fall away in the future…”

The commentary of Bengel’s Gnomen adds:

“The apostasy and the mystery of iniquity are a great evil… Apostasy is a falling away from the faith… Some of those who had received it drew back [and departed] from the living God…”

The coming end-time apostasy refers to true converted Christians who will fall away from the Truth. As we will point out below, even though we might hope for the better, their departure might very well be a final decision in many cases, leading to the unpardonable sin. We should realize that this departure does not only refer to a “handful” of people. It is true that the Bible does not use the term “GREAT” or “GREATER” falling away in 2 Thessalonians 2. However, it is also correct that it has been commonly understood that Paul had a GREAT apostasy in mind, which—relatively speaking—will be, in some way, greater than prior apostasies. For instance, the headline of the New King James Bible for 2 Thessalonians 2 reads, “The Great Apostasy.” The Ryrie Study Bible comments about the coming apostasy: “An aggressive and climactic revolt against God.”

The Benson Commentary writes about the coming apostasy: “The article here is emphatical, denoting both that this was to be a great apostasy, the apostasy, by way of eminence, (the general, grand departure of the whole visible church into idolatrous worship,) and that the Thessalonians had been already apprized of its coming.”

After all, Paul uses the end-time falling away from the Truth and the manifestation of the man of sin as important and critical visible signs for the arrival of the day of the Lord–the return of Jesus Christ. If he had only a minor event in mind or just a few Christians who were to forsake the Truth, then this would hardly be an obvious and convincing sign for Christ’s return, as Christians have fallen away from the Truth as long as the Church of God has existed, and as many Christians HAD fallen away from the Truth at the time of Paul, as Paul explains in the first chapter of the letter to the Galatians.

When we consider the falling away from the Truth in the days of the [now defunct] Worldwide Church of God [WCG], after the death of Herbert W. Armstrong, how can there still be a “great” apostasy, when today, the numbers of members and attendees in all Church of God organizations are so much smaller than in the days of WCG, and when after Mr. Armstrong died, more than 100,000 people (an approximate estimate) forsook the teachings of the Bible? Another question is, how can the coming falling away from the Truth be GREATER than the falling away from the Truth in WCG’s days?

First, we should ask ourselves as to how many Church attendees were actually truly converted in WCG days and understood, embraced and LOVED the Truth, before they subsequently departed. In this regard, you might carefully consider biblical passages such as 1 John 2:19 and 2 Timothy 2:15-20, referring to Church “attendees” who were not converted and ultimately left the fellowship with the true Church… or who stayed in the Church organization, without being truly converted servants of God (compare 3 John 9-10; Jude 4, 19). If true, then they did not really depart from the Truth (even though they might have “known” aspects of the Truth, the Truth was never part of their lives), and their judgment will still come in the future, while converted Christians are already being judged today (1 Peter 4:17).

Further, the concept of a “great” or “greater” falling away is relative. It may not be a “greater” falling away than it was at the time of Paul or at the time of WCG, when referring to numbers, but it will be a GREATER falling away in terms of importance and potentially eternal consequence. If the Body of Christ were to consist of 5 million converted members, then a departure of 1000 would not necessarily qualify as a great falling away. But when there are only 30,000 members, then 10,000 members who fall away can indeed be described as a great falling away. And in comparison, if many more members fall away than those who stay, then this would be a great falling away, in any event.

In addition, we hope that many of those who were converted and departed from the Truth in WCG’s days will return in the years to come, so that they would not be counted as those who departed from the Truth for good. The possibility of such a return is definitely implied in passages such as Revelation 2:5; 3:2-3, 17-19. And as we mentioned before, we also hope the same for those who will fall away in the future apostasy. But the extremely frightening warning is that many of those who will depart from the Truth in the future may very well depart for good—constituting a true departure and falling away of converted Church members from the Truth—as the love of God, poured out in their hearts through the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5), will grow cold, and as they will forsake the Truth AND the love of the Truth, which they might have had at one time. The German Menge Bible renders this verse in 2 Thessalonians 2:10: “They did not make the love of the Truth a part of themselves.” The New International Version and many other translations say: “They refused to love the truth.”

The warning in this regard must not be overlooked. As the love of God would grow cold in them, so, as a consequence, the love of and for the Truth would grow cold in them as well. The love of God IS the keeping of His commandments (1 John 5:3), and without God’s love, lawlessness abounds, and vice versa (Matthew 24:12).

Hebrews 6:4-6 states very clearly: “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, to renew them again to repentance…”

When we speak of the fact that there will be “many” who will fall away in the future (compare Matthew 24:10-12; 2 Peter 2:1-2), we must realize how the Bible uses the word “many.” We state the following in our Q&A on the number of those who will be saved:

“First, we need to realize that the word ‘many’ is to be understood in context. It does not necessarily have to describe the vast majority of a group of people… We read in Acts 12:12 that Peter ‘came to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose surname was Mark, where MANY were gathered together praying…’ In 1 Corinthians 11:30, Paul described the status of the brethren in Corinth, saying: ‘For this reason [because they did not properly discern Christ’s Sacrifice, when they partook of the symbols of bread and wine] MANY are weak and sick among you, and MANY sleep [having died prematurely].’

“We also read that at the time of Jesus’ death, ‘the graves were opened; and MANY bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many’ (Matthew 27:52-53). Verses 55-56 point out that ‘MANY women who followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to Him, were there looking on from afar, among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James [the Less] and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.’

“In addition, Mark 14:56 informs us that at the time of Christ’s illegal ‘trial,’ ‘MANY bore false witness against Him, but their testimonies did not agree.’ So, we need to look at the use of the word ‘many’ in context. For instance, when we read that many brethren in Corinth had partaken of the Passover symbols in an unworthy manner, we are informed that a sizeable group had done so; this passage does not have to mean that the majority had acted in that way…”

God’s warning to all of us is clear. We are to retain the Truth, love the Truth and GROW in Christ’s knowledge of the Truth. We must not forsake or reject the Truth which has been entrusted to us (and God’s true Church is the foundation and pillar of the Truth; cp. 1 Timothy 3:15), and we must love God’s Truth so much that we will not refuse to accept further aspects of the Truth, whenever God reveals them to us in the pages of the Bible. We must continue to be zealous, steadfast and committed to God and His Word until the very end (Matthew 10:22; 24:13; Hebrews 3:14). If we do, then God will protect and save us from the deceptions around us, so that we will NOT drift away (Hebrews 2:1), turn away from God and depart from Him (Hebrews 12:25; 3:12), fall through disobedience (Hebrews 4:11) and lose our salvation (Hebrews 2:3; 10:26-31).

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

compiled by Dave Harris

“Pope Francis: ‘God Made People Gay!’” is the title of a new StandingWatch program, presented by Evangelist Norbert Link. Here is a summary:

Are people born gay or is it their choice to become this way? Did God create gay people, as Pope Francis seems to suggest? Are there any differences in role and responsibility between husband and wife? Do we have to adopt gender neutrality, even in advertisement? What are TRUE biblical standards in regard to sexual relationships?

“Wann kommt der große Abfall?” is the title of this Sabbath’s German sermon, presented by Norbert Link. The title in English is: “When Will the Great Galling Away Happen?”

“Fishing for True Answers,” the sermonette presented last Sabbath by Robb Harris, is now posted. Here is a summary:

Placing God before all other desires is critical in our ability to show true fruits of repentance. We don’t know when or how but we know that God will use us as lights to the world. We must be prepared to shine at all times with works that reflect Godly nature.

“True Proof!” the sermon presented last Sabbath by Dave Harris, is now posted. Here is a summary:

Satan challenges mankind to “prove it”—but his motive is evil. God also challenges mankind to prove Him—and His objective is good. Our responsibility is to choose the true proof from God that leads to life.

“Shape and Definition,” the sermonette presented on Pentecost morning by Eric Rank, is now posted. Here is a summary:

The shape of our current condition is a result of our past. While our history determines our present state of being, it does not need to control our future. Our determination to repent of our past sins and actively work towards the fulfillment of our calling is what defines our character.

“This Gospel,” the sermon presented on Pentecost morning by Dave Harris, is now posted. Here is a summary:

The gospel, that is, the “good news” of the Kingdom of God is the message from God to mankind. This is the focus of what Jesus Christ preached, and it is what He commissioned as the “work” of the Church of God. It is through the Holy Spirit of God that His servants are completing this responsibility!

“God Will Provide,” the Offertory presented on Pentecost afternoon by Michael Link, is now posted. Here is a summary:

Do we believe that God will provide in ALL things? What do we ask for? What kind of blessings can we expect to receive if we live righteously? How do we put God to the test if we want to receive blessings?

“How We Grow in God’s Knowledge,” the sermon presented on Pentecost afternoon services by Norbert Link, is now posted. Here is a summary:

On the Day of Pentecost, God gave His Holy Spirit to His New Testament Church. It is God’s Spirit which leads us in all Truth and which declares to us the future, if we accept God’s involvement in our lives and act accordingly. In this sermon, we will give you many examples from recent Church history, showing HOW God lets His Knowledge grow in His disciples, which includes the courage of true Christians to free themselves from error, while believing and boldly and uncompromisingly declaring the doctrines of the Bible.

On May 19, 2018, Robb Harris will present the sermonette, titled, “Fishing for True Answers,” and Dave Harris will present the sermon, titled, “True Proof!”

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.

PENTECOST will be observed and services will be broadcast live on Sunday, May 20, 2018. Morning services will begin at 9:00 am Pacific Time, and afternoon services will begin at 3:00 pm Pacific Time. Morning: Sermonette will be presented by Eric Rank, titled, “Shape and Definition,” and the sermon will be presented by Dave Harris, titled, “This Gospel”; Afternoon: Offertory will be presented by Michael Link, titled, “God Will Provide,” and the sermon will be presented by Norbert Link, titled, “How We Grow in God’s Knowledge.”

I love the springtime. The air is cool, but the sun offers warmth that invigorates. The scent of flowering trees fills the air for about one week, and then gives way to the growth of other beautiful flowers planted on the ground. It’s a splendid time of year, offering unique moments to appreciate when one slows down long enough to observe and enjoy God’s created beauty.

There is something about the springtime that I don’t love so much, however. Weeds. Those unsightly plants love the springtime even more than I do, and they prove it by competing mightily against the pretty ones. In fact, the dandelions barely wait until the snow has melted before tagging the yard with yellow dots in random patterns. Such rude behavior makes it nearly impossible to get ahead of them in order to prevent their growth.

Through the years of being a homeowner, I’ve learned that there is only one thing that is effective in fighting the annual battle against weeds. As much as I’ve tried hoping and wishing that the weeds in the yard would go away or just die, I have proven to myself time and again that these methods simply have no effect. It turns out that hard work is the only thing that can tame the wild growth of weeds. Whether the work is spent pulling, researching chemicals and carefully applying a lethal dose, or even paying someone else to take care of the problem, hard work is necessary to keep a yard under control. There’s simply no way around it.

It should be no surprise that most things that are truly valuable take work in order to achieve. The example of a well-groomed yard is trivial in comparison with that which really matters, however. The Bible is clear that the promise of everlasting life for a Christian takes diligent work in learning to become obedient and overcome sin. We are reminded by Jesus Christ that the easy paths and the wide gates are the ones that lead to destruction, but the narrow gate that is difficult to find is the one that leads to everlasting life (compare Matthew 7:13-14). Even though eternal life is a gift that is freely given to us through the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ, our efforts still need to be applied in proving to God that we are willing to learn obedience and righteous behavior. It takes work to overcome sin. It takes work to build up our relationship with God. If we choose to neglect our calling, we risk our own lives in potentially falling away.

If we have been called out of the world by God, “who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began” (2 Timothy 1:9), we have a very special gift to care for. If we want to please God and prove to Him how valuable our calling is to us, there is one way to succeed. Only through hard work will we be able to turn away from sin and learn righteousness. The Bible also reminds us that there is a benefit to our efforts as well – “He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (compare Hebrews 11:6). We are fortunate to have the gift of eternal life to be made available to us, but even beyond that, our tireless work in living by the Truth will be rewarded with great responsibility and roles of leadership in the Kingdom of God (compare Luke 19:15-19).

by Norbert Link

In this special issue, we report on the events in and surrounding the state of Israel, pertaining to the opening of the US embassy in Jerusalem and the violence in Gaza, as well as the worldwide reactions to these events. In this context, please view our new StandingWatch program, “Netanyahu’s Announcement of a Third Temple?”

We also focus on Europe’s response to President Trump’s withdrawal from the Iran deal and the perceived need for Europe to unify as soon as possible.

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

America’s Opening of Its Embassy in Jerusalem

JTA wrote on May 14:

“The United States dedicated its newly established embassy in Jerusalem in a high-profile ceremony attended by prominent Trump administration officials… The Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995, which passed both houses of Congress by overwhelming votes, recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and called for relocating the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. A presidential waiver signed every six months until now has allowed successive administrations to suspend moving the embassy on the grounds that this was ‘necessary to protect the national security interests of the United States.’

“Several of the speakers… reminded the audience that exactly 70 years ago, nearly to the moment of the ceremony, the United States under President Harry Truman became the first country to recognize the new state of Israel.”

One could say that the timing for the ceremony was carefully staged, but it was surely no coincidence that an American President would relocate the embassy to Jerusalem 70 years after the recognition of Israel as a state and after all previous presidents had refused for more than 20 years to move the embassy.

The Long History of Jewish Dreams of Jerusalem as Capital

The New York Post wrote on May 14:

“In the Second century AD… Roman emperor Hadrian had planted the seeds for the rebellion with his ambitions to remake Jerusalem, including the planned construction of a Temple to Jupiter on the site of the old Jewish Temple. The leader of the Jewish rebellion, Bar Kokhba, was fired by a vision of a united Israel with Jerusalem as its capital…

“King David conquered the city in 1,000 BC and made it the capital of the kingdom of Israel. His son Solomon built the First Temple. ‘He who has not seen Jerusalem in her splendor has never seen a desirable city in his life,’ declares the Babylonian Talmud. ‘He who has not seen the Temple in its full construction has never seen a glorious building in his life.’

“But Jerusalem would repeatedly be captured and the Temple destroyed (first by the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar and then by the Roman Emperor Titus)…

“Psalm 137 recounting the Babylonian captivity avers, ‘If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning. If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy.’ The Jewish people never forgot. In one of the miracles of our age, after long centuries of exile punctuated by genocide at the hands of the Nazis, they re-established Israel in 1948, and then gained control of all of Jerusalem in 1967 (prior to that, when Jordan held East Jerusalem, Jews couldn’t visit the Western Wall).

“The notion that the City of David isn’t the capital of Israel was an impolite fiction, honored by the United States and the West for fear of provoking Arabs hostile to the very idea of the Jewish state. Its prime minister, parliament and highest court are based there, and it’s unimaginable that Israel would ever agree to any peace deal that didn’t recognize it as the capital…”

But there might soon be more to come. Note the next article.

Netanyahu’s Announcement of a Third Temple?

Set forth below are excerpts from Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech during the opening of the US embassy, as quoted by the Times of Israel, dated May 14:

“In Jerusalem, King David established our capital three thousand years ago. In Jerusalem, King Solomon built our Temple, which stood for many centuries. In Jerusalem, Jewish exiles from Babylon rebuilt the Temple, which stood for many more centuries. In Jerusalem, the Maccabees rededicated that Temple and restored Jewish sovereignty in this land.

“And it was here in Jerusalem some two thousand years later that the soldiers of Israel spoke three immortal words… ‘The Temple Mount is in our hands,’ words that lifted the spirit of the entire nation. We are in Jerusalem and we are here to stay…

“The prophet, Zechariah, declared over 2,500 years ago, ‘So said the Lord, “I will return to Zion and I will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. And Jerusalem shall be called the City of Truth.”’

“May the opening of this embassy in this city spread the truth far and wide, and may the truth advance a lasting peace between Israel and all our neighbors. God bless the United States of America and God bless Jerusalem, the eternal, undivided capital of Israel.”

Both Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump reiterated their “position” that the status quo was not to be changed. But repeated references in Mr. Netanyahu’s speech to the Temple and the Temple Mount make one wonder what is really going on behind the scene. We might be closer to the biblically prophesied building of the Third Temple prior to the Coming of the Messiah than many may realize.

Violence in the Gaza Strip and Political Bickering

Newsmax reported on May 15:

“Thousands of Gaza residents turned out on Tuesday for the funerals of Palestinians killed by Israeli troops a day earlier… Monday’s violence on the border, which took place as the United States opened its new embassy in Jerusalem, was the bloodiest for Palestinians since the 2014 Gaza conflict. The death toll rose to 60 overnight after an eight-month-old baby died from tear gas that her family said she inhaled at a protest camp on Monday. [But see the article below.] More than 2,200 Palestinians were also injured by gunfire or tear gas…

“May 15 is traditionally the day Palestinians mark the ‘Nakba’, or Catastrophe, when hundreds of thousands fled or were driven from their homes in violence culminating in war between the newly created Jewish state and its Arab neighbors in 1948… More than 2 million people are crammed into the narrow Gaza Strip, more than two thirds of them refugees. Citing security concerns, Israel and Egypt maintain tight restrictions on the enclave, deepening economic hardship and raising humanitarian concerns…”

The worldwide response to the violence was predictable. Most countries blamed Israel for responding “excessively” to the “demonstrations,” which were instigated by the terror organization Hamas. Note the following articles.

Israel Faces Backlash

The Associated Press wrote on May 15:

“Israel faced a growing backlash Tuesday and new charges of using excessive force…

“Israel says it has the right to defend its border against a possible mass breach and accuses Gaza’s Hamas rulers of trying to carry out attacks under the cover of the protests. A military spokesman said Tuesday that 14 of those killed a day earlier were involved in attacks…Gaza Health Ministry, which provided the toll from Monday’s violence, said a 9-month-old girl died from tear gas exposure, but medical officials later cast doubt on that claim, saying the infant had a pre-existing medical condition. It remained unclear Tuesday where and how the child died…

“In Brussels, Prime Minister Charles Michel [of Belgium] called the Israeli actions ‘unacceptable violence’ and said there was a ‘clear lack of proportionality’… German spokesman Steffen Seibert said the violence ‘concerns us greatly,’ but also accused Hamas of cynically escalating the unrest. Ireland’s Foreign Ministry summoned the Israeli ambassador to express ‘shock and dismay.’ Turkey asked Israel’s ambassador to leave temporarily and the country lowered flags to half-staff to mark three days of mourning… On Monday, South Africa recalled its ambassador to Israel until further notice…

“U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley said no member ‘would act with more restraint than Israel has’ in its confrontation with Palestinians at the Gaza border…”

Breitbart added on May 15:

“Turkey has called on all Islamic countries to review their ties with ‘terror state’ Israel ahead of an extraordinary summit of the world’s main pan-Islamic body to protest Israel’s actions in defending itself against deadly Gaza riots. ‘Islamic countries should without fail review their relations with Israel,’ Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim told his ruling party in parliament Tuesday…”

Turkey’s reaction was to be expected. The Bible warns modern Turkey (biblical Edom) that it will suffer greatly for its hatred towards Israel and the USA. In addition, the Bible also shows that most countries will turn against the USA and Israel.

“Playing Western Rulers Like a Fiddle”

The Week wrote on May 16:

“Hamas has played Western liberals like a fiddle. In many ways, it is clear that militarily at least, Israel ‘won’ its confrontation at the Gaza border, killing scores of Palestinians and injuring many hundreds more without suffering a single casualty of note. But it is actually the other way around. It is Hamas that won a big victory against Israel…

“Israel is a unique state in that it has to fight every day not just for its security but also its legitimacy… By now, many thousands (if not millions) of people have seen photos and video seeming to show defenseless Palestinian protesters exterminated by heartless, faceless Israelis. Much of the American media has taken an unseemly delight in villianizing Israel and the Trump administration while glorifying the Palestinians…

“Gaza is governed by Hamas, a terrorist group. In the days leading up to the events, Hamas leaders had called on the populace not to peacefully march, but to attack. Hiding among civilians to launch attacks is a time-honored tactic by Hamas, and in doing so put Israel in a no-win situation…

“From Hamas’ perspective, what happened was an extraordinarily successful insurgency operation. Not because it killed any Israeli soldiers, but because it killed Palestinian civilians, whose lives have always been so cheap to their leaders. Not because it achieved any tactical objectives, but because it didn’t. Hamas’ objective was not to breach any point at the border crossing, but to win the hearts and minds of journalists and social media users everywhere. It worked like a charm.”

Peace Talks Dead?

The Wall Street Journal wrote on May 14:

“The White House has said it expects to push forward with a still-secret plan to secure what Mr. Trump has called ‘the ultimate deal’ for Middle East peace. The last round of Israeli-Palestinian negotiations collapsed under the Obama administration in 2014. U.S. officials have said their plan is mostly finished and the White House is seeking the right time to present it.

“But Palestinians have already said the decision to open a U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem means they no longer recognize the U.S. as the main broker of peace talks. Palestinian officials are refusing to meet with representatives of the Trump administration and so it’s not clear whether a peace plan, if presented, will move the end of hostilities closer.

“Mr. Trump’s decision to relocate the embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv has faced fierce criticism from European and Arab officials who have said it is likely [to] hamper any future peace negotiations.”

The contemplated “peace deal” for the Middle East never had a chance to succeed.

Europe Reacts

We are now presenting several articles to show how Europe is viewing and reacting to President Trump’s actions. We hasten to add that the quotes are not to be misconstrued as constituting our approval or disapproval of those articles. Rather, as we clarify regularly in our “Acknowledgment and Disclaimer” statement at the end of these Current Events sections, “they are published for the purpose of pointing at worldwide developments in the light of biblical end-time prophecy.” In this case, they show the European fear and even hatred towards President Trump and America; the resulting (biblically prophesied) growing alienation between the USA and Europe (for whatever reason), and the European desire to unify powerfully in order to establish itself as a counterforce to the USA.

“In Light of Trump, Europe Needs to Wake Up!”

Deutsche Welle’s Editor-in-Chief commented on May 15, 2018:

“The flames and fighting in the Gaza Strip after the opening of the US Embassy to Israel in Jerusalem are evidence of the dangerous and destructive power of President Donald Trump… The embassy compound extends halfway into East Jerusalem – an area that Palestinians would claim as their capital in the event of a two-state solution. It’s a diplomatic slap in the face to many Palestinians… a deliberate provocation on Washington’s part…

“What could possibly drive this man to destroy the hard-won Iran nuclear deal with a single signature, without even bothering to consult his European counterparts and determine a way forward? In doing so, Trump has shown a willingness to risk further escalation in the Middle East, as well as throw 70 years of peaceful trans-Atlantic relations with Europe overboard.

“…recent events have highlighted the disastrous power this man possesses… When he acts, he doesn’t think about consequences… He doesn’t care how his actions and his verbal attacks affect any country other than the US…

“For Europe and for Germany, this should be a huge wake-up call. Seven decades after the end of World War II, it’s time for Europe to grow up. And that means shouldering responsibility for foreign policy and security issues. Germany needs to finally get serious and start investing in its armed forces again… the European Union needs to… emerge as a strong body…

“One cannot and should not depend on a country that is being governed by a man like Donald Trump…”

Trump—the Great Unifier of Europe?

Der Editorial staff of Der Spiegel Online wrote on May 11:

“Lately, the American president has emerged as a great unifier of Europe. Ever since Trump’s Tuesday announcement that the U.S. was withdrawing from the nuclear agreement with Iran… the Europeans have been united in shock, in anger at Trump’s irresponsible move and in their refusal to accept it. But they are also united in their helplessness when it comes to dealing with this new America…

“An attack on the Iran deal is an attack on the pride of European foreign policy… More than anything, though, Trump has humiliated Europe to a greater degree than any U.S. president before him… To complete Europe’s humiliation, Trump’s new U.S. ambassador in Berlin, Richard Grenell, sent out a tweet this week demanding that German companies immediately begin winding down their operations in Iran. It sounded more like the words of a colonial power issuing orders than those of a diplomat in an allied country.

“It isn’t the first time that America’s traditional trans-Atlantic allies have received such shabby treatment from Trump. The U.S. president has repeatedly accused his NATO partners of being freeloaders, he withdrew from the Paris climate agreement despite massive protest from Europe and he has indicated his willingness to start a trade war with the EU…

“Ultimately, the question becomes whether Europe can see this crisis as a wake-up call, as the start of a new common foreign policy, and whether they will continue to endure Trump’s humiliations or position itself as a diplomatic counterforce. Wolfgang Ischinger, the German diplomat, says the crisis of confidence with the U.S. could be turned into a positive. ‘It is another dramatic wake-up call for the European Union to finally get a grip on itself. For the European project, I cannot imagine a better motivation than this shock from Trump’…”

Trump Drove the Last Nail into the Coffin of the Atlantic Alliance

Foreign Policy wrote on May 11:

“The Atlantic alliance, built to contain the Soviet Union in the aftermath of World War II, began to die when the Cold War ended. What kept it alive over the last three decades has been less strategic necessity than a convergence of values — the values of the liberal postwar order. Now, the senior partner of the alliance, the United States, has lost interest in those values. The alliance was already a corpse, but Donald Trump drove the last nail into its coffin when he decided this week to withdraw from the nuclear deal with Iran.

“What now? The United States will lurch from crisis to crisis, but Europe faces more existential questions: It has been expelled from the garden — albeit a very thorny one — maintained by U.S. military and diplomatic power and now must build a new home of its own…

“The Iran decision has resonated among European leaders as none of Trump’s previous follies has… As a simple matter of geographical proximity, Europe is threatened by conflict in the Middle East as the United States is not… Europe simply cannot afford to follow the American lead if the United States is prepared to sow further chaos in the region…

“Europe’s leaders needed the shock. Hours after Trump’s announcement, Macron, Merkel, and British Prime Minister Theresa May issued a joint statement reminding the world that the deal had been ‘unanimously endorsed by the U.N. Security Council’ and thus remained ‘the binding international legal framework’ on Iran’s nuclear program. European Council President Donald Tusk announced that Trump’s Iran and trade policies ‘will meet a united European approach.’

“The fur will fly if the United States goes ahead with secondary sanctions targeting European companies that continue to do business with Iran…

“All talk of a unified European army has long vanished, but Macron has invited the defense ministers of 10 European nations to Paris next month to discuss his plan to create a battle-ready force of up to 100,000 troops…”

Going Their Separate Ways

Zero Hedge wrote on May 16:

“The US withdrawal from the Iran deal has not buried it. That agreement is still very much alive. Even the US’s closest allies have refused to follow suit. German Chancellor Angela Merkel slammed President Trump for his decision to pull out. The unofficial leader of Europe believes it ‘damages trust’ in the global order… In defiance of the US, Germany became the first EU country to begin the construction of its portion of the Nord Stream 2 gas project on May 3. It did so even before Sweden and Finland had agreed to permit the pipeline to pass through their territorial waters. The US is adamant in its opposition to Nord Stream 2. Washington does not shy away from twisting the arms of any allies who dare to see Russia’s stable and cheap energy supplies as an alternative to America’s more expensive liquefied gas that must be transported by sea.

“The US-European relationship has been clouded by Washington’s plans to introduce tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from the EU. The German chancellor has pointed out on a number of occasions that the US and EU have been clashing more frequently, which indicates that a wider schism is opening up within the Western alliance…

“Meanwhile, the EU is prepared to introduce countermeasures in response to the US-imposed punitive restrictions against European companies doing business with Iran. The idea has been floated of adopting an EU-wide blocking statute to nullify any US sanctions. A trade war is just around the corner…

“The German chancellor believes that US global influence is on the wane and the time is ripe for Europe to stop relying on America’s military protection… EU High Representative Mogherini has announced her intention to submit for consideration by mid-June the new European Peace Facility that will streamline the EU’s funding of defence and military operations. Seventeen joint European defense-program projects are being pursued within the framework of PESCO.

“The US openly humiliated Europe… Sooner or later anyone’s patience wears thin.Today Europe is being pushed toward countering the ‘America First’ message with a ‘Europe First’ policy… It looks like the European locomotive is shifting tracks to head off in that new direction. Despite all the nice words about common values and so on, these two entities are gradually diverging to go their separate ways.”

EU’s Donald Tusk Slams Donald Trump; EU Considers Applying Law PROHIBITING their Firms to Comply with US Sanctions

Deutsche Welle wrote on May 16:

“European Union President Donald Tusk slammed US President Donald Trump on Wednesday, as EU leaders gathered for a summit in Sofia to find a common path forward after Washington withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal. ‘Looking at the latest decisions of President Trump, someone could even think “with friends like that, who needs enemies?” But frankly speaking, Europe should be grateful [to] President Trump, because thanks to him we have got rid of all illusions. He has made us realise that if you need a helping hand, you will find one at the end of your arm.’…

“European Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos said the EU was willing to a so-called blocking statute that would make it illegal for European companies to comply with US sanctions imposed on Iran and not recognize US court decisions that enforce American sanctions. The blocking statute was developed in 1996 to counter US sanctions on Cuba, but has not been tested yet. The statute would enforce legal penalties on EU companies complying with US sanctions on Iran, while providing compensation for any costs and losses suffered as a result… ‘We did discuss the possibility of applying our blocking statute. We are ready to do so, if needed.’”

It has long been prophesied that continental Europe will become a most powerful might, and that ten nations or groups of nations will emerge from the Eurozone countries. They will be a strong and unified economic, political and military entity, being led by a charismatic leader of German or Austrian descent, referred to in the Bible with different designations, such as the “beast,” the “king of the North”, the “king of Assyria” or “King Jareb.” Very soon now, the developments will lead to the manifestation of this man on the world scene.

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.

Many in this world have grown up in dysfunctional families and have been subjected to all forms of abuse. Does God expect someone under these circumstances to show honor to a parent? It’s easy to show respect and honor to a parent who raised you in a loving home. But did God envision the corruption that has seeped into modern-day families when He commanded mankind to “Honor your father and mother” (Exodus 20:12)? The simple answer is YES. God’s Laws are eternal (see Psalm 119:160) and are not subject to change depending on human condition.

These commands weren’t established long ago only to be forgotten or ignored in our modern times. God’s laws resonate throughout the New Testament with the same importance given in the earlier books of the Bible. Paul stated, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right” (Ephesians 6:1). Christ even warned us of not honoring our parents, “For God commanded, saying, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death’” (Matthew 15:4).

Honoring our parents influences our character much further than the respect we are to show to our parents, and showing honor is a learned trait. Godly traits begin with the physical and lead to a spiritual understanding, “However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual” (1 Corinthians 15:46). Our mother and father gave us life but God, our eternal Father, gives us eternal life.

Learning to express respect for our parents also leads to physical blessings. When Moses reviewed the Ten Commandments, he described the benefits of this command even further: “Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, that your days may be long, and that it may be well with you in the land which the LORD your God is giving you” (Deuteronomy 5:16). By observing this principle, we can expect to live longer, better and in peace.

That being said, how are we to grapple with ongoing pain from what might have been years of abuse? There is no panacea or a quick snap-of-the-fingers solution to make years of parental neglect or mistreatment go away, but God does give us the ability to change. This might sound overly sanguine, but to change our minds through God’s Spirit can be miraculous. Christ stated the first step in this process, “‘And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment” (Mark 12:30). Everything begins by turning to God. Once we are willing to submit to God, He will, as David stated, be “A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows…” (Psalm 68:5).

Loving those who don’t treat us with kindness and respect is another trait we are familiar with as Christians (see Luke 6:35-36). Showing love and honor can be difficult towards those that don’t appreciate it, but as Christians we are to be merciful to others just as God is merciful to us. The apostle Paul also outlines how we should address the world around us, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:21).

Forgiveness is fundamental to all Christians. Christ states, “But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Matthew 6:15). Setting a Godly example might be our only means of eliciting change in others. Our calling didn’t come to us until God opened our minds and allowed it. That same change can happen, even to the most neglectful or even abusive parents, if God is involved for “With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible” (Mark 10:27).

Our need to develop a forgiving attitude can only occur with God’s help. The wickedness perpetrated on an entire childhood is difficult to overcome, but we should not allow our hearts to become hard-hearted. Deliberately refusing to forgive will cause our own spiritual downfall.

A fundamental trait of all Christians is a willingness to change, to turn away from evil: “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?” (2 Corinthians 6:14). For some, this might mean physically separating from the ungodliness of their parents. As Christians we understand that 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” (Ephesians 6:12). Abusive parents have succumbed to this spiritual influence, and without Godly intervention, cannot prevail against it. But even then, we must have a willing heart to forgive them for their abuse, once they recognize what they have done or are doing, and we should still show honor to them and have a loving contact with them, even if this may have to mean, for the time being, having a long-distance relationship, via phone calls or sending gifts, cards, letters or messages in other ways.

The willingness to forgive must not place us back into an abusive state. Boundaries are acceptable and even necessary in the face of ungodliness. We must not go back into a destructive environment once we have risen out of it. If we do, we are surrounding ourselves with sin. Christ warns, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62). We are even warned to remove ourselves from behavior that leads us away from God, “He who walks with wise men will be wise, But the companion of fools will be destroyed” (Proverbs 13:20).

The danger of parental mistreatment is that we can become comfortable with it. The abuse becomes our “norm” and it can be difficult to remove ourselves from the underlying destructiveness.  But that is expressly what Christ came to free us from once we have submitted to Him. “For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’ He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me” (Matthew 10:35-38).

Those who submit to God have always and will always face persecutions. Deliverance from the evils perpetuated against us can only be achieved by true submission to God.  Christ allowed Himself to be murdered and it was His dependence on the Father that “both raised up the Lord and will also raise us up by His power” (1 Corinthians 6:14).  Likewise, Stephen, as he was being murdered called upon God for deliverance and then, before dying “knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, ‘Lord, do not charge them with this sin.’ And when he had said this, he fell asleep” (Acts 7:60). This kind of mindset is only possible when we take on the mind of God through His Holy Spirit.

We must not be defined by our past, no matter how difficult it might have been. We must define ourselves by what God is doing in our lives today. If we have accepted God’s Spirit, we must focus first on changing our own character. Paul states, “Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection” (Colossians 3:12-14). It is crucial that we “be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:23-24). No matter what we were, God has a plan for who we will become: a member of His holy righteous Family.

Lead Writer: Robb Harris

compiled by Dave Harris

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

While Israel celebrated the 70th anniversary of its existence as a state and the opening of the American embassy in Jerusalem, violence broke out in the Gaza strip, and the reaction of many world powers, including Turkey and Europe, was predictable. However, most media outlets ignored or chose not to quote remarkable statements by Benjamin Netanyahu during the celebration. Could it be that all these events point at important developments which have been prophesied in your Bible?

“Sind Sie ein Sklave sexueller Sünden?” is the title of this Sabbath’s German sermon, presented by Norbert Link. Title in English: “Are You a Slave to Sexual Sins?”

“Wie Man in Gottes Erkenntnis Wächst!” is the title of the German sermon for Pentecost, presented by Norbert Link. Title in English: “”How We Grow in God’s Knowledge.”

“Bad Mistakes,” the sermonette presented last Sabbath by Kalon Mitchell, is now posted. Here is a summary:

Why do people give up on life? On their goals? And most importantly, on their Christian life? The answer comes down to mind set. The things that we choose to think about, to focus on is what will be our outcome. God has already chosen us, He wants to give us amazing things, but do we allow Him to? Or are we too wrapped up in other things? What will you choose to think about?

“Do You Have to Be and Stay Evil? (Part 3),” the sermon presented last Sabbath by Norbert Link, is now posted. Here is a summary:

Are you a bad person? Are you doing evil things? What is evil in the eyes of God? Can you obtain forgiveness? Can you change? Or are you a helpless victim of external circumstances? Will evil triumph in your life even though you want to do what is good and right? On the other hand, will you obtain God’s grace when you continue to live an evil life? Three examples of Jewish rulers in Second Chronicles—Manasseh, Amon and Josiah—give you important answers which may be determinative for your life and your death.

On May 12, 2018, Kalon Mitchell will present the sermonette, titled “Bad Mistakes”, and Norbert Link will present the sermon, titled, “Do You Have to Be and Stay Evil? (Part 3).”

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.

Not everyone will agree with the headline of this editorial, but it points out a FACT, as CLEARLY prophesied in the Bible. Some cannot comprehend this, as God has not opened their eyes. After all, the Holy Spirit is a spirit of prophecy, and only those who are being led by God’s Spirit will grow in God’s understanding, and the more we submit to God and are obedient to Him, the more our minds will be opened to the prophetic Truth. We read that God does not do anything unless He reveals it first to HIS servants the prophets (which includes God’s ministers speaking under inspiration). God will most certainly not reveal His Truth to false prophets or those who falsely CLAIM to be prophets.

A wild accusation has been made against us that we do not preach what the Worldwide Church of God taught on the subject of the Third Temple. Selected articles from 1979 and 1981 were quoted to support this claim. In the articles, it was emphasized that Christ will come back to His glorious temple—the Church of God (Haggai 2:9; Malachi 3:1). And that is of course very true. On the other hand, do those Scriptures negate the teaching that there will ALSO be a physical Temple in existence when Christ returns? Are those truthful who quote from SOME Church articles which seem to hold a particular position, while ignoring other Church articles which hold a different position? Are those truthful who quote selectively from some articles, out of context, only to cement their own opinion on a matter? Of course not—such conduct is misleading.

The point is, in an article which quotes from a speech from Herbert Armstrong in 1981, he said this (as quoted from the Internet):

“[Christ] shall suddenly come to His temple.’ What kind of a temple is He coming to? Are the Jews going to tear down the Dome of the Rock and build a new temple? Oh no! You see no evidence of anything like that happening. I know the people well enough that if the Jews over there were going to do anything like that they would certainly have mentioned that to me. But, He will ‘suddenly come to His temple, even the Messenger of the Covenant [which] you delight in.’ A holy temple! Christ is coming to His Church! Christ is coming to His temple! And the Church is the temple. Do we see that? The Church is the temple.”

We should be able to see that Mr. Armstrong believed that Christ’s Second Coming was very near, and since he did not see any evidence for the building of a physical temple at that time, he concluded that it would not happen. However, Christ still has not returned yet, and today, more than 35 years later, events have changed dramatically, as we have been pointing out in our weekly Updates.

The same must be said about a statement which the Church published in The Plain Truth on August 1979, which reads: “It is inconceivable that the Israelis, in the present international turmoil over their possession of old Jerusalem, could ever demolish the Arab Moslem Dome of the Rock—now on the site of Solomon’s temple—and build a new one there of greater splendor and glory than Solomon’s! However, as the second temple Zerubbabel was building was a typical forerunner of the temple to which Christ shall come, even so Zerubbabel was the typical forerunner of one Christ would use in building the far more glorious temple to which Christ shall come in His GLORY!”

Note, the context is again “the present international turmoil over their possession of old Jerusalem.” The timing of the writing was almost 40 years ago.

What has been conveniently overlooked or suppressed are statements in Church articles which clearly pronounced that a THIRD temple WILL BE built prior to Christ’s return–or, which left this question purposefully unanswered.

In Die Reine Wahrheit of October 1967 (German edition of The Plain Truth), it was stated on page 10 (in the article, “2,300 Evenings and Mornings”): “Yes, a temple will be rebuilt in Jerusalem, as incredible as it may sound.” In The Good News magazine, November-December 1987, the following was stated on page 12 in “A Sealed Prophecy,” at least implying the existence of a Temple before Christ’s return: “The ‘sanctuary’ is to be ‘trampled underfoot.’… the taking away of daily sacrifices and trampling of a sanctuary underfoot is yet a future event. We are nearing the fulfillment of these amazing prophecies about the Temple Mount in Jerusalem…”

In a two-part series in The Good News, February and March 1985, titled, “Coming… A Temple in Jerusalem?”, the answer to this question was purposefully left open. Many issues were raised—pro and con—but no position was taken in these two articles, one way or another.

However, we should also take note of the fact that in times past, the Church taught dogmatically that a Temple would be built before Christ’s return (and it is simply dishonest to suppress this fact when it does not fit into one’s paradigm; or, if one is unaware of these articles, then his research is sloppy and unreliable).

In Herbert W. Armstrong’s editorial in The Plain Truth, June 1967, titled, “Jews take Jerusalem!”, the following was stated (as quoted from the Internet):

“There will be a Jewish Temple built in Jerusalem, with animal sacrifices once again being offered… It is going to take some time to build such a Temple… For a long time the Jewish people have had in mind the rebuilding of the Temple, though they keep it pretty secret. And it must be built on the exact site of Solomon’s Temple. The wealthiest Jews in the world, in the United States, Britain, France and other parts of the world, are going to pour money into that…

“So now, putting the two accounts of Jesus’ Olivet prophecy together, Matthew 24 and Luke 21, two things are to occur, just before the Great Tribulation. 1) There will very soon be a Temple in Jerusalem, with daily sacrifices once again being offered. But the ruler of the soon-coming resurrected ‘Holy Roman Empire,’ a political-military union of ten European nations–will stop the daily sacrifices and profane the Holy Place in the Temple; and 2) Jerusalem will be surrounded and captured [Zechariah 14:1-2] by the… armies of the European Empire, already starting to rise now out of the Common Market. They will invade Jerusalem, and take charge of the Temple…

“This European power, resurrecting for a very short while the Roman Empire, will take over the city of Jerusalem [Zechariah 14:2]. They will take the Temple, and plant the palace of their headquarters there. With this coming military leader, pictured in Revelation 17 as the symbolic ‘beast,’ will be a supreme religious leader, called ‘the False prophet,’ [Rev. 16:3; 19:20; 20:10] and the ‘man of sin.’ So will you turn next to II Thessalonians 2:3-4:

“‘Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day’–the Day of the Lord, verse 2–’shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.’

“So there will have to be the Temple there!… And they will put there the ‘abomination’ of which the statue of Jupiter Olympus, placed by Antiochus Epiphanes was the type…

“Then Revelation 11 shows there will be a Temple in Jerusalem, at the time of the two witnesses, who preach for three-and-one-half years, ending at Christ’s coming. Also the prophecy of II Thessalonians 2 shows there will be a Temple.

“So putting all these prophecies together, it is plain the Israelis must soon flood over the ‘no-man’s land’ of the divided city of Jerusalem, and take at least the territory where the ancient Temple stood, and then start to build a Temple.”

The Scriptures which Mr. Armstrong cited in his editorial and many other biblical passages prove convincingly that a Third Temple WILL be built. It is true that the position of the Church, in the past, may not have always been consistent on this point. It is therefore important that we realize that we must always believe the Bible. We have produced several booklets which PROVE to you THAT the Bible PROPHESIES the building of the Third Temple prior to Christ’s return. We challenge you to read them for yourselves. They are, for example: “The Mysteries of the Book of Revelation”; “The Book of Zechariah”; “The Ten European Revivals of the Ancient Roman Empire” and “The Fall and Rise of the Jewish People.” And please continue to read our weekly Updates and view our StandingWatch programs which regularly inform you about ongoing developments in the Middle East and Jerusalem.

by Norbert Link

We begin with reporting on President Trump’s decision to withdraw the USA from the Iran deal and impose serious sanctions on Iran and potentially other countries, and the negative reaction of especially the EU, causing further alienation between the two power blocs. Please view our new StandingWatch program, “Iran Deal Gone… Europe furious with USA.”

We address America’s contemplated move of its embassy to Jerusalem and publish interesting reports on Emmanuel Macron (France) and Martin Schulz (Germany).

We speak on the furor caused by inconsistent comments and revelations by President Trump and his new personal attorney, former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani.

We conclude with articles on cloning and the natural disaster in Hawaii.

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

Trump Withdraws from Iran Nuclear Deal, Imposes Sanctions on Iran

JTA wrote on May 8:

“‘I am announcing today that the United States will withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal,’ Trump said, speaking at the White House Tuesday…

 “Trump’s decision comes after a full court press by three European nations also party to the 2015 deal not to pull out. Over recent weeks, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson have visited Washington to try and persuade Trump to stay in the deal…

“Israel and Saudi Arabia, by contrast, have been U.S. allies pressing for a pullout from the deal. Netanyahu last week unveiled documents showing that Iran had before the 2015 deal hidden the breadth of its nuclear weapons development. Trump credited Netanyahu’s presentation in making his decision. ‘Today we have definitive proof that this promise was a lie,’ he said, referring to Iran’s pledge to roll back its nuclear program…”

The Associated Press wrote on May 8:

“President Donald Trump… dealt a profound blow to allies, deepened his isolation on the world stage and revived doubts about American credibility in the most consequential foreign policy action of his presidency…

“The leaders of Britain, Germany and France immediately urged the U.S. not to take any actions that could prevent them and Iran from continuing to implement the agreement… In Washington, the Trump administration said it would re-impose [the “highest level” of] sanctions on Iran immediately but allow grace periods for businesses to wind down activity… National Security Adviser John Bolton said nobody should sign contracts for new business with Iran…

“For the Europeans, Trump’s withdrawal constitutes dispiriting proof that trying to appease him is futile…”

Breitbart added on May 8:

“[Trump] added that any nation that helps Iran in its quest for nuclear ambitions will also be sanctioned by the United States: ‘We will not allow a regime that chants ‘death to America’ to gain access to the most deadly weapons on earth.’”

German Companies Should Wind Down Operations Immediately?

Deutsche Welle wrote on May 8

“Richard Grenell, the new US Ambassador to Germany, sent out a warning to German businesses on Twitter, saying that ‘German companies doing business in Iran should wind down operations immediately.’”

DPA and the Local wrote on May 9:

“Grenell’s tweet was met with immediate scorn from the German political establishment. Wolfgang Ischinger, German ambassador to Washington from 2001 to 2006, responded on Twitter by giving ‘advice’ of his own. ‘Germans are willing to listen, but will resist taking instructions,’ he wrote.

“The head of the Social Democrats, Andrea Nahles, also responded dismissively to Grenell’s comments. Nahles said that, while it wasn’t her job to tell diplomats how to do their jobs ‘he seems to need a little bit of tutoring.’”

Handelsblatt Global added on May 9:

“The reaction [to Grenell’s post] was fast and furious. His message to Germany was retweeted almost 6,000 times (and counting) and there were close to 1,500 comments, many of them from angry Germans basically telling the ambassador, a longtime critic of the Iran deal, to butt out… German companies doing business in Iran have been preparing for this moment for months… European companies in Iran do not work with dollars at all; they prefer euros or perhaps dirhams…

“Before the last lot of sanctions was imposed, Germany was Iran’s biggest trading partner. After the Iran deal was reached in 2015, German exports there grew by 27 percent. In 2017, German exports to Iran were worth an estimated $3.5 billion and today many of Germany’s biggest businesses are working with Iran, as are hundreds of the country’s medium-sized firms…”

The Iran deal, which was “negotiated” by European powers and the Obama administration, was terribly one-sided in favor of Iran. The withdrawal under President Trump was to be expected, and it constitutes another small piece in the puzzle of biblical prophecies, as it causes now a further rift between the USA and the EU.

German Reaction and Litmus Test for Europe

Deutsche Welle wrote on May 8:

“The historical connections between Berlin and Tehran make Germany a strong supporter of the nuclear deal… There’s hardly an issue on which there is more consensus in German politics than the Iran nuclear deal. From the far-right populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) to the Left Party, no one in the country shares the US president’s skepticism about the 2015 agreement…”

While the deal was totally unfavorable towards the USA and Europe, “[n]early two-thirds of Americans oppose the country’s withdrawal from the Iran nuclear accord,” according to Newsmax, dated May 8.

Handelsblatt wrote on May 8:

“The announcement Tuesday marked a rupture with major European allies who helped negotiate the accord and who lobbied intensively with Mr. Trump to keep the deal in place… The unilateral move threatens to further destabilize the tumultuous situation in the Middle East. Oil prices have surged in anticipation of US withdrawal and may rise even further amid concerns about supply from OPEC’s third-largest exporter.

“The US sanctions against Iran add a further note of uncertainty to trade relations along with US threats of tariffs in retaliation to what it sees as trade abuses. Iran is already in a crisis with an economy in decline, a weakening currency and rising prices…

“After a good deal of bluster about forging a different path from the United States, Europeans will now have to prove they are capable of doing so. ‘The Iran deal has become a litmus test for European willingness and ability to protect its interests and to uphold a critical element of the international order,’ Oliver Meier, an expert at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP) in Berlin…

“The reaction in Germany was predictably unfavorable…”

As the article points out, it will be interesting to see what Europe is willing and capable of doing.

Deutsche Welle wrote on May 9:

“[German] Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said that Germany, France and the UK would speak with one voice on the Iran accord: ‘We remain committed to the nuclear deal,’ he said…  The German minister said that Trump’s decision was ‘incomprehensible’ and had dealt a blow to stability in the Middle East…”

Iran’s Options

JTA wrote on May 8:

“One half of the Iranian response is guaranteed to be rhetorical, with an emphasis on persuading Europe to resist the U.S. move by taking actions favorable to Tehran. The other half of Iran’s response will consist of accelerating its nuclear program in order to show that it will not accept the constraints imposed by a nuclear deal that Washington rejects…

“Iran’s rhetorical response to the re-imposition of sanctions will have three likely goals: 1) expedite and exploit a growing trans-Atlantic divide over Iran policy, 2) convince Europe not to comply with any prospective U.S. sanctions against Iran and 3) get Europe to shield entities that do business with Iranian parties. Given Europe’s fondness of the deal, this will not be a hard sell for Tehran…

“Should the Islamic Republic decide to respond more forcefully, it could resume flight-testing medium-range ballistic missiles (MRBMs), which reportedly last occurred in July 2017. All of Iran’s MRBMs meet the internationally defined standard of being ‘nuclear-capable.’ They also can reach key U.S. partners in the region such as Israel and Saudi Arabia…

“Another way to respond forcefully… would be to harass U.S. warship sin the Persian Gulf, just off the coast of Iran…

“Finally, Iran could also respond via terrorism and assassination, although any such activity on European soil would cause the regime to lose international support. Instead, Tehran might target U.S. troops in Syria, Iraq, or another location in the Middle East… Case in point are the intensifying prospects for war between Iran and Israel in the Syrian theater…”

None of these options sound good for either Israel or the USA.

Ongoing Hostilities between Israel and Iran

The Sun wrote on May 10:

“Iranian forces in Syria have launched missiles at the Israeli military in the annexed Golan Heights region, Israel’s army has claimed. An Israeli air defence (IDF) spokesman said ‘about 20 rockets’ were fired by Iranian Quds Force at the Jewish state’s defensive line in the area – which has been occupied by Israel since 1967. He said that Israeli forces had ‘responded’ after several bases were targeted, adding: ‘The IDF sees this Iranian attack on Israel with severity. This event is not over.’…

“Shortly before the suspected strikes on the Golan Heights, reports within Syria claimed that Israel had attacked targets in the Quneitra province south of Damascus. Syria’s state media said air defences had intercepted ‘hostile Israeli missiles’ on early Thursday morning that were fired over the south west of the capital city. This comes after missiles strikes last night were attributed to Israel following reports of ‘irregular activity’ of Iranian forces in Syria…

“Tuesday’s attacks represent an immediate escalation in tensions in the region after US President Donald Trump walked away from the 2015 nuclear agreement Barack Obama struck with Iran… As… Assad appears to be headed toward victory, Israel fears that Iran, along with tens of thousands of Iranian-backed Shiite militiamen, will carry out attacks against it.”

European Relations with US at a State of “Worrying Change”

Deutsche Welle wrote on May 6:

“German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has said he is worried about European relations with the US…

“Trans-Atlantic relations are in a state of worrying change, with a US administration that takes an ‘every man for himself’ approach to global affairs, the German president said on Sunday… His remarks come as Europe remains at odds with US President Donald Trump over trade, defense and the Iran nuclear deal.

“‘Honestly speaking, I’m really concerned about the development of the trans-Atlantic relationship,’ Steinmeier said. ‘Not because I’m looking at a president with some irritating Twitter messages, but because a substantial change is now going on and (there is) a new American administration that no longer sees us as parts of a global community where we act together but sees the world basically as an arena where everyone has to somehow find their own way.’

“Steinmeier’s comments echo those made by several European politicians since Trump took power more than a year ago, pledging to implement a policy of ‘America First.’”

This article was written BEFORE the announcement of American withdrawal from the Iran deal. Since that announcement, the relationship has become worse.

Eurozone Investors Weary of US Debt

Deutsche Welle wrote on May 9:

“While the US economy is strong, a creeping decline in foreign investment indicates that eurozone investors are growing weary of US debt… Foreign investors are buying less and less American debt, yet the US moves onward with a debt-heavy budget and globally unpopular diplomacy…

“The European Central Bank found that after 2015, over half of US debt securities had been purchased by eurozone investors. Germany in particular holds $90.1 billion (€76 billion) of US debt. In 2017 that trend reversed and eurozone investors became net sellers…

“As long-time president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, Maya MacGuineas has seen the US economy through highs and lows. The debt is really a symptom of a broken government process, says MacGuineas, there is no economic justification…

“With $21 trillion in debt and a fresh deficit scheduled to pass $1 trillion per year by 2020, the US carries more debt than the entirety of the EU’s debt combined. It is unlikely any other country in the world could pull this off…”

And maybe the USA can’t pull it off, either.

Moving Embassies to Jerusalem

JTA wrote on May 8:

“Paraguay is moving its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem from its current position near Tel Aviv… Paraguay will be the third country to move its embassy to Jerusalem. The United States will dedicate its temporary Jerusalem embassy on May 14, followed two days later by Guatemala.”

Handelsblatt reported on May 7 that Jerusalem’s mayor declared that Jerusalem is the eternal capital of the Jewish people. The paper added that Israel views Jerusalem as the undivided capital of its state, while the Palestinians desire the eastern part of Jerusalem (which was occupied by Israel in 1967) as the capital of their future state “Palestine.” Please note in this context our Editorial in this issue.

Macron Gets Charlemagne Prize

Euractiv wrote in May 6:

“French President Emmanuel Macron will receive the Charlemagne Prize, the EU’s version of the Nobel Peace Prize, on 10 May… ‘Macron is a head of state with a claim to European leadership’, states the Board of Directors of the Society for the Conferring of the International Charlemagne Prize…‘In the person of Emmanuel Macron, the Charlemagne Prize Society honours a courageous pioneer for the revitalisation of the European dream’, the Board of Directors state…

“The Charlemagne Prize is awarded annually on Ascension Day by the city of Aachen, where Charlemagne, ruler of the Holy Roman Empire, was buried. The City of Aachen refers to Charlemagne as the ‘founder of western culture’, and asserts that under his reign, Aachen was the spiritual and political centre of what is now western Europe.

“Among the most recipients are the current Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker in his former capacity of Prime Minister of Luxembourg (2006), former NATO secretary General and EU foreign affairs chief Javier Solana (2007), German Chancellor Angela Merkel (2008), Council President Donald Tusk in his former capacity of Polish Prime Minister (2010), former Council President Herman Van Rompuy (2014), and former President of the European Parliament Martin Schulz, a native son of Aachen (2015).

“In 2016 the Charlemagne Prize was given to Pope Francis in a ceremony which took place in the Vatican, in the presence of Juncker, Tusk and Schulz…”

It appears like Emmanuel Macron will be “used” as an architect for the further unification of Europe. However, the final leader will not be a man from France, but from Germany or Austria.

Macron for Stronger Ties with Catholic Church

Christian Today wrote on May 5:

“President Emmanuel Macron… will travel to the Vatican in June to meet Pope Francis… In April, Macron called for stronger ties between the state and the Catholic Church… The issue is particularly sensitive in historically Catholic France, where matters of faith and state were separated by law in 1905 and which is now home to Europe’s largest Muslim and Jewish communities…

“Under a tradition that began in the 15th century when France was a monarchy, French leaders are automatically given the title of ‘First and Only Honorary Canon’ of the Rome Basilica of St John’s in Lateran, which is also the pope’s cathedral in his capacity as bishop of Rome.”

A strong collaboration between the Catholic Church and the entirety of continental Europe (not just France) is clearly prophesied to occur.

Comeback for Martin Schulz?

Der Tagesspiegel wrote on May 4:

“Three years ago, Martin Schulz (SPD) received the Charlemagne prize for his accomplishments as president of the EU Parliament… Schulz’s heart beats for Europe… He gave more power to the EU Parliament than any other politician. Right now, his hands are tied. But this does not have to continue.

“Social Democrats begin to think of Schulz’s grandiose future role… At the end of April, Schulz elated the delegates with his advocacy for the strengthening of Europe… ‘Without a strong Europe, the populists will win,’ he shouted. ‘Then there will be war.’ It is now being discussed within the SPD whether the comeback of Schulz for the big stage of Brussels is being prepared…

“Schulz said that right now, he sees his role in the German Parliament… As former President of the EU Parliament, he says that he knows very well what influence Germany could have in Brussels… ‘That is why I’m pretty established in the German Parliament at this time.’ At this time.”

Schulz might very well be another architect to be “used” for the final unification of European core nations.

Trump Angers France and Britain

Express wrote on May 6:

“In a speech to the National Rifle Association (NRA) on Friday, Mr Trump imitated the shooting of victims in the Paris attack and said if civilians had been armed ‘it would have been a whole different story.’ The French government has issued its strongest criticism of the US President since he took office… The Paris foreign office said in a statement: ‘France expresses its firm disapproval of President Trump’s comments about the Paris attacks on Nov. 13, 2015 and demands that the memory of the victims be respected. France is proud to be a country where acquiring and carrying firearms is strictly regulated.’

“French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said he hoped Mr Trump ‘would come back on his words and express regret’. Mr Le Maire told BFM television on Sunday: ‘His comments are shocking and not worthy of the president of the world’s greatest superpower.’ The mayor of Paris, along with other French politicians, were angered by Mr Trump’s comments after he mimicked the scene of the massacre by Islamist assailants at Paris’ Bataclan concert hall, which left 90 of the 130 victims dead. Mr Trump used his hands in a gun gesture and said: ‘They took their time and gunned them down one by one. Boom! Come over here. Boom! Come over here. Boom!’

“Former French president Francois Hollande took to Twitter to condemn Mr Trump’s comments as ‘shameful’ and ‘obscene’.

“Mr Trump’s comments have also caused upset in Britain, after the US leader linked knife crime to an absence of guns. The US president, whose state visit to Britain is planned for July 13, told NRA members that a ‘once very prestigious’ London hospital, which he did not name, had become overwhelmed with knife attack victims. Making stabbing gestures, he said: ‘They don’t have guns. They have knives and instead there’s blood all over the floors of this hospital. They say it’s as bad as a military war zone hospital. Knives, knives, knives, knives.’…”

In a related article, Express wrote on May 6:

“Mr Griffiths, who works at the Royal London Hospital… said he would be happy to invite Mr Trump to tour the hospital and meet police and the capital’s mayor Sadiq Khan ‘to discuss our successes in violence reduction in London’ when the president visits the UK.

“The director of the capital’s major trauma system, Royal London surgeon Professor Karim Brohi, said: ‘Knife violence is a serious issue for London… There is more we can all do to combat this violence, but to suggest guns are part of the solution is ridiculous. Gunshot wounds are at least twice as lethal as knife injuries and more difficult to repair.’…”

Even the relationship between the USA and the UK is prophesied to deteriorate.

Accept Brexit!

Express wrote on May 4:

“Piers Morgan caused uproar from the BBC audience when he said those wanting to thwart Brexit must accept ‘it’s over’ and respect the democratic vote… Mr Morgan said: ‘What I’m absolutely sure about is this – we had a referendum. We had a democratic vote in this country.

“‘Everybody had a chance to go ahead and have their say and this country voted, democratically, to leave. It wasn’t the choice I would have made but that was the decision taken. We are going to get into a very dangerous place in this country, in my view, if we actually go against the democratic result of a democratic referendum in this country. I would urge people to be very careful.’”

Whether many of the Brits want to accept Brexit or not, it is certain to occur.

Mr. Trump’s Credibility Further at Stake

The Editorial Board of the conservative and generally Trump-friendly Wall Street Journal wrote on May 3:

“Most storms pass eventually. This week Donald Trump tried to ensure that Stormy Daniels doesn’t rain down permanent distraction on his Presidency, though at the cost of further damage to his credibility. Mr. Trump contradicted his previous statements that he had no knowledge of payments that his lawyer had made to Ms. Daniels — the pornographic-movie actress whose real name is Stephanie Clifford —to quell stories of an alleged affair.

“Speaking in his new role as Mr. Trump’s lawyer, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani disclosed that Mr. Trump made a series of payments to reimburse lawyer Michael Cohen, who had paid Ms. Clifford $130,000 as part of a non-disclosure agreement late in the 2016 presidential campaign.

“In explanatory tweets Thursday, President Trump said that ‘Mr. Cohen, an attorney, received a monthly retainer, not from the campaign and having nothing to do with the campaign, from which he entered into, through reimbursement, a private contract between two parties, known as a non-disclosure agreement, or NDA.’

“The apparent reason for these contortions is the possibility that the payments if made by Mr. Cohen would have exceeded federal campaign-finance donation limits…

“Messrs. Trump and Giuliani are arguing that Mr. Trump’s payments to Ms. Clifford were made for reasons that fall outside Mr. Trump’s presidential campaign. And perhaps these admissions will lessen Mr. Trump’s legal vulnerability. What remains is the political damage. Attempting to quiet a similar storm in 1998, President Bill Clinton said, ‘I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky.’ Many of Mr. Clinton’s political supporters were unmoved by the allegations against him. Similarly now, Mr. Trump’s most ardent backers believe these charges aren’t relevant to his public initiatives as President.

“That may be true regarding whether Mr. Trump had an affair more than a decade ago. Voters in 2016 knew Mr. Trump was no choir boy, and the irony is that news of an affair would probably have made no difference in his race against Hillary Clinton, who was Bill Clinton’s wife and chief defender.

“But Mr. Trump’s public deceptions are surely relevant to his job as President, and the attempted cover-up has done greater harm than any affair would have. Mr. Trump asked Americans, not least his supporters, to believe his claims about the payments. They were false and conveniently so in putting the onus on Mr. Cohen. Now, as more of the story has emerged, he wants everyone to believe a new story that he could have told the first time.

“Mr. Trump is compiling a record that increases the likelihood that few will believe him during a genuine crisis—say, a dispute over speaking with special counsel Robert Mueller or a nuclear showdown with Kim Jong Un. Mr. Trump should worry that Americans will stop believing anything he says.”

First For, Now Against Gun Control

Bloomberg reported on May 4 (as republished by Newsmax):

“President Donald Trump delivered a strong support for the National Rifle Association at its annual meeting on Friday… ‘You give your time, your energy, your vote and your voice to stand strong for those sacred rights given to us by God, including the right to self-defense,’ Trump told the group’s members…

“But the Parkland, Florida shooting, which left 17 high school students and school employees dead and galvanized gun-control advocates, led Trump to consider supporting firearms restrictions the NRA has long opposed, including expanded background checks. That flirtation didn’t last long. Under pressure from the NRA’s leaders and its allies in Congress and within the White House, he fell back in line and hasn’t taken on the gun group. He pivoted from weighing limits on gun sales to encouraging teachers to arm themselves— a position enthusiastically backed by the NRA.”

Sadly, President Trump is fundamentally wrong when stating that self-defense is a God-given right and when promoting arming teachers. Both positions are strongly condemned in the Bible.

Trump’s “Facts” Change and Change and Change…

Newsmax wrote on May 4:

“Fox News anchor Shepard Smith attacked President Donald Trump on Friday for speaking to the National Rifle Association in Dallas, months after slamming Congress for being ‘afraid’ of the powerful gun lobby in the wake of the Florida school massacre. ‘The president falsely stated that Democrats wanted all guns outlawed,’ Smith said on his program. During a roundtable discussion with school-shooting survivors after the Feb. 14 attack, President Trump had called for such measures as raising the legal age for buying AR-15s from 18 to 21 and tightening background checks on gun buyers. ‘Today, he headlined the NRA convention,’ Smith said.

“The Fox anchor also blasted Trump for the ‘brand-new series of words presented for our consumption’ on the $130,000 payment to adult-film star Stormy Daniels over allegations of an affair with the president in 2006. ‘Maybe Team Trump’s just-shifting strategy’s shifting again,’ Smith said. ‘Maybe they’re trying to confuse everybody.’ Smith noted that Rudy Giuliani, the former New York City mayor who is now on Trump’s legal team, told Fox’s Sean Hannity Wednesday that Trump had reimbursed the $130,000 payment attorney Michael Cohen made to Daniels. On Thursday, Trump appeared to back Giuliani on Twitter — but then said on Friday that the former mayor needed to ‘get his facts straight.’

“Last month, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that he did not know of the Daniels payment. Smith observed: ‘What Team Trump said last month then changed last week, then reimagined again on Tuesday, was revised and extended again this morning. And space under the bus is now at a premium,’ he continued. ‘Rudy Giuliani found himself wedged there today, when the president said his lawyer still has to get his facts straight.”

“Smith then noted that Giuliani put out his own statement Friday afternoon seeking to clarify the Fox comments. Giuliani said: ‘My references to timing were not describing my understanding of the president’s knowledge, but instead, my understanding of these matters.’ But Smith quipped: ‘Now let this one sink in just in case this version lasts more than a few hours.’”

Shepherd Smith is one of the very few current anchors, commentators and moderators on Fox News who are not just turning a blind eye on everything President Trump does or says, however problematic it may be… unlike many others, including the unofficial spokesperson for Donald Trump, Sean Hannity,  who seems to be unwilling or unable to open his eyes to the facts.

According to the Washington Post’s fact-check list, President Trump engaged in over 3,000 exaggerations, misrepresentations or outright lies since his inauguration. The New York Times reported that he knew about the hush money being paid to Stormy Daniels BEFORE he denied any knowledge (As we reported earlier, it stretches the imagination anyhow to assume that an attorney would have paid hush money to a blackmailer without his client’s knowledge and consent.)

On the other hand, Fox News host Neil Cavuto did not hold back in pointing out the chaos which President Trump is creating. See the next article.

“Mr. President, It’s Your Stink! It’s Your Swamp!”

The Washington Post wrote on May 4:

“Fox News host Neil Cavuto ripped into President Trump’s trail of conflicting and false statements in a monologue on Thursday… Speaking directly to the president on his show, ‘Your World With Neil Cavuto,’ he questioned why Trump lambastes the news media for ‘fake news’ when his own statements are often contradictory… ‘Let me be clear, Mr. President,’ Cavuto said. ‘How can you drain the swamp if you’re the one who keeps muddying the waters?

“‘You didn’t know about the $130,000 payment to a porn star, until you did,’ he continued. ‘Said you knew nothing about how your former lawyer handled this, until you acknowledged today that you were the guy behind the retainer payment that took care of this. You insist that money from the campaign or campaign contributions played no role in this transaction. Of that you’re sure. The thing is, not even 24 hours ago, sir, you couldn’t recall any of this.’

“Cavuto went on to tick off a list of examples of statements Trump has made that were incorrect or appeared to conflict with earlier statements. There was ‘the time you said the Russians didn’t interfere in the 2016 election, until a lot of Republicans had to remind you they did,’ Cavuto said. ‘Came back months later, and you said, “Well, I never said that Russia didn’t meddle in the election,” when in fact you had—a lot.’

“There was the time Trump claimed the tax reform bill ‘would cost you a fortune when it turns out it is going to help make you a bigger fortune,’ Cavuto said. And the time ‘you said there was serious voter fraud in New Hampshire, and there wasn’t.’ And the time Trump said ‘millions of illegals voted in the last election, but they didn’t.’… ‘You are right to say some of them [in the press] are out to get you. But oftentimes they’re using your own words to bat you,’ Cavuto said. ‘You probably  might not care. But you should. I guess you’ve been too busy draining the swamp to stop and smell the stink you’re creating. That’s your doing. That’s your stink. Mr. President, that’s your swamp.’

“Cavuto, a Fox News host since the network started in 1996, has been known to be critical of Trump and to speak to him in a direct tone, as though Trump were sitting in his living room listening on the other side of the tube. Cavuto’s style breaks from that of many of his Fox News colleagues, particularly commentators who have heaped praise on Trump. But it’s more akin to that of Shepard Smith, who is known to poke holes in the president’s statements.

“Earlier this month, Smith said of Trump’s claims that the U.S. Postal Service was losing money because of Amazon: ‘None of that was true.’…

“In the past, he has told Trump to ‘stop scapegoating’ others following those tirades [on Twitter]… ‘They’re not the problem, Mr. President,” he told Trump, referring to those he targeted on Twitter. ‘You are.’”

Cloning Horror

Express wrote on May 3:

“Scientists have created a living embryo in a laboratory without using either egg or sperm in ground-breaking but hugely controversial experiments. The experimental research combined two types of stem cells and created a viable embryo – which the team say would provide an unlimited stock for medical research… The researchers believe the wonder creation could see mice being cloned in three years time, and humans two decades later. Lead researcher, Professor Nicholas Rivron of Maastricht University, said the main use for the embryos would be to test drugs and solve the infertility riddle.

“He said: ‘As you know, embryos are very precious, and it is impossible to use to test drugs on them as you don’t have the numbers. With blastocysts you can open up the numbers. This will allow screening medicines in the future.’ Professor Robin Lovell-Badge of the Francis Crick Institute added while the experiment was a huge breakthrough for modern science, it may come as a relief it cannot be replicated in humans yet…

“Cloning continues to fascinate the science world, particularly after Dolly the Sheep made headlines across the globe in 1996. The ewe lived for six years after being the first mammal cloned by professors at the University of Edinburgh by Keith Campbell and Ian Wilmut. The animal died five months before her seventh birthday from a progressive lung disease.”

“Major Quake Hits Hawaii, Prompts Further Volcano Eruptions”

Reuters reported on May 7:

“Lava spewing in fountains up to 300 feet high from an erupting Hawaiian volcano has destroyed 35 homes and other buildings… Kilauea, which began exploding on Thursday with fountains and rivers of lava flowing into neighborhoods, has opened 10 volcanic vents since then…

“The southeast corner of the island was rocked by a powerful magnitude 6.9 earthquake on the volcano’s south flank on Friday, the strongest tremor since 1975, and more earthquakes and eruptions have been forecast, perhaps for months to come.

“Kilauea, one of the world’s most active volcanoes and one of five on the island, has been in constant eruption for 35 years. It predominantly blows off basaltic lava in effusive eruptions that flow into the ocean but occasionally experiences more explosive events…”

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

Sin is described in 1 John 3:4 as being the transgression of the law or lawlessness. Note how different translations render this verse:

“Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law” (Authorized Version).

“Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness” (New King James Bible).

“Every one who commits sin is guilty of lawlessness; sin is lawlessness” (Revised Standard Version).

There are different kinds of sin—sins of commission, omission and neglect; and also, whatever is not of faith is sin, as Romans 14:23 says: “But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; for whatever is not from faith is sin.”

A further definition of sin can be found in 1 John 5:17, where we read: “All unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin not leading to [the second] death [that is, when sin is being repented of].”

Sin can be very deceptive in that a person may go through life sinning and seemingly getting away with it. This was reflected on by Solomon, in Ecclesiastes 7:15: “I have seen everything in my days of vanity: There is a just man who perishes in his righteousness, And there is a wicked man who prolongs life in his wickedness.”

He also observed this in Ecclesiastes 8:11: “Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.”

In some cases we might not observe immediate visible consequences. Therefore, some people think that they are getting away with sin or bad habits. This is a deception because we cannot escape the consequences of sin, like the saying  goes: “You can pay me now or you can pay me later but you will pay.”

We may have a tendency to forget about the seriousness of sin, but God does not, when sin is not repented of. When Israel came out of Egypt, they were attacked by the Amalekites, as we read in Exodus 17:8: “Now Amalek came and fought with Israel in Rephidim.”

God did not forget this and ordered Saul hundreds of years later to destroy Amalek. 1 Samuel 15:2-3 reports this: “Thus says the LORD of hosts: ‘I will punish Amalek for what he did to Israel, how he ambushed him on the way when he came up from Egypt. Now go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them. But kill both man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’ ”

This was the consequence for attacking Israel hundreds of years earlier. Even though one might say that this was a harsh punishment, including for those who did not personally participate in the attack on Israel, God looked at the heart and determined that all Amalekites still possessed the same attitude as their forefathers, and children growing up would also develop the same hatred and lust for murder. God knew of course that He would resurrect them to physical life later, in the Second Resurrection, when there would be a much better environment for them. Animals had to be destroyed too because there would have been no one left to tend to and look after them. In addition, the implication might be that animals had also been used for terrible sexual abominations, which DOES change the nature of animals. We also might add that God had never intended to have Israel fight, but since they chose to, He used them as His tool for punishment.

In some cases, consequences are more immediate. David is an example. He committed adultery with Bathsheba and she got pregnant which complicated the matter. Trying to cover up his sinful conduct, David brought her husband home from the war, wanting him to go into his wife so that she could claim he was the father, but he refused to do so.  2 Samuel 11:8-9 reads:  “And David said to Uriah, ‘Go down to your house and wash your feet.’ So Uriah departed from the king’s house, and a gift of food from the king followed him. But Uriah slept at the door of the king’s house with all the servants of his lord, and did not go down to his house.”

The plot thickened so David devised another “solution.” He sent Uriah back to the battle with a message to Joab, the commander of the army, to place Uriah in a location where the battle would be fierce and he was consequently killed (2 Samuel 11:14-16). David’s “problem” seemed to be solved.  But were there no consequences for David’s evil actions?

God sent the prophet Nathan to David to let him know what would transpire because of his conduct. 2 Samuel 12:10-14 describes God’s pronouncements of the consequences in vivid and frightening terms:

“‘Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me, and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’ Thus says the LORD: ‘Behold, I will raise up adversity against you from your own house; and I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, before the sun.’” So David said to Nathan, ‘I have sinned against the LORD.’ And Nathan said to David, ‘The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die. However, because by this deed you have given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also who is born to you shall surely die.’”

Even though David repented of his evil conduct, as shown in Psalm 51, and even though he fasted for his son’s life, God had determined that his son would have to die (The same rationale applies, as mentioned before, in that the innocent son would be resurrected in the Second Resurrection, in a much better and friendly environment; after all, illegitimate children were in no way accepted in Israel at the time and mostly treated as “outcasts”).

These were serious consequences for David’s sins. Even though he repented, he still had to pay the price for his sins, because God wanted him to understand deeply how wicked and abominable his conduct was.

This is an extremely good lesson for us: Before we get involved in sin, we must be aware that there are consequences. Some may be immediately seen, and some may manifest themselves later. Revelation 20:13, in speaking about the Second Resurrection, addresses judgment: “The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works.” This judgment includes acts which will be committed then, but it also may include acts committed in their prior lives which had not been repented of. Note what it says in Luke 12:47-48: “And that servant who knew his master’s will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.”

In addition, those who refuse to repent and who commit the unpardonable sin will be burnt up in the lake of fire. Revelation 20:14-15 says: “Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.”

What about those in the Church who have been called in this day and age? 1 Peter 4:17 states: “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?”

Converted Christians are being judged now. When we sin, we can go to God and ask for the blood of Christ to wash us clean and put us in the good graces of God. But there still may be consequences for our sins even though they are repented of and forgiven, as we saw in the case of David. For instance, after a person may have caused a terrible car accident because of drunk driving and might have suffered the loss of a limb as a consequence, he or she might be called and his or her sins might be repented of and forgiven, but this will not suddenly give him or her the missing limb back. The converted Christian will be in the First Resurrection and won’t have to suffer additional stripes since he or she was being judged in this life and had to live now with the consequences of sin. But there is still the aspect of the converted Christian having to “give account” of his prior conduct to those whom he or she will meet in the resurrections, whom he or she might have wronged in this life (for instance, if the accident he caused due to drunk driving resulted in the death of an innocent person whom he or she will meet in the resurrection.)

We must understand that all sins have consequences. Some may fool themselves in thinking they may be getting away with sin because, sometimes, there are no visible immediate consequences; but the consequences are there and might manifest themselves in the future.

For more information, please read our free booklet, “Punishment for Our Sins.”

Lead Writers: Rene Messier (Canada) and Norbert Link

compiled by Dave Harris

PENTECOST will be observed on Sunday, May 20, 2018. We will broadcast both morning and afternoon services, at 9:00 AM and 3:00 PM Pacific Time, respectively.

A Tech Team meeting was conducted on May 6, 2018, via SKYPE. Hosted by Eric Rank, special emphasis was given to internet promotions featuring the Church’s website productions.

“Iran Deal Gone… Europe furious with USA,” is the title of a new StandingWatch program, presented by Evangelist Norbert Link. Here is a summary:

With America’s withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal and the announcement of heavy sanctions against Iran and possibly other countries, the relationship between the USA and Europe has further deteriorated. Europeans are determined to oppose America’s decision and are threatening America, while America, in turn, is threatening Europe. The big question is, what are Iran and Israel going to do?

A new German AufPosten Stehen program was recorded and posted as well, covering the same topic, titled, “Trump kündigt Iran-Deal—und Europa will Frieden im Nahen Osten schaffen!” (In English: “Trump withdraws from Iran-deal—and Europe wants to create peace in the Middle East!”)

“Lasst Euch nicht Rabbi, Vater oder Lehrer nennen (Matthäus 23:8-10)!” is the title of this Sabbath’s Germam sermon, presented by Norbert Link. Title in English: “Do not be called Rabbi, Father or Teacher (Matthew 23:8-10).”

“Challenges of Humility,” the sermonette presented last Sabbath by Michael Link, is now posted. Here is a summary:

If we want to be in the Kingdom of God, we must have a spirit of humility. What are some of the challenges we face in being humble?

“The Failure of Righteous Kings of Judah – Part 2,” the sermon presented last Sabbath by Norbert Link, is now posted. Here is a summary:

In this second part of this three-part series, we will be discussing additional righteous kings of Judah, including Joash, Amaziah, Uzziah and Hezekiah, as they are featured in 2. Chronicles. In each case, these kings committed serious infractions at the end of their lives, and when they were admonished, they reacted with pride, rejection and even wrath. Do we sometimes react in similar ways?