On February 17, 2018, Robb Harris will present the sermonette, titled, “A Generation Offered Up to Fire,” and Dave Harris will present the sermon, titled, “In Jesus’ Name.”

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.

Last week’s events in Germany serve as a striking example as to HOW DIRTY politics is. Much of the world breathed a sigh of relief when Germany’s two leading parties, the CDU and the SPD, finally reached a grand coalition agreement under Angela Merkel (CDU) and Martin Schulz (SPD), thereby ending an historic time of political limbo after Germany’s election in September. But soon afterwards, due to political maneuvering within his own party, Schulz was forced to declare that he would not accept the contemplated role of foreign minister within the new government.

The German press recognized the true motives at play. Much blame was placed on Sigmar Gabriel (SPD) who presently holds the office of foreign minister in a “caretaker position”. Bild Online wrote on February 9 that Gabriel was using dirty tricks against Schulz; that the same party delegates who had voted for Schulz were now blackmailing him and used him as cannon-fodder; and that the entire situation confirmed almost every possible perception of the meanness and lack of principles in politics.

Bild added that a power struggle had engulfed the SPD; that Schulz was given an ultimatum; and that Gabriel hinted at an alleged agreement between him and Schulz that he would remain the foreign minister in consideration of giving the position of party chief to Schulz. But the German press claims that Gabriel only resigned as the leader of his party in order to escape responsibility if the grand coalition talks would fail (and most observers predicted at the time that they would fail).

In all fairness, even though Schulz had originally declared that he and his party would not be a part of a German government under Merkel, due to the intervention of German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier (SPD), he changed his mind [or broke his word, depending on one’s viewpoint]… but so did all the major players in his party, including Sigmar Gabriel. And there can be no doubt that he worked out a masterful deal for the SPD. The Local wrote on February 7: “The SPD managed to wangle the Foreign Ministry, the Finance Ministry and the Labor Ministry out of the talks. They appear to have done pretty well for themselves there… The only question is – with so many key ministries going to the other parties – what have the CDU kept for themselves?” The answer: Merkel managed to get the chancellorship… for herself.

With these many key positions for the SPD, that party should have been thankful to Schulz. Instead, they dropped him like a hot potato. The Telegraph commented on February 9 that “Mr. Schulz, a former European parliament president, was briefly talked of as Germany’s next chancellor when he returned from Brussels to enter national politics. He was elected SPD leader with 100 per cent support in 2016 and the country was gripped by ‘Schulzmania’ in the early part of last year. But he led the party to its worst ever result in September’s election. His political career is now almost certainly over…”

The German press echoed those sentiments. Bild Online wrote that Schulz is facing the end of his political career which began with 100 percent and ended with nothing, slipping “from 100 to Zero.”

We don’t share this conclusion. We had predicted that Donald Trump, when he announced his candidacy, would become the President of the USA, even though very few agreed with us at the time. We had predicted that Merkel and Schulz would hammer out a grand coalition agreement when most felt the opposite and thought that Merkel would enter a coalition with smaller parties, without the SPD (the so-called “Jamaica coalition”), and failing this, new elections would be held. We had said that Schulz would play an important role within the new German government. We still feel the same, even though the almost unanimous political viewpoint disagrees. Whether Schulz’s political career is indeed over will have to be seen. In the past, many politicians were viewed at one time as “yesterday’s news,” but they made spectacular comebacks. Just think of Napoleon, Mussolini, and last, but not least, Adolf Hitler. And so, historically, strange and unexpected things have happened in the dirty business of politics, and just maybe, the deadly wound which Schulz received might be healed in the future, which would indeed surprise the whole world.

We all know that politics is mean—rotten to the core. The recent example in Germany only supports this universal truth. Politicians are motivated and driven by lies, betrayal, backstabbing and broken words and promises, while totally lacking in principle and godly character. As the Bible says, “There is none righteous, no, not one.” Politics is like a prostitute who embraces her lovers, but only as long as she can use them. Why is that so? Simply, because the originator of politics is none other than Satan the Devil—a dirty, mean, lying being without any principles or godly character. Satan rules this world. He designs the evil politics of this world, and he influences and inspires those who are engaged in this field. Nothing good will ever come out of it. That is why true Christians must have NOTHING to do with it. Rather, they ought to pray for God’s Kingdom to come very soon which will end, once and for all, the dirty business of politics.

by Norbert Link

We begin with explosive developments in Germany and discuss the ongoing public dissatisfaction with the current and proposed new government, while also addressing the uncertain and perhaps somewhat surprising future of Martin Schulz and Angela Merkel. (Also note this week’s Editorial on the developments in Germany, as well as our new StandingWatch program, “Germany’s Dirty Politics.”  The program was also published in the German language, titled, “Deutschlands Schmutzige Politik.” ).

We continue with the short temporary shutdown of the US government; an agreed-upon budget pact of $400 billion; and President Trump’s proposed controversial $4 trillion budget for 2019; Dow Jones’ unprecedented rollercoaster ride; the sure expectation of a very bad recession within perhaps three years; the interesting perception that President Trump does not understand economics, combined with one of his proposals which seems to be dead on arrival; another court ruling blocking the implementation of his decision on DACA; his politically risky refusal to release the Democratic response to a Republican memo charging the FBI and others with wrongdoing; and his stance on domestic violence in the light of continued allegations against him of harassment and improper sexual conduct.

We address the horrific mass shooting in Florida; the volatile escalation of the situation in Syria, as it pertains to Israel and Iran as well as the USA, Turkey and the Kurds; and the interesting recommendation that in light of America’s total absence in the Syrian issue, Europe and especially Germany should intervene to avoid the outbreak of a terrible third war in the region. We conclude with Israel’s strong position to ignore America’s stance if it conflicts with Israel’s interests; and America’s concern regarding the European Joint Defense Agreement; as well as a shocking article about Poland.

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

Schulz Quits…

Deutsche Welle wrote on February 9:

“The current head of Germany’s Social Democrats (SPD) Martin Schulz said on Friday that he would no longer pursue a ministerial post in the next German government, including the job of foreign minister. Schulz had come under heavy criticism in his own party for claiming the foreign minister role for himself after leaders of Germany’s largest parties agreed to form another coalition government led by Chancellor Angela Merkel…

“Schulz, the former president of the European Parliament, said he believed the internal squabble within his party risked jeopardizing a pending coalition deal with Merkel’s conservatives. The SPD reached a deal with Merkel’s Christian Democrats (CDU) and their Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), on Wednesday. The coalition deal still requires the approval of SPD party members who will vote on the deal in the coming weeks and can still reject it…

“His announcement follows days of mounting pressure from senior members of his party, including from current Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel, who criticized Schulz’s intention to take the helm at the Foreign Ministry. In an interview published on Friday, Gabriel complained about a lack of appreciation for his work as Germany’s top diplomat…  ‘It is clear, unfortunately, that the public’s regard for my work meant absolutely nothing to the new SPD leadership,’ Gabriel said…

“Directly after the September election, Schulz ruled out forming a new coalition with Merkel’s CDU/CSU bloc and had categorically ruled out joining her cabinet in the past. The backtracking by SPD leaders angered many in the party’s youth branch…”

Schulz’s Political Career Over?

The Telegraph wrote on February 9:

“Mr Schulz… was briefly talked of as Germany’s next chancellor… He was elected SPD leader with 100 per cent support in 2016 and the country was gripped by ‘Schulzmania’ in the early part of last year. But he led the party to its worst ever result in September’s election.

“His political career is now almost certainly over… His downfall comes despite negotiating a coalition deal widely regarded as very good for the SPD… Mr Gabriel has alleged they made a deal in 2016 under which he would get to stay on as foreign minister in return for stepping aside as party leader to make way for Mr Schulz…”

Whether Schulz’s political career is indeed over will have to be seen. Stranger things have happened in the dirty business of politics, and just maybe, the deadly wound which he received might be healed in the future, surprising the world. Even though Schulz had resigned as leader of the SPD and even though he will not pursue at this point the office of Foreign Minister, he remains to be a member of the German Parliament (Bundestagsabgeordneter).

Bild Online wrote on February 9 that Gabriel indicated that he wanted to remain Foreign Minister. And so, within an hour of Schulz’s “resignation,” Johannes Kahrs, the head of the SPD’s conservative wing, and others stated that Gabriel should stay as Foreign Minister. On the other hand, some of Gabriel’s’ actions against Schulz (for which he subsequently apologized) caused great concern within the SPD.

Merkel Paid High Price

Handelsblatt Global wrote on February 9:

“Ms. Merkel has paid a high price to renew a coalition with the same old partners – maybe too high. There’s plenty of rumbling in the rank and file of her party over the concessions she made to win over her rivals. Their concern: By giving away three prized ministerial portfolios to the Social Democratic Party, she may have handed the struggling party a future while robbing one for her own…

“The concessions prompted a cynical tweet from one CDU parliamentarian, Olav Gutting: ‘At least, we’ve kept the chancellorship.’”

Merkel Defies Critics

AFP wrote on February 12:

“German Chancellor Angela Merkel vowed on Sunday to serve another full four-year term despite growing criticism within her conservative ranks of the sweeping concessions she made to hold onto power. The veteran leader said that despite the sniping over a poor election result and the loss of key ministries in a fresh coalition deal, she felt no decline of her authority and wanted to stay at the helm of Europe’s biggest economy until 2021… she stressed that she… planned to stick with her pledge to stay on for four years as chancellor and party chief rather than make way for a successor before the end of the term…

“‘The transition to the post-Merkel era has begun,’ judged the Sueddeutsche Zeitung daily, which added that Merkel’s power was waning and ‘a dangerous mood’ was starting to spread within her CDU. Handing over the finance ministry — long the domain of Merkel lieutenant and fiscal hawk Wolfgang Schäuble – ‘was one concession too many,’ fumed lawmaker Wolfgang Bosbach, reflecting a widely held view in the conservative party.

“An ambitious rival of Merkel, Jens Spahn, also charged that losing direct control of the public purse strings was a ‘hard blow’ that ‘hurt’ the CDU… Conservative lawmaker Christean Wagner even suggested that [the party’s] leader should ‘think about a successor.’”

Handelsblatt Global wrote on February 12:

“For 12 years, Angela Merkel was everybody’s darling. Then the chancellor stumbled over the refugee crisis. Now, after a weak coalition deal, rebellious conservatives are demanding a wide-sweeping party renewal… A revolt is simmering. Although there’s no immediate successor to Ms. Merkel in sight, her authority is clearly being questioned…”

Deutsche Welle added on February 12:

“Germany’s chancellor is reaching out to critics in her party — kind of. Angela Merkel intends to remain the top Christian Democrat, and chances are good that she will succeed.”

Second US Government Shutdown Short-Lived…

USA Today wrote on February 9:

“President Trump signed a $400 billion budget deal Friday, hours after the House passed it in a pre-dawn vote, reopening the federal government after it was partially shut down for the second time in less than a month. The House voted 240-186, with 73 Democrats and 167 Republicans voting in favor…

“House Minority leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., voted against the bill following her eight-hour marathon speech on Wednesday, protesting congressional inaction on protections for DREAMers, undocumented immigrants brought here as children. Pelosi issued a statement early Friday that criticized Ryan, saying he ‘refused to make a real commitment’ to schedule a vote to protect DREAMers…

“Pelosi and other Democrats have called on Ryan to guarantee an open debate on legislation — something Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has promised in the Senate… Ryan has said he intends to solve the problem. But he will only bring up a bill that President Trump supports… Of course, it is not entirely clear what the president will demand in an immigration bill. His public statements have embraced a wide range of policy options (from deportation to a path to citizenship, conditioned upon the erection of a “huge beautiful wall,” for which Mexico was supposed to pay)…

“The House vote followed earlier Senate approval of the budget pact that was initially delayed by a protest from Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul…  ‘We have Republicans hand-in-hand with Democrats offering us trillion-dollar deficits,’ Paul said on the Senate floor Thursday night… Fifteen other Republicans joined Paul in voting against the bill, with many expressing similar objections about the increased deficit spending.”

“Nobody Should Be Proud of the Budget Deal”

The Week wrote on February 9:

“The debt ceiling was raised or rather, in the deliberately mixed metaphor that is the official language of Washington, ‘suspended.’ Spending at the Pentagon, where single agencies routinely ‘lose’ amounts as large as $800 million, was increased by billions.

“All afternoon senators and congressmen of both parties congratulated one another… It hardly speaks to the virtues of either party or their members…”

“President Donald Trump Proposes a $4 Trillion-Plus Budget for Next Year

The Associated Press and Newsmax wrote on February 12:

“President Donald Trump is proposing a $4 trillion-plus budget for next year that projects a $1 trillion or so federal deficit and — unlike the plan he released last year — never comes close to promising a balanced federal ledger even after 10 years. And that’s before last week’s [$400] billion budget pact is added this year and next, showering both the Pentagon and domestic agencies with big increases…”

Fox News wrote on February 12:

“President Trump’s recent budget moves could complicate his relationship with the House Freedom Caucus and other fiscal conservatives… ‘The swamp won, and the American taxpayer lost,’ Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, a founding member of the caucus, said…

“Mark Meckler, co-founder of Tea Party Patriots, said Monday that ‘many hopeful-but-naive patriots believed D.C. would change under Donald Trump. Many thought he could drain the swamp without us. Friday morning painfully showed those same patriots that such a plan is nothing but fantasy.’”

One of the Wildest Weeks Since the Financial Crisis

CNBC wrote on February 9:

“The Dow Jones industrial average posted its worst week in two years. Earlier in the session, the index was on track for its worst week since October 2008, during the financial crisis.

“The stock index has traveled more than 22,000 points this week in a volatile few days that kicked off Monday with the Dow’s biggest closing point drop on record. Stocks are falling as traders worry about rising interest rates, and volatility… has jumped to its highest since the market turmoil of August 2015.”

Coming… The Next Recession, and It Will Be BAD

The Huffington Post wrote on February 10:

“It’s highly likely the next recession will occur in the coming three years, while President Donald Trump is still in office… America is ill-prepared for its next recession…

“A recession starts after economic activity has reached its peak. Right when things are better than ever is when they’re about to get worse… There have been 11 recessions since World War II. The current economic expansion began in mid-2009, making it the third longest in history, and it can’t last forever…”

“Trump Doesn’t Understand Deficits and Trade”

The National Post wrote on February 12:

“The usual story that is told about the dangers of running deficits when the economy is not in recession is that increased government borrowing increases the competition for domestic savings, pushes up interest rates and ‘crowds out’ private investment. But in an open economy, governments don’t have to depend on domestic investors to buy their bonds; they also tap into foreigners’ savings to finance their borrowing.

“Borrowing from abroad is essentially the story of how the Reagan and Bush deficits were financed: an inflow of foreign savings to the United States allowed the government to run large deficits without an increase in interest rates or a decline in private investment spending…

“But the real challenge facing the government of Canada — and the governments of all the trading partners of the United States — is that the present U.S. administration remains invincibly ignorant of balance of payments accounting. President Trump wants to increase the government deficit and reduce the trade deficit, without the pain of higher interest rates and weakened investment. It is literally impossible to meet these demands, and the challenge of explaining this point to an incurious President is only slightly less daunting.”

Another Ill-Advised Proposal by President Trump

Axios wrote on February 14:

“President Trump endorsed a 25-cent gas tax hike to pay for infrastructure at a White House meeting this morning with senior administration officials and members of Congress from both parties…

“Trump’s gas tax idea appears dead on arrival. Republicans aren’t about to hike taxes for the Trump voters driving their pickup trucks to work every day. It’s a regressive tax and in Republicans’ minds would undo some of working and middle class tax cuts they just passed.”

Second Judge Blocks Trump’s Decision to End DACA

Newsmax reported on February 13:

“A second U.S. judge on Tuesday blocked President Donald Trump’s decision to end a program that protects immigrants brought to the United States illegally as children from deportation.

“U.S. District Judge Nicholas Garaufis in Brooklyn ruled that the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA, cannot end in March as planned, a victory for state attorneys general and immigrants who sued the Republican administration. The decision is similar to an earlier ruling by a federal judge in San Francisco that DACA must remain in place while litigation over Trump’s decision unfolds.”

Trump Blocks Release of Democratic Memo in Response to GOP Memo

Newsmax wrote on February 9:

“President Donald Trump on Friday returned to the House Intelligence Committee the Democratic response to the Republican memo (Nunes memo) alleging surveillance abuses by the FBI and Justice Department for revisions — citing concerns about classified information contained in the 10-page document…

“The four-page Nunes memo alleged the warrant obtained by the FBI from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act court to monitor former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page was based on an unsubstantiated dossier of negative information on the Republican presidential candidate. The dossier was prepared by former British agent Christopher Steele and was paid, in part, by the campaign of Democrat Hillary Clinton. The Clinton data were never disclosed in the application for the FISA warrant, according to the GOP memo…”

The Huffington Post added on February 9:

“Several of the allegations in the Nunes memo are already falling apart. One of the key complaints in the memo is that the FBI failed to disclose that a dossier compiled by former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele was funded by Democratic operatives looking for information on Trump during the campaign. But three days after the memo was released, Nunes conceded that the FBI had disclosed the political origins of the Steele dossier in a footnote on its application to spy on Page…”

The Telegraph wrote on February 9:

“The president’s rejection of the Democratic memo is in contrast to his enthusiastic embrace of releasing the Republican document, which he pledged before reading to make public. The president declassified the document last week, allowing its publication in full.

“The president has said the GOP memo ‘vindicates’ him in the ongoing Russian investigation led by special counsel Robert Mueller. But congressional Democrats and Republicans, including House Speaker Paul Ryan and Rep. Trey Gowdy of South Carolina, who helped draft the GOP memo, have said it shouldn’t be used to undermine the special counsel…

“Trump declassified the GOP-authored memo over the objections of the FBI, which said it had ‘grave concerns’ about the document’s accuracy…”

Newsmax wrote on February 10:

“The decision to block the Democratic memo is a political risk for Trump…”

Finally… Trump Speaks Out against Domestic Violence…

Deutsche Welle wrote on February 14:

“The US president has finally condemned domestic violence after one of his aides resigned over related charges. The Trump administration’s handling of Rob Porter’s resignation has shaken the White House’s upper echelons…

“The president’s words came days after he praised former top aide Rob Porter, who had been forced to resign last week due to allegations of assault made by his two ex-wives… Trump himself has also been accused of sexual assault and harassment by several women.

“Trump’s words also mark the end of his week-long silence on his stance towards domestic abuse… Over the weekend, however, Trump did find the words to defend the work of his former staff secretary. He told reporters on Friday, ‘[Porter] says he’s innocent, and I think you have to remember that.’ Trump also applauded Porter for his ‘good work’ in the White House. He did not express sympathy for Porter’s former wives.

“On Saturday, Trump then used a Tweet to cast doubt on the seriousness of assault accusations, describing them as ‘mere allegations.’ ‘Peoples (sic) lives are being shattered and destroyed by a mere allegation. Some are true and some are false. Some are old and some are new,’ Trump wrote on Twitter. ‘There is no recovery for someone falsely accused — life and career are gone. Is there no such thing any longer as a Due Process?’

“Porter’s resignation and the White House’s handling of the situation shook the administration at the highest level. Chief of staff John Kelly and White House lawyer Don McGahn are said to have known about the allegations against Porter. The White House insists that it only learned of the allegations shortly before Porter’s resignation, while the FBI maintains the administration had received information on the subject at various points last year.

“Congressional lawmakers have launched an investigation looking into how Porter was able to work at the White House on an interim security clearance despite the allegations of domestic violence.”

The White House’s changing and less than convincing explanations, especially in light of the FBI’s statements, which totally contradict the White House’s versions, have cast a dark cloud on the affair.

In addition, the Week reported on February 14:

“President Trump’s personal attorney, Michael Cohen, told The New York Times on Tuesday he paid $130,000 out of his own pocket to Stormy Daniels, the adult film star who told multiple media outlets ahead of the 2016 presidential election that she had an extramarital affair with Trump. In a statement, Cohen told the Times that ‘neither the Trump Organization nor the Trump campaign … reimbursed me for the payment’ to Daniels… Daniels’ manager said Wednesday that Daniels believes by acknowledging the payment, Cohen has invalidated the non-disclosure agreement. She vowed to publicly discuss the details of her affair with Trump. The president has denied the affair.”

These threats do not sound too good for Donald Trump, apart from the fact that it would stretch the imagination to believe that his lawyer paid the adult film star out of his own pocket, without knowledge of Trump, without his consent, and without any reimbursement.

Horrific Mass School Shooting in Florida

Deutsche Welle reported on February 14:

“At least 17 people have been killed and many others injured in a school shooting in Florida. Police arrested a teenager who had previously been expelled from the school…  [The murderer] is a 19-year-old former student, who had a troubled history… [He] was found with multiple ammunition magazines and an AR-15-style rifle…

“The shooting reignited debate over gun violence in the United States that kills nearly 33,000 each year.  So far this year there have been 18 school shootings across the country…”

Every time a terrible mass shooting takes place, discussions evolve around gun violence. Soon thereafter, the topic is placed on the back burner, to give way to more “important” issues, such as, how the debt ceiling can be raised so that more sophisticated weapons can be produced for the military. The morbid fascination of the American people with their guns is very difficult to be understood by most other civilized countries.

Gun Control and Mental Illness

Breitbart reported on February 15:

“Thursday on NBC’s ‘Today,’ host Megyn Kelly offered her thoughts in a monologue about gun control and mental illness on the heels of the Parkland, FL school shooting:

“‘There have been at least 12… school shootings in America so far in 2018… We’re averaging one just about every three or four days. How we doing, America? Everyone okay with that? Apparently the answer is in fact yes because we haven’t done virtually anything to stop it… We all know what is about to happen right now, don’t we? We’re going to say how sorry and shocked and sad we are, and then we’re going to move on without doing anything. And then we’ll express how sorry and shocked and sad we are at the next one, and the one after that. Does anyone really think that we are going to do anything about these mass murders?

“‘… I don’t believe that. I don’t believe in a single one of these politicians. I don’t believe any of them have the courage it takes to push through reform…

“‘Five years ago I was live on the air and pregnant with my third child when 20 first graders were shot to death in school in Newtown, Connecticut… That was the one where we all thought now we will do something. Now we have to change. But we didn’t. In fact, since Newtown, there have been nearly 300 school shootings in America, about one a week…

“‘Are we really going to loosen the standards for involuntary commitment in this country? Even if we could pay for that, good luck convincing the ACLU that it’s legal. And then there are the guns… No gun reforms are getting through… And most of the ones that will be proposed in the wake of this shooting will be utterly meaningless and wouldn’t have even arguably prevented this killing. The NRA is too powerful, our politicians are too weak, and the guns are too ubiquitous.

“‘Guess how many guns there are in America, do you know? Over 300 million. They say 6 to 10 million AE-15s like the one reportedly used in Florida. So now we’ve seen it a million times. We’re going to debate that gun. But any semiautomatic pistol can unleash carnage. There was no AR-15 at Virginia Tech and that remains the worst school shooting in U.S. history. 32 dead and nothing changed… In the meantime… [m]y children, like yours, have to practice hiding in the bathroom to avoid an active shooter and don’t even think about letting the teacher lead a prayer to get them through that moment because the guns are perfectly legal, but the prayers are not…’”

Gun Violence Not the Same in Israel

JTA wrote on February 15:

“Mike Huckabee, the former Governor of Arkansas… reacted to the school shooting in Parkland, Florida Wednesday by comparing Israeli gun safety policy to America’s… [He tweeted:] ‘Reminded that Israel pretty much eliminated it by placing highly trained people strategically to spot the one common thread–not the weapon, but a person with intent.’

“Many, including a prominent Israeli commentator, took issue with Huckabee’s analysis, saying it isn’t tight security that protects Israel from mass shootings but laws that carefully control who can own and carry a gun, and when. Huckabee is a strict supporter of the right to bear arms.

“‘No Governor, Israel NEVER had such a problem,’ responded Alon Pinkas, a former Consul General of Israel in New York. ‘We don’t worship guns, we don’t sell assault rifles to people, we don’t have a genius creation like the NRA, we don’t regard every bunch of guys a “well regulated militia” and we’re pretty much done fighting the British.’

“… Lawyer… Jill Filipovic referred Huckabee to an article about how Israel restricts gun ownership to those who can prove that their professions or places of residence put them in danger.

“… research, including a study by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, says school and other mass shootings are rare in Israel because most people do not have access to the kinds of arsenals readily available in the United States.”

Escalation of Israeli Military Action in Syria

Deutsche Welle wrote on February 10:

“An Israeli jet has been downed by Syrian anti-air fire after Israel intercepted an Iranian drone launched from Syria. The incident is one of the most serious involving Israel, Iran and Syria amid the Syrian civil war… Israeli police said the F16 crashed in the Jezreel Valley in northern Israel (the Jezreel Valley is the biblical Armageddon where Gentile armies will gather to converge from there on Jerusalem to fight against the returning Christ)…

“In a separate statement, the military said… it had carried out ‘large-scale’ attacks on at least a dozen Iranian targets in Syria in response to the drone’s intrusion into Israeli airspace. But the Syrian military denied that the drone had violated Israeli airspace, saying the aircraft was on a mission gathering intelligence on ‘Islamic State’ militants within Syria…

“Israel’s targeting of an Iranian site in Syria marks an escalation in military action involving the three countries and is one of the most serious incidents of its type since the Syrian civil conflict began eight years ago… Israeli missiles also this week targeted a Syrian military research center near Damascus.”

The Complicated Syrian Civil War

Euractiv and Reuters reported on February 11:

“Pro-government forces and Kurdish-led forces have fought each other elsewhere in Syria, and Damascus opposes the Kurds’ demands for autonomy. But in Afrin they have a common enemy and a mutual interest in blocking Turkish advances. Turkey, which regards the Kurdish YPG militia in Afrin as a threat on its southern border, launched an assault on the region last month…

“For the United States, it is yet another complication in Syria’s seven-year-old war, and a reminder of how its Syrian Kurdish ally must at times make deals with Assad even as it builds military ties with the United States. Lacking international protection, the Kurdish-led forces in northern Syria say they have reached agreements with Damascus to allow reinforcements to be sent to Afrin from other Kurdish-dominated areas…

“The United States has relied on the YPG as a vital ground component of its war against Islamic State, and has backed the group in other Kurdish-run regions in northern Syria along the border with Turkey. But US forces are not in Afrin, so have been unable to shield Afrin from the attack by Turkey, its NATO ally… The Kurds meanwhile accuse Russia of giving a green light for the Turkish attack by withdrawing observers it deployed in Afrin last year.”

With these many players involved (also note the following articles), it is difficult to perceive who is actually supporting and fighting whom… while the brutal war goes on and on…

Israel under Cyber Attack

The Jerusalem Post wrote on February 12:

“With this weekend’s events shifting the country’s attention to envisioning the next potential war risks, the cyber-war playing field may once again come front and center… Israeli adversaries could potentially hack Israel Air Force aircraft, including the new, most-advanced F-35…

“Israeli drones can also be hacked and already have been. From 2011-14, Islamic Jihad master hacker Maagad Ben Juwad Oydeh hacked IDF drones while they flew over Gaza, as well as multiple parts of Ben-Gurion Airport’s network. The US and England also had previously hacked Israeli F-16s and drones for information.

“… could Iran or Hezbollah… turn an Israeli drone against Israel?… Other potential cyber risks that have been discussed are adversaries hacking Israeli missiles, missile defense or even nuclear-attack warning systems… To date, Iran and Hezbollah have failed to hack Israel to anywhere near the same extent that Russia and China have managed to hack the US and Europe…”

Germany Should Intervene in Light of American Absence

On February 12, Deutsche Welle published the following comments by Gil Murciano, “a Middle East and Africa expert at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP) think tank in Berlin”:

“In the past, the Americans were an important part in the Israelis’ policy regarding Syria and Lebanon. But today, when it comes to the Syria issue, we see a complete absence of the US. You see the Americans leaving the arena to the Russians… The Syrian issue currently is not on the radar of US policy…

“I think the EU and, specifically in this case, Germany have a unique potential. It is both a strategic ally of Israel, and at the same time it enjoys some level of access or reliability from Iran. Germany is the only actor in the Western world that has some practical experience in mediating informal agreements between Israel, Iran and Hezbollah — the relevant factors in this conflict. Here I refer to the POW swap where Germany was the main negotiator and facilitator in the past. So it has the know-how, the capacities, and a huge interest to stop this cycle of escalation. The shockwave of a third war in this region would have an impact over the Mediterranean. In Lebanon alone we have 1.5 million refugees who, in case of a war, might be knocking on Europe’s doors.”

Europe and specifically Germany will play a major role in the Middle East.

To Serve Israel’s Interests, Israel Must Ignore America

The Jewish Press wrote on February 13:

“Israel should apply Israeli sovereignty to Judea and Samaria, regardless of the United States position on the matter, Minister of Jerusalem Affairs Ze’ev Elkin said Tuesday. Elkin’s comments followed a statement by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Monday that he had been talking with the United States for some time about the sovereignty law that would extend Israeli civil jurisdiction to settlements in Judea and Samaria, and the subsequent denial of such talks by the White House.

“Elkin told the 15th annual Jerusalem Conference that the issue of whether or not talks on annexation have taken place between Netanyahu and the Trump administration is not important, and that the focus should be whether or not applying sovereignty to Judea and Samaria is an Israeli interest…

“Elkin gave Israel’s annexation of the Golan Heights in 1981 as an example that ultimately, Israel should do what it thinks serves its interests best, regardless of the American position. ‘The annexation of the Golan Heights was against the position of President [Ronald] Reagan, who was a very pro-Israel president, and he even imposed sanctions on Israel as a result,’ Elkin said. ‘Today, nobody remembers President Reagan’s sanctions, but we are left with full Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights.’

“When asked if Israel should ignore the Trump administration’s position, Elkin said: ‘If what is right for the State of Israel is against the American stance, then we must do what is right for Israel and against the American stance.’”

And so, the relationship between the USA and Israel is prophesied to deteriorate.

USA Worried over European Defense Agreement

Defense News reported on February 14:

“The U.S. is keeping a close eye on a newly formed European Union joint defense agreement [called, the Permanent Structured Cooperation on Security and Defence (PESCO)] to ensure that European members are not distracted from their NATO commitments… ‘We don’t want to see E.U. efforts pulling requirements or forces away from NATO and into the E.U.’, [Katie Wheelbarger, principal deputy assistant secretary for international security affairs, said.]

“… The countries involved ― Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Croatia, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Spain and Sweden ― overlap with the NATO nations, with some key differences.

“Austria, Cyprus, Finland, Ireland and Sweden are non-NATO countries, while PESCO excludes Canada, the U.S. and the U.K., three members of NATO not based on the continent that often drive the alliance conversation; instead, PESCO is being driven by France, Germany, Italy and Spain.

“Roberta Pinotti, Italy’s defense minister, wrote…  that PESCO ‘might represent the best and, right now, the only possible response to the challenges to international security and Europe’s defense… We need new joint investment in which the EU has a key financial but also political role — new programs must reflect European needs and must be seen by all as intrinsically European…’

“The list of potential PESCO projects [is] still being created, but the creation of a new defense funding mechanism ― under which NATO countries could pool resources for, as Pinotti put it, “intrinsically European” needs and not necessarily spend that funding how NATO would like them to ― has the U.S. keeping a close eye on proceedings… the U.S. is worried about creating two sets of rules that could complicate the issue.”

Without specifically saying or admitting it, PESCO has of course been created to counteract the USA which it correctly felt to have become totally unreliable under President Trump.  Also note the next article.

Need for the EU Army

Deutsche Welle wrote on February 15:

“Early plans for a European army failed in the wake of World War II. EU states have since taken numerous small steps to integrate their armed forces, bringing the idea of a Europe-wide military ever-closer to reality… After the end of the European Defense Community (EDC) in 1954, plans for a European army were put on the back burner for decades, until recent events revived the idea…

“The first major step was late last year, when 25 EU member states agreed to the Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) on the integration of national militaries into an EU force…

“Founded in 1989, the Franco-German Brigade is the only bi-national military organization in the world…

“In 1995… Germany and the Netherlands established the German/Netherlands Corps… German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen called it a ‘prime example of how to build a European defense union’…

“EU countries are increasingly recognizing the need to accelerate closer military cooperation within the bloc. This not only applies to smaller nations like the Netherlands, but also to EU heavyweights like France and Germany…

“During France’s Mali intervention in 2013, military leaders in Paris were shocked to discover that the country lacked the resources to run such extensive combat operations on its own for long periods of time. French military partners had to help with transport and reconnaissance missions shortly after the operation was launched…

“Last year it was reported that Germany’s navy had no submarines at the ready… The country’s military, the third-largest in the EU, is not expected to have an operational submarine at its disposal again until mid-2018 at the earliest…”

Polish Government Orders Poles to Denounce “Anti-Polish” Compatriots

Deutsche Welle wrote on February 15:

“Senate leader Stanislaw Karczewski has ordered Poles living abroad to inform authorities of [‘harmful’] ‘anti-Polish comments’ made by other Poles. A report [by German public broadcaster NDR] claims an official letter has been sent to embassies and consulates…worldwide asking Poles to ‘document all anti-Polish comments and opinions that could hurt us.’

“The letter orders Poles to ‘inform embassies, consulates of any defamation that could harm the good reputation of Poland.’ NDR says the letter has already been distributed by the general consulate in Munich and that Hamburg’s consulate would follow suit…

“The move comes after Poland passed a controversial Holocaust law that makes it an offense to state that Poles or Poland had any part in Nazi-era atrocities… The law was immediately condemned by the US and Israel. German Chancellor Angela Merkel as well as Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel avoided wading into the diplomatic spat, stressing that Germany alone was responsible for the Holocaust…

“According to senate leader Karczewski, who penned the letter, Poles have been exposed to the painful, unjust and, most of all, factually wrong expression‘Polish death camps’ as well as ‘claims that Poles were involved in the Holocaust,’ stressing that both were an ‘insult to our national dignity and pride.’”

There can be NO question that Poles were involved in the Holocaust. It is absolutely ludicrous to suggest otherwise. The order of the Polish government to denounce Poles who dare to tell the truth is shameful and reminds us of Gestapo activities under Hitler, East-Germany’s Stasi and other dictatorial countries.

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.

The Bible gives us several reasons for ancient Israel’s request, and it shows not only why this desire was sinful, but also, how the fulfillment of Israel’s desire has been causing much pain and suffering for Israel and all of mankind.

To see the context, note 1 Samuel 8:1-5:

“Now it came to pass when Samuel was old that he made his sons judges over Israel… but his sons did not walk in his ways; they turned aside after dishonest gain, took bribes, and perverted justice. Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah, and said to him, ‘Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now make for us a king to judge us like all the nations.’”

Several factors come into play here. First, Samuel should not have made his sons judges over Israel. Second, rather than demanding a king, the elders of Israel should have waited for Samuel to reverse his decision and dismiss his sons as judges. After all, Samuel was aware of the fact that Eli had not restrained his wicked sons and that, as a consequence, God made Samuel a prophet (1 Samuel 3:11-14, 20).

But the elders of Israel did not wait for Samuel’s intervention, and so, Samuel perceived this action and demand for a king as a loss of confidence in his leadership. However, God made it clear that ultimately, their demand was a rejection of God’s leadership, because God had made Samuel judge over Israel (1 Samuel 7:6, 15-17).

We read in 1 Samuel 8:6-7:

“But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, ‘Give us a king to judge us.’ So Samuel prayed to the LORD. And the LORD said to Samuel, ‘Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them.’”

God knew, of course, that ultimately, Israel would demand a king. They had already asked Gideon to rule over them as king, but Gideon had refused to do so. Judges 8:22-23 states: “Then the men of Israel said to Gideon, ‘Rule over us, both you and your son, and your grandson also; for you have delivered us from the hand of Midian.’ But Gideon said to them, ‘I will not rule over you, nor shall my son rule over you; the LORD shall rule over you.’”

But the time would come when Israel would be so persistent in their demand for a king that God would let them have their will. God does not prevent us from sinning, and He does not force us to live righteously. When people want to sin or lose faith in God, He does not take away their free will, but they will have to live with the consequences. Furthermore, God will use man (and even the wrong decisions of man) to bring about His purpose. For instance, He never wanted Israel to fight in war, but when they decided to become a warrior nation, He used them and their warring actions to fulfill His unconditional promise to Abraham to bring them into the land of Canaan. And so, God had already given statutes and injunctions for the king’s behavior once Israel’s demand would be fulfilled (Deuteronomy 17:14-20).

Nevertheless, God made it very clear that the demand for a king was SINFUL. One reason has already been revealed: It constituted the rejection of God’s rule over them. This desire, to be ruled by man, rather than God, has always been a major problem in man’s conduct. Christ explained that His own people (the house of Judah, John 1:11) would kill Him because they did not want Him to rule over them (Luke 19:14).

And so, God told Samuel to warn Israel of the consequences in asking for and receiving their king (1 Samuel 8:8-9):

“‘According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt, even to this day—with which they have forsaken Me and served other gods—so they are doing to you also. Now therefore, heed their voice. However, you shall solemnly forewarn them, and show them the behavior of the king who will reign over them.’”

The picture which Samuel was inspired to paint for the people was not a pleasant one. It described the very evil of the institution of human kingship or human government in general, when it is in defiance of God’s rule. Christ later declared to His disciples: “‘You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant’” (Mark 10:42-43).

Samuel explained that the king and the human system over which he (or any human leader) would rule would take the sons and daughters of the people, as well as the best of their fields, to use them for his (or the government’s) own purposes and personal gain; that he (or the government) would make many weapons and build a great army to fight against other nations; and that he (or the government) would institute a tax system, in addition to the godly enjoined duty to pay tithe and offerings to Him. Even though Christ and Paul would make it clear, later on, that we are to pay our taxes to Caesar (Luke 20:22-25; Matthew 17:24-27; Romans 13:6-7), it remains true that the origin of the human tax system is evil, and that a country and a people are destroyed when they are taxed heavily (Proverbs 29:4, American Bible: “By justice a king gives stability to the land, but he who imposes heavy taxes ruins it.”).

God also forewarned them that the time would come when the people would complain and murmur against their king, but God would not listen to them. We read in 1 Samuel 8:18: “And you will cry out in that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, and the LORD will not hear you in that day.”

Nevertheless, the people did not heed the warning, but responded: “No, but we will have a king over us, that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go before us and fight our battles” (1 Samuel 8:19-20).

Rather than relying on God, they wanted to rely on man. They wanted to be like everybody else, even though God had called the nation of Israel to be different and holy—to be set aside for a separate and godly purpose (Exodus 19:6). God wanted to dwell among them (Exodus 29:46) and rule over them. They were to show other nations how a people can live under God’s rule. But they chose to reject God’s rule in order to become like all the other nations. Rather than trusting in God that He would fight their battles (Exodus 14:13-14; Deuteronomy 1:30; compare also 1 Samuel 7:8-14), they reiterated their wish for a king so that HE could lead them in battle. They wanted to follow the false god of war and human war heroes, rather than the true God of Peace.

Samuel reiterated his warning in 1 Samuel 10:19: “But you have today rejected your God, who Himself saved you out of all your adversities and your tribulations; and you have said to Him, ‘No, but set a king over us!’”

Samuel gives an additional reason for their immediate demand for a king in 1 Samuel 12:12:

“‘And when you saw that Nahash king of the Ammonites came against you, you said to me, “No, but a king shall reign over us” when the LORD your God was your king.’” It was the fear of an approaching enemy which prompted them to ask for a king at that time, thinking that a powerful and visible human warrior could save them, while in their mind, the invisible great God could not accomplish this. The demand for a king was an example of complete and total lack of faith in God. Samuel made this very clear when he continued that God would work a visible sign to show them their sinfulness: “‘…I will call to the LORD, and He will send thunder and rain, that you may perceive and see that your wickedness is great, which you have done in the sight of the LORD, in asking a king for yourselves’” (1 Samuel 12:17).

When God performed this miracle, “…all the people said to Samuel, ‘Pray for your servants to the LORD your God, that we may not die; for we have added to all our sins the evil of asking a king for ourselves’” (1 Samuel 12:19). But their “remorse” was too late, because in the meantime, Samuel had already received and followed God’s command to anoint Saul as the king of Israel (As it turned out, Saul, who was at the beginning a humble man and little in his own sight, became proud and wicked, so that God forsook him and asked Samuel to anoint David as king instead.)

Responding to the people’s “regret,” Samuel stated: “…‘You have done all this wickedness; yet do not turn aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart… serve Him in truth with all your heart… But if you still do wickedly, you shall be swept away, both you and your king’” (1 Samuel 12:20, 24-25).

The rest is history—and prophecy. The nations of Israel and Judah did live wickedly so that God expelled them from their land. First, the house of Israel was enslaved by the Assyrians, and later, the house of Judah was enslaved by the Babylonians. The nation of Judah was subsequently re-established in the Promised Land, but the house of Israel never returned. Modern descendants of the house of Judah can be found today in the state of Israel and elsewhere, while modern descendants of the house of Israel can be found in the United Kingdom, the United States, and in other English-speaking nations.

The Bible shows us that due to their wickedness and rebellion against God, both modern houses will again be led into captivity. No king or ruler will save them from this pre-determined fate which has been proclaimed because of their continuing sins. They still believe that human beings should lead them and will save them and bring them deliverance and peace; that God is not to be considered; and that His Word is not to be kept.

They still follow their god of war and live with the delusion that their elected rulers need to lead them in their wars with terrible, destructive weapons and huge armies. Even though God had told them that He was to choose their king whom they desired (1 Samuel 10:24), they later even rejected that command, as Hosea 8:4 tells us: “They set up kings, but not by Me; They made princes, and I did not acknowledge it.” But of course nothing can be accomplished against God’s Will, even though man may think otherwise. But overall, this is not God’s world, and Satan rules it and brings people to power whom he wants. God only intervenes in this day and age in the political affairs of this world, when He needs to in order to bring about His desired purpose.

Ancient and modern Israel and Judah did not learn what God is telling all of us in Psalm 146:3: “Do not put your trust in princes, Nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help.”

The ancient and modern houses of Israel and Judah were meant to show the world how to live righteously, by trusting in God and not in their human leaders or their weapons and armies (Psalm 44:6-8). Instead, they have been following the ways of the world like all the other nations.

But God is telling them today what is going to happen to them very soon:

“‘I have destroyed you, Israel, who is there to help you? Where now is your king that he may save you, in all your cities where are your rulers? “Give me a king and princes,” you said. I gave you a king in my anger, and in my wrath I took him away’” (Hosea 13:9-11, Revised English Bible).

When Christ returns, human rulers and human kings will end (Daniel 2:44). Wars will cease (Psalm 46:9). Trust in God will be taught and practiced. Taxes will be abandoned, and only God’s tithing system will continue to exist. One bad choice of Israel’s demand for a king had terrible consequences for them and the entire world. But thankfully, God will reverse this bad and evil decision, when His righteous God Family will govern this planet. Then we will experience a world of peace when all nations, including Israel and Judah, will learn to rely on God, rather than on man, and abandon the way of war (Isaiah 2:1-4).

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

Compiled by Dave Harris

We have updated both our English and German web pages concerning observing this year’s Feast of Tabernacles and Last Great Day. For those attending the U.S. site, look for an email with specific instructions regarding making reservations, which will be sent within the next two weeks.

A new Member Letter (February 2018) has been written and mailed to our subscribers. In this letter, Pastor Rene Messier points to the “mission statement” given to the Church of God and emphasizes our need to finish the job God has given to us.

“Germany’s Dirty Politics,” is the title of a new StandingWatch program, presented by Evangelist Norbert Link. Here is a summary:

The events in Germany serve as a striking example as to how dirty and rotten politics is. But why is that? What can all of us learn from these developments? And do the events point at significant biblical prophecies—especially, when focusing on the political future of Angela Merkel and Martin Schulz?

“Deutschlands Schmutzige Politik,” is the title of a new AufPostenStehen program, presented by Norbert Link and covering the same topic as described above.

“Erfolgreiche und Vergebliche Arbeit,” is the title of this coming Sabbath’s German sermon, presented by Norbert Link. Title in English: “Successful and Futile Labor.”

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

God expressly states in His Holy Word that we should be glorifying Him. What happens when we dont glorify Him? What examples do we see in the Bible? How can we ensure that we are working to glorify God in our thoughts and actions on a daily basis?

“Believing Multitudes Persecute Jesus,” the sermon presented last Sabbath by Norbert Link, is now posted. Here is a summary:

Multitudes followed Jesus when He lived here on earth as a human being.  The Bible says that Christ was surrounded by an innumerable multitude of supporters. But many who believed in Him and accepted His teachings ceased to walk with Him; they became aggressive; claimed that He was possessed; and were willing to stone Him because of blasphemy. Only very few remained faithful. How could such a turn of events develop? And is it possible that something like this could happen again in our time?

On February 10, 2018, Kalon Mitchell will present the sermonette, titled, “Glorifying God,” and Norbert Link will present the sermon, titled, “Believing Multitudes Persecute Jesus.”

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 interesting to read that the disciples who had daily contact with Jesus Christ for three and a half years still didn’t, at times, have the right focus. That is hard to understand but would we have done any better? It is easy to see our mistakes in hindsight, and we all have made our fair share of them.

In Luke 9:46-48, we read: “Then a dispute arose among them as to which of them would be greatest. And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a little child and set him by Him, and said to them, ‘Whoever receives this little child in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me. For he who is least among you all will be great.’”

Here Jesus showed them in the clearest possible way that humility and service were necessary, not being the top man at the table. Having been given this lesson, you might be forgiven for thinking that the lesson would have been learnt. However, we read about a later incident in Luke 22:24-27: “Now there was also a dispute among them, as to which of them should be considered the greatest. And He said to them, ‘The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called “benefactors.” But not so among you; on the contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves. For who is greater, he who sits at the table, or he who serves? Is it not he who sits at the table? Yet I am among you as the One who serves.’”

Their focus had slipped again, and Jesus had to put them right. He did so with clarity and, hopefully, they got the point.

Their focus, and ours, should and must be on the soon coming Kingdom of God; not on personal position, power or authority. The way of this Satan-inspired world is one of self- aggrandizement, putting self before others in a multitude of ways. Satan, the master of deception, can also encourage us to lose focus in so many other respects by encouraging us to focus on minutiae. He is a master of distraction; he can lead us to becoming overly interested in our job, our hobbies and anything else that we may be interested in, so that they become a higher priority than the Way of Life that we have been called to. As Satan won’t be in the Kingdom of God, he wants us to fail, too!

Do you think that it can’t happen to you? Remember: “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall” (1 Corinthians 10:12). Let us avoid the obvious trap of letting down on prayer and Bible study, but also in less obvious areas where we can lose focus on our priorities in this life. It can be so easy to let down that we can do it without fully realising it, and, in so doing, let our adversary get the upper hand.

With the Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread coming up, now is the time to review our situation. Using this time as a period of introspection and self-examination, we ought to make sure that we do indeed have the right focus!

by Norbert Link

The world has experienced several days of crazy trading. The Dow Jones bounced back late Tuesday, but dropped again Wednesday and on Thursday, it plunged again more than 1,000 points. The loss has been tremendous [for instance, time.com reported that Warren Buffet’s net worth dropped by $5 billion on Monday alone] and the world is getting a foretaste as to what is surely going to happen very soon.

The Vatican and Turkey, as well as the Europeans, are ganging up on Israel and are fighting for the Temple Mount, and our new StandingWatch program, titled, “The Vatican’s Fight for Mount Zion and Jerusalem,” addresses this prophetic development in detail.

Poland is anxious to deny any responsibility for the Holocaust, and a political move by Germany’s controversial foreign minister (SPD) supports Poland and angers Israel. However, these questionable actions are only helping the right-wing AfD to gain further ground in Germany. As we predicted, Angela Merkel (CDU) and Martin Schulz (SPD) finally struck a coalition deal to form a new government, which still needs to be approved by the membership of the SPD.

At the same time, Germany seems to abide by EU rules only when they are advantageous to Germany.

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

U.S. Dow Industrial’s Biggest Intraday Decline in History

Reuters wrote on February 5:

“U.S. stocks plunged in highly volatile trading on Monday, with the Dow industrials falling nearly 1,600 points during the session, its biggest intraday decline in history [it closed down Monday with a drop of about 1,170 points]…  the Dow suffered their biggest percentage drops since August 2011 as a long-awaited pullback from record highs deepened…”

The Week added on February 5:

“The Dow’s decline follows a rocky week that culminated in a 666-point drop last Friday…”

Deutsche Welle added on February 5:

“Banks fell the most as bond yields and interest rates all plunged. Health care, technology and industrial companies all dropped steeply while energy companies and oil prices sank…”

Dow Jones Rallies Back, and Drops Again

CNBC wrote on February 6:

“After two huge sell-offs in a row, U.S. stocks are all over the map on Tuesday. Investors blamed the wild moves on a combination of interest-rate fears, computer-driven trading [note the next article] and the obscure volatility funds that use leverage.

“The Dow Jones industrial average opened with a big whoosh lower, then rallied all the way back. As of 3:08 p.m. ET, the Dow is 500 points higher [later that day, it climbed to 568 points] and trading at a new session high…”

However, on February 7, CNBC reported:

“Dow is headed for a more than 100-point drop at the open, following Tuesday’s wild ride. U.S. stock index futures dropped deep into the red ahead of Wednesday’s open, pulling back from the roller coaster ride seen on Wall Street in the previous session.”

In addition to Wednesday’s drop, the Dow plunged more than 1,000 points on Thursday (cp. Bloomberg, February 8, 2018).

These roller coaster rides are not very reassuring. And we can expect much worse developments. Note the next articles.

Wall Street Victim of Trading Machines

CNN wrote on February 6:

“On a typical trading day, computers account for 50% to 60% of market trades… When the markets are extremely volatile, they can make up 90% of trades… It’s not that humans didn’t play any role in the stock market’s moves. A stronger-than-expected wage increase in Friday’s jobs report led investors to make trades based on the assumptions about what that might mean for inflation and the Federal Reserve’s actions going forward. But once they gave the stock and bond markets that initial push, the computers took those initial moves and ran with them…

“The program trading that sends stocks down so quickly can send them up just as fast. That’s one reason why the market came off its lows and rebounded more than 400 points late Monday. It’s also probably why markets opened down more than 500 points Tuesday, only to jump several hundred points in the first hour of trading.”

This is not very comforting. Being a helpless victim to machines sounds like a horror scenario of a science fiction movie.

European and Asian Markets Plunge

Deutsche Welle reported on February 6:

“European markets took a big hit as Tuesday’s trading began, following major losses across Asia and particularly in Japan… European markets [are still] down as Tuesday trading closes.”

As the USA will be blamed, Europe and Asia won’t be very happy.

America’s Crazy Borrowing Politics

CNBC wrote on February 5:

“Last week… the Treasury Department quietly released data estimating its 2018 borrowing needs would check in at $955 billion, then top $1 trillion in the next two fiscal years… Given the turmoil in markets and the broad-based tax cut just signed into law, the Treasury’s timing arguably couldn’t come at a worse time…

“Conventional economic wisdom suggests that in the long term, Uncle Sam’s burgeoning debt load will put upward pressure on interest rates and hammer the dollar… While printing money to erase debt seems like an easy solution, most economists warn it would put the world’s largest economy on a fast track to hyperinflation and a devalued currency…

“As for the U.S. and its relentless borrowing needs, the stakes are high.”

Why there are relentless borrowing needs for the USA is very hard to comprehend.

UK Unprepared for a Global Financial Crisis

Express wrote on February 5:

“[The] WORLD ‘is due’ an economic crash that would cause chaos…

“Any financial crash caused by the collapse of the US stock market would likely have a massive knock-on effect in Britain [and around the world] with growth slowing in recent months… Figures from the Insolvency Service also reveal that in 2017 the number of people who declared themselves bankrupt [in the UK] reached its highest level since the financial crisis… the UK has dropped to the 13th fastest growing economy in the world because companies are unsure of Britain’s plan after it leaves the EU.

“Meanwhile, the Office for Budget Responsibility has declared it overstated the UK’s economic performance over the past seven years, meaning the British economy is weaker than previously thought. Speaking in Davos a fortnight ago Barclays Chief Executive Jes Staley gave a stark warning that the world is unprepared to deal with the next global financial crisis… Also speaking in Davos the Professor of Public Policy and Professor of Economics at Harvard University, Kenneth Rogoff, said: ‘If we have another financial crisis, there isn’t even a plan A.’”

Worldwide Market a Casino on Steroids

CNBC wrote on February 6:

“Billionaire Carl Icahn told CNBC on Tuesday there are too many exotic, leveraged products for investors to trade, and one day these securities are going to blow up the market… The billionaire investor says, ‘The market itself is way over-leveraged,’ and at some point could ‘implode.’…

“The market is a ‘casino on steroids’ with all these exchange-traded funds and exchange-traded notes, he said. ‘These funds, especially the leveraged ones, are the “fault lines” that will eventually lead to an earthquake on Wall Street, he said. ‘These are just the beginnings of a rumbling.’”

Even though he and many others feel that the latest crisis was only temporary, there can be no doubt that there are warning signs for worse developments to occur very soon.

Turkey and Pope Francis United Against Israel

The Jewish Press wrote on February 5:

“Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday was the first Turkish head of state to visit the Vatican since 1959, and given the tense relations between the Sultan wannabe from Istanbul and the Pope, some wondered how the two leaders would be able to conduct a peaceful meeting. Turns out they had nothing to worry about, they both can’t stand the fact that Israel still insists Jerusalem is its capital, and now a US president is backing them up…

“Three years ago, in April 2015, Pope Francis and the Turkish leader were entangled in a fierce dispute over Turkey’s refusal to accept its responsibility for the 1915 Armenian genocide. Aware that conceding responsibility for the death of a million and a half innocent civilians would put modern Turkey’s Ottoman ancestors in the same category as Nazi Germany, Stalin, Mao, and Pol Pot, Ankara denies that there even was an Armenian genocide, never mind who did it…

“So, to be clear, that whole Armenian genocide thing is put aside, so that everybody can concentrate on getting the Jews to give up their crazy idea about Jerusalem belonging to them.”

The Battle for Mount Zion

Breaking Israel News reported on February 1:

“Mount Zion, a site of great importance to the Jewish people, is almost entirely owned by the Vatican. It happens to also be a focal point of a political battle being fought, oddly enough, underground. Harry Moskoff is an executive producer and writer of The A.R.K. Report, an account of his research into the location of the lost Ark of the Covenant.

“One segment of his documentary will focus on Mount Zion specifically, located directly west of the Old City outside of the ancient walls. Moskoff notes that when the Bible refers to Mount Zion, it is actually using one of the names for the Temple Mount, which is also known as Mount Moriah. In that regard, he will investigate a theory of his that King David moved from his palace in the City of David, located on the southern slopes of the Temple Mount, to Mount Zion in the latter parts of his life. While some archaeologists believe that King David is buried near the City of David, Moskoff contends that his tomb is in fact located on Mount Zion…

“Eli Dan, who served as assistant director of the Diaspora Yeshiva, a Torah institution on Mount Zion, which was charged with running the compound of King David’s Tomb after the Six-Day War in 1967, has witnessed what he describes as a ‘long and complicated war’ with the Vatican. ‘The Vatican fought for years to gain control of Mount Zion,’ Dan told Breaking Israel News.

“‘Their main interest lies in the room where the Christians believe the Last Supper was held… The previous Pope promoted a political agenda that advanced the Palestinian cause because he wanted to gain control of the site,’ he elaborated. ‘But that room is in a building adjacent to the Tomb of King David.’

“Dan explained that King Solomon, King Hezekiah, and several high priests are also believed to be buried at the site. ‘The battle going on now for Mount Zion goes much deeper,’ Dan added. ‘The battle is for the identity of the site: whether it is a Jewish religious site, a Catholic site,  or whether it is simply a tourist attraction with no religious significance.’”

For more information, please view our new StandingWatch program, “The Vatican’s Fight for Mount Zion and Jerusalem,” and read our free booklets, “The Fall and Rise of the Jewish People,” and “The Ten European Revivals of the Ancient Roman Empire.”

Former Pope Benedict in Last Phase of His Life?

Reuters wrote on February 7:

“Former pope Benedict said in a letter published in an Italian newspaper on Wednesday that he is in the last phase of life and on a ‘pilgrimage towards home’. Benedict… in February 2013 became the first pope in six centuries to resign… Since his resignation, the 90-year-old Benedict, a conservative German whose seven-year papacy was marked by mismanagement and financial scandals, has been living in a former convent in the Vatican gardens.

“He has made only a handful of public appearances, mostly at major Church events but has received friends. Those close to him say he is still sharp mentally but has mobility problems and needs a walker to get around.”

Israel to Deport African Migrants

Newsmax reported on February 4:

“Israel began warning thousands of African migrants Sunday that they must leave by the end of March, officials said, under a plan that could see them jailed if they refuse. On January 3, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced implementation of a plan to deport about 38,000 migrants who had entered the country illegally, mainly Eritreans and Sudanese…

“For now, the notices are being given only to men without families, officials said. Israeli newspaper Haaretz said ‘anyone recognised as a victim of slavery or human trafficking, and those who had requested asylum by the end of 2017 but haven’t gotten a response’ would also be exempt for now…

“Israel refers to the tens of thousands of African migrants who entered the country illegally from neighbouring Egypt as ‘infiltrators’. Israeli officials tacitly recognise that it is too dangerous to return Sudanese and Eritreans to their troubled homelands, but local media say the notices do not specify where departing migrants would be sent. Aid workers and media have named Uganda and Rwanda, although both countries deny being a destination for migrants being expelled involuntarily.

“Public opposition to the plan has been slow to build, but some Israeli airline pilots have reportedly said they will not fly forced deportees. Academics have published a petition and Israeli Holocaust survivors wrote an open letter to Netanyahu last month pleading with him to reconsider. The UN refugee agency has called on Israel to scrap the plan, calling it incoherent and unsafe.

“A 2016 UN commission of inquiry into Eritrea’s regime found ‘widespread and systematic’ crimes against humanity, and said an estimated 5,000 people flee the country each month. The International Criminal Court has indicted Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir on charges of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide linked to his regime’s counter-insurgency tactics in the Darfur conflict.”

These developments are just terrible, and no country seems to be without guilt when reviewing their immigration practices. Please view Norbert Link’s recent message, “What If Ruth Had Lived Today?”

Poland Denies Responsibility for Holocaust in World War II

Reuters reported on February 5:

“Israel’s education minister said on Monday he was ‘honored’ Poland had canceled his visit to Warsaw this week because he refused to back off of condemnation of a bill that would outlaw suggesting Poland was complicit in the Holocaust. ‘The blood of Polish Jews cries from the ground, and no law will silence it,’ Bennett later said in a statement. ‘The government of Poland canceled my visit, because I mentioned the crimes of its people. I am honored.’

“…Israel has denounced the Polish Holocaust bill, which passed in parliament last week and is awaiting a decision by President Andrzej Duda over whether to sign it. The Polish measure would impose prison sentences of up to three years for mentioning the term ‘Polish death camps’ and for suggesting ‘publicly and against the facts’ that the Polish nation or state was complicit in Nazi Germany’s crimes.

“Poland’s rightwing nationalist government says the bill is necessary to protect the reputation of Poles as victims of Nazi aggression. Israel says the law would ban true statements about the role that some Poles played in Nazi crimes. The bill has drawn criticism from the United States and condemnation from a number of international organizations as well as Polish minority groups.

“Poland, which had Europe’s biggest Jewish population when it was invaded by both Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union at the start of World War Two, became ground zero for the ‘final solution’, Hitler’s plan to exterminate the Jews of Europe. More than three million of Poland’s 3.2 million Jews were murdered by the Nazis, accounting for about half of the Jews killed in the Holocaust. Jews from across the continent were sent to be killed at death camps built and operated by Germans in Poland, including Auschwitz, Treblinka, Belzec and Sobibor.

“According to figures from the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, the Nazis also killed at least 1.9 million non-Jewish Polish civilians. ‘The death camps in Poland were built and operated by the Germans, and we cannot allow them to evade responsibility for these actions,’ Bennett said. ‘However, many Polish people, all over the country, chased, informed or actively took part in the murder of over 200,000 Jews during, and after, the Holocaust. Only a few thousand people… risked themselves to save Jews.’”

Deutsche Welle wrote on February 4:

“Germany alone carried out the Holocaust, Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel has said amid a row over Poland’s bill about Holocaust terminology… ‘Individual collaborators’ in Nazi-occupied regions during World War II did not change the fact that Germany was responsible for the Holocaust, Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said in a Foreign Office statement on Saturday. Poland could be assured that ‘every form of historical falsification such as the term ‘Polish concentration camps’ runs into clear rejection on our part and will be sharply condemned,’ Gabriel added.”

However, Gabriel’s statements were clearly political. Note the following dated but still very relevant article:

The Jerusalem Post wrote on January 2, 2018:

“Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan blasted German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel on Tuesday for comparing the Jewish State’s policies in the disputed West Bank territory to the former racist apartheid system in South Africa… Gabriel, who frequently boasts about his anti-fascist credentials because he rejected his father’s hardcore Nazism, has been engulfed in a number of anti-Jewish and anti-Israel scandals…

“‘There are two central narratives to Jewish history in the 20th century – the Holocaust and the establishment of the State of Israel. Sigmar Gabriel has already tried to undermine the core of each of them,’ Dr. Efraim Zuroff, head of the Jerusalem Office of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, told the Post in December… ‘In the past, Gabriel claimed that Social Democrats suffered the same fate as Jews during the Third Reich, a ridiculous assertion with no basis in fact, that undermines the uniqueness of the Holocaust and falsely relativizes the uniquely horrific fate of European Jewry at the hands of the Nazis and their helpers.’”

To deny the Holocaust is nonsense. To deny that Poles collaborated with the Nazis is equally nonsense. To criminalize those who deny the Holocaust is nonsense. To criminalize those who use the term “Polish death camps” is equally nonsense. In all these examples, a sound mind is lacking, while deceitful politics wins. In addition, JTA reported on February 6 that “Poland isn’t the only country to police what can be said about the Holocaust. Countries such as Ukraine, Lithuania and Latvia have also been accused of whitewashing the past. But they haven’t received the widespread condemnation that Poland has.”

Germany’s Far-Right AfD Climbs and Climbs

DPA/The Local wrote on February 6:

“A poll published by INSA on Monday predicts that the Social Democrats and Christian Union would no longer be able to form a majority government, if elections were held now.

“The poll also puts the anti-Islam Alternative for Germany (AfD) party on 15 percent, just two percent behind the Social Democrats (SPD) on 17 percent. Merkel’s Christian Union (CDU/CSU) would win 30.5 percent of the vote, the poll predicts.

“As the CDU/CSU enter the final stages of trying to thrash out a new deal for a grand coalition government with the SPD [which was finally entered into on Wednesday, see articles below], the poll makes worrying reading for the main parties. Their proposed government has already been dubbed a ‘coalition of losers’ due to the fact that both parties leaked millions of votes at the ballot box in September’s national election. The SPD’s vote share of 20.5 percent was their worst result since the Second World War.

“The popularity of the far-right AfD has been creeping up in recent weeks, with several polls putting them on 14 percent or above. They entered the Bundestag for the first time in September after winning 12.6 percent of the vote. The party was set up in 2013 and fought the election of that year on an anti-Euro platform, but failed to make it over the 5 percent hurdle needed to make it into parliament.

“Last year they ran a campaign fiercely critical of the government’s refugee policy, which had led to over a million people applying for asylum in Germany since 2015.

“The leadership of the AfD rejects the label of far-right, preferring to describe themselves as conservative. However, they remain highly controversial due to various statements by senior party members… Björn Höcke, the AfD leader in Thuringia, has lambasted Germany’s culture of remembrance of the Holocaust, labelling the Holocaust Memorial in central Berlin a ‘memorial of shame.’ Party leader Alexander Gauland, meanwhile, said during election campaigning last year that Germany should be proud of the service of its soldiers in two world wars.

“The party has also been sharply criticized for its attitude to Islam, which it describes as “not belonging to Germany.” There are roughly 4.7 million Muslims in the Bundesrepublik, making up 5 percent of the population.”

Merkel (CDU) and Schulz (SPD) Reach Coalition Deal to Form New German Government

On February 7, the Local published the following article in collaboration with AFP and DPA:

“… the coalition deal has been struck. Now it will be put to a vote of the membership of the SPD…

“The SPD managed to wangel the Foreign Ministry, the Finance Ministry and the Labour Ministry out of the talks. They appear to have done pretty well for themselves there. While they held the foreign and labour posts during the last administration, they have added the powerful finance ministry to their portfolio. The centre-left party will also hold onto the justice, family and environment ministries, all of which they held in the last government…

“The CSU, meanwhile, have been given a role at the Interior Ministry which appears to be something of a novelty as it will include responsibility for Heimat (home) – that rather untranslatable German word is a nod to conservatism and its current obsession with ‘German values.’ [Very conservative] CSU leader Horst Seehofer is coming to Berlin to take on the role of interior minister. At the end of last year it seemed like his career was over, but he appears to have rescued it to some degree…

“The only question is – with so many key ministries going to the other parties – what have the CDU kept for themselves? One assumes they have kept defence, but there is not much going other than that.”

Deutsche Welle added on February 7:

“If the [SPD] voters approve the deal — and it could well be close — Merkel could then appoint a Cabinet and the parties could sign the coalition contract. Then, if all goes to plan, Germany would have a new government by Easter…

“The two sides have agreed to tighten Germany’s arms export controls — last updated in 2000 — and will specifically exclude all countries taking part in the war in Yemen. This would be a significant change, as it would mean that Saudi Arabia, historically one of the best customers for German arms outside the EU and NATO, will no longer be receiving German weapons…

“The parties also promised a special focus on… ‘fair taxation of companies — especially the internet giants Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon in Europe.’… the two parties agreed to a ‘billion-euro program’ to extend Germany’s broadband reach to close gaps in a country where many rural areas do not have adequate online access. There will… be ‘a right to a fast internet by 2025’ — in other words, a law guaranteeing all Germans broadband internet connection…”

Bloomberg wrote on February 7:

“German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s bloc has concluded a coalition agreement that hands a half-dozen ministries — including the key foreign and finance portfolios — to her Social Democratic allies, a move that will likely bolster the country’s commitment to greater European integration… Martin Schulz will serve as foreign minister…

“While Merkel sets policy guidelines for the government as chancellor, SPD-led finance and foreign ministries will allow Schulz to make good on his pledge to deepen euro-area cooperation and reach out to France’s Emmanuel Macron, who says the 19-country currency bloc should have a joint budget and finance minister…

“The deal was worked out by a core of about 15 leaders and must now be approved by a broader group of roughly 90. While the pact clears a key hurdle to a fourth term for Merkel, the SPD’s pledge to let its 464,000 members vote on the agreement augurs several more weeks of uncertainty… If SPD members reject the pact, Merkel would have to choose whether to pursue a minority government reliant on opposition votes to pass legislation, or to return to the ballot box for an election that polls suggest would resolve nothing.

“Another alliance between Merkel’s Christian Democratic-led bloc and the SPD, a ‘grand coalition’ between the two biggest parties, appeared almost impossible after the Sept. 24 election, when the SPD suffered its worst defeat since World War II. Schulz initially vowed he wouldn’t again enter a cabinet with the chancellor who’s led Germany for 12 years. He changed position after Merkel’s bid to form a multi-party government with the Greens and the pro-market Free Democrats collapsed in November. German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier helped prod the CDU and SPD to the negotiating table, saying the country needs a stable government rather than a repeat election.”

The Washington Post wrote on February 7:

“If the SPD members vote in support of the final coalition treaty next month [on March 3], a new government will go into effect late March or early April. If they don’t, Merkel will likely be forced to form a minority government, and it could mean the end of SPD leader Martin Schulz’s career, and even Merkel’s…”

As we predicted that Merkel and Schulz would be successful in striking a deal, so we predict that the SPD membership will vote for the grand coalition. German papers commented that in order to stay in power, Merkel has given up almost everything else. Bild Online wrote: “The operation was successful, but the patient (Merkel and the CDU) is almost dead” [“Operation gelungen, Patient (fast) tot.”]. Der Spiegel wrote about a “clear defeat for Merkel” [“eindeutige Niederlage”]. At the same time, die Welt commented about the “powerful political ‘master-accomplishment’ [‘machtpolitische Meisterleistung’] of Martin Schulz.” Also note the next article.

Schulz: “Germany Will Lead Europe Again!”

Express wrote on February 7:

“Martin Schulz has promised Germany will lead ‘fundamental EU change’ after forcing his way into Angela Merkel’s cabinet as part of the controversial coalition agreement. The former European Union president suffered a disastrous election, but Mrs Merkel’s poor results insured he would be a key part of the coalition, which was finally agreed today. And Mr Schulz hailed the deal with Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives as a watershed moment for European policy.

“… Mr Schulz said: “You’ll forgive me for thanking Mrs Merkel and Mr Seehofer, especially regarding the European policy chapter of this deal, because what we wrote down in this coalition agreement about the European Union and its future will be a fundamental change of direction in Europe. With this coalition agreement, Germany will take an active and leading role in the European Union again.’…

“Alice Weidel, leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), the biggest opposition party, tweeted: ‘Things could not get worse for Germany,’ calling the coalition deal ‘insane’ as it did not contain an upper limit for migration.

“Speaking in December, Mr Schulz called on EU member states to sign up to a ‘United States of Europe’ by 2025 or risk being kicked out of the bloc. He called for a new treaty to formally convert the EU into the United States of Europe, along the lines of the United States…”

“Germany Is the Leading Breaker of EU Rules”

Handelsblatt Global wrote on February 6:

“No other country seems to lecture EU states as much as Germany. But, embarrassingly, Angela Merkel’s government is in breach of European regulations more than anyone else…

“New figures from Germany’s Economics Ministry reveal that Angela Merkel’s government currently faces no less than 74 infringement proceedings for failing to adequately and timely convert EU rules into German law…

“The violations cover key issues affecting health and safety, including air pollution, traffic noise, fire protection measures and water quality, according to the ministry’s figures…

“To a certain degree, the new revelations are a deja-vu of 2003, when Germany was the first country to break deficit rules that apply to all 19 euro-zone countries. Frugal European countries, especially Germany, had been pushing for strict regulations to limit budget deficits and debt levels. When Germany failed to reign in its deficit… it agreed with France the rules didn’t apply.

“The new figures also show that Germany sometimes simply doesn’t bother to create the necessary corresponding laws.”

Christians Immune from the Flu?

Politico reported on February 6:

“An evangelical minister [Gloria Copeland]… sparked an uproar Tuesday by suggesting that Christian faith makes people immune from the flu…

“Public health experts immediately panned the remarks… John Auerbach, president and CEO of Trust for America’s Health and a former Centers for Disease Control associate director for policy, said people are best protected against the flu by getting a flu shot…

“Copeland and her husband co-founded Kenneth Copeland Ministries in Fort Worth, Texas. Both were members of Trump’s evangelical advisory board, which disbanded after Trump took office. Other members included former Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann and Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr.”

While Christians are not immune from sickness, asking God for healing is always important, and flu shots have proven not to be as helpful as doctors would want us to believe.

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.

Here is the verse:

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Romans 6:23—the first part—refers to the penalty of sin. Romans 3:23 adds, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Therefore, all people are under the death penalty because all have sinned (See Romans 5:12).

Sin is the breaking of God’s Law—it is rebellion against God, our Creator (compare 1 John 3:4)! Adam and Eve chose to disobey God’s warning (Genesis 2:16-17; 1 Timothy 2:14) when Satan lied to Eve:

“’You will not certainly die,’ the serpent said to the woman. ‘For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’ When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it” (Genesis 3:4-6).

Death came to Adam—just as God had warned (compare Genesis 5:5). His disobedience set the stage for all of mankind:

“Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned” (Romans 5:12).

It is important to understand that even righteous men and women who have lived throughout human history are included among those who have sinned. They died, and Hebrews, chapter 11, recounts the faith they had for which God would deliver them from death:

“These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth… And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us” (Hebrews 11:13, 39-40).

Among these faithful people, King David is specifically mentioned in Hebrews 11:32. Consider what the apostle Peter said of him:

“‘Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day’” (Acts 2:29).

David sinned, and he died. His personal history is plainly written in the Bible. David repented of his sins, as the record of Psalm 51 shows. However, he looked beyond his death to a time when God would resurrect him:

“As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness” (Psalm 17:15).

But understand—David is still dead, as is everyone who has died, except for Jesus Christ, whom God resurrected from the dead (compare Acts 2:24, 32; 3:15). If you are willing to read and believe the truth of the Word of God, then accepting the idea that dead people are somehow alive right now in heaven, hell or some other state is a hopelessly false belief. Yet, everyone who dies will be resurrected to life—note:

“And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation” (Hebrews 9:27-28).

Christ’s second appearance will be to establish the Kingdom of God on the earth. At that time, the righteous will be resurrected to eternal life as spirit beings in the God Family—they will never die again:

“And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years” (Revelation 20:4-6).

Here is what Jesus taught about those who have died:

“‘…for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth–those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation [better, judgment]’” (John 5:28-29).

Now the resurrection of those not in the first resurrection will be to physical life. Paul writes that God “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4). All people who have not had an opportunity to know the Truth and to repent of their sins—sins which brought about their death—will be resurrected, they will live again!

In order to receive eternal life along with those from the first resurrection, these billions of people who have lived and died throughout history must choose to turn to Jesus Christ as their Savior and become obedient to God. Otherwise, they will face the second death—which is destruction in the lake of fire. Those who refuse to turn away from sin will die—never to exist again:

“‘He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death” (Revelation 21:7-8).

The “wages”—that is, the penalty of sin, of breaking God’s laws, is death. Because all have sinned, all will die. The good news is that Jesus Christ has paid the price for everyone’s sins, but this is a one-time opportunity which will be given to all people (compare Hebrews 6:4-6; 9:28; 10:26-27). God’s “gift” is eternal life to those who obey Him.

It is through Jesus Christ that death itself will perish:

“But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming. Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be destroyed is death” (1 Corinthians 15:20-26).

The Bible shows that death is the penalty of sin. Sin brought death to all men. Because of the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ, true Christians who repent obtain forgiveness for their sins so that they do not have to die the second death. But all people will have a chance to accept His death in their place. For some, this opportunity will be given in the Millennium; for most of those not being called in this day and age, they will come back to life in the second resurrection. They died the first death, but because of Christ’s Sacrifice, they can escape the second death. However, for those who refuse to obey, the penalty will be the second death—from which there will be no return.

Lead Writer: Dave Harris

compiled by Dave Harris

A Tech Team meeting was conducted via SKYPE on Sunday, February 4, 2018. Hosted by Eric Rank, improvements for live broadcasts for Sabbath services were discussed along with details about Podcasts for the StandingWatch programs.

“The Vatican’s Fight for Mount Zion and Jerusalem,” is the title of a new StandingWatch program, presented by Evangelist Norbert Link. Here is a summary:

President Erdogan of Turkey and Pope Francis collaborate against Israel. The Vatican almost entirely owns Mount Zion. Astonishing? Not so, if you understand biblical prophecy. This program will explain.

“Du sollst nicht schwören!” is the title of this Sabbath’s German sermon, presented by Norbert Link. Title in English: “You Shall not Swear.”

“What If Ruth Had Lived Today?” the sermonette presented last Sabbath by Norbert Link, is now posted. Here is a summary:

Ruth from Moab came to the land of Judah and married Boaz. Ruth and Boaz became the ancestors of David. Rahab from Jericho became a stranger in Israel and married Salmon, the son of the leader of Judah. Rahab and Salmon became the ancestors of Boaz and of David. Both Joseph and Mary, as well as Jesus, descended from David. But if today’s immigration laws had been in effect at the time of Rahab and Ruth, none of these developments could have happened, and there would have been no David, no Mary, and no Jesus.

“You Shall Not Swear!” the sermon presented last Sabbath by Norbert Link, is now posted. Here is a summary:

The topic of swearing and giving an oath is not as easily answered as some may think. Many concepts abound, pro and con. The Bible tells us that God swears; that angels swear; that righteous people in the Old Testament have sworn, and that people in the Millennium will swear. But don’t Jesus and James tell us that we are not to swear at all? However, some claim that Jesus and Paul have sworn. What is the answer?

On February 3, 2018, Norbert Link will present the sermonette, titled, “What if Ruth Had Lived Today?”  and the sermon, titled, “You Shall Not Swear!”

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

In An Essay on Criticism written in 1709 by the English poet Alexander Pope, he coined the phrase, “For fools rush in where angels fear to tread.” He was speaking to literary critics of his time but this ageless quote still has significance today.  We need only to turn on the TV or search the internet for news to see the same foolish actions prominently displayed.

After the discovery of the 13 Turpin children held captive in tortuous conditions, California lawmakers called for stricter regulations for homeschoolers. “One California lawmaker has floated the idea of requiring annual walk-throughs of home schools by state or county officials because of the case and ‘a number of legislators have expressed interest in doing something,’ the HomeSchool Association of California said in a statement” (time.com).

And concerning the recent school shooting, “Hours after the shooting in Kentucky, Republican State Senator Steve West rushed to file a bill that would allow Kentucky schools to have armed school marshals patrol the site. His bill joins another in the state which seeks to loosen gun restrictions around college campuses” (bbc.com).

Efforts to fix these problems, whether from good intentions or the desire to exploit for political gain, won’t fix the evil.  All are misguided attempts to repair what cannot be fixed by man.  Mankind rarely seeks to address the true cause of its misery.

Satan stirs the waters like a fisherman throwing out bait, and mankind jumps to it with ravenous hunger.  What Satan spreads is foolishness.  Solomon wrote, “The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge, But the mouth of fools feeds on foolishness” (Proverbs 15:14).  No problem can ever be truly solved by using Satanic guidance and motivation.  Murder won’t stop—it only grows worse.  The breakdown of God’s key foundation, the family, is continuously being eroded.

It can be astounding watching these events unfold, wondering how mankind continues to choose wrong instead of right.  Again, Solomon addressed this mindset stating, “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, But he who heeds counsel is wise” (Proverbs 12:15).  We see through “godly” eyes.  In these tumultuous end-times, the blessing of His Holy Spirit within each of us cannot be taken for granted. Solomon also stated, “Those who trust in themselves are fools, but those who walk in wisdom are kept safe” (Proverbs 28:26).  Keep your spiritual eyes opened!  God’s understanding will light a path through which each of us can safely pass.

by Norbert Link

We begin with President Trump’s first State of the Union address, which seemed to have failed in bringing about more unity between the two warring parties; and we continue with the unique and at times rocky relationship between the State of Israel and America’s evangelicals; the resurgence of atrocities in Afghanistan as an apparent response to America’s new security policies; further incredible facts about Hawaii’s incompetency in relationship to the false alarm of a nuclear attack; the conviction of most millennials that America is on the wrong track while President Trump’s approval rating is climbing; serious concerns for world conditions in 2018 due to President Trump’s unpredictability and his short temper; and the dark prospects of a trade war between Europe and the USA with terrible consequences for the entire world.

We continue with ongoing steps to unify continental Europe as a most powerful entity; address the coalition negotiations in Germany, under Angela Merkel and Manfred Schulz; speak about Austria’s role as a “bridge-builder”; point out the UK’s failing army; and point out further disagreement regarding Brexit talks. 

In the remaining part of this Current Events section, we speak on abominable “scientific” experiments with animals and humans, including by car manufactures in Germany and the USA; the cloning of chimpanzees and the creation of human-animal hybrids; the inevitability of a huge earthquake in Canada; and the rise of demonic activities in Ireland and elsewhere. We warn of dangerous statements by Pope Francis in this context [please see our new StandingWatch program, “Demon Uprising or Medical Side Effects?”]; and we conclude with an article proving the existence of God as the Creator of our solar system.

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

The State of the Union

Deutsche Welle wrote on January 31:

“Key passages of President Trump’s first State of the Union harkened back to the dark imagery and tone of his presidential campaign. Those hoping for a reset of his presidency should take note…

“In his first official State of the Union address, President Trump did not disparage anyone by name. He did not attack Hillary Clinton or the media, two of his favorite targets. He did not encourage divisions between Republicans and Democrats – in fact, he paid lip service to bipartisanship, calling on lawmakers to work together for the American people. So much for the good news.

“But while the beginning – and to some extent the end – of his very long speech could still be characterized as having a somewhat upbeat theme, with its focus on the economy and American pride, the tone of Trump’s remarks in the middle of the speech became increasingly dark and menacing.

“The immigration-themed passages, in particular, painted a frightening picture of an America supposedly victimized by both legal and illegal immigration. Trump’s depiction of immigrants wreaking havoc on ordinary Americans reached its low point when he exploited pain for political purpose. Just like during the presidential campaign, he drew attention to parents in the audience whose children were killed by gang members who were also undocumented immigrants.

“Interestingly, the immigration part of the speech was also the most detailed passage of what was otherwise an address lacking in specifics. Trump reiterated what he called the four pillars of immigration reform: a path to citizenship for the so-called Dreamers; a border wall; ending the diversity visa lottery; and a drastic reduction in family migration.

“He said immigrants can bring in an unlimited number of distant relatives. This is false. Only immediate family members – not distant relatives – can be sponsored by citizens or  green card holders. Importantly and ominously, Trump not only linked undocumented immigration to gang violence, he also linked two key paths to legal immigration – the diversity visa lottery and family migration – to terrorism.

“While Trump used the word ‘compromise’ to describe his offer of a path towards citizenship for the Dreamers coupled with a drastic reduction in legal migration, his depiction of America as a nation threatened by immigration actually seems to leave little room for compromise with the Democrats on that issue…

“While Trump’s first State of the Union speech will surely be well-received by his political base and will also resonate with a good part of the Republican Party, its deeply nativist and beleaguered tone are anathema to anyone who considers the United States a nation of immigrants… Having said that, the speech does have at least one useful effect: It should finally end any futile talk about Trump as a potential ‘uniter’…”

The Washington Post wrote on January 30:

“[In his State of the Union address,] President Trump claimed that a single immigrant can bring in virtually unlimited numbers of relatives and said he would end what he calls ‘chain migration,’ which refers to the practice of immigrants bringing other members of their families to the United States. His administration has said immigration should be based on skills and merit and less on family ties.

“Under current law, citizens can sponsor their spouses, children, parents and siblings. Trump would restrict family migration – ‘chain migration’ as he puts it – to spouses and minor children…”

“Long, Uneasy Love Affair of Israel and U.S. Evangelicals May Have Peaked”

The Washington Post wrote on January 28:

“Over the past half-century, many American evangelicals came to support Israel through an end-of-days theology… Many Jews, for their part, have long viewed the missionary work of evangelicals and their messianic, prophetic beliefs with suspicion. Christian proselytizing… is frowned upon by many Israelis, and Messianic Jews, who believe in Jesus, are largely shunned…

“[Vice President Mike] Pence’s speech to the Knesset last week, deeply steeped in biblical references, was a testament to the spiritually rooted support for Israel in President Trump’s White House. Pence himself has said he is ‘an evangelical Catholic.’…

“Israel’s ties to evangelicals date to before the state was established, when British evangelical leader William Hechler worked with Theodor Herzl — known as the father of Zionism — to advocate for a Jewish homeland. But it has been a conflicted relationship… younger evangelicals [are] increasingly exploring the Palestinian perspective…

“Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, an American Israeli who played a key role in fostering the relationship between American evangelicals and Israel… said:  ‘You have evangelicals in the White House, you have Trump who is susceptible to their influence and their constituency, you have a right-wing prime minister in government in Israel, and everything is good… But… that can change tomorrow, literally, in both cases…’”

The relationship between the USA and the State of Israel, as well as the Jewish people in general, will drastically deteriorate.

Netanyahu: Israel Will Retain Jerusalem’s Holy Sites

The Algemeiner wrote on January 26:

“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed that Israel would retain Jerusalem’s holy sites in any peace deal during a public interview at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Thursday… ‘Our position is that Jerusalem should remain united under Israel’s sovereignty with complete religious rights for those of all faiths.’…”

Europe, and especially the Catholic Church, will not accept that position, and changes are forthcoming.

America Fails in Afghanistan

Deutsche Welle wrote on January 29:

“It seems as if there is no end in sight to the spate of deadly attacks occurring relentlessly in Afghanistan, killing scores and throwing lives in disarray… A string of brutal attacks over the past several years, killing and injuring hundreds of innocent Afghans, have shown the world the fragile and worsening state of security in Afghanistan and made it once again a staple of international headlines… Both the Taliban and the so-called ‘Islamic State’ (IS) have claimed responsibility for the violence.

“… Many Afghans believe the attacks they have witnessed in January mark only the beginning in the latest bout of violence. Fears abound about the number of casualties rising in the coming months. The alleged peace talks that were mentioned only a few weeks ago are now but a distant memory.

“… The latest attacks can be regarded as a response to the recent US military offensive in the Afghan provinces Helmand, Nangarhar, Kunduz and others, said A.D. Mohammad Arif, an Afghan security expert. ‘The Taliban usually start their offensive after the winter (as a spring offensive), but they have now brought it forward in response to the US’ new Afghanistan strategy. They want to show that they are far from being defeated,’ Arif told DW.

“Unlike in previous years, the US, along with Afghan security forces, began its offensive against the insurgents in the winter this year. The move is part of the US’ new Afghan strategy, unveiled by President Donald Trump in August 2017. Trump then affirmed that he would increase the number of US troops in Afghanistan and remain engaged in the country until it no longer needed them…

“Nicole Birtsch, an Afghanistan expert at the Berlin-based German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP), is also of the view that the recent attacks could be a reaction to the air strikes and anti-insurgent operations the US military and Afghan security forces have been jointly carrying out against the Taliban…”

It appears that America’s foreign policy is doomed to failure in just about every respect.

Taliban Controls 70 Percent of Afghanistan

The Week wrote on January 31:

“A BBC study found that Taliban fighters are openly active in 70 percent of Afghanistan and have full control of 14 districts… since 2014, when foreign combat troops left the country, the Taliban has taken control of places like Sangin, Musa Qala, and Nad-e Ali in Helmand province, where from 2001 to 2014, hundreds of U.S. and British troops died while trying to get it back under government control.

“The BBC says that in addition to being in full control of 14 districts, the Taliban is open and active in 263 districts, meaning 15 million people, or half of Afghanistan’s population, live in areas where the Taliban has a regular presence.”

Hawaii Debacle… Worse than Originally Believed

The Associated Press wrote on January 31:

“Hawaii emergency management officials knew for years that an employee had problems performing his job. Then, he sent a false alert warning of an imminent missile attack earlier this month. The worker had mistakenly believed drills for tsunami and fire warnings were actual events, and colleagues were not comfortable working with him, the state said Tuesday. His supervisors counseled him but kept him for a decade in a position that had to be renewed each year.

“The problems in the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency went beyond one troubled employee. The agency had a vague checklist for missile alerts, allowing workers to interpret the steps they should follow differently. Managers didn’t require a second person to sign off on alerts before they were sent, and the agency lacked any preparation on how to correct a false warning.

“Those details emerged Tuesday in federal and state reports investigating how the agency mistakenly blasted cellphones and broadcast stations Jan. 13 with a warning that led hundreds of thousands of people to believe they were about to die in a nuclear attack. It took nearly 40 minutes to retract it.

“Hawaii Emergency Management Agency Administrator Vern Miyagi resigned as the reports were released. Officials revealed that the employee who sent the alert was fired Friday. His name has not been revealed. A second worker quit before disciplinary action was taken, and another was being suspended without pay, officials said…

“Compounding the issue was that the state Emergency Management Agency had no prepared message for a false alarm… In addition, software at the Hawaii agency used the same prompts for both test and actual alerts, and it generally used prepared text that made it easy for a staffer to click through the alerting process without focusing enough on the text of the warning that would be sent…”

America on the Wrong Track

Newsmax wrote on January 29:

“Sixty-three percent of millennials say things in the U.S. are off on the wrong track while just 18 percent say the nation is headed in the right direction…

“19 percent approve of the job President Donald Trump is doing, while 17 percent neither approve nor disapprove and 63 percent disapprove. 12 percent approve of the way Congress is handling its job, 25 percent neither approve nor disapprove and 61 percent disapprove. 24 percent have a favorable impression of the Republican Party, while 62 percent have an unfavorable view. 44 percent have a favorable view of the Democratic Party, compared to 43 percent who have an unfavorable impression… 85 percent said they believe the government is run by a few big interests looking out for themselves and their friends, while 14 percent disagreed.

“The survey, conducted Jan. 2-16, polled 1,844 adults ages 18-34. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.95 percentage points.”

America is clearly on the wrong track, and only heart-rending repentance of the American people and a return to the TRUE God of the BIBLE would change this.. .which is not expected to happen. In this context, note the next article.

Trump’s Approval Rating Way Up

Newsmax wrote on January 31:

“President Donald Trump’s approval rating has jumped 10 points in a month and now stands at 42 percent, according to a new Monmouth University Poll. Fifty percent disapprove of his job performance. Overall, it is a marked improvement for Trump, who had a 32 percent approval rating last month, while 56 percent disapproved of his job performance.”

What Will Trump Do in 2018?

On January 26, Project Syndicate published the following article by Joschka Fischer, former German Foreign Minister and Vice Chancellor from 1998-2005:

“There is still a big question mark hovering over US foreign policy in the form of Trump himself. It is entirely unclear what the president wants, what he actually knows, and what his advisers are and are not telling him. A coherent foreign policy may not withstand Trump’s mood swings and spontaneous decisions…

“So, looking back at 2017, one gets the impression that while US foreign policy remained largely intact, it has also become completely unpredictable. To that extent, 2018 seems likely to be a year of substantially increased risks, especially given the tensions in the Persian Gulf and Lebanon, the war in Syria, the hegemonic struggle between Saudi Arabia and Iran, and the nuclear brinkmanship on the Korean Peninsula…

“In the case of North Korea, which is quickly working toward an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of reaching the mainland US, such a conflict could even entail the use of nuclear weapons. Nothing about this situation inspires optimism, especially now that the US is led by a president whom few can trust, and whose policies must be divined from the muddle of his tweets.

“In fact, the Trump factor could be the single most significant source of uncertainty in international politics this year. The US is still the world’s foremost power, and it plays an indispensable role in preserving global norms. If America’s policies are difficult to predict, and if Trump’s behavior undermines the reliability of the US government, the international order will be vulnerable to immense turmoil.

“As the US approaches its midterm elections in November, it will be important to consider how domestic political events might shape the country’s foreign policy. If the Republicans lose their majorities in either or both houses of Congress, and if Robert Mueller, the Special Counsel in the Russia investigation, presents his findings around the same time, then Trump will feel his power quickly eroding.

“The critical question for 2018, then, is what Trump will do if he finds himself threatened domestically at the same time that a foreign-policy crisis erupts… One need not be a doomsayer to regard the coming months with considerable skepticism and concern.”

As there is little or no international trust in Donald Trump’s intentions and his predictability, the explosiveness of worldwide reactions in 2018 will indeed be manifold and wide-spread.

Trump Will Come After the EU

The Sun wrote on January 28:

“DONALD TRUMP has threatened to confront the EU over ‘unfair’ trade in a warning shot for European leaders. The US President told Piers Morgan he would be ‘coming after’ EU states, according to the TV presenter… The US President filmed the interview with Piers in Davos, where he made a speech to world leaders telling them his ‘America First’ policy will end up helping the whole world…

“[Morgan said:] ‘He was very scathing about the EU – he said his own dealing with the EU had been pretty problematic and he actually gave a stark warning that he is coming after them on trade. I would not be surprised – the biggest trading partner of America in the world is the EU, 650-odd billion dollars a year.’”

Europe Ready to Hit Back at Trump

The Guardian wrote on January 29:

“Brussels has warned that it stands ready to retaliate and potentially open up a transatlantic trade war if the US delivers on apparent threats to restrict European imports… a spokesman for the European commission told reporters in Brussels that the EU was ready to hit back if its importers were made to suffer.

“[Trump’s] comments [in the interview with Piers Morgan, see previous article] appeared to bring closer the possibility of a clash over trade between the EU and the US. Last summer, the EU commissioner for trade, Cecilia Malmström, warned that, should such a ‘trade war’ between the US and the EU be waged, it would be ‘extremely unfortunate’ for the whole world.

“In a formal submission last month to the US steel investigation, the European commission had said any ‘sweeping measure targeting many steel products and all countries for national security reasons is not justified’.

“On Saturday, there was great relief in Belfast after a surprise ruling preventing the US from imposing a 292% import tariffs on planes partly made by British workers. The US commerce department said in December that the UK and Canada had given aerospace firm Bombardier, which employs over a thousand people in Northern Ireland, unfair subsidies. However, the case, which centred on a complaint by US rival Boeing, was dismissed by the US International Trade Commission (ITC), in a move which was also warmly welcomed in Downing Street.”

Further alienation between the US and the EU can be expected for 2018 and beyond.

“Youth Movement to Create United States of Europe Party”

Express wrote on January 26:

“A GRASSROOTS movement across European Union nations who back a United States of Europe is preparing to announce continent-wide candidatesfor the European Parliament elections as they vow to change politics across the bloc towards a closer union of member states…

“Volt’s goals appear similar to the vision set out by key EU figures such as French President Emmanuel Macron, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and the European Parliament’s Brexit spokesman Guy Verhofstadt. Mr Juncker has been particularly forthright in his calls for a United States of Europe that will tie the member states ever more tightly together… Although Volt would be the first continent-wide party, the idea of MEPs representing the whole bloc has also been put forward before by Brussels chiefs. In September, a proposal was put forward to transform the European Parliament after Brexit, with 51 seats being handed to a pan-European group of MEPs…”

The strong and powerful unification of continental Europe is ongoing and inevitable. Note the next articles.

Macron: EU Must Pull Together to Compete with US and China

The South China Morning Post, AP, AFP and Bloomberg wrote on January 25:

“French President Emmanuel Macron told the world’s business elite in Davos Wednesday that the European Union must pull together to compete with China and the US – and called on the ‘less ambitious’ EU countries not to ‘block the more ambitious in the room’. Macron said that those using the euro currency must be able to agree on a ‘much stronger’ and ‘fair’ system…

“Macron, a former Rothschild investment banker, is the darling of this year’s World Economic Forum… The French leader last came to the forum as a government minister in 2016. He used that visit to make contact with global big bosses, helping build his international credentials 18 months before the French elections that brought him to power.”

Germany’s Grand Coalition Negotiations… Time is Running Out

The Local wrote on January 26:

“Chancellor Angela Merkel called on Friday for a quick end to the last stretch of tortuous negotiations to forge a government for Germany, in a race against time to stop her power slipping away at home and abroad.  As she arrived for the final round of talks with potential partners in her fourth government, the Social Democrats, (SPD) she said the country and Europe could not afford to wait much longer…

“A leading member of her Christian Democrats, Michael Grosse-Brömer, later said the parties hoped to wrap up the negotiations by February 4th, although he allowed for an additional two-day grace period. That timetable is even more ambitious than one Merkel had previously laid out, which had set a deadline of February 11^th… In Germany, there is talk about the autumn of her reign, even if no serious candidate has emerged to rival her…

“SPD leader Martin Schulz said as he headed to the talks with Merkel that ‘given the challenges coming from China, from the United States, we need a strong, pro-European Germany’… Not only are the stakes high for Merkel, but also for Schulz and the SPD… Polls this week showed… both [parties are] apparently losing ground from September.”

Deutsche Welle added on January 29:

“Six hours of nighttime talks between German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives and the Social Democrats led by Martin Schulz were adjourned early Monday morning with ‘all sides’ ostensibly still working toward a February 4 deadline… In what was portrayed as a joint statement, Grosse-Brömer said ‘all sides’ were ‘determined to find solutions.’

“… the three parties [are] still at odds on a SPD call to allow relatives abroad to join refugees granted subsidiary protection status… Alongside refugee policy, however, key disagreements also remained on labor policy and health insurance…”

Sticking Points Remain

Handelsblatt Global wrote on January 31:

“By the end of this week, Angela Merkel’s conservatives and the Social Democrats hope to agree on a long list of issues to renew their ‘grand coalition.’…

“More than four months since Germans voted in a federal election, they’re still waiting for a new government. That’s a post-war first. No one can say with any certainty whether the political deadlock will end with another ‘grand coalition’ between Angela Merkel’s conservative party alliance and the center-left Social Democrats, a minority government (another first), or even with new elections (yet another first)…

“All three parties are pro-Europe and favor more integration, but differ over how much more. The SPD’s Mr. Schulz, who used to be president of the European Parliament, would love to create a ‘United States of Europe.’ Ms. Merkel isn’t ready to go that far. But she does support most of the EU reforms proposed by French President Emmanuel Macron. His ideas are to create a euro-zone budget and finance minister, and to transform the European Stability Mechanism (ESM) – a bailout fund – into a European Monetary Fund. Ms. Merkel’s Bavarian partner, CSU leader Horst Seehofer, is more critical of a mighty Brussels…

“If there’s one issue that could blow up the negotiations, it’s how to deal with the influx of migrants… In the exploratory talks so far, the conservatives pushed through a tentative agreement to cap refugee numbers at between 180,000 and 220,000 per year, and to let only 1,000 family members a month join their relatives who are already in Germany. The Social Democrats have since challenged that compromise, and now want to let in more family members…

“The military budget is another sticking point. Ms. Merkel’s conservatives want defense spending to reach NATO’s target of 2 percent of national output by 2024… How the conservatives intend to convince the Social Democrats to aim for the 2-percent target is a mystery. But they will try…

“The three parties have also been wrangling over Germany’s role in supplying weapons to troops in foreign conflicts. The Social Democrats have long been pushing for tighter restrictions to countries fueling the conflict in Yemen, and got a plan to ban arms sales to that region into the preliminary document. But don’t expect Ms. Merkel’s conservatives to throttle sales much. Germany’s is the world’s fifth-largest arms exporter; many jobs depend on the sector… defense spending could be a mine field.”

But still: We dare to say with certainty that the CDU/CSU and SPD will hammer out a grand coalition, under Merkel and Schulz.

Subsequently, Deutsche Welle wrote on February 1, 2018:

“German lawmakers have agreed to lift the suspension of family reunifications for migrants with so-called ‘subsidiary’ status. The reunifications bill is a breakthrough in Angela Merkel’s bid to forge a new government…

“From August 1, a maximum of 1,000 additional migrants will be allowed to settle in Germany per month, provided they are direct relatives of refugees already living in the country… The new migration law forms crucial part of the Union and SPD’s grand coalition policy blueprint.”

Abominable Testing of German Carmakers on Humans and Monkeys

The Telegraph wrote on January 29:

“German carmakers were engulfed in a new scandal on Monday after it emerged they had tested potentially dangerous exhaust fumes on human subjects.

“A research group set up by Volkswagen, BMW and Daimler, the maker of Mercedes, deliberately exposed human test subjects to toxic exhaust chemicals for hours at a time in an attempt to prove they were not carcinogenic between 2012 and 2015. Details of the human testing were exposed only days after it emerged that the carmakers had carried out similar tests on monkeys.

“The revelations sent shockwaves through the German establishment. Barbara Hendricks, the German environment minister, described the experiments as ‘abominable’. ‘These tests on monkeys and humans cannot be justified ethically in any way,’ a spokesman for Angela Merkel said. ‘The outrage felt by many people is completely understandable.’…

“The same group was responsible for a similar 2014 test in the US in which ten monkeys were exposed to diesel fumes for several hours, details of which emerged over the weekend… Car manufacturers were yesterday scrambling to condemn the tests and contain the damage…”

Deutsche Welle added on January 29:

“German Environment Minister Barbara Hendricks…[stated] that the auto industry and the scientific community must explain their role. ‘The fact that an entire industry has apparently tried to conceal brazen and dubious methods of scientific research makes it even more monstrous.’”

Handelsblatt Global added on January 29 that these “experiments elicit references to Germany’s Nazi past.”

It is terrible what people are willing to do in the name of science and profitmaking. Also note articles below, discussing cloning of monkeys and attempts of creating human-animal hybrids. 

Austria—the Bridge-builder

Deutsche Welle wrote on January 30:

“The EU migrant redistribution scheme ‘isn’t working,’ Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said while welcoming Hungary’s Viktor Orban in Vienna. The two leaders called for opposition to illegal migration to Europe…

“The countries of the Visegrad Group — Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic — have repeatedly clashed with other EU states over a policy of refugee relocation since unprecedented numbers of displaced people began arriving in 2015. Orban has been especially vocal in his rejection of EU migrant quotas, which would see some people relocated to Central Europe…

“Orban said that migration was the biggest danger today to the hopeful future of central Europe.’ ‘When I say that the future needs to be protected I mean that we have a culture, a Christian culture… We have a way of life, and we want to protect this way of life,’ Orban said.

“Both leaders called for more protection on the EU’s external borders… ‘Our great aim in Austria is to be a bridge-builder in this respect between the Visegrad states and the countries in Western Europe,’ Kurz said.”

The UK’s Failing Army 

The Guardian wrote on January 29:

“The argument over the UK’s defence budget and the shape of the armed forces has been raging for a while but the debate has reached boiling point this month. Newly appointed secretary of state for defence, Gavin Williamson, and the chief of the general staff, General Sir Nicholas Carter, have been arguing for an increase in spending to meet a £20bn funding shortfall and stave off cuts to key capabilities and personnel numbers…

“Even if Williamson makes a series of sweeping changes, the results will take years or even decades to be implemented…”

By then, it will be too late for the UK.

Free Movement for EU Citizens Will End

The Telegraph wrote on January 31:

“Theresa May has promised that freedom of movement for EU citizens coming to Britain will end on Brexit day in March 2019. Brussels had insisted free movement must continue to the last day of any transition period, meaning EU citizens would be free to settle in Britain until at least the end of 2020.

“But the Prime Minister has made it clear that changing the rules on migration as soon as Britain leaves the EU is a must for her in negotiations over the transition period, which begin next week.”

“Inevitable 9.0 Earthquake, Tsunami Will Hit Canada’s West Coast”

Global News Canada wrote on January 24:

“The threat of the ‘big one’ hitting Western Canada has been looming for years. Experts say a powerful magnitude 9.0 earthquake could rip through the Pacific Coast, killing thousands and causing tsunami waves up to 20 metres high. The last destructive earthquake like this happened on Jan. 27, 1700, and experts say it is ‘inevitable’ that another one will hit the coast… [Some] experts believe the chance of it happening in the next five decades are actually one in three… The west coast of Vancouver Island and the U.S. states along the Pacific Coast will be hit the hardest…

“An example is the magnitude 9.0 earthquake that rattled northeastern Japan in 2011, claiming at least 15,000 lives and leaving more than half a million people homeless. This earthquake triggered a powerful tsunami — sending waves reaching up to 40 metres high into the coastline, destroying entire towns and triggering one of the world’s worst nuclear disasters. And there was the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004 that killed more than a quarter of a million people — making it one of the most deadly natural disasters in modern history… the scale of these disasters are examples of what ‘we can expect’ from the Cascadia earthquake…”

The Bible shows that in these end-times, terrible earthquakes and huge tsunamis will occur all over the world, and much earlier than in 50 years.

Ireland’s Demon Problems

Christian Today wrote on January 25:

“Ireland urgently needs more exorcists to tackle an ‘exponential’ rise in demand for help with ‘demon possession’, a Catholic priest has said… He is ‘baffled’ Church leaders are not doing more and accused them of being ‘out of touch with reality’ if they do not see the need for more priests to drive out demons… ‘What I’m finding out desperately, is people who in their own minds believe – rightly or wrongly – that they’re afflicted by an evil spirit… I think in many cases they wrongly think it…’

“Collins’ remarks comes after the International Association of Exorcists (IAE), a group of 400 Catholic leaders and priests, reported a dramatic increase in demonic activity in recent years… The Church’s guidelines recommend that each diocese has at least one priest who is trained to recognise the difference between demonic activity and mental illness.”

It is very true that people might believe that they are directly influenced or even possessed by demons, while this is not true at all. On the other hand, there can be no denial that demonic activities are on the rise. Note the next article.

Invite Mary into your Home to Defeat the Devil?

Vatican News reported on January 28:

“Pope Francis celebrated the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass on Sunday… on the occasion of the translation of the Icon of Mary ‘Salus Populi Romani’, Salvation of the Roman People… the Icon was returned to its home in the Borghese Chapel in the Basilica after it was restored…

“The image of Mary Salus Populi Romani is an object of particular devotion for people of Rome, and for Pope Francis as well, who routinely comes to the Basilica to venerate the Icon, especially before and after his Apostolic journeys throughout the world. In his homily during the Mass, the Pope focused especially on the idea of Mary as Mother…

“Pope Francis recalled that our ancestors have taught us, in the difficult moments of life, to always turn to Mary, to gather together ‘under the mantle of the Holy Mother of God.’ Mary, he said, ‘guards our faith, protects relationships, saves us in stormy weather, and preserves us from evil.’ When Mary our Mother is in the home, ‘the devil does not enter.’… Christians cannot be ‘neutral or detached’ from Mary, our Mother, he said, or we will lose our identity as children.”

These are very dangerous concepts. The true Mary of the Bible is dead and in her grave, waiting for the first resurrection from the dead. When we invite “Mary” as a living being into our homes, asking her to help us, we are inviting someone who is not associated at all with the true God.

Successful Cloning of Monkeys… Are Humans Next?

The Associated Press and Fox News reported on January 26:

“For the first time, researchers have used the cloning technique that produced Dolly the sheep to create healthy monkeys, bringing science an important step closer to being able to do the same with humans. Since Dolly’s birth in 1996, scientists have cloned nearly two dozen kinds of mammals, including dogs, cats, pigs, cows and polo ponies, and have also created human embryos with this method. But until now, they have been unable to make babies this way in primates, the category that includes monkeys, apes and people. ‘The barrier of cloning primate species is now overcome,’ declared Muming Poo of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Shanghai… Poo said the feat shows that the cloning of humans is theoretically possible. But he said his team has no intention of doing that…

“Instead, he said, the goal is to create lots of genetically identical monkeys for use in medical research, where they would be particularly valuable because they are more like humans than other lab animals such as mice or rats. The process is still very inefficient – it took 127 eggs to get the two babies – and so far it has succeeded only by starting with a monkey fetus. The scientists failed to produce healthy babies from an adult monkey, though they are still trying and are awaiting the outcome of some pregnancies. Dolly caused a sensation because she was the first mammal cloned from an adult…

“At the moment, because of safety concerns, federal regulators in the U.S. would not allow making a human baby by cloning, and international scientific groups also oppose it… People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals condemned the monkey-cloning experiments. ‘Cloning is a horror show: a waste of lives, time and money – and the suffering that such experiments cause is unimaginable,’ PETA Senior Vice President Kathy Guillermo said in a statement.”

Scientific experiments with animals are, for the most part, terrible reflections of man’s inquisitive cruel mind. In most cases, animals are subjected to unspeakable suffering, as the article points out correctly. 

Humanzees Next—Or Already There?

The Sun wrote on January 18:

“A HUMAN-chimpanzee hybrid was born in a Florida lab 100 years ago before being killed by panicked doctors, claims a renowned scientist. Evolutionary psychologist Gordon Gallup coined the term ‘humanzee’ which refers to a human-chimp crossbreed – a scientifically possible hybridisation which was attempted throughout the 20th century… Gallup, who developed the famous mirror ‘self-recognition’ test which proved primates could acknowledge their own reflection, claims his former university professor told him that a humanzee baby was born at a research facility where he used to work… ‘They inseminated a female chimpanzee with human semen from an undisclosed donor and claimed not only that pregnancy occurred but the pregnancy went full term and resulted in a live birth. ‘But in the matter of days, or a few weeks, they began to consider the moral and ethical considerations and the infant was euthanised’…

“The most infamous humanzee project was conducted by Russia biologist Ilya Ivanov, also in the 1920s, who tried and failed to create a Soviet super-soldier using human sperm and female chimps. Another reported case happened in Maoist China in 1967 where a female primate became pregnant with a human-hybrid only to die from neglect after the lab’s scientists were forced to abandon the project following the outbreak of the Cultural Revolution.

“Gallup’s term humanzee became well known in the 1970s after the emergence of a creature known as Oliver – a bald chimp who walked on his hind legs. But tests conducted on Oliver in 1996 proved once and for all that the animal had 48 chromosomes and was therefore not a human-hybrid…

“Gallup, who teaches biopsychology at the University at Albany in New York, insists that humans can be crossbred with all the great apes – not just chimpanzees… ‘I’ve also coined what would be the appropriate terms to refer to human-gorilla hybrids and human-orangutan hybrids which would be a “hurilla” and a “hurang.”’”

The Nazis under Hitler also tried, unsuccessfully, to create “humanzees.” God created animals after the animal kind, and man after the God kind. Man is not an animal. Animals only reproduce according to their kind, and the same is true for man. This shows the total impossibility of the Evolution Theory. HOWEVER, what would not be possible in nature (man would not interbreed with animals and produce offspring), could theoretically be possible in the Satan-inspired laboratories of man and man’s artificial and unnatural “experimentations.” God said at the famous incident regarding the tower of Babel, that if He were not to intervene and confuse the languages, nothing would be impossible for man at that time. We might have reached that time now, and Christ will have to intervene very soon to stop man’s dangerously mad ideas and endeavors.

Scientific Study on the Universe Proves Existence of God

Christian Headlines wrote on January 26:

“Astrophysicists at the Université de Montréal studied 909 planets and 355 stars and discovered that, unlike our solar system, planets in other systems are similar in size with regular spacing between their orbits…

“In our solar system, Jupiter, the biggest planet, is 28.5 times larger in diameter than the smallest planet, Mercury, and the inner planets have surprisingly large spaces between their orbits. The researchers noted that the variations could suggest our solar system formed differently than others in the universe. Weiss said these disparities ‘would not occur if the planet sizes or spacings were drawn at random’…

“…the study certainly shows something highly unusual about our planetary arrangement: Our oddball solar system, made up of a few rocky planets in the inner part, with one right in the habitable zone, and a couple of big gas giants in the outer part protecting the rocky planets, is exactly what life requires…”

The scientific study does not, of course, reflect on the fact that these findings point at a Creator, but that is exactly what they do. And since GOD created the universe and all life forms on earth, including humans, He has the unique right to demand of us to live by His standards.. and not the ungodly, sick and immoral abominations of man’s inventions.

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.

To explain the issue more fully, the Bible teaches that Jesus is the Messiah and that He will sit on the throne of David after He returns. In Matthew 1 and in Luke 3, we find the genealogy of Jesus through Joseph (the book of Matthew describes Christ’s legal genealogy through His stepfather Joseph) and through Mary (the book of Luke describes Christ’s natural genealogy through His mother Mary). For a further explanation, see our free booklet, Jesus Christ—a Great Mystery.

In the genealogy set forth by Matthew, King Jeconiah of Judah is mentioned (Matthew 1:11), but in both genealogies, Shealtiel and Zerubbabel are mentioned as well (Matthew 1:12 and Luke 3:27). They were descendants of Jeconiah, who is also named Coniah and Jehoiachin (Matthew 1:11; compare Margin in the new King James Bible). Jeremiah 22:30 states that none of Coniah’s descendants “shall prosper, Sitting on the throne of David, And ruling in Judah.” This curse is repeated in Jeremiah 36:30, where the following is added: “I will punish him, his family [lit. seed] and his servants for their iniquity…”

The argument advanced by many Jews is that Christ could not be the Messiah and sit in the future on the throne of David, as He is claimed (both in Matthew and in Luke) to be a descendant of Coniah and Coniah’s offspring; i.e., Coniah’s son Shealtiel and his grandson Zerubbabel; compare also Haggai 1:12.

Several attempts have been made to explain this apparent contradiction. A very popular explanation is that the curse had only relevance for the legal genealogy of Jesus, as recorded in Matthew, but not for the natural genealogy, as recorded in Luke. The argument goes like this:

“Matthew 1 clearly explains that Joseph is Mary’s husband. Matthew recorded this for legal purposes, to show the Jews that Christ was the Messiah… If Joseph had been Christ’s natural father, then Christ could never have sat on the throne of David, because of a curse God placed on one of Joseph’s ancestors. This ancestor [Jeconiah] is mentioned in Matthew 1:11-12. He is also referred to as Coniah in Jeremiah 22:24-30. Verse 30 states, ‘Thus says the LORD, Write you this man childless, a man that shall not prosper in his days: for no man of his seed shall prosper, sitting upon the throne of David, and ruling any more in Judah.’ This man was so evil, that God cursed him and his descendants. Jeconiah… did go on to have children (I Chron. 3:17). But, this curse was fulfilled because none of his children went on to rule from the throne of David…

“Luke records Mary’s genealogy. According to Jewish tradition, in marriage, Mary’s genealogy was placed in her husband’s name. The Greek simply records that Joseph was ‘of Heli’ (Luke 3:23). But since Jacob was Joseph’s father (Matt. 1:16), Joseph was the son-in-law of Heli. Mary’s lineage did not have this curse as Joseph’s did. And Mary descended from Nathan—one of David’s sons! (see Luke 3:31). God honored Nathan, and made him the ancestor to the promised King—Jesus Christ—who would sit on David’s throne forever (Luke 1:31-33). This fulfills God’s promise of establishing David’s throne for eternity! According to Israel’s law, if a daughter were the only heir to the father, she would inherit all his possessions, inheritance and rights—but only if she married within her tribe (Num. 27:1-8; 36:6-8). Since Mary had no brothers who could be heirs to her father, she was able to transmit David’s royal inheritance—and the right to the throne—to her husband upon marriage. This made Joseph heir to Heli, giving him the right to David’s throne. This inheritance was then passed to Christ.”

However, this explanation appears to be flawed, because even though in Luke’s genealogy, Jeconiah (Matthew 1:11-12) or Coniah is not mentioned per se, his son Shealtiel and his grandson Zerubbabel are. God pronounced a curse on Coniah and his descendants to the effect that none of Coniah’s descendants would sit on the throne of David. This would include Shealtiel and Zerubbabel and ultimately Jesus Christ, who WILL rule in Jerusalem, sitting on the throne of David (Luke 1:31-33).

[In passing, an interesting explanation is given by the Schlachter commentary as to why Zerubbabel and Shealtiel are mentioned in both genealogies of Jesus, even though Matthew’s genealogy of Joseph lists Solomon as one of his ancestors, while Luke’s genealogy of Mary lists Nathan as one of her ancestors. It is pointed out that in 1 Chronicles 3:17-19, Zerubbabel is listed as a son of Pedaiah, the brother of Shealtiel, while Zerubbabel is otherwise referred to as the son of Shealtiel (Ezra 3:2; Nehemiah 12:1). It is being suggested that Shealtiel might have adopted his nephew Zerubbabel and that Zerubbabel appears in both genealogies because he might have entered into a levirate marriage with the wife of his deceased brother Pedaiah.]

Another explanation is that the “offspring” of Jeconiah mentioned in the curse (denying them rulership on David’s throne) could be a limited reference to the king’s own children—his immediate offspring—and it would only be in force while the king lived.

This proposal is not very convincing. As we have seen, Shealtiel was one of Coniah’s sons. It is true that he did not sit on David’s throne as a king, and neither did Coniah’s grandson Zerubbabel, but the curse, as it is worded and without further explanation, does not seem to imply that it only referred to Coniah’s immediate sons during Coniah’s lifetime.

A third explanation is that God reversed the curse against Coniah and his offspring. This is hinted at by the prophet Haggai, who told Zerubbabel, Coniah’s grandson, that God would make him a “signet ring” on God’s hand (Haggai 2:23). Earlier, God had said to Coniah that even if he had been the signet ring on God’s right hand, He would pluck him out (Jeremiah 22:24). Now, the same “signet ring” imagery is applied to Zerubbabel. (For the importance of a signet ring, compare also Genesis 41:41-43 and Esther 3:10; 8:2, 10.) This would mean that God took away the signet ring from Coniah and gave it to Zerubbabel, thereby re-establishing the Davidic line of kingship.

The Bible may indicate this reversal of God’s curse during Coniah’s life. We read that after Coniah was imprisoned by Nebuchadnezzar, Coniah’s uncle was made king by the King of Babel who changed his name to Zedekiah (2 Kings 24:17). But Zedekiah rebelled and was blinded and imprisoned, and all his sons were killed. However, his daughters Tea or Tea-Tephi and Scota survived, and the prophet Jeremiah went with them to Ireland and planted the throne of David there through one of Zedekiah’s daughters, Tea, who married the Irish king, Eochaidh. For further explanations, see our free booklets, “The Fall and Rise of Britain and America,” and “The Fall and Rise of the Jewish People.”

After Zedekiah’s demise, the King of Babylon, Evil-Merodach, released Coniah from prison, and “he gave him a more prominent seat than those of the kings who were with him in Babylon… and he ate bread regularly before the king all the days of his life” (2 Kings 25:28-29). These are remarkable events in light of the fact that God had pronounced a curse on Coniah in Jeremiah 22:30, stating that he would not prosper in his days, and that none of his descendants would prosper. However, one would be entitled to say that Coniah did prosper at the end of his life, and Coniah’s grandson Zerubbabel surely prospered in building the Second Temple, as we read in Zechariah 4:6-10.

The concept of a reversal of God’s curse has some biblical support. We might consider the account of Jonah in Nineveh, showing that human repentance can change God’s declared intent of destruction. Even though Jonah was commissioned by God to declare that Nineveh would be destroyed in 40 days, that curse was not carried out by God when the people of Nineveh repented. We also read in Jeremiah 18:7-8 that God relents of the disaster that He thought to bring over a nation if that nation repents and turns from evil (compare also Jeremiah 26:3). Please also recall that God’s curse was pronounced in connection with God’s punishment for iniquity. If iniquity is repented of and forgiven, the punishment for sin may also be removed. (However, in many cases, punishment for sin, even if repented of, is not automatically removed, compare our free booklet, Punishment for Our Sins.)

In addition, several rabbinic sources teach that Coniah repented in Babylon and that God forgave him and lifted the curse. The following is taken from the Internet, pointing out:

“Sanhedrin 37b-38a states about Coniah: ‘Notwithstanding the curse that he should be childless and not prosper, after being exiled he was forgiven.’”

“Jewish tradition also maintains that the Messiah will be descended from Jeconiah—and such a tradition would be incompatible with a belief that Jeconiah’s lineage is under a perpetual curse. The Jewish Encyclopedia’s article ‘Jehoiachin,’ vol. 7, p.84 [states]: ‘Jehoiachin’s sad experiences changed his nature entirely, and as he repented of the sins which he had committed as king he was pardoned by God, who revoked the decree to the effect that none of his descendants should ever become king (Jer. xxii.30; Pesik., ed. Buber, xxv. 163a, b): he even became the ancestor of the Messiah (Tan., Toledot, 20 [ed. Buber, i. 140]).’’”

A slight deviation of this proposal reads as follows:

“The Encyclopedia Judaica maintains (under ‘Jehoiachin’ (9:1319)), that the curse was lifted under Zerubbabel: ‘Even the decree that none of his descendants would ascend the throne… was repealed when Zerubbabel was appointed leader of the returned exiles’ (cf. Sanh. 37b-38a).”

Even though no further explanation is given for this conclusion, we might think of God’s declaration in Ezekiel 18:1-4, 19-20, stating that the son shall not bear the guilt of the father (compare also 2 Kings 14:6). In addition, there are examples when righteous people intervened on behalf of sinners, so that God, at times, relented from carrying out a curse, or He modified or reversed a curse.

Due to Abraham’s repeated pleas, God would not have destroyed Sodom if ten righteous persons would have been found there (Genesis 18:20-32); due to Moses’ plea, God relented from destroying Israel (Exodus 32:7-14); and God heard Daniel’s heart-felt prayer, acknowledging God’s curse on the nation and asking for forgiveness of his and his nation’s sins (Daniel 9:4-27). The same might be said about Zerubbabel: When he repented and asked God for forgiveness, God might have reversed the curse placed on Coniah and his descendants. We read in Galatians 3:13 that Christ redeems us from the curse of the law… that is, He removes the penalty [referring to the death penalty for breaking the law, Romans 6:23] when we repent.

Matthew lists Coniah in Christ’s genealogy, and Luke lists Coniah’s son and grandson, even though they clearly would have known about Coniah’s curse in the book of Jeremiah. It is obvious that they did not feel that God’s curse disqualified Jesus from inheriting and sitting on the throne of David. Writing under godly inspiration, they must have known that somehow, God’s curse which was pronounced against Coniah did not prevent Christ’s Messiahship. The most convincing conclusion seems to be that God did in fact reverse the curse, apparently due to Coniah’s repentance, and/or that He did not apply Coniah’s sin and the resulting curse to Coniah’s grandson Zerubbabel, due to Zerubbabel’s repentance and his plea for his grandfather Coniah.

Lead Writer: Norbert Link with material provided by Brian Gale

compiled by Dave Harris

“God’s Teachings on Sexual Relationships,” our newest booklet, has been posted on the Web.

“Demon Uprising or Medical Side Effects?” is the title of a new StandingWatch program, presented by Evangelist Norbert Link. Here is a summary:

We are told by Catholic priests that demon affliction and possession are on the rise. At the same time, it is admitted that many cases are not based on demon activity, but on mental illness. But hallucinations can also be caused by dangerous side effects of medications, such as the anti-influenza drug, Tamiflu. Even though many have warned against this medication and questioned its effectiveness, the FDA continues to promote it.  At the same time, recommendations by Pope Francis as to how to ban the devil are cause for great concern.

“Dämonische Aktivität oder medizinische Nebenwirkungen?” which covers the same subject in German, is also presented by Mr. Link.

“Verantwortung gegenüber der Predigerschaft,” is the title of this Sabbath’s German sermon, presented by Norbert Link. Title in English: “Responsibility Towards the Ministry.”

“How to Cope with Trials in the Light of Prophecy and Christ’s Return,” the title of a message presented last Sabbath by Norbert Link, is now posted. Here is a summary:

All of us have problems and trials and are oftentimes victims of persecution. Do our problems seem to be overwhelming and unique? Even though Satan is the author of persecution, which is increasing as he knows that his time is short, God will always help us to be victorious. But how can we know that Christ’s return is near? Not by focusing on wrong speculations, but by accepting the clear word of biblical prophecy. And since we know that our time is short, what are we to do now?

“Conquer Our Obstacles,” the sermon presented last Sabbath by Michael Link, is now posted. Here is a summary:

We encounter many obstacles in our lives on a daily basis which come in various forms. How can we overcome them and in what ways can we learn from the examples we read about in the Bible?