Unspeakable images of injuries and death on a daily basis! A people being terrorized by an unscrupulous tyrant! Women with their children seeking shelter from constant bombardment or fleeing their homes, while their husbands and sons and even daughters are fighting the ruthless enemy.

I am speaking of course about Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine while the world is unwilling to provide the military assistance which would be needed to defeat Russia’s war machine and to end the suffering of innocent civilians in a sovereign country.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has asked the West time and again to stop their “appeasement” of Russia. It has been pointed out that the recent conference in Munich had clear echoes of the 1938 summit in Munich in which leaders agreed to a policy of appeasement against Adolf Hitler in an effort to prevent an imminent war.

Zelenskyy expressed his frustration with NATO for refusing the establishment of a no-fly zone over Ukraine and for refusing to provide fighter jets to defend against Russia’s air force bombing Ukrainian cities (even though it was announced on March 6 that the United States was “working actively” on a deal with Poland to supply Ukraine with jets to fight invading Russians). NATO has taken the position that granting such help would mean declaring war on Russia—a perception with which Putin wholeheartedly agrees. In fact, Putin even said that the West’s issuance of sanctions was already akin to a declaration of war.

Even though Ukraine expressed their appreciation for whatever assistance they are receiving from the West, they have been saying that the help is not enough. This may ultimately lead to a rejection of NATO, and a movement toward Russia, if conditions there were to change. In World War 2, Ukraine was at first aligned with Germany against Russia, but then switched sides due to their disappointment with Hitler’s actions. It is prophesied that ultimately, a collaboration of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus will form which will be in opposition to the EU.

The current situation has set in motion or at least accelerated prophetic developments. For one, a confederation of the “kings of the East” is being established.  Especially China, India, Pakistan, North Korea and Iran have refused to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the unprovoked war which Putin started.

In addition, Germany and the rest of Europe have “unified” as never before and have (re-)discovered their “need” to establish a mighty and powerful army. The Week wrote on March 5 that “Putin has inadvertently accomplished what often seemed impossible — bringing the continent together on foreign policy and thereby laying a solid foundation for a true United States of Europe…  the EU will keep evolving toward becoming a fully autonomous super-state…”

The Washington Post stated on March 3 that German chancellor Olaf Scholz “announced a historic ramp up in military spending to meet the Russian threat… a recent poll showed 78 percent of the Germans backed Scholz’s plan…  it’s also an acknowledgment of the unpredictability of U.S. politics.” German Finance minister Christian Lindner stated that the Bundeswehr is to become the strongest army in Europe.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine is causing Europe to establish a prophesied powerful European army, under German leadership, to be able to “defend” against Russian aggression, while realizing the unreliability of the USA, which refuses to send soldiers to Ukraine, even though they had promised Ukraine in the past security protection.

Another interesting development in the light of biblical prophecies may not be that obvious at first sight, but I feel that it clearly exists. I am speaking about obvious similarities between Hitler and Putin.

The Washington Post wrote on February 24: “… some observers see [in Putin’s invasion of Ukraine] brutal similarities to Hitler’s seizure of Czechoslovakia just before World War II… Hitler wanted to take over all of Europe… Putin wants to restore Czarist Russia, the Russian empire…. [Hitler] was plotting the seizure of part of Czechoslovakia, claiming that ethnic Germans in the Sudeten regions bordering eastern Germany were being mistreated.” That is exactly what Putin is saying about Russians living in Ukraine. Both accusations were and are totally without merit.

The Sun wrote on February 25 that “Putin is the new Hitler… And like Hitler, he spews vicious apocalyptic threats to scare off any resistance…If the US lets Putin use his nuke threats to scare them off, Russia will continue its nation-seizing rampage like the Nazis did in 1938/9.” Thomson/Reuters wrote on February 25 that “Zelenskyy said on Friday…  the bombing of Kyiv was reminiscent of Nazi Germany’s attacks during World War Two…”

Some have proposed to assassinate Putin, drawing another parallel between Putin and Hitler. Greenwich Time wrote on March 4 that Sen. Lindsey Graham said “that the ‘only way’ to end the crisis in Ukraine is for Russians to assassinate President Vladimir Putin,” adding, “‘Is there a more successful Colonel Stauffenberg in the Russian military?’… referencing… the German military officer who attempted to kill Adolf Hitler…”

That attempt failed, as many other attempts to kill Hitler failed as well. At least some of the attempts should not have failed, but “circumstances” prevented their success. A bomb smuggled in Hitler’s plane did not go off; a bomb deposited at Hitler’s podium went off too late because Hitler had unexpectedly cut short his speech. Even Stauffenberg’s attempt would in all likelihood have succeeded if the party had assembled in a bunker, as originally planned, but Hitler changed the location shortly before Stauffenberg’s arrival, and the briefcase with the bomb which Stauffenberg had placed next to Hitler was moved to a more distant place before it went off. As a consequence, Hitler was only slightly injured. As he did often, he thanked “fate” (“Vorsehung”) for his protection.

If the history of Nazi Germany under Hitler was repeating itself right now in Nazi Russia under the new Hitler—Putin—then any assassination attempt on Putin would fail at this point.

As we explained in our literature, Hitler was possessed by a demon, perhaps even Satan himself. And so, Satan gave him protection until he had carried out his evil devices, fulfilling thereby, together with Mussolini,  the short-lived ninth revival of the ancient Roman Empire. The evidence suggests that Putin is also possessed, perhaps by the same demon who possessed Hitler. I feel that the similarities between Hitler and Putin are too remarkable than being mere coincidence.

Putin has been lying from the outset about his invasion of Ukraine, and he keeps on lying now. He promised and agreed to a cease-fire arrangement, only to break it immediately. He follows the desires of his father, Satan the Devil. The same was true for Hitler. Putin is also determined to destroy the free press and only allow the propaganda of the state press, selling his war as a success domestically. Putin’s strategy is very similar to that of Joseph Goebbels, Hitler’s propaganda minister. When Germany had been defeated in Stalingrad and German troops fled from the Russians, Goebbel’s propaganda machine announced Germany’s “victorious retreat” (“siegreicher Rueckzug”).

All of this points at demonic possession, because the demon having possessed Hitler and who is now possessing Putin follows the same modus operandi. But the most compelling conclusion that Putin is indeed demonically possessed is, in my view, his recent change in behavior. d-online wrote on March 5:

“[Some] argue that Putin has mental problems… Florida Republican Senator Marco Rubio wrote…  that for many there is obviously something wrong with Putin and that clear change could be seen in the Russian President. For Condoleezza Rice, too, the man is now ‘another Putin’… Rice was first a national security adviser under George W. Bush, then US Secretary of State – and was often present at meetings with Putin.”

Hitler has been described as mentally sick, which explanation has been used for his mood swings. But in reality, he was possessed. What is normally not being considered, but should be, is that Putin’s change is also caused by demonic possession. And as Hitler had to fulfill his task, as directed by Satan, so will Putin. Once that is done, Satan will concentrate on the beast in Europe, a coming charismatic political and military leader of German or Austrian descent, and Satan will possess him. He will give him his power and great authority, setting in motion the Great Tribulation. And the beast will conduct himself very similarly to Hitler’s and Putin’s activities, because he will be possessed by the same force which possessed Hitler and which is now possessing Putin.

We observe with horror Putin’s terrible atrocities, as the world was stunned and appalled by Hitler’s evil deeds.  History is repeating itself, but next time, it will be so much worse. When the beast appears in a short while, the whole world will follow him. Satan’s deception will have reached a climax of unparalleled proportions. Only very few will be able to see through Satan’s evil devices and his diabolical plan for mankind’s annihilation. You should be one of those very few.

When we read about Jesus Christ travelling in Judea and Galilee, it is easy to think that He travelled with only the twelve disciples. However, when we read Acts 1:21-23, we find that there were at least two others, and probably more, who accompanied Him and the disciples all the time, beginning from the baptism of John. From these two disciples were proposed Joseph called Barsabas who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias, and Matthias was chosen to replace Judas Iscariot.

During His ministry, Jesus sent out seventy others to preach the gospel two by two. We can read this in Luke 10:1-9. At times, He had quite a large group of people following Him as He did His Work.

The question that can be raised is, was it only men that worked with Christ as He preached? We can read in Matthew 27:55-56, “And many women who followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to Him, were there looking on from afar, among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons” (who was named Salome, compare Mark 15:40).

These many women had travelled with Jesus at least on His last trip to Jerusalem and certainly during previous times as well (compare Mark 15:41). The word used for what they were doing is ministering. This word is translated from the Greek word diakoneo which means “to be an attendant or assistant, to supply the necessities of life, provide the means of living, to fill the office of deacon or deaconess.” These women were providing the physical needs of Jesus and His disciples.

This is also stated in Luke 8:1-3, “Now it came to pass, afterward, that He went through every city and village, preaching and bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with Him, and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities – Mary called Magdalene, out of whom had come seven demons, and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others who provided for Him (most translations read ‘them’; i.e. including the disciples) from their substance” (or possessions).

We see that during the ministry of Jesus Christ, much of the physical needs and support for Him and His disciples was provided by many women, not just a few. Without their help, His Work would have been much more difficult.

An interesting event occurred during the Work of Christ when He was at Samaria. He asked a woman of Samaria for a drink of water. He then went on to expound spiritual truth to her. (John 4:1-26). In John 4:27 the response of the disciples is quite interesting. “And at this point His disciples came, and they marvelled that He talked with a woman; yet no one said, ‘What do you seek?’ or, ‘Why are you talking with her?’” From this it appears that it was not usual for a man to speak in public to a woman nor for a religious leader to teach a woman individually. Yet we are able to learn today from what He said to her then.

We know that after the burial of Christ, some of the women who had ministered to Him in Galilee prepared spices to anoint His body (Luke 23:55-56; Mark 16:1). It is also interesting that after His resurrection, the first persons to be made aware of this were three women. In fact, the first person to see Jesus after His resurrection was Mary Magdalene (Mark 16:9).

There is one very important event just two days before Christ’s last Passover. This is described in Matthew 26:7, 10, 13: “… a woman came to Him having an alabaster flask of very costly fragrant oil, and she poured it on His head as He sat at the table.” After the disciples complained that this was a waste, He remarked: “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a good work for Me.” “…In pouring this fragrant oil on My body, she did it for My burial. Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her.”

Now alabaster is like a soft marble, pure white and translucent. Mark 14:3 informs us that the oil was oil of spikenard, an Indian herb from the Himalayas, which was very expensive. So, this woman had given Him a very valuable offering, and had begun the process of preparing His body for burial. She believed Him when He said He was going to Jerusalem and be delivered up to be crucified.

From this, we learn that although Christ was training men for leadership positions, He was considerate of women, giving them favour at times. And as for this particular woman, she gave her very valuable possession to her future King without expecting anything in return—an attitude that we should have whenever we give a gift. One day we will find out who she was, and be able to thank her for setting such a good example for many others.

Are we fully aware of the times we are living in today? Since the days of Noah, there have never been such times. End-time prophecies have never been fulfilled so quickly: The Roman Empire rising from the abyss one last time; pagan governments collapsing. It is all now only a matter of time.

We will experience worldwide droughts, as described in Joel 1:4:

“What the chewing locust left, the swarming locust has eaten; What the swarming locust left, the crawling locust has eaten; And what the crawling locust left, the consuming locust has eaten.”  Joel 1:15 adds, “Alas for the day! For the day of the LORD is at hand; It shall come as destruction from the Almighty.”

There has seemingly never been a time when Christians have been so dependent on being in close contact with God. Perhaps never has there been a time when we were so much in need of faith, to deal with the trials that we now know are ahead of us. And there may never have been a time when it seems so hard to pray. And why is this the case?

This is the time as described in Revelation 12:12: “Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.”

The devil is loose. And he has a multitude of demons serving him – invisible spirit beings with great power.

One professing Christian turns against another. Churches get into quarrels, feuds, and rejections. They confess with their mouths and deny the Truth. And when Satan fails in driving people away from the Truth, he puts impressions of failure into their minds, designed to discourage them and make them give up.

The devil has many charms and tricks. He will cause most people to completely reject God’s Truth.

He will also try to mislead the children of God into accepting a corruption of God, instead of the true Original. On our website, we have posted an Editorial by Dave Harris on this topic (Update 58), which is entitled: “The True Original.”

Our foundation is the Word of God – the Sword of the Spirit – which is our only offensive weapon.

Paul tells us in Romans 8:1: “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.”

If we may stumble, trip, and fall on our Christian path, it must not mean that we should stay down. Let us not be discouraged by this. We must get up again and keep going.

In Hebrews 4:14-16, we read: “Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

Therefore, let us come boldly before the throne of mercy, to obtain complete forgiveness.

If we have done an injustice to somebody, let us make amends for what we have done, as good as we can. What we cannot compensate for, God will take care of.

Let us repent and be encouraged by mercy, and we shall not feel lost.

Ephesians 6:10,18 tells us: “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might…. praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints…”

Let us be strong “in the Lord.” We are fighting against evil spirits “in heavenly places.” We need the whole armor of God to stand strong (Ephesians 6:11).

Let us examine our thoughts more closely. Let us resist the devil. Let us remove all evil thoughts from our minds by focusing our attention and thoughts on things above.

And most importantly, even though it may take a lot of strength at first, let us force ourselves to pray as we have never done before.

There is no reason to be afraid if we put on the whole armor of God, but if we don’t, we will definitely come out on the short end.

Initial translation from German: Daniel Blasinger

How do we define our relationships within the Church of God? We say we are members. We might refer to being among the called of God. We might even reference ourselves by the group we meet with—the Worldwide Church of God is a reference for some who have had a long time association with the Church.

But, at the end of the day, if we have the Holy Spirit of God, we are brethren. Brethren with each other, and—most importantly—brethren of Jesus Christ!

How does God look upon us—the elect, the called of God, the firstfruits of salvation (Compare James 1:18)? Note how God identifies us, when He says, “‘I will be a Father to you, And you shall be My sons and daughters, Says the Lord Almighty’” (2 Corinthians 6:18); Also, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God” (Romans 8:14).

God the Father calls Jesus Christ His Son (Matthew 3:17; Matthew 17:5). And of Christians, this is said:

“For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren…” (Hebrews 2:10-11).

Because we are brethren, with Christ and with one another, we bear great responsibility before God—to behave with the same kind of love amongst ourselves as Christ did—and as He continues to do for us:

“Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do” (Colossians 3:12-13).

The Apostle Peter adds this:

“Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart…” (1 Peter 1:22).

You know, I have heard these words, these vibrant instructions, before—as many of you have. For far too many, these were words heard but not words heeded. The foundational principal of loving one another got lost along the way, but if we are to remain faithful to the end, we must love, not only God, not only Jesus Christ, but the rest of the Family of God—the brethren!

The large-scale madness and stigmatization by governments all over the world is increasing more and more. Oftentimes it seems like a nightmare, but in fact, it is pure reality.

What happened between 1938 and 1945 is a scenario of ruthlessness without equality. When I contemplate what Hitler’s regime has done to the Jews and to fellow human beings who thought differently, it truly moves me to tears.

One would think that all this should have been buried and forgotten a long time ago, and that people would have become more reasonable. But the opposite is true.

Although every year in Germany, several memorial ceremonies about these darkest scenarios are held by those in power, who adorn themselves with justice and love and words like “We must never forget” and “This must never happen again”, the reality is quite different.

In October 2021, I saw coverage in the news about a very tragic court case in which a 96-year-old former typist from the concentration camp Stutthof had been charged by the public prosecutor’s office with aiding and abetting murder in more than 11,000 cases. The woman is said to have been a typist for the commandant Paul-Werner Hoppe between the years 1943 and 1945.

Der Tagesspiegel published the following article about this on September 30, 2021:

“96-year-old accused flees NS trial – and got caught. Irmgard F. was the commander’s typist in the Stutthof concentration camp. She did not appear at her trial. But she was caught and is now in custody.

“The bureaucrats of horror were efficient. The number of prisoners and killed persons in the Stutthof concentration camp was regularly reported to Berlin. Camp commander Paul Werner Hoppe dictated letters to the administrative headquarters of the Holocaust, the SS-Wirtschafts-Verwaltungshauptamt in Berlin-Lichterfelde. At the typewriter was Irmgard F. She typed the camp commander’s orders to the guard personnel and wrote the lists with the names of the prisoners who were deported to the Auschwitz death camp.

“Every correspondence with the SS administrative headquarters in Berlin passed over her desk, she said as a witness in a Nazi trial after the end of the war. Now the now 96-year-old must answer for herself before the Superior Court in Itzehoe.”

The Berliner Morgenpost reported the following on October 19, 2021:

“Irmgard F., who worked as a stenotypist at the Stutthof concentration camp between 1943 and 1945, is accused of complicity to murder in more than 11,000 cases. She [wears] a device on her wrist to monitor her location, like an electronic ankle monitor. ‘The defendant had knowledge of all events and happenings in the camp’, the prosecutor said. This resulted from the fact, that Irmgard F. was the right-hand woman of the camp commander Paul-Werner Hoppe and had written down all his orders, and instructions and all the commander’s correspondence had passed over her desk.

“Therefore, Irmgard F. had profound knowledge of the systematic killing of the prisoners in the camp ‘right down to the last detail’, the prosecutor said. In the indictment, she lists in detail the killing methods, that were the routine in the concentration camp. The neck-shooting facility, disguised as a medical examination room, in which 300 prisoners died during the defendant’s time of service. They had to stand against the wall in the belief that their height would be measured, but instead they were murdered by neck shot through an opening to the neighboring room.”

One must realize the fact, that this is an indictment taking place 76 years after the end of the war, and that the involved accusers are nowhere near contemporary witnesses at the time of this woman’s executive work and had not even been born and were in the world.

Moreover, this 96-year-old woman is charged with “complicity to murder in more than 11,000 cases.” While it is known that “300 prisoners died in the neck-shooting facility during the defendant’s time of service”, the origin of the exact number of 11,000 deaths seems quite questionable. Besides, this woman did what she may have been forced to do, and she was only a scribe anyway. It was not she, who murdered the people, and whether she approved it, no one can say.

This scenario of an accusation against a woman reminded me of an example when Christ was teaching in the temple and the self-righteous scribes and Pharisees brought a woman before Him, caught in the act of adultery, hoping of course that Christ would inflict a severe punishment. They said to Him, “‘…Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?’ This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear.  So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, ‘He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.’ And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst” (John 8:4-9).

This example of self-righteousness is a bottomless pit because the world with its ruthless justice system, as it was then and still is today, is so immoderately arrogant and unjust that one cannot even put this whole event into words.

The same applies to today’s new “law guidelines” and “jurisdictions” regarding these absurd Corona measures. They are picking up so much speed that this reminds us exactly of the time back then at the beginning of 1938. Indeed, beginning on November 12, 1938, Jews were forbidden at that time to visit cinemas, theaters, operas, and concerts. Today, 84 years later, the same thing is happening again to people only because they think differently and refuse to get vaccinated. And the wheel of the invention of new restrictions does not stop; instead, life is made more and more unbearable for these people. They are judged, harassed, bullied, and incited. Even children are dragged into this torment and put into a trauma that they may very well not be able to get rid of for the rest of their lives. We are witnessing a jurisdiction of the irresponsible.

Most of these above-mentioned accusers are acting today in the same way that happened back then in 1938, possibly without even realizing what they are really doing, since this is Satan’s world. And no one knows how long this stigmatization will continue, for this may be just the beginning or even just a precursor of what is to come to the world, namely the great tribulation.

How long will WE in God’s Church have to endure suffering? Will WE be greatly reviled as true Christians for the sake of Christ’s name? And how will WE bear it then? What if WE are innocently accused and even sent to prison?

Christ warns against the unrighteousness of man. He tells us in Luke 21:12-15,17-19:

“‘But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons. You will be brought before kings and rulers for My name’s sake. But it will turn out for you as an occasion for testimony. Therefore settle it in your hearts not to meditate beforehand on what you will answer; for I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist… And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But not a hair of your head shall be lost. By your patience possess your souls. “

Christ gives us such great hope for what lies ahead. It is neither the government nor the jurisdiction of men that can give us or take away true life. They can persecute us, treat us unjustly, accuse and condemn us; they can throw us into prison; and they can take away our physical life. But what they cannot do is to deny us eternal life. They cannot separate us from the love of Christ if we hold on to the hope which the Word of God gives us, and if we do not give up our faith and instead put our trust in GOD the Father and Jesus Christ, then this world can do NOTHING to us that would have eternal consequences.

Paul asked the church: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? (Romans 8:35).

And later, in verses 37-39, Paul says with deep conviction, “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Christ also gives us great hope by telling us: “‘Therefore do not fear them. For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known. Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops. And do not fear those who kill the body [physical life] but cannot kill the soul [the potential of eternal life]… But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell [eternal destruction in the Gehenna fire’” (Matthew 10:26-28).

When Christ tells us that nothing is covered, but that one day all the truth will come to light, we must understand that one day a great truthful trial will be held for mankind, with complete and righteous measure, to condemn and judge man’s unrighteousness.

God the Father will, through Jesus Christ, conduct this judgment and hold men accountable and punish them for their evil and unrighteous deeds.

Let us think once more about the example of the adulteress and what Christ ultimately said to her. “When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, ‘Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?’ She said, ‘No one, Lord.’ And Jesus said to her, ‘Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more’” (John 8:10-11).

Christ acted here as a Man of love and divine understanding. He did not justify the sinful behavior of the adulteress, but He showed mercy. From this point of view, we should not try to whitewash these terrible acts of the world today, nor should we condemn them with an unmerciful measure. We should and must leave that to God. For God tells us, “Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord. Therefore ‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:17-21).

We must not allow ourselves to be influenced by the deeds of the world, which Satan still has possession of at present, but must allow ourselves to be edified by every word of God and make the best of everything, according to our ability. It’s on us to wait hopefully for the coming of Jesus Christ so that He can welcome us at His coming, and we must hold fast to the confidence that God will judge righteously at His time.

Initial translation from the German: Daniel Blasinger

Eric Rank’s Sermonette a few weeks ago on the challenge of a prideful spirit stimulated many thoughts for me. As Mr. Rank shared his impressions, I too have allowed myself to bask in the glow of my own prideful humanity. I’ve learned that the things that I have succeeded at have been the result of God’s hand, and the moments that have not gone well were either lessons or challenges that I must learn or overcome. Still, this world celebrates success, and the pride that can accompany achievement can cause people to believe in the power of their inflated wisdom.

This is not to say that we cannot be pleased when we achieve something we’ve worked hard for. However, when being pleased becomes boastful, even with oneself, then we have indeed crossed the line in God’s eyes. We must acknowledge God’s supremacy in our lives.

I too have spoken about pride and on leadership, and the tendency for people to respond to a diligent and sincere leader, and not as much to a person who is in your face about his or her skills and victories. So, what is this factor that triggers the movement from sincerity to boastfulness? In a word: arrogance!

This editorial is not intended to be a commentary on specific leaders—but on the attitude that is so prevalent in the world, among the world’s leaders, and frankly—so many people. This is not a trait that is limited to one political party or movement. It is also an attitude that we’ve come to expect with popular sports and entertainment stars. But this character trait is not limited to the rich and famous, and to be fair, there may be humble people among them.

However, humility is not a virtue that this world generally appreciates. Society tends to consider humble people to be push-overs or worse. Yet even the Harvard Business School offers a course on the value of quiet power as a leadership skill. Now, a quiet person can still be an arrogant person, but humility and arrogance are typically opposite ends of the spectrum.

In the Book of Micah, we see the two types juxtaposed—on the one hand a boastful person suggesting that sacrifices and riches would impress God, and on the other hand a merciful, kind and just person who humbles himself before God.

We read in Micah 6, 6-8: “With what shall I come before the Lord, And bow myself before the High God? Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, With calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams Or ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?”

Edgar Schein, professor emeritus at MIT Sloan School of Management and an expert on leadership and culture, once asked a group of his students what it meant to be promoted to the rank of manager. They said without hesitation, “It means I can now tell others what to do.” And yet, a management column in the Wall Street Journal offered a different headline: “The Best Bosses Are Humble Bosses.” The article referred to a study at Arizona State University in 2014 that reported that humble leaders “inspire close teamwork, rapid learning and high performance in their teams.” It even reported that one HR consulting firm was planning to introduce an assessment to identify personality traits that include “sincerity, modesty, fairness, truthfulness, and unpretentiousness.”

These are traits that would be unheard of in a political campaign. Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, Vladimir Putin, Darth Vader and so many others are not characters that we describe as humble and forthright, but it is easy to build a movie plot around them. For some reason, this personality type is still integral in the eyes of many to the likelihood of success—whether the aim is good or evil.

In 1 Peter 5:5, we are told:”Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for ‘God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.’”

It is troubling to witness politicians invoking God at will as a bludgeon against their rivals. Sadly, this is increasingly used as a method to illustrate superiority over the opposition. At the conclusion of the State of the Union address, the President asks that “God bless the United States of America”—but few understand that there is a contract that comes along with following God. Our part of the contract is straightforward: obeying Him and following His commandments. Can we obey God and be an arrogant person, out for him- or herself? We have our guidance in Mark 10:43-45:

“Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant.  And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

God requires an attitude of service in His people—not arrogance. When we think of other faiths we may think of gold, and the finest fabrics, and some of the most exclusive real estate in the world. Leaders of these organizations live as monarchs and not as humble servants of God. John 13:14 illustrates what is expected of us: “If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.”

God sent His Son to save us as the ultimate sign of His love for us. This should humble us and cause us to evaluate our arrogance and self-righteous behavior. We must recognize that we are to be humble and caring towards one another and most certainly in our relationship with God the Father and His Son. We cannot impress God with material success, anything we do to achieve fame and notoriety, or anything we possess. What God demands of us is simple: obey Him and live as He commands.

A while ago, someone rang and spoke to my wife as I was not available at the time.   The person said he would ring again later in the day.   The call did not happen.   I was musing on this matter as this was not the first time (nor the second, third, fourth, fifth or sixth time…) I had been let down by this person.

Actually, the lack of this phone call did not present a problem, but it could have done.   How many times have we stayed at home waiting all day for the workman to arrive, as agreed, for him not to turn up?   What about the time we took off work to make sure that someone turned up to do an urgent job and never arrived?

I remember the old joke about two promises we should never rely on – the cheques in the post and I’ll ring you back.   Funny, but not so funny when it actually happens to us when we are relying on someone else doing what they said they would do.

I recall a boss from many years ago who said he would do certain things and he had to be chased, reminded and nudged gently to do what he had said he would do.   I had over six years of being subjected to this approach, and it wore very thin over that period of time.

In “Tired Of Being Let Down? How To Hold People Accountable”, Margie Warrell states the following:

“When you decide not to call someone on their broken promise and ill-managed commitment, you’re, albeit inadvertently, being part of the problem. The one thing you can count on is to expect more of it. More broken promises. More turning up late. More cut corners. More well-worn excuses. More missed deadlines. And more of the stress, frustration and resentment you’d much rather avoid.

“If you’ve ever found yourself frustrated at someone who’s perpetually slack, or late, or unreliable then you’ll relate to some of the comments above. Many people value their promises cheaply or simply manage their commitments poorly. Others have a hard time holding people to account. It’s easier to just let it go and hope they’ll be more reliable next time.

“The problem is, they rarely are.”

When we’re let down by someone and the promise to follow through is not achieved, it might be a good idea to review whether we are guilty of doing this to others.   Do we say that we will get back to someone with an answer by a certain time and not achieve this?   Do we assure someone that we will answer their query within a certain time period?   Do we do anything at all where we let others down by not being true to our word or timescale?  If so, we need to change because this is a case of breaking our word and can be considered as lying.   Our intentions may be honourable, but the end product is unreliability.

It is not good, or godly, to be known as someone who cannot be relied upon to do as they say.

Wikipedia states that the saying “the road to hell is paved with good intentions” is attributed to “Saint Bernard of Clairvaux” who wrote this around 1150 and so the problem has been around a long time!   They further state: “One meaning of the phrase is that individuals may have the intention to undertake good actions but nevertheless fail to take action.  This inaction may be due to procrastination, laziness or other subversive vice.  As such, the saying is an admonishment that a good intention is meaningless unless followed through.”

In a study published in 2017 (“Citizens’ Beliefs about Pledge Fulfilment” by Fraser McMillan/John Smith Centre), 20,000 specific campaign promises from 57 elections in 12 countries were reviewed, showing that over 85% of promises by governing parties at least were partly enacted in the years studied with the strongest “programme-to-policy linkage” found in the United Kingdom.   The observations seemed to be that that was pretty good but we must note that this percentage was “partly enacted” and the result was still only 85%, well short of what it should be.   There were lots of promises not kept or only partly kept.   For a man or woman of honour, that simply isn’t good enough and yet another reason why a true Christian must not be involved in the politics of this world!

It is inevitable in society today, which is very heavily influenced by Satan, “the prince of the power of the air (Ephesians 2:2) and the “god of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4), that humanity, in general, follows the wrong way of Satan who is “a liar and the father of it” (compare John 8:44).   Bearing false witness which is lying breaks the ninth Commandment (Exodus 20:16), and, as the people of God, our word must be reliable and be our bond (For further information, please read our free 180 pages-long booklet, “The Ten Commandments”).

Let us make sure that we are as good as our word and always follow through, doing exactly what we say we will do.   Then and only then will others be able to totally trust what we say knowing that our word is reliable!

In a talk with my son recently, I was mentioning to him how blessed we are. He wanted to get something, and I said no, and he wasn’t pleased about it. We talked about how continually wanting things leads to feelings of frustration, greed and maybe jealousy. As he walked away, I could tell he wasn’t exactly agreeing.

As I continued to think about this after our conversation, I realized that there are areas in my life where I act like this at times with God when I am asking Him for things and then getting frustrated when things don’t pan out like I think they should.

There is no point in living life like this!

A much better way is to remain in a continual state of thankfulness and mindfulness of what God does for us. How He blesses us and what He does to make this happen.

It is so easy to complain about what we don’t have, in what situations we are, and how they could be different. I have found though that complaining doesn’t change a situation nor does it make one feel any more willing to try harder or try to do something differently.

Why does God consider our complaining as something that should not be done?

Philippians 2:12-16 tells us: “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.”

Complaining leads to us not being able to be used by God! When we complain, we take away the opportunity God has to use us or the chance to help us to grow. When we complain, we take matters into our own hands and leave no room for Him.

It is very easy to complain in this day and age when there is a lack of justice in our lands while immorality reigns. When nothing seems to be fair, it is easy to become dissuaded and discouraged. Even though we are told to sigh and cry over all the abominations that are done (Ezekiel 9:4), we need to realize that God is always there for us at all times. Lamentations 3 does a wonderful job in showing just how this is true, and it would be helpful at this time to read it thoroughly.

The reality is that there will always be opportunities to complain if we allow them to exist in our minds! How we choose to go about this is completely up to us.  We will be judged on this though, and we will have to give an account. Even though it is hard, we should stop and think often about how God has blessed us and strive to let Him be glorified through how we live.

The calculation of profit is an easy one. Simply subtract costs from total revenue to tabulate the margin of profit. When considering any kind of endeavor, counting the costs to evaluate whether it is worth the investment is essential. We don’t want to waste our resources on pursuits that will not bring us the kind of return that we seek. But the question is, what is the unit of measure that we use to calculate our profit?

Pharmaceutical companies are raking in record profits for the year — calculated in units of money. For example, prior to the Covid 19 pandemic, Moderna was a relatively small pharmaceutical company, typically making about $100 million in annual revenue. By way of contrast, their 2021 profits are projected to be $10 billion. This makes their profits one hundred times larger than their average revenue before the pandemic. Undoubtedly a financial success story, at least on the face of it. But this is only true if we consider the financial costs. When considering the collateral damage done to the percentage of people who have physically suffered or even died as a result of taking their vaccine, the costs are much more material. One wonders how God calculates the profits of pharmaceutical companies when considering the cost of unnecessary harm done to people desperately seeking safety. I doubt the numbers would be very impressive.

To some, an endeavor that appears to waste money or time might in fact produce value that is meaningful to us individually. Volunteering time or donating money are examples of giving away valuable resources that may not appear at first to bring in a profit by the same measure. The profit of those activities may be inherent in the joy of helping others. What appears to be a fruitless dedication of time and money can yield great returns when the unit of measure is not so material. As Christians, we ought to understand this clearly, as we are admonished to seek our treasure in heaven (compare Matthew 6:20). We also understand, of course, that giving to others with the right motivation will result in physical as well as spiritual blessings (Luke 6:38; Malachi 3:10; compare also Mark 10:29-30)

God wants us to profit, but only in the right way. “Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, The Holy One of Israel: ‘I am the LORD your God, Who teaches you to profit, Who leads you by the way you should go. Oh, that you had heeded My commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, And your righteousness like the waves of the sea’” (Isaiah 48:17-18). Our methods and measures for achieving a profit must be guided by God. We are to make our investment with a spiritual return as our motivation, knowing that He will hold us accountable in our time of judgment. In whatever way we choose to invest the resources that God bestows upon us, the targeted product must not compromise with His commandments. He is the one who teaches us to profit through obedience, measured by the fruit of the Spirit that we are able to produce (compare the above with Galatians 5:22-25).

When we become baptized into the Family of God, we are given a measure of the Holy Spirit. It is not something that we can feel in any physical way, but it has the power to produce immense positive change in our lives. However, the power of God the Father and Jesus Christ will only work within us when we put it to use. If we choose to continue in our worldly ways, seeking a material profit by worldly measures, we will quite ironically become unprofitable (compare Matthew 25:30, Luke 17:10). Not only does God want us to be profitable with our lives, we have a responsibility and duty that we MUST be profitable. This, of course, according to our spiritual growth.

The measure of our profitability lies in the way that invests our resources spiritually. The proverbial “good life” is not identified by luxury. Rather, if we want to live the good life, we dedicate our resources to obedience, loving the way of life that God commands, with joy. Love for Him and our fellow man lead us into the kind of profits that are most valuable in the long run. If our costs are the sacrifices that we make to leave the desires of this world behind, and our revenue is spiritual fruit, then our profit is the reward promised by God to those who remain diligent in their commitment to the Work (compare Matthew 16:27).

Over the past year, powerful images of social bedlam and mayhem have often dominated the news. What is now being called an “insurrection” is the description of what took place in Washington, D.C., on January 6, 2021, as crowds of people turned into a mob of anarchists.

People were injured and people died!

That sad episode hardly begins to represent the breakdown of civil order that is occurring all around us and all over the world. People are now being randomly assaulted, stabbed or even shot in circumstances where safety was taken for granted. Here is how God prophetically describes our time:

“‘By swearing and lying, Killing and stealing and committing adultery, They break all restraint, With bloodshed upon bloodshed’” (Hosea 4:2).

Jesus Christ never allowed Himself to become entangled in the chaos of this world, although He was constantly surrounded by it and even eventually became its victim. His overpowering self-restraint in all that He faced serves as our example—especially, as times grow even more dire.

Our challenge to practice self-restraint in all that we think, say or do, will not be easy. To live as Christians, we need help:

“Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:14-16).

Our “help” is found in following the lead of Jesus, and it involves thinking as He thinks. The Apostle Paul puts it this way:

“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ…” (2 Corinthians 10:3-5).

Paul adds:

“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things” (Philippians 4:8).

Regarding what we should say:

“‘“These are the things you shall do: Speak each man the truth to his neighbor; Give judgment in your gates for truth, justice, and peace; Let none of you think evil in your heart against your neighbor; And do not love a false oath. For all these are things that I hate,” Says the LORD’” (Zechariah 8:16-17).

Jesus taught the kind of self-restraint we should practice regarding what we do:

“‘Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves’” (Matthew 10:16).

Indeed, we do live, as Paul writes, “…in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom [we] shine as lights in the world” (Philippians 2:15).

As mentioned, the past year has been a time of unrestrained violence, and it will, as we have been warned by God, grow to become the very worst trouble ever experienced or that ever will be again. Against this backdrop, God’s Church will continue to proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God—even as we remain separate from the destructive path of those who continue to choose violence and who continue to break all restraint.