At the end of January this year, Ohio Senator Rob Portman announced that he would not seek re-election following the completion of his current term that ends in 2023. For nearly 30 years he has worked in the upper echelon of federal politics, as an advisor for presidential administrations, as a member of the House of Representatives, and now as a Senator. Over the many years, he has prided himself as being results-oriented, crossing party lines to do what he believed was right, even when others in his party would disagree. To be clear, we are not endorsing or rejecting his political views or statements, and this Editorial should not be understood in any way as to approving or disapproving his positions. But in commenting on the reasons behind his decision not to seek re-election, he cited the divisiveness that is increasingly plaguing politics today. Portman stated, “Our country’s polarized right now.… It’s kind of shirts and skins. That makes it more difficult to find that common ground. Elected officials aren’t rewarded for that. What they’re rewarded for is throwing red meat to the talk show.” We see from this example an insider’s account of the problems that face the U.S. government. The divisiveness in politics, vaunted by the media and incited by the populous, draws attention away from the hard work of righteous virtue, focusing instead on feeding an insatiable appetite of bloodlust and vitriol.

What we see right now merely foreshadows the hostility of individuals and factions that will increase as the return of Christ draws closer. Jesus Christ reminds us of the reason why this is so when He states, “And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold” (Matthew 24:12). The citizens and ironically, the lawmakers of our nations are not seeking the Will of God, but rather they are embracing lawlessness. We can see the consequences of these worldly actions today manifested in the hatred expressed against those who hold contrary opinions. Sadly, the world that we live in will need to suffer catastrophe and near-extinction before the return of Jesus Christ sets things straight.

Until then, we must endure life in this world, doing the hard work of upholding the Way of God. We know that Satan is the lying tempter who deceives the world, convincing individuals to adopt his way of sin rather than the Way of God (compare 1 John 5:19, Revelation 12:9). It is our responsibility to be on guard against these powerful forces in the world because they can be very subtle in their influence. We have the privilege of having the Truth of God through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. It provides us with a guide to discern the worldly from the spiritual. But we have to put the Holy Spirit to work in our lives if we want it to be effective! If we don’t, we too may succumb to the way of sin without even recognizing our falling away from the Truth. We know that Satan will work to deceive even the elect – those who have the Truth (compare Matthew 24:24, Mark 13:22). We must not fall into that trap. Since we live in this world that embraces a culture of conflict, we face the threat of becoming negatively influenced unless we are constantly vigilant. Jesus Christ spoke of this state of being when He prayed to God the Father in those last hours of His life on Earth, saying about His disciples, “They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth” (John 17:16-17). If we want to guard ourselves against the evil in the world that surrounds us, we must separate ourselves from the world by clinging to God’s Truth, rather than becoming influenced by the nonsense that swirls around us.

In his letter to the Romans, Paul offers instruction that can serve us very well today: “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Romans 12:2). We can renew our minds by focusing our attention on doing good, rather than those things that heighten our anger. This is not to say that we could not and must not become angry about the evils in this world or that we could not or must not hate what is wrong. We most certainly have to, but we are speaking here of the hate and anger of the carnal mind. By finding reasons to love what is right rather than hate in the wrong way, we please God. By making peace, we become sons of God. By offering mercy to others, we too will receive mercy from God. By doing good in our lives, we will overcome evil. (Compare Matthew 5:7, Matthew 5:9, Romans 12:21.)

Separating ourselves from this world is no simple task. As hard as we try, we will still become influenced by it. It is impossible to completely avoid it. Christ was the only One who was able to overcome this world and its evil influences perfectly, without ever sinning. But just as Christ served to glorify His Father in heaven, while still living in this world, we must do the same today by the way we live our lives. Our mission on this Earth is to continually work to find those areas in our lives where we can eliminate the worldly ways that influence us to sin and replace them with love and Truth. In doing so, we uphold godly righteousness and improve our own wellbeing right now, and we guarantee that we will be able to enter the Kingdom of God in the future.

It seems that the whole world is being devoured by hatred, and, indeed, Jesus spoke of a time when the love of many would grow cold (Matthew 24:12). We see this in the unbridled bitterness spewing forth daily in the media. Nations are divided by those who seek power over others who have opposing views; there is growing racial and religious discord resulting in never-ending violence; and, even the most fundamental understanding of what it means to be a human being is being redefined by those who practice shameful and godless lifestyles.

The Apostle Paul wrote that “the sting of death is sin” (1 Corinthians 15:56). Sin is how Satan was able to “sting” both Adam and Eve and then all of humanity by overwhelming them with disobedience to God—and thus, invoking the death penalty on the world. We are warned:

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8).

One way we can be devoured is to let Satan plant a root of bitterness (Hebrews 12:15) within any of us who are members of the Church of God. That ploy has worked far too often and with far too much success. Once bitterness is sown, its contagion is deadly. Former brethren who once walked in love and unity turn to become bitter, resentful and consumed by Satan’s deception.

We are taught this fundamental truth of God—it is how we can avoid and even cure bitterness:

“For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’” (Galatians 5:14).

That counsel is followed by this caution:

“But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another (Galatians 5:15).”

Who among the brethren do you hate, resent, disrespect or simply want to avoid? Hopefully, not a single individual arises in the mind of any of us in answering this question. If there is, the surest resolve for us is to repent to God for our own sins. If someone has wronged us, we must do what Jesus commanded us to do (sadly, this is not being done as it should—a step that would help heal a bitter spirit):

“‘Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother’” (Matthew 18:15).

So, what is integrity? Physically, it could be understood as wholeness. As an example, if a boat hull has integrity, then it does not leak, it is whole. If a computer program has integrity, it performs what it was designed for without errors.

When it applies to our spiritual lives, a good definition from Google is: “Integrity is the quality of having strong ethical or moral principles and following them at all times, no matter who’s watching. A person with integrity acts with honesty, honour, and truthfulness.” To this could be added, “even when no one is watching except for God.”

Unfortunately, in this day and age, integrity can be difficult to find. During this current Covid crisis, we hear of politicians who enact lockdown rules for the safety of the population, but then go and break these same rules, especially when they think they will not be found out. One would say that they do not act with integrity. Similarly, there is much doubt about the integrity of the vote count in the recent US election. Was it fraudulent?

In the Bible, we find there are some people specifically mentioned because of their integrity. One of those was David. After Solomon had prayed dedicating the House of the Lord, God appeared to him and made this comment in 1 Kings 9:4-5. “Now if you walk before Me as your father David walked, in integrity of heart and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded you, and if you keep My statutes and My judgements, then I will establish the throne of your kingdom over Israel forever…”

So, God considered David had integrity and was upright. The Hebrew word translated integrity means completeness and innocence, whereas the Hebrew word translated uprightness means straight or even. In the Psalms are many statements of how David loved God’s Law and meditated on it continually. He loved God and His ways completely, even in spite of his occasional faults.

Another person whom God stated was upright was Job. Job himself claimed that he held fast his integrity (Job 27:5-6), and, in fact, when we read in the book of Job, chapters 29 and 31, we find a very comprehensive list of things that Job did correctly. This would explain why God said he was blameless prior to being tested (compare Job 1:8, Job 2:3). His problem was not lack of integrity but self-righteousness.

Let us now consider Ruth. She was a young widow living in the land of Moab, a woman of great integrity even though it is not stated as such. When her mother-in-law Naomi, also a widow, was leaving Moab to return to Israel, she recommended that her daughters-in-law return to Moab. However, Ruth refused to return, making the statement in Ruth 1:16-17, “Entreat me not to leave you, Or to turn back from following after you; For wherever you go, I will go; And wherever you lodge, I will lodge; Your people shall be my people, And your God, my God. Where you die, I will die, And there will I be buried. The LORD do so to me, and more also, If anything but death parts you and me.”

She was willing to totally give up her whole past life, family and country, never wanting to return to it. Ruth’s integrity did not just consist of words, but when we follow the part of her life that is recorded, she served Naomi very well, working in the barley and wheat fields collecting the grain that God commanded to be left for the poor, the stranger, the fatherless and the widow (Leviticus 19:9-10 and Deuteronomy 24:19-21). Even though she had the right to glean according to God’s Law, she still asked permission, showing that humility was a part of her integrity (Ruth 2:7).

It was not only her hard physical labour that displayed her character, but she had a very good reputation that had been related to Boaz of all that she had done for her mother-in-law (Ruth 2:11-12). Her life showed her great integrity, and God rewarded her with a good husband and enabled her to be the great grandmother of David and an ancestor of Jesus Christ Himself.

Following these examples, and there are others that could also be mentioned, God expects us to live a life of integrity. It can be difficult always doing and saying what is right when many will disagree with us. And as persecution increases, especially for Christians, we should apply to ourselves what David said in Psalm 41:12: “As for me, You uphold me in my integrity, And set me before Your face forever.”

Looking at the riotous and destructive events over the past year, it’s very obvious that people, when guided solely by their own carnality, rise to nothing more than confused beasts.  Whether it’s the destruction and takeover of portions of our cities or the storming of our capital, these events show a mindset that is utterly devoid of God.  Mob or herd mentality is not just a trite description of social behavior.  People often lose their better senses when they allow themselves to be swayed and controlled by others. And this loss of personal control always begins with people putting themselves in settings or attitudes that breed confusion. “For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there” (James 3:16).

This carnal trait is not just symptomatic of our era.  As described in the Book of Acts, the same characteristic was used against the early followers of Christ. “At that time a great disturbance erupted about the Way. There was a silversmith named Demetrius. He made silver models of Artemis’ temple, and his business generated a lot of profit for the craftspeople. He called a meeting with these craftspeople and others working in related trades and said, ‘Friends, you know that we make an easy living from this business. And you can see and hear that this Paul has convinced and misled a lot of people, not only in Ephesus but also throughout most of the province of Asia. He says that gods made by human hands aren’t really gods. This poses a danger not only by discrediting our trade but also by completely dishonoring the great goddess Artemis. The whole province of Asia—indeed, the entire civilized world—worships her, but her splendor will soon be extinguished’” (Acts 19:23-27 Common English Bible).

When the mobs rushed in to stop the apostles, they did so with confusion as their guide.  “The city was thrown into turmoil. They rushed as one into the theater. They seized Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul’s traveling companions from the province of Macedonia… Meanwhile, the assembly was in a state of confusion. Some shouted one thing, others shouted something else, and most of the crowd didn’t know why they had gathered” (Acts 19:29, 32 Common English Bible).

Societal chaos always begins with deceit and blindness to the Truth. No matter how well laid out man’s reasoning might be, anything that is not of God is confusion. Christ was clear in demonstrating this division between Godly and carnal mindsets.  When Christ preached of His death and resurrection, Peter became upset and “took Him (Christ) aside and began to rebuke Him.  But when He had turned around and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, ‘Get behind Me, Satan! For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men’” (Mark 8:32-33).  As Christ demonstrated through His rebuke to Peter, there is no middle ground for the Truth, it is absolute.

It’s no easy task to separate ourselves from the chaos of the world when surrounded by such turmoil. But that is precisely the reason we are called by God to be lights.  “God is not the author of confusion but of peace” (1 Corinthians 14:33). We must steady ourselves and stay grounded in that simple yet profound understanding.

Now that’s an interesting headline, grammatically incorrect with a double negative, but it does have an effect.   Even with its flaws, most people will get the meaning.

https://wordhistories.net gives us this explanation of its origin:

“The colloquial phrases you ain’t seen nothing yet and you ain’t heard nothing yet are used to indicate that however extreme or impressive something may seem, it will be overshadowed by what is to come.

“The latter phrase is generally said to have first appeared as the title and in the lyrics of a song by Al Jolson and Gus Kahn (music by Bud De Sylva). Published in 1919 by Jerome H. Remick & Co. (Detroit & New York), You Ain’t Heard Nothing Yet was originally interpreted by Al Jolson.”

livemint.com echoes with this warning:

“The WHO (World Health Organisation) warned that worse pandemics could lie ahead, urging the world to get ‘serious’ about preparedness.  The novel coronavirus has had a devastating impact around the globe, but the World Health Organization warned Monday (December 28th) that worse pandemics could lie ahead, urging the world to get ‘serious’ about preparedness.  ‘This is a wakeup call,’ WHO emergencies chief Michael Ryan told reporters at a briefing marking a year since the UN agency first learned of the new virus spreading in China.”

The Covid19 virus has had an enormous effect on the world since the beginning of 2020, and the consequences of what we have seen and experienced have devastated many businesses, economies and, most importantly, many people’s lives.

However, there can be no question that the statistics have been skewed.   For example, walesonline.co.uk gives this example: “A patient who has tested positive, but successfully treated and discharged from hospital, will still be counted as a Covid death even if they had a heart attack or were run over by a bus three months later.”   Nevertheless, this virus is real and has wreaked havoc and heartache within countries and families around the world.

Wherever you look around the world there seems to be insurmountable problems and no country seems to be immune from them.  To list many of these now would be to just reiterate regular news items and much that is regularly highlighted in our weekly Update.

But wait.   This is just the beginning.   The Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord are now, surely, just over the horizon and when it is God’s time for these things to happen, they will.   It will be the only way to get man’s attention!

With many panicking at the current state of affairs, what the future holds will be much, much worse.   Only our continual obedience to God’s ways will keep us from the suffering that the world will have to endure, and we are admonished in Luke 21:36 to: “Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.”

Much worse is to come, although the world is looking forward to normal service being resumed after the coronavirus has been defeated.   Who knows, there could still be a short breathing space after the current crisis has been dealt with before further devastating events happen to an unrepentant human race.  The key is to remember that these things will happen when God deems it right to do so in His plan for mankind. The timing is in His hands, but worse will surely follow.

And – be aware: You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet!

Over the past week, we saw the President of the United States of America banned from social media platforms for posting comments interpreted as inciting violence. While no violence or incitation of it is justifiable, the social media giant Twitter chose to interpret seemingly innocuous statements by President Trump as glorifying violence. In his final incriminating tweet, President Trump expressed his intention to not attend the inauguration of Joe Biden. How such a statement glorifies violence is beyond me. Yet, Twitter found a way to interpret this statement as a call to violence in support of his own election, therefore providing them with a justification to finally shut down his account permanently.

What I find most disturbing is how this example demonstrates the power wielded by the tech giants to squash voices that express ideas opposing the narrative set forth by mainstream media. In recent history, especially over the past year, we’ve seen several examples of objective and factual statements being subjectively judged as a “threat” because they spread information that conflicts with the mainstream agenda of those in power. When a message by someone contradicts that which serves their interests, those who are in power take away the privilege of expressing those ideas and beliefs. More and more, we see that only the popular ideas and beliefs in the world may be expressed freely. Any voice that contradicts is threatened to be silenced, discredited, ridiculed, denounced, belittled, and otherwise rejected. Their terms are to conform or be canceled.

For Christians, what we saw happen to the President of the United States should be a wakeup call. But not in the way that our political positions are threatened – because we do not involve ourselves in the politics of this world. Rather, what we are witnessing is the power of the few determining what beliefs are acceptable to express. And that is a threat to true Christianity.

The Christian beliefs that we hold, which are founded in the Truth of God’s Word, will conflict more and more with the world we live in. If we express those truths out loud, do we really think that we will easily be heard? Do we really think that the platforms that provide a means of sharing ideas will tolerate God’s Truth? If we as a Church preach the gospel, as Christ commissioned us to do, the world will hate us for it! Jesus Christ states this clearly (compare John 15:18, John 17:14, Matthew 24:9). What we see now are the possible examples of how this hatred of God’s Truth will manifest. The prince of the power of the air, Satan (compare Ephesians 2:2), will do whatever he can to prevent the Truth from even being expressed, because it contradicts with his agenda to lead man to destruction.

Sadly, this world has chosen to exchange the plain truth of God for lies (compare Romans 1:24-25). Until Jesus Christ returns, lies will prevail in this world with growing intensity. Our job is to never fall prey to those lies. To protect ourselves, we need to love the Truth and never shrink away from upholding it. “The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie” (2 Thessalonians 2:9-11). There is nothing that we can do to control the world we live in, but we can defend ourselves against its deceptive effects. If we continue to hold fast to God’s Truth with our whole heart, we will prevail against all other powers that threaten to extinguish it.

We all have responsibilities in this world. Whether we are parents, children or employees, we all are responsible for ourselves. Responsibility is given when one shows growth in areas of their lives. I find it interesting that the Apostle John was inspired to write: “I am writing to you, little children (believers, dear ones), because your sins have been forgiven for His name’s sake [you have been pardoned and released from spiritual debt through His name because you have confessed His name, believing in Him as Savior]. I am writing to you, fathers [those believers who are spiritually mature], because you know Him who has existed from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men [those believers who are growing in spiritual maturity], because you have been victorious and have overcome the evil one. I have written to you, children [those who are new believers, those spiritually immature], because you have come to know the Father. I have written to you, fathers, because you know Him who has existed from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, because you are strong and vigorous, and the word of God remains [always] in you, and you have been victorious over the evil one [by accepting Jesus as Savior]” (1 John 2:12-14 AMP).

John was writing this to encourage people to take a look at their lives, the things that they were going through day by day and to see if they didn’t find these things to be evident in their lives. If they weren’t then he wouldn’t have written this. In verses 3 – 6 he also wrote (AMP): “And this is how we know [daily, by experience] that we have come to know Him [to understand Him and be more deeply acquainted with Him]: if we habitually keep [focused on His precepts and obey] His commandments (teachings). Whoever says, “I have come to know Him,” but does not habitually keep [focused on His precepts and obey] His commandments (teachings), is a liar, and the truth [of the divine word] is not in him. But whoever habitually keeps His word and obeys His precepts [and treasures His message in its entirety], in him the love of God has truly been perfected [it is completed and has reached maturity]. By this we know [for certain] that we are in Him: whoever says he lives in Christ [that is, whoever says he has accepted Him as God and Savior] ought [as a moral obligation] to walk and conduct himself just as He walked and conducted Himself.”

The world always seems to revolve around the idea that every New Year is going to bring something better and that things will change in some way. But so often situations in people’s lives stay the same, year after year. WHY?

What about us? Are we growing? Or are we spiritually the same year after year? Why is it that some people show 30%, 60% and 100% growth, while some don’t show any growth and either show general disinterest or fully fall away?

It all has to do with our mindsets and what we are willing to put in. Are we truly willing to allow Christ to lead in our lives? Allowing Him to do this means we must be fully engaged in prayer, Bible study and meditation. In everything bringing ourselves into subjection (1 Corinthians 9:27).

In 1 Timothy 4:14-16 (AMP) Paul was encouraging Timothy to be growing so much that EVERYONE would be able to tell that he was making progress: “Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you, [that special endowment] which was intentionally bestowed on you [by the Holy Spirit] through prophetic utterance when the elders laid their hands on you [at your ordination]. Practice and work hard on these things; be absorbed in them [completely occupied in your ministry], so that your progress will be evident to all. Pay close attention to yourself [concentrate on your personal development] and to your teaching; persevere in these things [hold to them], for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.”

This edification is not always easy to maintain. We go through “seasons” in our lives where situations are not always easy to maintain where growth may feel incredibly painful and unbearable. But the truth is that if we maintain our relationship with God and Christ and we are moving forward, even if it is just on our hands and knees, like babies crawling forward, we will make it through whatever is thrown at us.  “Therefore, my beloved brothers and sisters, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord [always doing your best and doing more than is needed], being continually aware that your labor [even to the point of exhaustion] in the Lord is not futile nor wasted [it is never without purpose]” (1 Corinthians 15:58 AMP).

When we become weary and burdened by the lives we live, we must remember why we are here and why we continue to be dedicated to growing spiritually. It is not for our own glory:

“But grow [spiritually mature] in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory (honor, majesty, splendor), both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.”  This is truly the goal that each of us should be seeking daily. If we are careful to keep these things in mind we will be useful servants of God who are truly growing into the roles that He is preparing for us as Children in His soon coming Kingdom” (2 Peter 3:18 AMP).

Throughout the years we have written many articles and have given many messages about what we can expect in the upcoming year. We conclude the current year with a summary and review of what we all witnessed around the world and then we ask the question on what we can expect for the “new year.”  We make mention to the fact that Christ will return soon and that we need to be prepared for that, watching what is going on in the world in relation to biblical prophecy.  We have articles that were written over 10 years ago alluding to these statements, along with warnings of what the very near future is going to bring.

Even though these end-time prophecies revealed in the Bible haven’t come to pass, and we don’t know exactly when they will occur, we get more of an idea of how much closer we really are getting based on the situation we are currently in, and we can EXPECT things to get much worse.  We can see just how quickly time has passed in 10 years and we can see just how quickly the world has changed in just one year.  In just one year the livelihood of every individual around the globe has been affected and negatively impacted by just one virus.

The beginning of sorrows which Christ talks about in Matthew 24:4-8 is what we will be going through very shortly, yet the majority of the world doesn’t even realize it, or they do not understand what is really going to happen.  We have already experienced a small taste of what is described here with deception, false prophets, wars and rumors of wars, famines, diseases, and earthquakes in various places, but this is only the beginning.   Many do expect and believe that there will be an “end of the world” but how are they really preparing for it?  Are they preparing like God’s people are supposed to be? I dare to say that not even 1% of the entire population in the world has any understanding of what is going to come.

That which is certain is the fact that we do not know exactly when Christ will return (Matthew 24:36).  God says that a thousand years is like one day to Him as stated in 2 Peter 3:8, so imagine what only 10 years is like in God’s eyes.  What we do know is that the time is going to come when God has had enough, His patience will end and Christ’s coming will not be delayed anymore, and the horrible things that are prophesied in the Bible will begin to take place.

There are so many events that still need to come to pass before Christ’s return and we are certainly witnessing at this very moment the beginning stages of sorrows.  Things can develop so quickly and catch everyone off guard, which is why we can’t be slack in our responsibility to keep watching and being spiritually prepared (1 Thessalonians 5:1-4; Revelation 3:3).

We have just scratched the surface of what is imminent.  So again, we ask the question, what can we expect for this upcoming year?  Will it get better?  Based on what we are going through presently with man’s speculative measures in “controlling” the current pandemic, it would be extremely difficult to imagine that things will go back to “normal.” This is NOT what the Bible reveals.  We KNOW what is going to come and we had better make sure that we are on God’s side for OUR lives are in HIS hands.

When this Editorial is published, many are celebrating the lie of Christmas. The professing Christian world has embraced the Christmas story, allegedly in memory of the birth of Christ, while that holiday is pagan to the core and has nothing to do with our Savior. An “alternate” narrative of fake news has suppressed the Truth for almost 2,000 years and replaced it with human fairy tales inspired by Satan, thereby creating an alternate “reality.” But it is all nothing but a fanciful and harmful illusion.

We have witnessed another fanciful and harmful illusion—in fact, many of them—in the year 2020. If there was one development of events which had a common denominator and stood out more than any other, it would have been the role of the mass media, in conjunction with certain politicians and experts, in a combined effort to suppress and set aside the Truth, while publishing and propagating false and alternate narratives and fake-news “realities.”

Just think of governmental restrictions and lockdowns to combat the coronavirus pandemic, based many times on inflated figures of test results and “cases.” Much has been reported about the inaccuracies of the numbers, and you can read many articles in our weekly Updates quoting such information. The tragedy is, the mass media ignored the facts and engaged in a war against those who dared to disagree with the “official” opinions of Dr. Fauci and other “experts,” thereby allowing mainly left-wing state governments to engage in repeated lockdowns, while destroying the livelihood of small business owners and others and causing much more physical and mental harm to grandparents, parents, children and grandchildren than the coronavirus did or could have done.

You might also want to think of the mass media’s and the left-wing politicians’ treatment of violent demonstrations by, among others, the Antifa and Black Lives Matter movements, in combination with the attempt to destroy or rewrite America’s history and smash monuments of historical figures. If these events were reported at all, they were explained as legitimate expressions of concerns about racial discrimination, while those who pointed out the hypocrisy and racism on the part of violent demonstrators and their supporters were maligned and persecuted.

It should also not be surprising, of course, to realize that the presidential elections were rigged and stolen, according to the view of most Trump voters and many others. The mass media and many Democrats and anti-Trump groups have been trying desperately to suppress the evidence for such belief, even falsely alleging that claims of voter fraud and irregularities were baseless and without proof. This might backfire, as nearly 77% of Trump voters and over 35% of Independents and Democrats believe that the election was indeed stolen.

Long before Joe Biden became president-elect, as determined by the Electoral College in December, he was already referred to as such in the mass media, even though this was clearly premature and legally untenable. Worse yet, the mass media, being in cahoots with many Democrats, intentionally and willfully suppressed the Hunter Biden scandal until after the election, fearing that otherwise, their candidate would not win. They might have been right with that “concern.” It is telling that fifty-six percent of Americans believe it is likely Joe Biden was consulted and perhaps profited from his son Hunter’s overseas business deals, while fifty-two percent believe many news organizations ignored the Hunter Biden story to aid his father’s presidential campaign. In addition, according to one poll, seventeen percent of Biden voters said they would not have voted for him had they known what the national media refused to report. In another poll, at least 9.4 percent of Biden voters would have changed their vote if they had known about the Hunter Biden scandal. Many Americans who had already cast ballots in early voting unsuccessfully sought to change their votes after learning of the Hunter Biden emails.

Joe Biden has steadfastly refused to comment on his son’s alleged misconduct, except to say that he was totally uninformed about what his son was doing; that he did not obtain any financial benefits from his son’s conduct; that he trusts his son; and that he does not believe that his son did anything wrong. And that even though the evidence is mounting that all of these statements are dubious at best and false at worst. This got me thinking of God’s instructions in regard to the parent-child relationship; especially since Joe Biden is a practicing Catholic who claims to attend church every week.

There are many biblical examples of parents having been too negligent and permissive regarding their children’s unrighteous behavior. Eli knew about the corrupt conduct of his sons, but he did not prevent them from continuing in their service at the tabernacle (1 Samuel 2:12-17, 22-25).  A man of God told him that he honored his sons more than God (verse 29). Samuel did not correct his corrupt sons either, but let them continue in their ungodly behavior (1 Samuel 8:1-3). The same is true for David who did not rebuke his rebellious son Adonijah at any time (2 Samuel 23:5; 1 Kings 1:5-6). In every case, the consequences were disastrous.

It may be easy and convenient, as parents, to look the other way when it comes to their children, but this must not be done. We must follow God in everything, and we must love Him and His Word more than anyone or anything else, including our own mate, our families, our parents and our children, our friends, and even our own lives (Matthew 10:37-38; Luke 14:26). In Old Testament times, parents were asked not to tolerate the ungodly conduct of their unrepentant rebellious children. Rather, they had to show their disapproval, when called upon to do so (Deuteronomy 13:6-10; 21:18-21). The principle of physical or at least spiritual separation, if need be, still applies today, and it also applies, of course, to the children’s reaction towards the unrighteous behavior of their parents.

We are living in a thoroughly corrupt society, where anything goes. Every lie, every abomination is accepted and many times even propagated, while the truth is “fallen on the street” and “fails” (Isaiah 59:9-15). As true Christians, we cannot change society, realizing that this evil rotten world is Satan’s, not God’s. We should not expect to find righteousness where Satan governs, but we can and must pray for God’s Kingdom to come and His Government to be restored on this earth, while keeping ourselves unspotted from the world with its rulers, politicians and experts (James 1:27). And we must NEVER ever begin to justify and embrace the wrong ideas they stand for, nor tolerate and imitate their evil and corrupt actions.

This phrase, as quoted in the title of this Editorial, was coined by Pilate in the presence of Christ during His trial (John 18:38), just prior to His crucifixion. We know of course that the Bible tells us that God’s Word, the whole Bible, is Truth. So are His commandments.  Psalm 119:151 states: “You are near, O LORD, And all Your commandments are truth.”

John 17:17 quotes Christ’s words to the Father as follows: “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.”

Truth seems to be in short supply these days with all the lies, half-truths, gross exaggerations, hyperboles, and the miss-spoken (nice way to say that one lies) and false statements which are prevalent today. All of this adds credence to the old adage: “Believe nothing that you hear and only half of what you see.” This makes the world we live in pretty pathetic. The news media constantly pushes lies, and so do a lot of politicians and of course the governments, at times.

How did we reach such a state? The originator and father of lies is Satan, as stated by Christ in John 8:44: “You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.”

When dealing with man, Satan spoke that original lie to Eve in the Garden of Eden. Genesis 3:4 records this lie:  “Then the serpent said to the woman, ‘You will not surely die.’” By telling this lie to Eve, as they DID die, he was also saying that God was a liar who had told them they would die for eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Talk about twisting and perverting the Truth! Satan was guilty of what he was accusing God of, that is, of lying.

We see this approach today in some politicians. One in particular was accusing the President of the USA for four years of being a Russian spy, a collaborator with and an agent for Russia which was a blatant lie without merit or proof, but the mainstream media ate it up and spread that lie. In the last few days it has been revealed that in the past, that politician was apparently associated with a real Chinese spy who helped him raise money to get into Congress. So what he accused the President of was what he seemed to have been guilty of himself. This may help to explain why few people believe what politicians say.

Another politician spent four years saying without proof that he had evidence that the American President was colluding with the Russians. This turned out to be a lie, and that politician was called by a news commentator as being a “congenital liar.” That description would really look good on one’s resume!

Thankfully, this age of lies and deceit is coming to an end when we will have just government on earth under the leadership of Jesus Christ in the Millennium. Isaiah 9:7 reports in advance: “Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.”

Notice, judgment and justice will prevail from that time forward. It will be a world where lies and deception are no more, and when we can truly reap the fruits of Truth.