Dear Brethren and Friends,
Having celebrated the annual Fall Holy Days, including the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, the Feast of Tabernacles and the Last Great Day, we find ourselves back in this dark world which is ruled by Satan and his demons. Terrible shattering news reached us already during the Last Great Day when murderous Hamas terrorists inflicted unspeakable harm and evil on many innocent people.
While we focused on the wonderful world tomorrow during our Feast celebrations, when God will rule this earth for the very first time since Adam and Eve, we were shocked by the brutality of demonically inspired and possessed deceived Islamists whose expressed goal it is to wipe Israel off the map and to kill all Jews. Satan has been trying to do this time and again in the past, but he was and will be unsuccessful, because God’s plan requires the existence and survival of the Jewish people (Our free booklet, “The Fall and Rise of the Jewish People,” makes this very clear).
While in Germany, I could observe the miserable state the country is in, which in many ways mirrors the situation in the USA. In both countries, governmental leaders do not seem to know what they are doing. Creating one crisis after another, the respective “leadership” has lost popularity, and in Germany, they would not be reelected at this point. It does not appear that Joe Biden would be reelected either, if he runs again for the Presidency.
We know that the biblically prophesied beast will arise soon in Europe. He will be of German or Austrian descent, and in all probability, he will rise in Germany. But there does not seem to be a person on the horizon who clearly fulfills the characteristics of the beast. Some have speculated that Austria’s former Chancellor Sebastian Kurz could be the one, but this does not appear to be the case. Kurz is presently in legal trouble, and it will remain to be seen whether he will even survive those challenges. Others predicted, at times quite dogmatically, that Germany’s former Minister of Defense, Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, would be the beast, but he resigned in disgrace over the plagiarism of his doctrinal dissertation, faces a divorce and seems to have suffered, on and off, from depression. Their political agenda was quite contrary to what to expect from the ideas of the beast, and both have declared that they will not again get involved in politics. Of course, we realize that times can change, but for now, that is the state of affairs.
Neither in Austria nor in Germany do we presently see the manifestation of THE candidate who would clearly identify as the beast. The Bible gives us numerous characteristics to look for in that man and neither seem to apply to Kurz or Guttenberg. Decades ago, many in the Church felt that Germany’s Franz-Josef Strauss could have been the man, and later, that Austria’s Chancellor Joerg Haider might have been the one, but both died. It seems that every time, one is fixated on “determining” who the beast is/will be, one finds him- or herself on an erroneous pathway.
The same is true when one tries to determine the exact date of Christ’s return. All have been wrong in the past, and all will be wrong in the future. Christ said that even He does not know the day and the hour (Mark 13:32), and that He will come at a time when we don’t expect it (Matthew 24:44).
Regarding the beast, we are told that only the elect will be able to recognize him—those who have been written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the earth (Revelation 13:8, 18; 17:8). All those “out there” who tell us that they have figured out the name of the end-time beast and his number and that they know who he is are and must be wrong, since they did not receive God’s wisdom and understanding to make that determination.
Having said all of this, we must not forget the fact that the time for the establishment of the Kingdom of God here on earth is getting closer. Christ said when the true gospel of the Kingdom of God is being preached in all the world as a witness to all nations, then the end will come (Matthew 24:14). This sign is being fulfilled today in front of your very eyes. We also know from biblical prophecy that the end will come when the tenth and last revival of the ancient Roman Empire has been established in Europe—and observing the times, this event is being carefully staged on the world scene. Germany will arise out of their present disastrous condition under a changed “right” leadership (Please read our new free booklet, “The Rise and Fall of Germany and Europe”).
Under German leadership, Europe will act with hostility towards the USA and the UK. It will also continue to act with hostility towards Israel, in collaboration with many Arab nations, such as Saudi-Arabia, Jordan, Iraq and Turkey, as well as the Palestinians and Islamist terrorist groups under Iran’s leadership (compare Psalm 83:1-8). Antisemitism has never died in Europe, and right now, it is raising its ugly head once again, and in a demonic twist, many support Hamas and the Palestinians against Israel. In spite of or perhaps because of the present turmoil in the Middle East, a third temple will be built in Jerusalem, and preparations are in high gear to bring this event about. America and the United Kingdom have lost their former glory, and their continuing downfall is irreversible, and only those who are blind cannot see this. The war between Russia and Ukraine will lead to a collaboration between these two powers, together with China, North Korea and other Far Eastern countries—all in opposition to Europe. And it appears that Taiwan will fall into China’s hands.
Many more prophetic events are coming to fruition, as we speak.
When we see all these things, how much more diligence do we have to show to make our calling and election sure (2 Peter 1:10; compare also 2 Peter 3:11)! This is not the time to give up and fall away and go back into the world from which we were freed (2 Peter 2:20). This is the time to look with great anticipation to our unique and incredible future (Please read our new free booklet, “God Is… Our Destiny”).
Let’s be and stay strong, brethren. Times are tough and will get tougher, because Satan, the god and ruler of this world, wants nothing more than to destroy mankind and especially God’s people. But GOD is stronger than Satan. Nothing will overtake us without God’s knowledge, and HE will show us THE sometimes unexpected and surprising way of escape in times of trouble (1 Corinthians 10:13). And we have this promise in Romans 16:20: “… the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly.”
With Christian love,
Norbert Link
