Update 1038

On September 10, 2022, Kalon Mitchell will present the sermonette, titled, “So You Wanna Fight?” and Michael Link will present the sermon, titled, “Fight Like Christians.”

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

The other night, my wife and I were discussing the topic of having purpose. We talked about how achievement and success in life come oftentimes as a result of purpose, especially for true Christians, rather than by accident or luck. In reading popular literature about how to achieve success, a common theme involves having a very clear, definitive purpose that directs decisions and motivates action. That purpose, whatever it might be for an individual, helps to focus attention and overcome obstacles that stand in between him or her and the desired results.

On the face of it, this sounds well and good. I’m sure that having a clearly defined purpose actually works to help people achieve their goals. But sometimes, defining a personal purpose can be elusive. Such a simple question as “what is your purpose?” can stop many people, including me, dead in their tracks. The question is easy to ask, but the answer demands completeness that is not so simple to provide.

Without intending to diminish the achievements of anyone who has found meaning in their own life through a clearly defined, singular purpose, I have personally found goals measured in worldly achievements to be hollow. I believe that Solomon probably felt the same. In Ecclesiastes, he wrote about all of the amazing feats that he managed to accomplish in his life. He built great houses, vineyards, gardens, orchards, and water pools. He accumulated many servants, herds of animals, silver, gold, and treasures from many lands. By all measures, he achieved great success (compare Ecclesiastes 2:1-10). Yet, he knew that those achievements lacked meaning when considering his life in worldly terms, observing, “Therefore I turned my heart and despaired of all the labor in which I had toiled under the sun.   For there is a man whose labor is with wisdom, knowledge, and skill; yet he must leave his heritage to a man who has not labored for it. This also is vanity and a great evil” (Ecclesiastes 2:20-21). Even with a purpose that led him to great worldly success, Solomon found a lack of meaning.

For me, purpose in life is multi-dimensional. This is why it is incomplete to proclaim that one single thing defines my purpose with detailed clarity and enough precision to make it deeply personal. In a contrasting example, some athletes may find their purpose in being the best possible ball player they can be. That one thing is enough to drive them to their success. But for me, and I dare say, for all true Christians, we want much more than what the world can offer us.

Solomon concludes at the end of his meditation on life’s meaning, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man’s all” (Ecclesiastes 12:13). In this simple statement, he gives us the standard Christian purpose in life. To obey God is the one thing that we all need as our guide to direct our actions so that we can successfully seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness (compare Matthew 6:33). This purpose applies to all Christians. But all by itself, it is not highly personalized. The fact is, God made us as individuals, with skills, ideas, personalities, and unique proclivities that layer on top of the standard Christian purpose. To be complete, our purpose starts with God and continues with an expression of ourselves, consistent with our commitment to Him.

We all have unique qualities that make us who we are. These are gifts from God, which we are supposed to use! We do not want to be the kind of wicked servant who chooses to not use what God gives us (compare Matthew 25:24-30). The ultimate purpose in our life comes from God, “who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began” (compare 2 Timothy 1:9). To truly define our purpose then, we must begin by understanding God’s purpose for us. We can clearly see that it consists of bringing us, as unique individuals, into His Family. Knowing this, we can be confident in having a multitudinous purpose that begins with God, fulfills our individuality, and leads to glorious results.

by Norbert Link

We begin with the death of Queen Elizabeth and Charles becoming the new King!

We report the weakness of Germany’s opposition leader, Friedrich Merz, and with an alarming report on many Germans’ feelings towards the Jewish people; and continue with further nightmares for especially Germans because of the shutdown of the Nord Stream 1 Pipeline.

We continue with outrageous remarks of President Biden which disunite and divide the country even further; and address, what has been described as his “supreme hypocrisy,” as well as his and his son’s alleged corruption in Ukraine; and questionable polls related to the popular lead of either Biden or Trump.

We speak on the UK’s new Prime Minister and California’s abominable new law pertaining to abortion and the killing of babies AFTER birth; the ongoing and troublesome rift between the Royal family and Harry and Meghan; and the assassination attempt on Argentina’s deeply divisive Vice President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, worsening tensions in a deeply divided nation.

We address the accusation of Israel’s massive cover-up regarding COVID-vaccinations and speak about horrible medical experiments on Beagles; and conclude with Pope Francis’s decision to dissolve the leadership of the Knights of Malta, apparently for strictly political reasons.

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

Charles Is the New King!

BBC wrote on September 8: 

“At the moment the Queen died, the throne passed immediately and without ceremony to the heir, Charles, the former Prince of Wales… He will be known as King Charles III… Although he is heir to the throne, Prince William will not automatically become Prince of Wales. However, he immediately inherits his father’s other title, Duke of Cornwall. His wife Catherine will be known as the Duchess of Cornwall. There will also be a new title for Charles’ wife, whose full title will be Queen Consort – consort is the term used for the spouse of the monarch.  

“In the first 24 hours or so after his mother’s death, Charles will be officially proclaimed King. This happens at St James’s Palace in London, in front of a ceremonial body known as the Accession Council. This is made up of members of the Privy Council – a group of senior MPs, past and present, and peers – as well as some senior civil servants, Commonwealth high commissioners, and the Lord Mayor of London…The King does not traditionally attend….

“At the meeting, the death of Queen Elizabeth will be announced by the Lord President of the Privy Council (currently Penny Mordaunt MP), and a proclamation will be read aloud… This proclamation is then signed by a number of senior figures including the prime minister, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and the Lord Chancellor… The Accession Council meets again – usually a day later – and this time, the King will attend, along with the Privy Council. There is no ‘swearing in’ at the start of a British monarch’s reign, in the style of some other heads of state, such as the President of the US. But there is a declaration made by the new King and – in line with a tradition dating from the early 18th Century – he will make an oath to preserve the Church of Scotland… 

“He will call: ‘God save the King’, and for the first time since 1952, when the national anthem is played the words will be ‘God Save the King’…  The symbolic high point of the accession will be the coronation, when Charles is formally crowned. Because of the preparation needed, the coronation is not likely to happen very soon after Charles’s accession – Queen Elizabeth succeeded to the throne in February 1952, but was not crowned until June 1953. For the past 900 years the coronation has been held in Westminster Abbey – William the Conqueror was the first monarch to be crowned there, and Charles will be the 40th.

“It is an Anglican religious service, carried out by the Archbishop of Canterbury. At the climax of the ceremony, he will place St Edward’s Crown on Charles’s head – a solid gold crown, dating from 1661. This is the centrepiece of the Crown Jewels at the Tower of London, and is only worn by the monarch at the moment of coronation itself (not least because it weighs a hefty 2.23kg). 

“The new King will take the coronation oath in front of the watching world. During this elaborate ceremony he will receive the orb and sceptre as symbols of his new role and the Archbishop of Canterbury will place the solid gold crown on his head… Charles has become head of the Commonwealth, an association of 56 independent countries and 2.4 billion people. For 14 of these countries, as well as the UK, the King is head of state. These countries, known as the Commonwealth realms, are: Australia, Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Belize, Canada, Grenada, Jamaica, Papua New Guinea, St Christopher and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, New Zealand, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu.”

German Opposition Leader Friedrich Merz Giving in to Woke Insanity and Cancel Culture

Bild International wrote on August 3:

“For weeks, the head of the conservative CDU party, Friedrich Merz (66), had been looking forward to his meeting with top Republican senator and Trump supporter Lindsey Graham (67). But Graham called the meeting off – and accused Merz of cancel culture!

“The background: on 31 August, Merz and Graham were scheduled to appear on a stage together at an event run by the conservative thinktank ‘The Republic’. On Tuesday, Merz called off his participation in the event. He said he still wants to meet Graham, but elsewhere. BILD has learned from Merz’s circles that the head of the CDU was unhappy about the presence of lawyer Joachim Steinhöfel (60), who was due to be on stage a few hours before Merz. In the past, Steinhöfel has represented, among others, AfD politicians – as well as right-wing populist Max Otte (57) in the trial to exclude him from the conservative party….

“Immediately after Merz called off his participation at the event, strong criticism came from the US. Former US ambassador Richard Grenell (55) wrote on Twitter that the head of the CDU ‘bows to the woke mob’. The ‘intolerant left’ does not accept diverging views, Grenell claims. ‘They cancel anyone who they don’t agree with.’ His conclusion: ‘Shame on wimpy Merz’…

“For weeks, the head of the CDU had been criticized because of his meeting with Graham. When Steinhöfel’s participation became known, Konstantin von Notz (51), MP of the Greens, scolded: ‘Someone who participates in events like this makes himself politically unacceptable’.

“For Steinhöfel, the alleged reason for Merz’s cancellation, it is clear that Merz got cold feet because of the criticism by the Greens. Merz’s reasons for the cancellation are ‘unconvincing and opportunistic’, Steinhöfel told BILD. He denies that he is close to the AfD…

“Now the US Republicans have made Merz pay the price for possibly giving in to the criticism from the left and the Greens …”

With such a weak opposition leader, Germany’s current political landscape is doomed.

Over One Third of Germans Believe Israel Treats Palestinians as Nazis

Times of Israel wrote on September 2:

“A new survey by an independent German foundation [the Bertelsmann Stiftung] has found that over a third of Germans believe Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians is essentially the same as the Nazi genocide of the Jews during the Holocaust….

“In response to another question, 24% of German respondents said Jews have too much influence in the world… When asked about the lasting role of the Holocaust in relations, 58% of Israelis agreed or strongly agreed with the sentiment that Germany ‘has a special responsibility for the Jewish people,’ compared to only 35% of Germans.”

Anti-Semitism in Germany is much higher than commonly reported.

Gazprom Shuts Down Nord Stream 1 Pipeline

The Week wrote on September 2:

“Russia on Friday indefinitely halted natural gas imports to Europe through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, adding to fears of a looming European energy crisis. Energy company Gazprom, which… is controlled by the Kremlin, said it would not restart the pipeline on Saturday (as planned) due to an oil leak; the company also did not give an estimate as to when service might resume. The pipeline had been closed since Wednesday for maintenance… Notably, the announcement from Gazprom arrived not long after G-7 countries said they’d be imposing a cap on the price of Russian oil so as to ding Moscow (and its war in Ukraine) financially…

“Europe is decently dependent on Russian gas … and a blow to its supply just before winter is the last thing the continent needs… Plus, Moscow has already retaliated against certain European countries who refused to pay for supplies in rubles, while Gazprom has kept flows through Nord Stream 1 ‘to just 20 percent of its capacity’ since June, ‘citing maintenance issues and a dispute over a missing turbine caught up in Western export sanctions.’”

The New York Post wrote on September 3:

“The planned reopening of Russia’s main gas pipeline to Germany was halted… deepening fears of a winter energy crisis throughout Europe… The announcement fueled accusations that Russia is seeking to weaponize its sway over the world energy market. ‘This was predictable, and it was predicted,” former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo wrote Saturday… ‘I warned Germany not to rely on Russian energy,’ he continued. ‘Energy security is national security, which is why we must regain our energy independence.’

“President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine also took to social media to condemn the development. ‘When a state turns energy poverty or hunger into a weapon, it harms everyone in the world,’ Zelensky wrote…  A Kremlin spokesman responded that Russia would halt all sales of its oil to countries that follow through on the price-cap threat.

“Meanwhile, the fourth and last external power line at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant — Europe’s largest – went down Saturday after heavy shelling in the area, leaving only a reserve line to supply Ukrainian-held territories with electricity, the head of the UN nuclear watchdog said.”

German energy giant Siemens is questioning the accuracy of Gazprom’s representation, stating that maintenance and equipment issues are in no way responsible for the shutdown… which should be obvious anyhow. The question is, how will that rift be resolved? In the meantime, Europeans and especially Germans are hurting tremendously from ever-increasing ASTRONOMICAL gas prices, due to unwise and incompetent German politicians who were responsible for an unhealthy reliance on Russia. Now, they do not know what to do… and the European people are HURTING and are becoming more and more frustrated with their helpless governments and “leaders.”

Biden’s Supreme Hypocrisy

The New York Post wrote on September 2:

“President Biden made history Thursday night with the first prime-time presidential speech with a backdrop inspired by the movie ‘V for Vendetta’ and Nazi filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl. The harsh red atmospherics perfectly complemented Biden’s attempt to portray ex-President Donald Trump and Republicans as the Antichrist waiting to crucify American democracy. But the most important takeaway from the speech is the supreme hypocrisy of Biden’s Supreme Leader Democracy.

“Biden, speaking from Philadelphia, invoked the Declaration of Independence to sanctify his spiel. But he omitted quoting the line most relevant today from the author of that declaration. ‘An elective despotism was not the government we fought for,’ Thomas Jefferson warned in 1784.’s

“Biden invoked the ‘rule of law’ five times, notwithstanding his 20 months of dictatorial decrees. Law professor Jonathan Turley observed, ‘President Biden has arguably the worst record of losses in [federal court] the first two years of any recent presidential administration.’ One year ago, Biden went prime-time for his COVID-mandate speech — an illegal decree to inject more than 80 million private employees that got smashed by the Supreme Court. Biden dictated the moratorium on evicting renters would continue, but the Supreme Court overruled him, scoffing at the administration’s attempt to justify the edict by an old law dealing with ‘fumigation and pest extermination.’

“In his litany of Republican sins Thursday, Biden huffed, ‘Can you believe it? — FBI agents just doing their job as directed, facing threats to their own lives from their own fellow citizens.’ But there’s a reason most Americans view the FBI as Joe Biden’s personal Gestapo. Are FBI agents ‘doing their jobs as directed’ when they hound and vilify parents who protested at school-board meetings? Biden personally thanked the head of the National School Boards Association for sending the inflammatory letter to the White House that provided a pretext for the FBI vendetta. The FBI ‘has labeled at least dozens of investigations into parents’ with a terrorist-threat tag, according to House Republicans. And we are still learning about the FBI’s role in suppressing damning evidence from Hunter Biden’s laptop prior to the 2020 election…

“Biden’s entire presidency is a mockery of this nation’s founding principles. In 1798, Thomas Jefferson warned, ‘In questions of power then, let no more be heard of confidence in man, but bind him down from mischief by the chains of the constitution.’ If a president refuses to be bound by the Constitution, he is behaving like a dictator.”

Biden IS behaving like a dictator.

Biden–the Divider in Chief

The Daily Mail wrote on September 3:

“Biden’s speech to the nation at Philadelphia’s Independence Hall… was horrifying…

“Biden is turning Americans against one another – and it’s nightmarish. And it wasn’t just his toxic words. Look at the bizarre and apocalyptic optics of the speech. He stood at his podium in front of murky red lighting: this was the backdrop of a dictator from a science fiction movie, not the democratically elected President of America…

“Everything about his rhetoric last night was upsetting and confusing. Most importantly, it was not inspirational or uniting… [Biden could turn out to be] one of the most infamous failures of a one-term presidents.”

In a related article, Daily Mail wrote on September 3:

“Less than 24-hours after delivering the darkest, most toxic presidential speech of the modern era, the Commander in Chief is trying to gaslight America to believe he didn’t say what it just heard him say…. The stage’s backdrop looked more like the demonic spawn pool of Satan rather than the patriotic birthplace of our republic….

“As an address to the nation as a whole, intended to start bridging divides and save democracy, it was a Kabul-sized catastrophe. And there’s no walking back from that.”

A terrible testimony of America’s alleged freedom. And as usual, Biden tries to “clarify” or deny what he clearly said in front of millions of Americans who cared to listen to him… and who do not buy his “clarification.” That is, they had better not.

Biden Condemned for His Divisive Speech

Breitbart wrote on September 4:

“Conservatives on social media reacted to President Joe Biden’s recent divisive political speech, in which he referred to ‘MAGA Republicans’ as a ‘threat’ to ‘the very soul of this nation,’ by sarcastically explaining how they are threats to the nation as well.

“‘I go to work. I work hard. I go to the gym. I hunt. I fish. I spend time with friends and family. I pay my taxes and don’t break the law. I play disc golf. I am a threat to the very soul of this nation,’ one Twitter user wrote. ‘I’m a registered nurse nearing retirement,’ another explained. ‘I like taking walks and reading mystery novels. I adopted a baby and she’s now an engineering student with a scholarship. I pay my taxes. I don’t break the law. I am a threat to the very soul of this nation.’ ‘I work hard, garden, cook, bake, spin, knit weave and throw pots. I’ve been married 33 years and have two grown kids. I’ve owned businesses and pay taxes. I am a threat to the very soul of this nation,’ a third said…

“‘I’m retired LE. I own my home. I believe in God. I believe life begins at conception. I enjoy the outdoors, going to the gym and riding my road bicycle. I also teach people to use firearms safely and responsibly. I am a threat to the very soul of the nation,’ another proclaimed. ‘I’m a mom, I take care of my sick mother, who can’t live on her own. I love my dogs and I cook “real food” for them twice a day, everyday. I just bought my first house, and I love to decorate and bake goodies for my neighbors. I am a threat to the very soul of this nation,’ another echoed. ‘I work 40 hrs per week. Watch my grandsons after work while my daughter goes to trade school. Pay taxes. Work part time for a charity. Cook and clean for my grandkids and love my dogs! I am a threat to the very soul of this nation,’ another Twitter user wrote…

“‘I go to work. I work two jobs in the school system. I have two dogs and rescue cats. I spend my time with my two granddaughters. I pay my taxes and don’t break the law. I am a threat to the very soul of this nation,’ another Twitter user chimed in. ‘I’m a 63 yr old single grandmother. I take care of disabled seniors, my 21 yr old blind deaf and dying cat, I don’t drink or do drugs. I spend quality time with my kids/grandkids. I’m a threat to the soul of this very nation,’ another tweeted.”

The dangerous stupidity of Biden’s comments can hardly be over-emphasized.

Biden’s Corruption in Ukraine

LifeSiteNews published on September 2 a lengthy article with detailed facts allegedly showing the corruption involving Hunter Biden’s scheme in Ukraine and Joe Biden’s participation. The article summarizes the findings as follows:

 “The emails on Hunter Biden’s laptop, combined with Joe Biden’s own words and actions, prove beyond all doubt that:

“The ‘ultimate purpose’ of Hunter Biden’s multi-million deal with Burisma was to ‘close down’ all criminal ‘cases/pursuits against’ the firm’s owner.

“In November 2015, Hunter agreed to get ‘high-ranking US officials’ to visit Ukraine and persuade the nation’s leaders to end all investigations into the owner. Two ‘key targets’ of this mission were the ‘President of Ukraine’ and the ‘Prosecutor General.’

“In December 2015, Joe Biden visited Ukraine and told its president and prime minister that he would withhold U.S. aid to their nation unless they fired the prosecutor general.

“Those actions, which are complemented by a wealth of incriminating facts, align with textbook definitions of nepotism, bribery, extortion and obstruction of justice.  Yet, major media outlets, big tech companies, fact checkers, former U.S. intelligence officials, and active government officials within the FBI and Department of Justice played major roles in keeping this information from the American people.”

Corruption and censorship galore.

Biden Is Leading Trump?

Breitbart wrote on September 3:

“President Joe Biden leads former President Donald Trump by 6 points in a 2024 hypothetical matchup, a Wall Street Journal poll found Friday. The poll asked respondents, ‘Hypothetically, if the 2024 election for President were held today and the candidates were Joe Biden, the Democrat, and Donald Trump, the Republican, for whom would you vote?’

“Fifty percent chose Biden, while only 44 percent selected Trump. Six percent were undecided. In March, the poll had both Biden and Trump tied at 45 percent with nine percent undecided. In November, the poll had Biden leading by one point (46-45 percent) with 10 percent undecided…

“The poll was critisized on Twitter for being a ‘push poll,’ which means the poll was conducted with a predetermined outcome to impact how Americans feel about the hypothetical matchup between Trump and Biden… The WSJ poll comes as nine other polls have shown Trump leading Biden by one to seven points. In a poll last weekend by McLaughlin and Associates, Trump led Biden by 4 points in a potential 2024 presidential matchup.”

This shows how manipulative and unreliable polls are. But that the conservative Wall Street Journal would conduct and publish such a questionable poll is interesting.

Special Master to Be Appointed in Trump Case

Breitbart wrote on September 5:

“A federal judge on Monday granted former President Donald Trump’s request that a special master review items the FBI seized from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence and also halted the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) use of the items for ‘investigative purposes.’…

“[The Judge] added that there was a risk of the DOJ leaking materials that would cause harm to the former president.”

California’s Proposed Radical Abortion Bill

LifeSiteNews wrote on September 1:

“California legislators this week sent a raft of pro-abortion bills to Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk for a signature. Among the measures was… a deeply controversial bill that would prohibit investigation into the death of an unborn child and provide legal protections for anyone who obtains or helps someone obtain an abortion.

“The bill also contains language that pro-life attorneys have warned could be interpreted as decriminalizing infanticide… Gov. Newsom is expected to approve the measure.”

How can ANYONE justify these ungodly concepts???

The UK’s New Prime Minister

The Associated Press wrote on September 7:

“Liz Truss became U.K. prime minister on Tuesday and immediately faced up to the enormous tasks ahead of her: curbing soaring prices, boosting the economy, easing labor unrest and fixing a national health care system burdened by long waiting lists and staff shortages. Truss quickly began appointing senior members of her Cabinet as she tackles an inbox dominated by the energy crisis triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which threatens to push energy prices to unaffordable levels, shuttering businesses and leaving the nation’s poorest people shivering at home this winter…

“Truss became prime minister a day after the ruling Conservative Party chose her as its leader in an election where the party’s 172,000 dues-paying members were the only voters. As party leader, Truss automatically became prime minister without the need for a general election because the Conservatives still have a majority of lawmakers in the House of Commons. But as a national leader selected by less than 0.5% of British adults, Truss is under pressure to show quick results…”

Breitbart added on September 5:

“The public is never told of what happens in confidence between Prime Minister and Monarch, but some may wonder whether Truss’s history of calling for the abolition of the monarchy at a Liberal Democrat party conference in 1994 will be brought up between the two. Judging by her past performance — from campaigning in favour of staying in the EU and high-profile gaffes when in power, to the green agenda and open borders policy proposals she has laid out during the leadership campaign — Britons can expect to see more globalist governance…  as the culture and country are slowly destroyed…

“The migrant crisis, alongside the soaring cost of living, inflation, and fears over potential energy blackouts during the Winter all spells for a difficult future for Truss, who faces becoming the first incumbent Tory prime minister to lose to the opposition Labour party since John Major’s defeat to Tony Blair in 1997. With the next general election quickly approaching, Truss will have to act quickly, decisively, and most importantly conservatively.”

Rift Between the Royal Family and Harry and Meghan Continues

MailOnline published on September 4 an extremely lengthy and seemingly never-ending article (which is not untypical for MailOnline or the Daily Mail). We just quote the following highlights:

“As Meghan and Harry land in UK, royal insiders hit back at [the] ‘tragic and delusional’ couple’s sniping and reveal the ‘toll’ it is taking on the Queen, 96, who resents ‘waiting for the next nuclear bomb’… The Duke and Duchess of Sussex opened up a new rift in their feud with the Royal Times this week when former Suits actress Meghan let off another round of ‘truth bombs’ in her new Spotify podcast and an astonishing US interview where she said she had been compared to South African hero Nelson Mandela and claimed Harry had ‘lost’ his father Charles during Megxit…

“Sources also rubbished Meghan’s claim South Africa celebrated her wedding like they had Mandela’s release in her interview with the ‘woke’ magazine The Cut, raging: ‘The whole thing is just staggering. Nelson Mandela? Who’s next, Gandhi? There are simply no words for the delusion and tragedy of it all.‘

“They also claimed that the Queen, who is now 96 and has pulled out of a string of public events in recent months amid ongoing fears for her health, does not ‘want to be on tenterhooks’ and constantly waiting for the ‘next nuclear bomb’. And Charles’s friends told the paper that the jibes continue to be ‘painful’ for him.”

One wonders what will happen when the Queen dies…

Assassination Attempt on Argentina’s Vice President

The Associated Press wrote on September 3:

“As Argentina’s powerful Vice President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner stepped from her car outside her apartment building and began shaking hands with a throng of well-wishers, a man pushed forward with a gun, pointed it just inches from her face and pulled the trigger with a distinct click. The loaded weapon evidently jammed… the apparent assassination attempt against the deeply divisive figure Thursday night shook Argentina — a country with a history of political violence — and worsened tensions in the sharply divided nation…

“The country’s political leaders quickly condemned the attempted shooting as an assault on democracy and the rule of law, with President Alberto Fernández holding a late-night national broadcast to tell Argentines just how close the vice president came to being killed… Some condemned the political opposition, saying its verbal attacks against the vice president motivated the gunman. Several political leaders similarly accused opposition politicians and media outlets of fomenting violence…

“No politician awakens more passion in Argentina than Fernández, revered by some for her left-leaning social welfare policies and reviled by others as corrupt and power-hungry. The left-of-center leader is on trial on corruption charges involving public works while she was president from 2007 to 2015… She has vehemently denied all charges and cast herself as a victim of political persecution…

“Fernández has been at the center stage of Argentine political life for almost two decades. She was the country’s charismatic first lady during President Néstor Kirchner’s 2003-07 administration, then succeeded her husband…

“Brazil’s far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, who has frequently criticized the left-leaning Argentine government, weighed in Friday on the apparent assassination attempt. ‘I lament it, and there are people already trying to blame me for that problem,’ Bolsonaro said. ‘It is good that the attacker didn’t know how to use a gun, otherwise he would have been successful.’”

This world is a powder keg, ready to explode.

Israel Accused of Cover-Up!

Israel 365 wrote on September 7:

“In a scathing letter published on Friday, the executive director of the Vaccine Safety Research Foundation (vacsafety.org), Steve Kirsch, accused Israel’s Health Ministry of deliberately covering up ‘serious safety problems’ in the covid vaccine…

“According to their findings, the COVID vaccines were far more dangerous than international health authorities claimed. The panel discovered ‘serious adverse events,’ Pfizer or any world government never disclosed those side effects. Contrary to what the public was told, the events were long-term. ‘They also determined causality… Causality was both obvious and easy to prove using the re-challenge data that was collected…’, Kirsch wrote.

“The panel concluded that the Israeli government misled the People of Israel… He adds that the Ministry of Health released a fake report to give the impression that the vaccines were safer than the data showed. The only reason the coverup has been exposed is thanks to the whistleblower who leaked the secret meeting between the Ministry of Health and Berkowitz’s panel. Kirsch concluded his piece by calling for an investigation into the Health Ministry’s corruption and lies.”

Abused Beagles Freed

Fox News wrote on September 2:

“The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) on Thursday announced that it has completed its mission to rescue 4,000 beagles from what it termed an inhumane breeding facility in Virginia. The dogs were recovered from a Cumberland-based medical contract breeding facility called Envigo, which has been accused of housing the dogs under poor conditions and then selling them to laboratories for scientific testing purposes, including the… National institute of Health… on average, 60,000 dogs are still used in laboratories each year…

“The complaint [by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and other law enforcement agencies] alleged the dogs received inadequate medical care and were subject to painful medical science experiments. Court records stated that more than 300 puppies died at the facility between January and July of last year.”

“Beagles are preferred for animal testing because they are ‘docile, sweet, trusting, and they don’t fight back,’ according to the Beagle Freedom Project.”

These medical “experiments” with Beagles and other animals are sickening.

Pope Dissolves Leadership of Knights of Malta

Reuters wrote on September 3:

“Pope Francis on Saturday dissolved the leadership of the Knights of Malta, the global Catholic religious order and humanitarian group, and installed a provisional government ahead of the election of a new Grand Master. The change, which the pope issued in a decree, came after five years of often acrimonious debate within the order and between some top members of the old guard and the Vatican over a new constitution that some feared would weaken its sovereignty.

“The group, whose formal name is Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St. John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta, was founded in Jerusalem nearly 1,000 years ago to provide medical aid for pilgrims in the Holy Land. It now has a multi-million dollar budget, 13,500 members, 95,000 volunteers and 52,000 medical staff running refugee camps, drug treatment centres, disaster relief programs and clinics around the world.

“The order has been very active in helping Ukrainian refugees and war victims. It has no real territory apart from a palace and offices in Rome and a fort in Malta, but is recognised as a sovereign entity with its own passports and licence plates. It has diplomatic relations with 110 states and permanent observer status at the United Nations, allowing to act as a neutral party in relief efforts in war zones…

“But as a religious order, it had to remain under the auspices of the Vatican, said Cardinal Gianfranco Ghirlanda, a member of the working group that prepared the new constitution approved by the pope on Saturday… Francis convoked an extraordinary general chapter for Jan. 25 to begin the process of electing a new Grand Master.

“Under the previous constitution, the top Knights and the Grand Master were required to have noble lineage, something reformers said excluded nearly everyone except Europeans from serving in top roles.”

It has been the goal of Pope Francis to include more and more non-Europeans in the Catholic hierarchy. This could backfire.

Acknowledgement and Disclaimer

These Current Events are compiled and commented on by Norbert Link. We gratefully acknowledge the many contributions of news articles from our readership. The publication of articles in this section is not to be viewed as an endorsement or approval as to contents or accuracy of the selected articles, but they are published for the purpose of pointing at worldwide developments in the light of biblical end-time prophecy and godly instruction. Our own comments are provided in italics.

It is virtually impossible to fully reflect the influence that the Bible has had on so many nations around the world.   Many books could be written on this subject and still not exhaust the many ways that God’s Word has influenced so many people and nations over a long and sustained period of time.   However, in an increasingly secular and disbelieving world, its contents are ridiculed by many as being irrelevant and out-of-date, but how wrong are they who believe such things.   The Word of God has much to say to those who would mock and ridicule its relevance and veracity. We read in Proverbs 1:7: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction.”

Because of the enormity of the subject and to help us achieve this in a relatively brief way, we will quote selectively from different sources to make the point that the Bible has impacted society enormously; much more than we may at first realise.

The Guinness Book of Records states as of June 2020, the following:

“Although it is impossible to obtain exact figures, there is little doubt that the Bible is the world’s best-selling and most widely distributed book. A survey by the Bible Society concluded that around 2.5 billion copies were printed between 1815 and 1975, but more recent estimates put the number at more than 5 billion.

“By the end of 1995, combined global sales of Today’s English Version (Good News) New Testament and Bible (copyright for which is held by the Bible Societies) exceeded 17.75 million copies, and the whole Bible had been translated into 349 languages; 2,123 languages have at least one book of the Bible in that language.”

The influence of the Bible on society has been important throughout history. As the 18^th century philosopher Immanuel Kant wrote, “The existence of the Bible, as a book for people, is the greatest benefit that the human race has ever experienced.  Every attempt to belittle it is a crime against humanity.”

On the website crossfire-it.info, we read the following:

“The Bible in English Culture”:

“A unifying factor

“The Bible has been a significant component of English life for many centuries, particularly since the publication of the Authorized Version of the Bible in 1611, with which every citizen was expected to be familiar. It has contributed to developments in civil life, the arts and science.

“Influence on the law

“The Bible features heavily in the architecture and decoration of the Houses of Parliament paying silent tribute to its significance in English jurisprudence. Many old parish churches still have copies of the Ten Commandments on the walls, underlining the importance of the Bible for providing the moral cohesion of society. Most British law is ultimately derived from the codes of law within the Bible, of which the Ten Commandments is pre-eminent. The equality of all people before the law is another of its legacies.

“Cultural influence

“The Bible has for centuries fired and filled the imaginations of artists of all genres. The great masters – the painters of the European Renaissance and those who followed them- frequently re-presented the great stories of the Bible, including the annunciation, birth, baptism, and temptations of Jesus at the beginning of his ministry, the Last Supper and the crucifixion, followed by scenes of his resurrection. Sculptors have portrayed its characters such as Michael Angelo’s David or Epstein’s Jacob.”

To clarify at this point, we are in no way endorsing depictions of Jesus Christ, as they violate God’s Second Commandment. We just quote these excerpts to show the influence the Bible has had even on artists, however inappropriate their depictions might have been. Continuing:

“Words and music

“The Bible is the main source of inspiration for some of Britain’s greatest works of literature such as Milton’s Paradise Lost or John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress. The foundations of English theatre were laid by medieval plays based on biblical events. Frequently biblical teachings are the sub text of Shakespeare’s plays, which often refer to them. Even when authors may have been hardly conscious of the connections, the Bible’s phrases have enriched their language and its themes provided them with avenues of exploration.

“Many composers have produced major works exploring biblical accounts, such as Handel’s Elijah and The Messiah, or more recently Jesus Christ Superstar, GodSpell and Joseph and the Technicolour Dream Coat.”

Again, this is just quoted to show the impact the Bible has had on composers, without endorsing some of those pieces. Continuing:

“The Bible and science

 “Most people imagine that there is an inevitable conflict between Genesis and Darwin’s theory of evolution, but right from the start there have been ministers and biblical scholars who have supported his essential insights, and scientists who have challenged them, as continues today.

“More fundamentally, there is a strong case for claiming that it is the consistency and coherence of the biblical understanding of God, and the reliability of the universe which follows from this, which provided a substantial contribution to the development of the Enlightenment and the sciences which have flowed from it. From a philosophical standpoint these fundamental assumptions are a necessary foundation for science.”

There can be no doubt, however, that Darwinism and the teaching of the Bible are incompatible. Any attempt to reconcile the two is doomed to failure. Continuing:

“Wider social impact

 “The Bible has also contributed to the wider cultural and social context in the United Kingdom.  In short the social institutions and safeguards, as well as many of the benefits people take for granted, were supported by the understanding of human life which was found within the Bible. In this sense, the foundations of Britain’s culture and society can truly be said to be biblical.

“The Bible and the environment

 “Today, as people are facing ever more clearly the perceived threats of global warming (there are protagonists on both sides of this argument), the Bible, with its vision of man’s position within creation and responsibility under God to care properly for it, still has a major contribution to make to the future of all humankind.”

However, society in the 21^st century has strayed so far from the ways of God that even the very basic understanding of biblical knowledge seems far beyond the man in the street.   We read the ideal in Joshua 8:35: “There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded which Joshua did not read before all the assembly of Israel, with the women, the little ones, and the strangers who were living among them.”

It is worth mentioning that a programme on BBC radio called “Desert Island Discs,” which was first broadcast on 29 January 1942, is still running today. The format is that each week a guest, called ‘a castaway’ during the programme, is invited to choose eight pieces of music, a book (in addition to the Bible – or a religious text appropriate to that person’s beliefs – and the Complete Works of Shakespeare) and a luxury item that they would take to an imaginary desert island, where they will be marooned indefinitely. In 1942, a copy of the Bible was considered a necessity, and even in 2020 where our society is much more secular now, the Bible is actually still on the list to be given out!

The following was taken from an article in the Washington Times on Thursday, December 11^th 2014:

“Every year two million visitors file past the famed Liberty Bell in Philadelphia. As they look at the cracked bell, they read these words: “Proclaim LIBERTY throughout all the Land unto all the Inhabitants thereof.” The inscription comes from the Bible (Leviticus 25:10).

“When presidents of the United States raise their right hand to take the oath of office at their inauguration, they place their left hand on a copy of the Bible.

“When Martin Luther King stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D. C., and delivered his famous ‘I Have a Dream’ speech, he said, ‘We will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.’ Those words come directly from the Bible (Amos 5:24).

“Why does the Bible appear in these places? Because it is the central and foundational book of Western culture, including American culture. Everywhere we turn in the cultural past, we find the Bible. We cannot avoid it if we tried, and we will not understand our past without a knowledge of the Bible.

“George Lindbeck, former professor of theology at Yale University, once described the cultural position of the Bible in American culture this way: ‘Its stories, images, conceptual patterns, and turns of phrase permeated the culture from top to bottom. This was true even for illiterates and those who did not go to church, for knowledge of the Bible was transmitted not only directly by its reading, hearing, and ritual enactment, but also indirectly by an interwoven net of intellectual, literary, artistic, folkloric, and proverbial traditions. There was a time when every educated person, no matter how professedly unbelieving or secular, knew the actual text from Genesis to Revelation.’

“The evidences of this cultural influence permeated every sphere of life. Theodore Roosevelt correctly observed of the English Bible that ‘no other book of any kind ever written in English has ever so affected the whole life of a people.’

“When American pioneers rode westward with two books in their covered wagons, they signaled the foundational importance of those two books for the civilization that they hoped to preserve amid circumstances that threatened it. The two books were the King James Bible and the complete works of William Shakespeare. Part of what was being preserved was a standard of excellence for the English language.

“Among the cultural influences of the Bible, none is more obvious than literature. English and American literature scarcely exist apart from the Bible. Titles of literary works can be regarded as the tip of the iceberg: The Power and the Glory. Measure for Measure. The Sun Also Rises. East of Eden. Absalom, Absalom. Evil under the Sun. Literary scholar T. R. Henn has written that the Bible ‘becomes one with the Western tradition, because it is its single greatest source.’

“An obvious conclusion to be drawn from the centrality of the Bible in literature is that the Bible should be part of every literature curriculum. In fact, Northrop Frye, the most influential literary scholar of the second half of the twentieth century, believed that the Bible should form the basis of literary education. He famously wrote that ‘the Bible should be taught so early and so thoroughly that it sinks straight to the bottom of the mind, where everything that comes along later can settle on it.’ Frye’s vision was never fully realized, but it remains a beacon toward which we can aspire.”

(To Be Continued)

Lead Writer: Brian Gale (United Kingdom)

compiled by Dave Harris

“Why Germany’s Government Will Fall,” is the title of a new StandingWatch program, presented by Evangelist Norbert Link. Here is a summary:

It should be clear to every objective observer that Germany’s government will fall in the near future, but out of its defeat will come what many might call victory… except, it will mean devastation and destruction for the entire world.

“Warum Deutschlands Regierung fallen wird,” is the title of a new AufPostenStehen program, presented by Norbert Link. This German language program covers the same topic as described above.

A new Member Letter (September 2022) has been posted and mailed to our subscribers. Dave Harris writes reminding us of our coming to understand the meaning of the weekly Sabbath and the annual Holy Days, highlighting the Fall Holy Days we are about to observe.

“Probleme anpacken und nicht ignorieren!” the sermon presented last Sabbath in Germany by Norbert Link, is now posted. Title in English: “Deal With Problems and Don’t Ignore Them.”

“Für immer jung,” last Sabbath’s German sermonette presented by Robert Muhr, is now posted. Title in English: “Forever Young.”

“Time to Act,” the sermonette presented last Sabbath by Michael Link, is now posted. Here is a summary:

Why is there an urgency to act right away by not delaying what God expects of us, and what is it that we need to be ready for?

“Why Are We Not to Complain?” last Sabbath’s sermon presented by Kalon Mitchell, is now posted. Here is a summary:

The words that we speak matter more than we know. When we speak in complaining, negative, grumbling ways – there is scientific and Biblical reasons why we should not be allowing ourselves to do this! We must realize what we are doing and decide what we are going to allow!

2022 FALL HOLY DAYS

Feast of Trumpets… September 26

Day of Atonement… October 5

Feast of Tabernacles… October 10-16, with Opening Night on October 9

Last Great Day… October 17