Update 1042

On October 26, 2022, Norbert Link will present the first message, titled, “Comments on News and Prophecy (October 29, 2022),” and the sermon, titled, “How Are We to Do God’s Work?”

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 end of this age is upon us, and we are experiencing ever-increasing troubles just as the Word of God has warned. Beyond the cataclysmic things happening around us in the world, we all seem to be going through many extraordinary personal challenges.

At times, we might even wonder where God is and if He is watching over us. Will He respond when we pray about the bad things we suffer? Does He really and personally hear the myriads of other requests His people bring before Him?

We are told by the Apostle Peter, ^“Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you” (1 Peter 4:12). The Apostle James adds: “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience [endurance or perseverance]” (James 1:2-3).

Peter adds:

“In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ…” (1 Peter 1:6-7).

It isn’t too difficult to find many other Scriptures which explain exactly why God allows us to go through trials. The point is this, God may not remove the ordeal immediately, but, if we keep trusting Him, He will bring us through the trial.

Consider what Jesus asked the Father when He prayed, “‘O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will’” (Matthew 26:39). Jesus knew that He was facing death, and He asked the Father three different times to be delivered from what He was about to suffer. God didn’t answer those three requests from Jesus by removing the trial, but He sent an angel to give Him strength.

And so, Jesus persevered to complete this great trial, but it was difficult right up until the last moment, for Jesus said, “‘My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?’” (Matthew 27:46). Of course, the Father did not forsake His Son, but the trial Jesus faced was death and He, alone, had to endure and complete it. He passed that trial and now lives because God resurrected Him (1 Corinthians 6:14; Galatians 1:1; 1 Peter 1:21).

Just like Jesus, none of us wants to suffer great trials, but we know that we will be tested in order to perfect us. In tough times, we have this assurance:

“For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39).

With that promise, we can also pray to God, saying: “‘Nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.’”

by Norbert Link

We begin with dramatic events in Britain, including Liz Truss’s resignation as Prime Minister and her replacement with Rishi Sunak, whose appointment has been described as historic, with the caveat that none of what is happening in Britain constitutes good news for the country. Please view our new StandingWatch program, titled, “Britain’s Fall Is Inevitable.” 

We continue with the planned coronation of King Charles III on May 6, 2023; and the dictatorship of China.

We publish several articles about the growing fear of nuclear war, involving Russia, which WILL indeed occur, but not in the way as anticipated by most observers. It is also pointed out that Russia considers Europe as part of the Russian-Ukrainian war. In this regard, please view our recent StandingWatch program, titled, “How and When Will There Be Worldwide Nuclear War?” 

We report on the threat of political turmoil and civil unrest in Europe and especially in Germany; and we publish several articles about Joe Biden and Donald Trump, as well as Steve Bannon.

We continue with Saudi Arabia’s condemnation of the USA and Benjamin Netanyahu’s attempts to return as Prime Minister, while current PM Lapid warns the world of the danger posed by the military collaboration between Russia and Iran.

We conclude with further developments pointing at the building of the third temple in the near future, and with the “resurrection” of the ancient horrible god Baal.

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

Liz Truss Resigns

The Associated Press wrote on October 20:

“British Prime Minister Liz Truss quit Thursday after a tumultuous and historically brief term marred by economic policies that roiled financial markets and a rebellion in her political party that obliterated her authority.

“After just 45 days in office, Truss became the third Conservative prime minister to be toppled in as many years, and she will go down as the shortest-serving leader in British history. Her resignation extends the instability that has shaken Britain since it broke off from the European Union and leaves its leadership in limbo as the country faces a cost-of-living crisis and looming recession…

“The low-tax, low-regulation economic policies that got Truss elected by her party proved disastrous in the real world at a time of soaring inflation and weak growth. Her Sept. 23 economic plan included a raft of tax cuts that investors worried Britain couldn’t afford. It pummeled the value of the pound and drove up the cost of mortgages, causing economic pain for people and businesses already struggling… That financial tumult led to the replacement of Truss’ Treasury chief, multiple policy U-turns and a breakdown of discipline in the governing Conservative Party.

“Truss resigned just a day after vowing to stay in power, saying she was ‘a fighter and not a quitter.’ But she couldn’t hold on any longer after a senior minister quit her government amid a barrage of criticism and a vote in the House of Commons Wednesday descended into chaos and acrimony… Where the Conservative Party goes from here is not clear. Its myriad factions — from hard-right Brexiteers to centrist ‘One Nation’ Tories — are at each other’s throats… An editorial in the Daily Mail on Thursday was headlined: ‘The wheels have come off the Tory clown car.’”

Truss’ fall was inevitable. The Sun already asked on October 14: “In one truly disastrous day she threw her closest ally [Chancellor KWASI Kwarteng] under the bus, installed a controversial replacement and looked evasive and bewildered at a press ­conference where The Sun asked — on behalf of our despairing readers — how she could justify staying in her job.” The Sun also wrote on October 14 that even prior to her resignation, “Liz Truss’ first 40 days in power… ended in [the] biggest political meltdown for 300 years.”

The Liz Truss Debacle… and What America Should Take Note Of

The New York Post wrote on October 20:

“The joke in Britain is that the country is becoming like Italy – but without the weather.  In other words – ungovernable. Just as Italian politics seem to throw up a new government most weeks, so the UK seems to be churning through Prime Ministers.  Liz Truss… barely unpacked her bags in Downing Street before having to pack them back up again…

“So what on earth caused this mess?  There are a number of reasons…

“All of the Western world is now suffering economic turmoil and cost of living crises.  Nobody who is in power is going to look good at such a time.  But it was the choice of politicians in Britain – as it was in America – to pump out free money since 2008.  We did so under the apparent belief that the costs of money-printing would never arrive.

“Then, before that money splurge had even finished we had another one – the great COVID money splurge.  Then on top of that, we had the costs coming from the war in Ukraine.  Like so many politicians in this country, Liz Truss tried to get through this by promising people more of everything.

“Her disastrous mini-budget last month saw her promise of tax cuts and a massive increase in borrowing.  The markets were spooked – and rightly so… recent years have shown that politicians on the right are just as able as those on the left to borrow like there´s no tomorrow…

“When politicians promise one thing and do another then all politics becomes restless… US politicians are as expert as British ones in pushing difficult problems away…

“… Most of us can remember a time when there were at least some politicians admired across the political aisle.  People who were respected because – whether you agreed with them or not – they seemed to have their country´s best interests at heart.  How many politicians of this generation can this be said about?  Perhaps it´s the fault of the people going into politics.  Or perhaps the ones going into it want the wrong things?  Certainly, a lot of them seem to put their own advancement ahead of their country.  When they are also visibly incapable of their job there´s no way that voters won´t notice that too.

“Today Britain looks like a shambles.  Its reputation for calm politics has been shot and the ruling party´s reputation for economic competency has been shattered…

“It could be the same here any day.  American politicians seem to think that America´s financial dominance makes us immune from disaster.  But there is no law in nature that makes this so. Our politicians also promise everything and anything.  Like their counterparts in the UK, they promise to give more money to everyone without saying where it´s going to come from… How long can this go on?  As in Britain, it will go on until the day it doesn´t.  And if that day ever comes here it will make what is happening in Britain look like an absolute model of calm…”

A completely different perspective is published in the next article.

Fox News published on October 21 an opinion piece by Nile Gardiner, Director of the Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom at the Heritage Foundation and a former aide to Margaret Thatcher:

“With Prime Minister Liz Truss’s resignation, we have witnessed a Shakespearean tragedy, the result of a stunning loss of nerve in 10 Downing Street, coupled with a nefarious and ultimately successful attempt by Tory liberals to drive her out after just 44 days in office. A government with a majority of over 70 parliamentary seats has basically collapsed, emboldening the left.

“My former boss, Lady Thatcher, would have been appalled. This is the biggest political coup in the U.K. since the Iron Lady herself stepped down as P.M. in 1990 after being forced to resign by her own party. Liz Truss’s resignation and disastrously short tenure is a leadership lesson for conservatives on both sides of the Atlantic. Never surrender to the left, don’t U-turn on key policies, and stick to conservative principles and ideals.

“It has been monumentally sad to see the former prime minister apologizing for free-market, low-tax policies after sustained attacks on her ‘mini-budget,’ which had originally pledged to cut individual and corporate taxes. No British leader should ever say sorry for cutting taxes and advancing economic freedom. The damage being done here to the Conservative Party’s standing and credibility is immense… The reversal of the tax cut agenda is a victory for those who believe in the power of the state over individuals and free markets. It is a huge step backwards for the U.K., and is the path to economic decline. The U-turns on tax policy have been catastrophic, and the consequences for the British economy will be dire.

“The P.M. should never have surrendered to the left, and should have ignored the attacks from the IMF, Joe Biden, and Britain’s liberal elites. The British Conservative Party is literally destroying itself… with a recession the likely result.  Abandoning economic freedom is a terrible mistake and a gift to the Socialist left, including the Biden presidency in the United States, which strongly opposed the U.K. tax cut agenda.

“President Biden’s lecturing of the British prime minister on economic policy has been both outrageous and ridiculous. The Biden economy has been an absolute disaster, with soaring inflation, crashing markets and a looming recession. He is the last person on Earth who should be handing out economic advice with his track record…

“The priority for the new P.M. must be to protect the future of Brexit, secure Britain’s borders and sovereignty, and advance economic freedom, while ensuring that the Socialist left and the Scottish Nationalists are not in a position to destroy Brexit and the United Kingdom.”

Rishi Sunak New PM

The Associated Press wrote on October 24:

“Former Treasury chief Rishi Sunak is set to become Britain’s next prime minister after winning the Conservative leadership race Monday — and now faces the huge task of stabilizing the party and country at a time of economic and political turbulence. Sunak will be Britain’s first leader of color…

“Sunak lost out to Truss in the last Conservative election… He promised ‘integrity, professionalism and accountability’ if he formed a government — a veiled criticism of the scandal-tarred Johnson and the problem-plagued Truss. Sunak will now be asked by King Charles III to form a government…

“Sunak’s victory is historic: He is the first British prime minister of South Asian heritage, the first Hindu to hold the post and the youngest for 200 years. His challenge is enormous as he tries to unite a demoralized and divided party that trails far behind the opposition in opinion polls, and seeks to shore up an economy reeling after Truss’ brief, disastrous experiment in libertarian economics…

“Sunak’s position strengthened after former leader Boris Johnson dramatically quit the race on Sunday night, ending a short-lived, high-profile attempt to return to the prime minister’s job he was ousted from little more than three months ago…

“Johnson spent the weekend trying to gain support from fellow Conservative lawmakers after flying back from a Caribbean vacation. Late Sunday he said he had amassed the backing of 102 colleagues. But he was far behind Sunak in support, and said he had concluded that ‘you can’t govern effectively unless you have a united party in Parliament.’ The prospect of a return by Johnson had thrown the already divided Conservative Party into further turmoil…

“In his Sunday statement, Johnson insisted he was ‘well placed to deliver a Conservative victory’ in the next national election, due by 2024…

“The Conservative Party turmoil is fueling demands for a national election. Under Britain’s parliamentary system, there does not need to be one until the end of 2024, though the government has the power to call one sooner. Currently that looks unlikely…”

And so, Sunak will become the next PM—the third leader within just three months. The German outlet, t-online, described him as the “kingslayer” without a white vest. Whether he will keep his post for a while will have to be seen. Breitbart described him as a globalist [see also below], “best known for signing the cheques on the mega-money lockdown policies of the Covid era and pushing the national tax burden to the highest levels in decades,” continuing, “…this development can hardly be good news for Britain.”

Rishi’s Hindu Faith Under Scrutiny

The Sun wrote on October 24:

“Rishi’s Hindu faith helps guide his lifestyle. He is a lifelong teetotaller [someone who drinks no alcohol] and doesn’t eat beef. When he became an MP, he swore his oath on the Hindu holy book, the Bhagavad Gita. Fittingly, he became PM on the first day of Diwali, the religion’s most important festival… in true Rishi style he fasts on Mondays to help him stay in shape…”

Breitbart added on October 25:

“Sunak has the distinction of being so wealthy, with an estimated combined net worth of £730 million ($825 million) alongside his wife, that he will… be the first inhabitant of Number 10 Downing Street to have a larger fortune than the reigning British monarch, leading to questions about his ability to empathise with the plight of the common man during the economic crisis, which he, in part, helped to create…

“Sunak appeared at the World Economic Forum’s Green Horizon Summit in 2020 to advocate for a ‘whole of economy transition’ to ‘green energy’ sources. The connection to the WEF does not stop there, however, as the company founded by his father-in-law N. R. Narayana Murthy, Infosys, is a listed partner of the World Economic forum. Murthy also previously served as co-chairman for the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos in 2005. Further confirming his intention to govern as a globalist PM, backer Tobias Ellwood MP hinted at Sunak ushering in the so-called Great Reset schemed up by WEF chairman Klaus Schwab…

“One of the key agenda points of Davos, to usher in a cashless society, has also been promoted by Sunak, who has been one of the leading figures pushing for the implementation of a central bank digital currency (CBDC), through which governments would be able to track every expenditure made by citizens, leading to concerns that Britain will follow the likes of Communist China in implementing a social credit score…”

Live Mint wrote on October 25:

“‘A Hindu Prime Minister is now responsible for advising King Charles on appointments to the Church of England. Britain is dead,’ said Collin Pruett, Operations Associate at The American Conservative… Sunak always keeps an Idol of Shri Ganesh on his table… On the occasion of Janmashtami 2022, Sunak visited the Bhaktivedanta Manor temple with his wife Akshata in advance of the popular Hindu festival celebrating Lord Krishna’s birthday…

“British magazine gal-dem wrote on Twitter, ‘Rishi Sunak’s undemocratic election as Prime Minister is not a win for diversity, and we’re not celebrating it as one.’ One user replied that Idolatry would increase in Britain.”

None of this sounds too good…

King Charles to Be Crowned on May 6

Deutsche Welle wrote on October 11:

“Buckingham Palace on Tuesday said that King Charles III will be crowned at Westminster Abbey on May 6 next year. The coronation will take place almost exactly 70 years after his late mother’s coronation on June 2, 1953… Charles, 73, will be crowned in a religious ceremony at Westminster Abbey conducted by Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury. Camilla, the queen consort, will be crowned alongside her husband.

“The confirmation of the date comes following the death of Charles’ mother, Queen Elizabeth II, who passed away in early September at the age of 96. Charles immediately became king upon the death of his mother, also taking over as the head of state of 14 Commonwealth countries including Australia, Canada and New Zealand.

“But setting up a formal coronation ceremony is a far slower process. In Elizabeth’s case, it took more than a year to arrange a ceremony, which took place when Charles was a 4-year-old boy.

“The most important moment of the ceremony, at least from a historical and religious perspective, is when Charles will be ‘anointed, blessed and consecrated’ by the Archbishop of Canterbury. The British monarch is also the head of the Church of England and British royal tradition has it, like most other Christian European royal families do or did, that their claim to the throne is given and endorsed by [God].”

Please see our recent Q&As about the “Stone of Destiny.” https://www.eternalgod.org/what-do-we-know-of-the-stone-of-destiny-part-1/ and https://www.eternalgod.org/what-do-we-know-of-the-stone-of-destiny-part-2/

China’s Dictatorial Government

The Sun wrote on October 23:

“XI Jinping has made history in China after cementing absolute power with an unprecedented third term in office… Xi is celebrating a decade in office while being awarded another five-year term as general secretary – effectively making himself an ‘Emperor for Life’… Unlike his predecessor, Hu Jintao, the 69-year-old is refusing to bow out after 10 years and continues to flex his governmental powers…

“The unchallengeable leader – who famously banned Winnie the Pooh – is aided by vast security apparatus and the threat of death sentences for opponents. He stands as the unchallenged ‘core leader’ of the world’s most populous nation…

“Xi has used his ruthlessness and political talents to much effect, making himself the most powerful Chinese leader since Chairman Mao, whose brutal rule led to the death of millions…”

China will form a military alliance with Russia and other Far-Eastern countries. It is to be expected that all or many of these countries will be run by dictators.

The Fear of Nuclear War

The Sun wrote on October 14:

“Fears are growing that Putin is escalating the nuclear threat in the war in Ukraine… disaster expert Paul Ingram said: ‘… There are more than 12,000 nuclear warheads worldwide. Russia alone has almost 6,000 of them. The blast and radiation from these would lead to casualties of 200 to 300 million worldwide.’…

“Ingram… also warned of apocalyptic aftershocks from any nuclear conflict. ‘On top of the immediate deaths, the all-out nuclear exchange would throw up so much radioactive soot that it would obscure the sun for several years,’ he said. ‘This would lead to the deaths of up to five billion people worldwide.’

“He added that the danger of such a strike on a country like Ukraine, which is seen as a ‘breadbasket’ because of its wheat production, is that it could trigger worldwide food shortages… ‘Temperatures would plummet worldwide by up to 16C. Breadbaskets such as Ukraine would never rise above freezing point. ‘In the centre of London, we are more at risk of direct blasts and radiation, but no one would be safe.’

“As of January this year, there are approximately 12,700 nuclear warheads worldwide. Of those, the highest number, almost 6,000, are in Russia, while around 5,400 are in the US. The UK has 225 nuclear warheads… China, France, Pakistan, India, Israel and North Korea make up the world’s other nuclear powers.”

As far as we know…

France Won’t Respond with Nuclear Weapons

The National News wrote on October 12:

“France will not respond with nuclear weapons should Russia use them against Ukraine… ‘Our doctrine rests on the fundamental interests of the nation,’ Mr Macron told public broadcaster France 2 on Wednesday. ‘They are defined clearly and wouldn’t be directly affected at all if, for example, there was a ballistic nuclear attack in Ukraine, in the region.’…

“He acknowledged that France was ‘unable to deliver as much as the Ukrainians ask for. I’m obliged to keep some for us to protect ourselves and our eastern flank [of Nato]’.

Once again, France is giving Putin the green light.

On the Road to Nuclear War?

The Ron Paul Institute wrote on October 10:

“Last week the New York Times ran a shocking article claiming that the US intelligence community believes the Ukrainian government to be responsible for the August attack that killed Darya Dugina, the daughter of a prominent Russian philosopher.

“Surely the established narrative that Ukraine is a model western democracy standing strong for our shared values against an aggressive Russian invader is damaged with reporting that Kiev conducted an al-Qaeda style attack on an innocent civilian inside Russia. The murder of Dugina was a textbook definition of terrorism, which is, ‘the use of violence or the threat of violence, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political goals.’

“Just over a month later, the Nordstream pipelines were blown up, seemingly ending at least in the near term the possibility that Germany may find a way to save its economy by mending fences with its main energy supplier. A leading Polish politician thanked the US for doing the job.

“Then over the weekend, the bridge connecting mainland Russia to Crimea was bombed, killing at least six civilians and leaving part of the bridge under water. Traffic was restored hours after the attack, but Russian President Vladimir Putin placed the blame on Ukraine’s intelligence service. We all know that Ukraine relies on its US masters, so we can assume the US provided the intelligence allowing the targeting of the bridge.

“There is a pattern here. More and more brazen attacks are being launched against Russia and Washington is doing little to hide US fingerprints. Why?

“The Biden Administration seems to be moving us closer to nuclear war over Ukraine and Biden himself seems to know it. Last week he said, Putin ‘is not joking when he talks about potential use of tactical nuclear weapons or biological or chemical weapons…’ For the ‘first time since the Cuban missile crisis, we have a direct threat of the use [of nuclear weapons] if in fact things continue down the path they are going.’

“So the question is if he knows that his proxy war against Russia is moving us closer to the unthinkable – nuclear annihilation – why does his Administration persist in crossing red line after red line? Apparently, Biden’s ‘experts’ believe that Putin is bluffing and will do nothing about the Dugina assassination, the Nordstream pipeline sabotage, and the Kerch Bridge attack.

“But what if they’re wrong?…”

The German government has refused to give any information to a parliamentarian regarding the destruction of the Nordstream pipelines, citing security concerns. Something very fishy is going on here.

Why Putin May Not Be Bluffing

The New York Post wrote on October 8:

“On Sept. 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared that he could resort to ‘all available means of destruction’ in his war against Ukraine, pointedly adding, ‘It’s not a bluff.’ Days later, he accused the United States of setting the nuclear warfare ‘precedent,’ referring to the two atomic bombs dropped on Japan in 1945 to end World War II.

“On Monday, NATO warned that Russia may have deployed the nuclear powered submarine Belgorod into the Kara Sea to test the Poseidon ‘doomsday’ weapon it has aboard, capable of creating a ‘radioactive tsunami.’

“… here are eight reasons why Putin is likely not bluffing, just as he says, about using nuclear weapons.

“1. Putin is psychologically capable of crossing the nuclear threshold, especially when he feels cornered…

“2. Putin likely thinks this is his ‘last and decisive battle.’ When he hears calls by Western officials to try him in an international court as a war criminal, he fears he may end up like Iraq’s Saddam Hussein, captured by US soldiers in 2003, convicted of crimes against humanity by the Iraqi Special Tribunal, and put to death by hanging. He also fears the fate of Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi, who was shot in the head by his own people in 2011. Both events had a profound psychological impact on Putin, convincing him of America’s bad intentions.

“3. Russia’s post-Cold War doctrine includes a nuclear fallback option designed exactly for the kind of situation Moscow now faces. In the 1990s, the General Staff developed, on Putin’s orders, a limited nuclear war doctrine… The doctrine stipulates that a low-yield nuclear bomb can be detonated to shock an opposing force to abandon a fight and end a war…

“4. Putin likely believes that he will use nuclear weapons for the same reason the US did in Japan during WWII — to end the conflict. In August 1945, the US detonated two atomic bombs… over Hiroshima and Nagasaki, killing 149,000-225,000 people. The rationale was to hasten victory, while minimizing both US and Japanese casualties…

“5. The outcome in Ukraine is an existential issue for both Russia and Putin. While it’s not accepted by the West, Russia views former Soviet states like Ukraine as part of its sphere of influence and a strategic security perimeter. With NATO’s admission of the Baltic states, the distance between NATO forces and Russian territory has shrunk from 1,000 to 100 miles…

“6. Putin orchestrated the annexation of the four seized regions of Ukraine… precisely so he could use the nuclear option. By formally declaring these territories part of Russia, he has cleared the requirement in the Russian military doctrine for the deployment of nuclear weapons. Officially, the unclassified doctrine permits Russia’s Commander in Chief to use these last-resort weapons only in a defensive scenario to protect Russian territory. But the doctrine also allows ‘first-use’ of nuclear weapons even in an existential battle, like the one in Ukraine, in order to stave off defeat and end a conflict.

“7. Putin is worried about projecting weakness to China…

“8. Putin probably estimates that launching a low-yield nuclear strike in Ukraine will not trigger a US response, and certainly not with nuclear weapons…”

Musk and Kiyosaki Warn of Nuclear World War III

Benzinga wrote on October 16 that Egon Musk wrote on Twitter:

“Russia has the ability to destroy USA & Europe utterly with nuclear missiles in less than 30 minutes & vice versa… Would be great if someday humanity stopped pointing nukes at itself that would destroy almost all life on Earth…

“In any given year, there is a chance above zero that they will be launched. We are now at the highest risk in 60 years.”

The “kings of the East”—including Russia and China—WILL in due time destroy Europe completely.

Bitcoin.com wrote on October 22:

“The author of Rich Dad Poor Dad, Robert Kiyosaki, has warned about World War III. Rich Dad Poor Dad is a 1997 book co-authored by Kiyosaki and Sharon Lechter. It has been on the New York Times Best Seller List for over six years. More than 32 million copies of the book have been sold in over 51 languages across more than 109 countries.

“Kiyosaki tweeted earlier this week to his 2.1 million followers: ‘Hitler invaded countries like Romania for their oil & coal. Japan attacked Pearl Harbor when U.S. cut Japan from oil,’ he further wrote. ‘Was the sabotage of Nord Stream pipeline [the] start of WWIII?’

“More people are increasingly worried about the possibility of a third world war. On Thursday, Russia threatened that if Ukraine is admitted to the NATO military alliance, then the conflict in Ukraine would be guaranteed to escalate into World War Three.”

EU Part of the Russian-Ukrainian Conflict?

MSN wrote on October 20:

“The Russian government has warned that the military training mission to the Ukrainian Army agreed this week by the EU makes the bloc ‘part of the conflict’, in a new criticism of the international aid provided to the Ukrainian Armed Forces by Kiev’s allied countries.

“The member states of the European Union approved on Monday a new military training mission to the Ukrainian Army with which European forces will train on EU territory some 15,000 soldiers fighting against the Russian invasion…

“In recent days, Moscow has also questioned the increase in military aid by NATO member states.”

Modern Diplomacy added on October 21:

“The Russia-Ukraine crisis dramatically changed the way Europeans think about their security. European governments, as well as ordinary people, are divided over the conflict. For example, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Romania, and Sweden are much more willing to make sacrifices than those in France Germany, Italy, Hungary, Czech Republic and in Serbia…

“While many people in Europe peacefully protest over supporting Ukraine to the detriment of national interests, politicians and military authorities decide for them. Their decisions are often threatening in its size and scope… Baltic States’ authorities said that war in Europe is no longer unthinkable… [The] Ukraine crisis has turned to [a] European crisis and could lead to irreparable consequences.”

The Russian moderator Wladimir Solowjow, a confidante of Putin, stated on public TV: “This is in fact World War III. We are de facto at war with NATO. I am not afraid to say this” (MSN, dated October 23).

Threat of Political Turmoil in Europe

ABC News wrote on October 21:

“In Romania, protesters blew horns and banged drums to voice their dismay over the rising cost of living. People across France took to the streets to demand pay increases that keep pace with inflation. Czech demonstrators rallied against government handling of the energy crisis. British railway staff and German pilots held strikes to push for better pay as prices rise.

“Across Europe, soaring inflation is behind a wave of protests and strikes that underscores growing discontent with the spiraling cost of living and threatens to unleash political turmoil…. Energy prices have driven inflation in the 19 countries that use the euro currency to a record 9.9%, making it harder for people to buy what they need. Some see little choice but to hit the streets…

“The fallout from the war in Ukraine has sharply raised the risk of civil unrest in Europe.”

This scenario is not unlikely, given the weak and incompetent leadership in many Western European countries.

Joe Biden’s Frightening Incompetence and Misrepresentations

The New York Post wrote on October 14:

“President Biden brushed off $7-a-gallon gas in California — saying ‘that’s always been the case’ and confusingly linking it to housing… Biden said without elaboration that ‘housing’ was ‘the most important thing’ for gas prices, which in California actually surged 39% over the past 12 months for an average of $6.20 per gallon…

“It’s unclear if Biden, who turns 80 next month, intended to draw a closer link between the two subjects before his reply was cut off by a different reporter’s question, but his answer attracted attention after a series of recent gaffes…

“The president has made a series of confounding remarks recently — heightening scrutiny given to his comment about California gas prices… the president said in a speech that he agrees with whatever the notoriously hotheaded Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) says.

“On Wednesday, he incorrectly said his late son Beau ‘lost his life in Iraq’ and that he visited the Rio Grande to see the need for land preservation, possibly confusing it with the Grand Canyon.

“Biden claimed Tuesday that firefighters nearly died extinguishing a 2004 fire at his Wilmington, Del., house — after saying last year that he ‘had a house burn down with my wife in it.’ The local fire department said Friday that ‘for the fire service, this could be considered an insignificant fire’…

“Last week, Biden… dubiously claimed that ‘I was sort of raised in the Puerto Rican community at home, politically.’

“Critics debate whether Biden, already the oldest-ever US president at 79, either is in mental decline or simply prone to misspeaking and exaggeration.

“Biden dropped out of his first presidential campaign in 1987 due to a scandal involving plagiarism of speeches and a law school paper. Biden appropriated British politician Neil Kinnock’s description of his family history — with Biden changing some details to falsely claim that ‘my ancestors … worked in the coal mines of northeast Pennsylvania and would come up after 12 hours and play football for four hours.’ Biden’s ancestors did not mine coal.

“Before he dropped out of the 1988 presidential primary, Biden also falsely claimed that he ‘graduated with three degrees from college,’ was named ‘the outstanding student in the political science department,’ ‘went to law school on a full academic scholarship — the only one in my class to have a full academic scholarship’ and ‘ended up in the top half’ of his class. None of those claims was true…

“Since Biden took office as president last year… there’s been a lengthy list of untruths or unverifiable personal anecdotes.

“Biden has told at least eight times as president a chronologically impossible tale involving a former Amtrak conductor to underscore his love of passenger rail — most recently last month while hosting union negotiators in the Oval Office. Biden admitted last month to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa that ‘I wasn’t arrested’ trying to visit Nelson Mandela’ during the apartheid era, despite saying so at least three times in 2020.

“Biden last September told Jewish leaders that he remembered ‘spending time at’ and ‘going to’ Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life synagogue in 2018 after the worst anti-Semitic attack in US history, in which 11 people were murdered. The synagogue said he never visited and the White House later said he was thinking about a 2019 phone call to the synagogue’s rabbi.

“Later that month, Biden told an Idaho audience that his ‘first job offer’ came from local lumber and wood products business Boise Cascade. The company said it was news to them.

“In January, Biden told students at historically black colleges in Atlanta that he was arrested multiple times while protesting in favor of civil rights — another claim for which there is no evidence.

“Biden said at the Naval Academy’s graduation ceremony in May that he was appointed to the military school in 1965 bby the late Sen. J. Caleb Boggs (R-Del.). A search of Boggs’ archives failed to turn up evidence of the appointment.

“In some recent instances, however, Biden’s confusion was apparent, including when he searched for Waloriski at an Oct. 3 event in Washington, despite lowering the White House’s flags and calling her family to express sympathy after her recent death in a car crash.

“Biden said in a Tuesday interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper that he will make a final decision on seeking a second term following the Nov. 8 midterm elections. But Biden has consistently told allies he plans to run and told Tapper that ‘I can beat Donald Trump again.’”

These are incredible facts suggesting that Joe Biden is viewed by allies and enemies alike as being totally incapable of representing the USA in any way. It is interesting that for example the German mass media is NOT reporting Biden’s incredible incidents… perhaps because of fear that Trump might come back to power.

What If Trump Returns…

The Washington Post wrote on October 10:

“Imagine it’s Jan. 20, 2025. Inauguration Day. The president-elect raises his right hand and begins to recite the oath: I, Donald John Trump, do solemnly swear …It’s an anti-Trumper’s nightmare, but it could happen: 47 percent of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents want Trump to be the nominee in 2024… And if Trump and Joe Biden are the contenders, Trump narrowly edges Biden, 48 to 46 percent, among registered voters…

“… Among the first things he would do, in the initial hours of his presidency, would be to fire [FBI Director] Christopher Wray and purge the FBI…  If Trump installed loyalists at the FBI and Justice Department… then any lingering federal investigations of Trump could be dropped…

“Once Trump has centralized power through cadres of vetted loyalists across government, what will he do with it? As The Post has previously chronicled, he’s already told us, in speeches over the past several months, some of his proposals if he decides to run: Execute drug dealers. Move homeless people to tent cities. Eliminate the Education Department. Restrict voting to one day using paper ballots. But there could be much more — including profound shifts in military and foreign policy…

“As for the use of military power abroad, Trump mostly favored withdrawals during his term (though he did authorize a drone strike to kill a key Iranian commander in Iraq in 2020 and, according to the Associated Press, considered an invasion of Venezuela in 2017). Trump wanted to pull U.S. troops out of South Korea, Germany and Somalia, but critics warned that those moves would be devastating to global security and alliances. A second term might see them come to pass… And depending on his views of Putin and the conflict in Ukraine, he might just stop the flow of arms, ammunition and material to Kyiv…

“Trump would almost certainly return to the issue that first built his following in the GOP and still animates the party: harsh measures to counter illegal immigration…

“Some of the preconditions for civil war — a weakening democracy with hindrances to popular participation and divisions along identity lines — are brewing in the United States… The spiral of violence, response and counter-response would create the kind of disorder that Trump… could use to justify invoking the Insurrection Act. Then federal troops would flood the streets of American cities — and this time, not for a parade. Could it happen here?… The message of prophets of democratic doom can sound over-the-top… But to dismiss it, they say, would be naïve…”

None of the above-mentioned scenarios would be impossible to occur.

Mediaite wrote on October 21:

“Donald Trump warned members of his former administration [including Mike Pence] that it would be ‘very disloyal’ for any of them to run against him in 2024.

“Trump hasn’t actually announced a run but has heavily teased one. In a Friday phone interview with Fox News Radio host Brian Kilmeade…, the former president avoided questions on when he would announce a run, should he choose to, but he also swiped at any potential Republican challengers from his own administration.”

Trump Should Contest Subpoena

Newsmax wrote on October 21:

“Alan Dershowitz, a professor emeritus at Harvard Law School and one of this nation’s foremost authorities on the U.S. constitution, says former President Donald Trump would be wise to contest the House Jan. 6 committee’s subpoena to testify before Congress… ‘He should take [the matter] to court and challenge the subpoena on ‘executive privilege’ grounds, or any other grounds,’ Dershowitz [said]… ‘The way it should work: If Congress subpoenas you, and you refuse to speak, then Congress should go to court and demand the court enforce the subpoena.’

“Dershowitz opined that Steve Bannon and Peter Navarro, who both served in the Trump administration and were also brought on contempt-of-Congress charges, should have forced Congress’ hand by taking their respective cases to the courts… ‘Until the court determines the rules’ for the Jan. 6 hearings, ‘there should be no criminal prosecutions… ‘This is Alice in Wonderland: Criminal prosecutions first, then we’ll decide what the law is. That does make no sense.’ [In other words, the court should decide first whether executive privilege or other reasons would prevent any criminal prosecution, but in this case, the opposite was applied.]

“Regarding Trump, Dershowitz says ‘he doesn’t have to [invoke] the 5th [Amendment]. He can argue that it’s a perjury trap’ to speak with the Jan. 6 committee, presumably under oath… Dershowitz then said of the committee’s actions, which are taking place a few weeks before the midterm elections: ‘I think there’s a lot of theater here, and not a lot of real law being practiced.’”

Bannon Sentenced

The Associated Press added on October 22:

“Steve Bannon, a longtime ally of former President Donald Trump, was sentenced Friday to serve four months behind bars after defying a subpoena from the House committee… U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols allowed Bannon to stay free pending appeal and also imposed a fine of $6,500 as part of the sentence. Bannon was convicted in July of two counts of contempt of Congress: one for refusing to sit for a deposition and the other for refusing to provide documents…

“As he walked into court on Friday, Bannon told reporters, ‘This illegitimate regime, their judgment day is on 8 November when the Biden administration ends.’… Leaving the courthouse after the sentencing, Bannon said he believed Attorney General Merrick Garland would be impeached.”

Political Justice and the January 6^th Committee

Ron Paul wrote on October 24 in the Ron Paul Institute:

“Josef Stalin’s top henchman famously said, ‘show me the man and I’ll show you the crime.’ What it meant was that Soviet justice was about politics, not the rule of law. First decide who, for political reasons, is to be punished, and then the state will provide the crimes for which he will be charged.

“This dark era of politicized ‘justice’ has returned with former Trump campaign advisor Steve Bannon’s recent sentence to four months in jail for ‘contempt of Congress’ over his refusal to appear before the House January 6th Committee. How is it politicized justice for Bannon to be punished for ignoring a subpoena from the US Congress? Because many before him have been charged with contempt of Congress – including Democratic Party luminaries such as Eric Holder, Janet Reno, and Lois Lerner – and were never sentenced to jail time. Bannon’s sentence is meant to convey a political message to America: if you support Trump you are a criminal and you may find yourself in a cell next to Steve Bannon… Sending your political opponents to jail is what happens in a banana republic. It is un-American. But here we are.

“The goal of the January 6th Committee is not to seek justice for the ‘crime’ of trespassing and putting feet on Pelosi’s sacred desk, but to make sure that Donald Trump is never allowed to run for President again. That is the reason hundreds have been unjustly arrested and held in terrible conditions for non-crimes… Speaking of contempt of Congress, the real contempt is the existence of the January 6th Committee in the first place. It has been a partisan show trial from the beginning, where the only two ‘Republican’ Members were not chosen by Republicans but by Nancy Pelosi. The purpose of the Committee has been to prop up the false narrative that somehow a few rowdy protesters who broke into the Capitol Building were the equivalent of the storming of the Bastille…

“When justice becomes tangled in politics, freedom and liberty go out the window. We are not so naïve to think this is something that just arrived with the Biden Administration, but there seems little doubt it is spreading like a cancer…”

Saudi Arabia Condemns USA

Breitbart wrote on October 13:

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia issued an outraged statement Thursday condemning the White House, without naming any official in particular, for claiming that Riyadh supported an OPEC+ decision to cut oil production by two million barrels a day because it had decided to side with Russia in the ongoing Ukraine war.

“The extensive statement also mentioned rumors, first reported in the Wall Street Journal, that the leftist administration of President Joe Biden had attempted to convince Saudi officials to delay any oil production cut until after the midterm elections… The statement adds to what is becoming a growing scandal for the Biden administration that began with Biden himself visiting Saudi Arabia and meeting Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), reportedly to urge him to increase Saudi Arabia’s oil production…

“According to this week’s Wall Street Journal report, the Riyadh visit went so poorly for Biden that MBS decided to cut scheduled oil production increases after meeting with the American president…

“Biden officials have dramatically announced a total reevaluation of diplomatic ties with Saudi Arabia in the wake of the production cut and attempted to tie the decision to the Ukraine war, claiming Riyadh had now taken sides against Kyiv. In reality, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has maintained close communications with MBS for months and thanked Saudi Arabia for aiding in the release of Ukrainian prisoners. Saudi Arabia voted to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine at the United Nations on Wednesday…”

The relationship between Saudi Arabia and the USA, as well as the State of Israel, is prophesied to deteriorate.

The Intercept wrote on October 20:

“The Saudi-led oil cartel OPEC+’s announcement earlier this month that it was cutting 2 million barrels of oil per day.. rankled Democrats in Washington… Saudi Arabia actually pushed to cut oil production twice as much as Russian President Vladimir Putin, surprising the Russians… experts say the cut is targeted squarely at the Democratic Party — something Democratic officials have been loath to admit publicly.

“In 1973, Saudi Arabia led an oil embargo designed to punish the U.S. and other countries that supported Israel during the Yom Kippur War. Then, in 1979, Saudi Arabia again led an oil embargo — this time in the wake of the Iranian revolution, with the resultant high gas prices playing an arguably decisive role in Jimmy Carter’s loss to Ronald Reagan in the 1980 presidential race…

“In October 2018, following news of the grisly murder of Khashoggi, a column by then-chief of Saudi Arabia’s state-run media outlet, Al Arabiya, threatened ‘economic disaster’ if the U.S. sanctioned Riyadh… Turki Aldakhil, who is now Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the UAE, [wrote:] ‘It would lead to Saudi Arabia’s failure to commit to producing 7.5 million barrels [of oil].’

“None of this is to say that Saudi Arabia under MBS hasn’t pursued cozier relations with Russia. MBS’s intensifying relationship with Putin dates back to June 2015, when, frustrated that President Barack Obama had rebuffed MBS’s requests for a meeting, the then deputy crown prince instead opted to meet with Putin on the sidelines of the 19th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.

“…the Biden administration this week announced that it would release 15 million barrels of oil from the strategic oil reserves. The White House is also considering lifting sanctions on Venezuela to mitigate the economic harm of OPEC+’s production cut, a move that some experts have for years been calling for…”

And so, America continues on its way to destruction.

Netanyahu: Israel Must Fulfill Biblical Prophecy

Israel Today wrote on October 21:

“Benjamin Netanyahu is hard on the campaign trail with less than two weeks to go until Israel’s fifth national election in four years… Netanyahu thanked Evangelical Christians for their support of Israel, and reminded them that the Jewish state’s rebirth is a ‘fulfillment of biblical prophecy.’ He stressed, however, that it is now up to Israel and her friends to secure that prophetic fulfillment. ‘

“‘While my father’s generation was charged with founding the state, my generation was charged with securing its future.’ Even so, the Israeli acknowledged that achieving that goal has required divine assistance: ‘A tiny state on the eastern edge of the Mediterranean is now ranked as the world’s eighth power with one-tenth of 1 percent of the world’s population. That’s not something that you can explain away. It’s a miracle of faith and fortitude.’”

Military Collaboration Between Russian and Iran Danger for the World

Israel Today wrote on October 21:

“Israeli Prime Minister… Lapid on Thursday highlighted the global threat posed by the growing military ties between Vladimir Putin’s Russia and the Islamic Republic of Iran… ‘We naturally think that relations between Russia and Iran are a serious problem not only for Israel, but also for Ukraine, Europe and the whole world. Iran is a dangerous terrorist state, and the fact that Russia does business with it puts the whole world in danger.’

“In apparent response to its forces losing ground in eastern Ukraine, Russia has begun to bombard Kyiv and other major Ukrainian cities using missiles and Iranian suicide drones. Ukraine this week made a formal request to purchase Israeli missile shields like the Iron Dome to protect its cities against the Russian onslaught. Western powers are urging Israel to agree, but Lapid and his government have signaled that for now they prefer not to take sides against Russia, at least not militarily…”

In a coming attack of Far Eastern nations right AFTER Christ’s return, reported in advance in Ezekiel 38 and 39, Russia as well as Iran (ancient Persia) will BE part of that military alliance which will apparently be led by a Chinese dictator.

Coming… the Third Temple

Israel 365 News wrote on October 14:

“On Thursday night, 600 Jewish men from the tribe of Levi held a rehearsal on the steps leading up to the Temple Mount to prepare to play their role in providing the musical accompaniment for the Third Temple service…

“In the Bible, the tribe of Levi included Moses and Aaron. Kohanim (priests) are descendants of Aaron and his descendants became a subset of the tribe of Levi. The other members of the tribe were chosen by God to forfeit their portions of land in Israel and to serve in the Temple. The Levites performed various functions in the Temple including guarding as well [as] serving all the musical needs.

“Jewish communities are scrupulous about perpetuating the status of the Levites which is passed from father to son. Only Jewish men whose fathers were Levites are considered eligible. They are recognized for conspicuous honors in religious services and their status as Levites is inscribed on their gravestones… Levites… represent only about 4% of the Jewish population…

“The event on Thursday was the first post-pandemic rehearsal for the Levites, bringing together about 600 men to practice a medley from the Hallel service composed of Psalms 113-118 which is recited ‎on major and minor festivals…

“The municipal government is helping to prepare for the Third Temple… In the days that the Temples stood in Jerusalem, the Levites sang on the 15 steps— corresponding to the 15 Songs of Ascent in Psalms [120-134] —that led from the Ezrat Nashim (‘Court of Women’) to the Ezrat Yisrael (‘Court of Israelites’).”

It was also reported by the paper that “a full-dress reenactment of the water libation as it was performed in the Temple was held in Jerusalem.” 

All these steps… and many more… will lead to the building of the Third Temple PRIOR to the Return of Jesus Christ. This is clearly prophesied… for those with eyes to see and ears to hear.

The Return of Baal

Israel 365 wrote on October 21:

“The Russian and Syrian governments announced that they are moving on to the next stage in reconstructing the ancient temple of the pagan god Ba’al in Palmyra. If successful, the project will necessarily mark the third incarnation of the Roman Victory Arch of Palmyra which an ancient Jewish source states must fall and be rebuilt three times before the arrival of the Messiah.

“… The Temple of Palmyra was dedicated in 32 CE to the worship of Ba’al. The earliest known inhabitants were the Amorites in the early second millennium BCE… The temple was built on the site of a prior pagan temple dating back to the third millennium BCE… Converted into a Christian church during the Byzantine Era, parts of the structure were modified into a mosque by Muslims in 1132. It remained in use as a mosque until the 1920s…

“Mentioned more than 90 times in the Bible, most notably when Elijah defeated the priests of Ba’al, also known as Moloch, in a contest to bring down fire from heaven to burn a sacrifice, Ba’al became the archetypical form of idol worship… Followers of Ba’al engaged in bisexual orgies and sacrificed human infants, burning them alive. Anthropologists conjecture that the child sacrifice was to cull the population after the inevitable outcome of wanton sexuality.”

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.

Since Jesus returned to heaven around 2,000 years ago, there have been continued interest and predictions about His return to earth.

We know from the Bible that even before Jesus was crucified, resurrected and then returned to heaven, the original apostles were looking to His Second Coming.  In Matthew 24:3, we read: “Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, ‘Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?’”   Jesus then lists what will happen before His return to earth, from verse 4 until the end of the chapter.

And after He had returned to heaven, some thought that His return was to be in their lifetime. Let us look at some examples of this.

In Acts 2:16-17, we see that Peter was speaking on the day of Pentecost in 31 AD, recorded by Luke some 30 years or so later, and Peter said: ^“But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh;  Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,  Your young men shall see visions,  Your old men shall dream dreams.”

Peter was quoting the prophet Joel and while this happened in part with the pouring out of the Holy Spirit, as a forerunner, this prophecy has to be fulfilled at the end of this age.   It is fairly obvious that Peter thought that they were in the last days then; otherwise, why would he have quoted this prophecy at that time?   Also, Peter thought it was the end-time with his comment in 1 Peter 1:20: “He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you.”

Peter was joined by Paul in thinking that time was short then, as we read in 1 Corinthians 7:29: “…this I say, brethren, the time is short, so that from now on even those who have wives should be as though they had none…”

In 1 Corinthians 15:50-52, we read: “Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.’’ When we use the word “we,” it obviously includes ourselves – and in this case it includes Paul.

In 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18, Paul also wrote: “For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.”

In Hebrews 1:1-2, we again see Paul referring to the last days: “God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds.”

James, the half-brother of Christ, had this to say in James 5:1-3: “Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you! Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have heaped up treasure in the last days.”

The apostle John felt exactly the same, as we read in 1 John 2:18: “Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour.”

Why did God allow all these men to think along these lines?   Surely, one of the reasons must have been that if it had been made clear to the apostles in the first century that Christ wouldn’t return for at least 2,000 years, discouragement could well have set in.   Irrespective of WHEN Christ will return – and the Scriptures are very clear that He will return – we have to be ready because we just don’t know when that most marvellous event will occur.   And it will only occur once.

In Mark 13:32, we read: “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” We have no reason to believe that that is not still the same situation today.

It was not until the 1950’s that man had developed the capacity to blow himself off the face of the earth with nuclear bombs and other weapons and so the end couldn’t possibly have taken place before then.   In Mr Armstrong’s book “Tomorrow – What It Will Be Like”, he states the following on page 2:

“Besides nuclear annihilation, there are at least five other means by which mankind could be destroyed off the face of the globe: chemical warfare, biological warfare, overpopulation and resulting famine, disease epidemics, and environmental pollution.”

The return of Christ has been anticipated down through the last 2,000 years.   In the book, “The End of Time: Faith and Fear in the Shadow of the Millennium” by Damian Thompson, he writes: “What is it about the advent of the year 2000 which propelled millions of people in the direction of apocalyptic belief? Why should Christians who know perfectly well Christ was not born in A.D. 1 attached such importance to the calendar change question even more strangely, why should the prospect of a new millennium quicken the pulse of millions of non-Christians?

“For some time, Christians including Irenaeus around 115-200 AD and Justin Martyr (100-165 AD) continued to look for Christ to set up a literal kingdom of God on earth.  In the 3^rd century, Origen (185-254 AD) asserted that the kingdom existed not in time or space but in believer’s souls.

“AD 500 was another date that evoked excitement.   The terrors of the Year 1000 might be a myth, but there can be no denying the sense of doom which permeates so many documents of the period.   Throughout the tenth and early eleventh centuries, preachers and chroniclers regularly assured their audiences that their misfortunes were fulfillments of Biblical prophecies about the Last Days (p 42).”

Mr Thompson gives many more examples right down to the present time.  Throughout the centuries, speculation about the Second Coming has caused arguments and debates along with untold disappointment when it didn’t happen.

If we continue to read Mark 13:33-37, we learn what we are to do: “Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is.  It is like a man going to a far country, who left his house and gave authority to his servants, and to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch.  Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming—in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning— lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping.  And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!”

We are instructed to watch – not go to sleep and lose interest.   We have to maintain our zeal for the Work of God.

Wherever we look around the world, there are problems, many of them insurmountable and only the return of Jesus Christ will solve all of these issues.

In our weekly Update, number 1037, dated 2^nd September 2022, under the heading “Is God Punishing the United States of America?,” we quoted what the Jerusalem Post wrote on August 24: “… it is a challenge for me to believe that the series of ‘plagues’ that have befallen the United States of America of late are not part of some heavenly master plan…”

“The triumph of democracy and freedom over fascism and national land grabs energized the American body politic to take responsibility and rebuild the world after the devastating losses in the war.”

It then covers “over 300 mass shootings in the US this year as of early July, the largest number by far of any country in the world; then the weather showing that tens of millions of people are under extreme weather risk every day and as of July 5, 34,478 fires have already burned 4,582,301 acres of land.

“If one accepts the religious concept that whatever happens in the world is part of God’s plan for the world (and not everyone accepts that, to be sure), it is possible to postulate that God had a plan for the United States of America. It is almost as if God is now expressing displeasure with his servant, the US, in the course it has taken.”

It is interesting to read what a secular newspaper has to say.  In fact, they don’t mention many other areas where God is not pleased at all, including that of the sexual perversions that permeate the land where the abhorrent behaviour of Sodom and Gomorrah was summarily dealt with through their total destruction.   It should be further noted that this applies not only to the USA but to the other English-speaking countries, such as the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, as well as the world at large.

Perversion is celebrated as being good and must be accepted, and quoting God’s instruction on such matters is considered hate speech.   Large worldly churches blithely go along with the changes in society and try to fit in with them, rather than representing God and His Way of Life.   Blasphemy is used everywhere from the youngest to the oldest, and respect for God is negligible.  Left-wing media push the anti-God message, and most people just go along with it.

Russia is continuing to bomb the Ukraine, resulting in many casualties.   Problems between nations seem to never end with problems between the Israelis and Palestinians, other problems in Syria, Libya, Afghanistan, Iraq and Iran.   Inflation is rocketing around the world with the USA and UK both approaching double figures. Many other countries are also experiencing high double figures, and Zimbabwe, as of August 2022, had a staggering 600%.  Because of this, higher wages are sought with industrial action taken or threatened.  The cost of energy continues to be a huge problem with massive hikes in prices.

The continuing rise in abortion rates and the callous call for women’s rights to allow abortion at any time for any reason just add vast numbers to the killings experienced in the many wars in force around the globe.

Cruelty in war, and in society, to young children and defenceless animals proliferates as love for God and neighbour disappear over the horizon.  All of the above is just the tip of the iceberg but gives a brief overview of the problems that only God can solve. Yes, there are some decent people who try hard to do the right thing, but they do not truly understand the Way of God and what He expects from us.

The world is currently in crisis from which there seems to be, humanly speaking, no end.

(To Be Continued)

Lead Writer: Brian Gale (United Kingdom)

compiled by Dave Harris

“Britain’s Fall Is Inevitable,” is the title of a new StandingWatch program, presented by Evangelist Norbert Link. Here is a summary:

The situation in Great Britain is catastrophic, and God tells us why. The resignation of Liz Truss after just 45 days in office and the “undemocratic” election of Rishi Sunak should show even the casual observer that Britain’s fate is sealed; especially, when considering what Sunak stands for. One paper wrote that “a voice is missing to save England.” But is this really so?

“Großbritanniens Fall ist sicher,” is the title of a new AufPostenStehen program, presented by Norbert Link. This German program covers the same topic as described above.

We are pleased to announce that ten people were baptized during the Fall Festival; also Daniel Blasinger was ordained Deacon during this time. Congratulations to ALL!

Please Note: Sermonettes and Sermons presented during the Fall Holy Days are or will be posted on our websites: www.eternalgod.org and https://www.ewigengottes.de/

“Our Ultimate Human Potential,” the sermon presented last Sabbath by Norbert Link, is now posted. Here is a summary:

First, God created spirit beings and things within the spirit world, and the Bible also shows us WHAT He created. In due course, He created the physical world—the universe with its galaxies, suns, and stars, and our earth. Science is still puzzled to this day as to how the universe came into being. The earth later became void and empty, and God renewed the face of the earth and created man. Why? What is the purpose of human existence, and what does the Bible reveal about the future of man… as well as the future of our solar system and the entire universe?