Update 1044

On November 12, 2022, Frank Bruno will present the sermonette, titled, “The Toxic Choice,” and Eric Rank will present the sermon, titled, “Be Counted Worthy.”

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.

Sometime in the fall, bears start increasing their food intake and really add on the bulk as they get ready to hibernate through the winter. In the spring, they come out of hibernation a little lighter than when they went in and begin to put on weight again. Adding on those extra pounds sustains them physically through the cold winter.

We have just recently come back to our homes from the Feast of Tabernacles where we have been spiritually fed for eight days when some of us only see each other once a year at that time. This spiritual food, added to the weekly spiritual food, should sustain us till the next Holy Day in the spring, since it is the longest period of lapsed time till the next Holy Day. That is from the Last Great Day till Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread.

We may have a tendency of getting into winter doldrums; especially in the northern hemisphere where the days get shorter, the temperature drops below zero, and that at times for months. We get snow falls which curtail our outside physical activities, and we may have a tendency to let down a bit in our spiritual responsibilities.

Mr. Norbert Link indicated in a recent sermon that we are unique. We really are, namely because of our resistance against compromise and boldly getting the gospel and warning message out to this dying world. We are not trying to add to the membership by watering down the Word of God.

Individually, we cannot let down in our relationship with God, nor get discouraged if our Church organizations in countries such as the USA, Canada, the UK or Australia do not grow in leaps and bounds. Christ is the Head of the Church, and He will add to the Church when He sees fit. We, on the other hand, must continue to support the Work even if our responsibility is reduced to financial support and prayer for the Work.

The glue that keeps us together is God’s Spirit in us which we have to maintain by using the tools God has given us; namely, prayer, Bible study, meditation and occasional fasting.

The time is short which is really a relative term in that it could be very short for us, individually, if God determines we have accomplished what He wants from us and we die, as some faithful servants have in the past.

The one sure thing is our eternal reward if we remain true to the end, so let us not allow the winter doldrums to get us down, but let us look to the future, regardless of when God decides to end this world’s madness. Christ has no pleasure in us when we put our hand to the plow and look back, desiring to hold on or regain to what we are to give up. Our hopes, desires and rewards are not in the past which we left behind, but our potential is to enter into God’s glory as His sons and daughters. So, let us focus on that.

We begin with the US midterm elections and some surprising results; and continue with a potential rematch of Trump and Biden and the distinct possibility of civil war in the US which has been described as a matter of when, not if.

We speak on further fears of a worldwide nuclear war as a matter of when, not if, including rising tensions with North Korea; address Netanyahu’s victory and the most religious Israeli government ever [please note in this regard our new StandingWatch program, titled, The Third Temple under Netanyahu and Ben-Gvir?]; speak on the persecution of a Catholic priest who dared to speak the Truth while Russia confirms its fight for traditional values; and point out the EU’s intention of suppressing free speech.

We point out Olaf Scholz’s controversial trip to China and the resulting criticism from all sides; and admissions by the German health minister of colossal mistakes made in dealing with the coronavirus. Tragically, the USA has not learned from its mistakes and continues to make them as we speak. This goes for the TSA, the CDC, the FDA, the Biden Administration and of course Dr. Fauci.

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

US Midterm Elections—No Red Wave

The Associated Press reported on November 9:

“For weeks, Republicans predicted a ‘red wave’ would carry them to power in Congress, as voters repudiated majority Democrats for failing to tame skyrocketing inflation and address worries about rising crime. The reality appeared far different early Wednesday. Rather than a wholesale rejection of President Joe Biden and his party, the results were far more mixed…

“Many Democratic incumbents proved surprisingly resilient, outperforming their party’s own expectations…

“Fetterman defeated Republican Dr. Mehmet Oz for a crucial Pennsylvania Senate seat vacated by retiring Republican Sen. Pat Toomey. Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock and former NFL star Herschel Walker, a Republican, were locked in a close contest in Georgia. The Wisconsin race between Republican Sen. Ron Johnson and Democrat Mandela Barnes was too early to call. And the outcome of the remaining two seats that will determine which party will hold a Senate majority — Arizona and Nevada — may not be known for days because both states conduct elections in part by mail ballots, which take a long time to count.”

While the careful predictions are that the Republicans will win a majority of the House, the outcome for the Senate is uncertain. It appears that there will be a runoff in Georgia’s Senate race in December. The Huffington Post added on November 9:

“Right now the House still looks likely to enter GOP control… But its majority could be small enough that GOP leader Kevin McCarthy would struggle to pass almost any legislation.”

Fox News wrote on November 9:

“Republicans aren’t parading through the streets of Rome like a conquering army, it’s important to keep perspective on what Tuesday night’s election results mean…

“President Joe Biden’s promises to unite the country are long gone. More than anything, Tuesday night proved that we are as divided as ever. There was no red wave, but more of a red ripple… Republicans will likely govern the House by a distinct margin. The Senate is still up for grabs. Aside from a few select issues, it’s unlikely much will get done in Washington…

“Tuesday night, Hispanics powered the GOP to victory in Florida. Ron DeSantis and Marco Rubio blew the doors off in the Sunshine State…

“Many conservative commentators took the election results as a sign it was time for the GOP to move on from Trump. Commentators argued that Trump had endorsed outlandish candidates who turned easy victories into close races, and close races into losses.  Others compared Trump’s failure to secure wins across the country with the huge wave of support for Republicans in Gov. Ron DeSantis’ Florida… Of the races that have been decided as of Wednesday morning, Trump’s endorsed candidates have won nine and lost eight…

“The poor performance of Trump’s candidates comes just as he was reportedly attempting to ward DeSantis away from making a run for president in 2024… [He] warned DeSantis that a 2024 run could hurt him ‘very badly’ on Tuesday….”

The New York Post wrote on November 9:

“Former President Donald Trump ignored Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ crushing victory in the 45th president’s election night remarks — as other results spelled potential trouble for Trump’s path to the 2024 GOP presidential nomination… Trump highlighted Florida Sen. Marco Rubio’s similarly large margin of victory instead… DeSantis’ massive win amid an otherwise worse-than-expected night for Republicans fueled the rivalry between the men’s supporters.”

Rematch of Trump and Biden?

The Guardian wrote on November 4:

“As the midterm elections loom and Republican hopes of retaking Congress rise, it appears to be a matter of when, not if, Donald Trump will announce his third White House run… Polls show Trump is likely to win the Republican nomination but have also shown most Americans do not want him to do so…

“The poll that showed most voters do not want Trump to run also showed that more than 60% of Americans and 30% of Democrats said Biden should not run either. Nonetheless, the Washington Post this week reported that the president, who will soon turn 80, is ‘quietly’ preparing to do so. A rematch of 2020 seems likely…”

Interesting times ahead… Still, with the relatively poor performance by both Biden and Trump during the midterm election, we have to wait and see how it all plays out. But it would be certainly premature to write off Trump.

How Close Are We to Civil War?

The Guardian published on November 6 opinions by several political writers. We are bringing you a synopsis below:

“Americans are increasingly talking about civil war. In August… Twitter references to ‘civil war’ jumped 3,000%… Americans on both sides of the political divide increasingly state that violence is justified… Two years ago, no one was talking about a second American civil war. Today it is common…

“If a second civil war breaks out in the US, it will be a guerrilla war fought by multiple small militias spread around the country. Their targets will be civilians – mainly minority groups, opposition leaders and federal employees. Judges will be assassinated, Democrats and… Republicans will be jailed on bogus charges, black churches and synagogues bombed, pedestrians picked off by snipers in city streets, and federal agents threatened with death should they enforce federal law. The goal will be to reduce the strength of the federal government and those who support it, while also intimidating minority groups and political opponents into submission…

“America is rushing headlong into another civil war, and it’s a matter of when, not if… Look for the next civil war to take place after the 2024 election cycle, when the next wave of violence is likely to emerge. Similar to the original civil war, there’s too much at stake for both sides. Then, as now, the threats are existential. In the 19th century, Democrats viewed the newly established Republican party as a threat to their way of life. Republicans, for their part, saw southern intransigence on the issue of slavery as a threat to the union…”

The outbreak of a second civil war is a distinct possibility.

Doomsday Clock: 100 Seconds to Midnight

Newsweek wrote on November 4:

“The organization behind the Doomsday Clock has published a guide that details the potentially catastrophic consequences of a global nuclear war—which could kill hundreds of millions in hours—in what is a ‘wake-up call’ for people around the world…

“The Doomsday Clock is a symbolic device designed to warn the public about how close humanity is to destroying itself with ‘dangerous technologies of our own making,’ such as nuclear weapons as well as those that are contributing to climate change.

“The clock, which was created in 1947 and is maintained by the Bulletin of the Atomic

Scientists magazine, has been reset 24 times, most recently in 2020 when the minute hand moved from two minutes to midnight to 100 seconds to midnight. In January 2022, the Science and Security Board of the Bulletin, which decides the clock’s time, announced that the minute hand was staying at 100 seconds to midnight…

“A global, all-out nuclear war…, based on a scenario involving 4,400 100-kiloton weapons, would very quickly result in a minimum of 360 million deaths around the world from the direct effects alone. Even though these figures are staggering,… these deaths would be only the beginning of a massive catastrophe that would affect… the entire world…”

Sadly, the Bible DOES predict worldwide nuclear war which would annihilate ALL LIFE on earth if it weren’t for God shortening those days and for Christ’s return to prevent this from happening.

A Blunder Will Happen…

Time wrote on November 4:

“Over the past year, global adversaries have routinely threatened to violate the decades-old taboo against the first-use of nuclear weapons. Launching a nuclear strike, once unthinkable in modern conflict, has become more and more normalized with each passing day of 2022. Meanwhile, the global revulsion against using the world’s most destructive weapons, which was borne out of the ashes of World War II, appears to have drastically abated. In its absence is emerging a dangerous and unpredictable era where threats to cross the nuclear threshold have become commonplace by world leaders…

“Down that road may lie the greatest danger of all. ‘These developments call attention to the underlying truth that is not new: Nuclear weapons are unacceptably dangerous and for most countries that have them, one person alone has the authority to launch them with few checks and balances,’ says Lynn Rusten, vice president at the Nuclear Threat Initiative… ‘The idea that reliance on nuclear weapons for national and global security is sustainable for the long-term is delusional. A blunder will happen sooner or later.’”

Rather sooner than later… Frightening indeed.

Rising Tensions

npr wrote on November 5:

“North Korea added to its recent barrage of weapons demonstrations by launching four ballistic missiles into the sea on Saturday, as the United States sent two supersonic bombers streaking over South Korea in a dueling display of military might that underscored rising tensions in the region… The North has test-fired more than 30 missiles this week…  and flew large numbers of warplanes inside its territory in an angry reaction to a massive combined aerial exercise between the United States and South Korea… The exercise involved around 240 warplanes, including advanced F-35 fighter jets from both countries.

“North Korea’s Foreign Ministry late Friday described the country’s military actions this week as an appropriate response to the exercise, which it called a display of U.S. ‘military confrontation hysteria.’ It said North Korea will respond with the ‘toughest counteraction’ to any attempts by ‘hostile forces’ to infringe on its sovereignty or security interests.

“South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the participation of the B-1Bs in the joint drills demonstrated the allies’ readiness to ‘sternly respond’ to North Korean provocations and the U.S. commitment to defend its ally with the full range of its military capabilities, including nuclear.”

The confrontation and rising tensions between North Korea and the USA should be closely watched as well.

Lapid Concedes

JTA wrote on November 3:

“Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid called his rival, former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to concede this week’s election… Netanyahu… has launched the negotiating process to form the next government with the far-right Religious Zionist party and haredi Orthodox parties. With a total of 64 seats, Netanyahu’s bloc surpassed poll predictions… [amid] rumors that President Joe Biden’s administration might not engage with Itamar Ben-Gvir, one of the Religious Zionist leaders who will likely be given a cabinet position…

“Ben-Gvir — who has said he prefers to be public security minister, which controls Israel’s police — has worried U.S. leaders with his extremist rhetoric about the use of police force against Arabs and his calls to expel people who are not loyal to Israel.

“An array of international leaders began to congratulate Netanyahu on Thursday, including Viktor Orban, the far-right president of Hungary, and Giorgia Meloni, the right-wing prime minister of Italy. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who has criticized Israel’s unwillingness to supply Ukraine with weapons in its war with [Russia], also sent congratulations. ‘We hope to open a new page in cooperation with the new Government for & benefit!’ he wrote.”

As of November 6, Biden had not yet called Netanyahu to congratulate him, while he rushed to call Lula da Silva, the new corrupt lefty-wing President of Brazil. JTA reported on November 7 that Biden finally called Netanyahu and allegedly congratulated him during an eight-minute exchange. Not much is known about the contents of the call. The White House did not respond to questions about the call, according to JTA.

Israel 365 added on November 8: “The call from Biden came after British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak congratulated Netanyahu. French President Emmanuel Macron congratulated Netanyahu on Sunday.”

The Most Religious Government Ever

Haaretz wrote on November 3:

“Israel’s next government will be by far the most religious in its history… Of the four parties,  three are religious. Two of them… are ultra-Orthodox parties… The third… is on the conservative side of the religious spectrum, leaning toward ultra-Orthodoxy.

“Together, these three parties will account for more than half the seats in the coalition headed by Benjamin Netanyahu, which is expected to assume power within the next few weeks… Add to that seven lawmakers from Netanyahu’s own Likud party, and it turns out that 40 of the expected 65 members of Israel’s next coalition will be Orthodox Jews…

“To be sure, there never has been separation of religion and state in Israel. Issues of marriage and divorce, for instance, fall under the jurisdiction of religious authorities – in the case of Jews, the Orthodox-controlled Chief Rabbinate. With rare exceptions, public transportation does not run on Shabbat, and most retail businesses are closed that day.”

Will this new government fulfill important biblical prophecies? Note the next article.

Praying on the Temple Mount

Israel Today wrote on November 6:

“Among the things liberals both in Israel and abroad fear the incoming religious right-wing government of Benjamin Netanyahu will do is open the Temple Mount to Jewish prayer... Muslims today claim that Jerusalem’s Temple Mount is Islam’s third holiest site, though that wasn’t always the case, and some are beginning to acknowledge that the site means little, if anything to Islam. Still, the majority have bought the lie, and as a premier Islamic holy site, they cannot accept its use by any other religion.

“This prohibition against all but Islamic religious expression at the Temple Mount is what Israel calls ‘the status quo,’ a Muslim-imposed state of affairs that the Jewish state and the West dare not violate for fear of an outbreak of Muslim violence… For many Jews the issue becomes who they fear more: God, or the Arab Muslim world.”

Soon, the issue will not just be, praying on the Temple Mount, but building the Third Temple.

Jewish Prayer on Temple Mount Will Lead to War?

The Times of Israel wrote on November 5:

“Any move by the incoming government to allow Jewish prayer on the Temple Mount ‘will lead to war,’ Ra’am party leader Mansour Abbas has said. Abbas told Channel 12 on Thursday that he was ‘worried’ about the apparent new government… ‘Let’s not be naive,’ said Abbas, whose Islamist party was a core component of the outgoing coalition…

“The presence of Jewish visitors on the Temple Mount is opposed by Palestinians, and Hamas warned of violent ‘repercussions’ over visits during the Jewish holidays… MK Ben Gvir… has often visited the Temple Mount while demanding Israel fully realize its sovereignty there. During the recent holiday period, Religious Zionism MK Simcha Rothman took to blowing the shofar at a Muslim cemetery near Jerusalem’s Temple Mount, an action heavily criticized by police for its combustive potential but allowed by courts.

“Speaking Monday, Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu — who is set to form the next government — said he would ‘maintain the status quo’ at the Temple Mount despite pressure from Ben Gvir. The Otzma Yehudit leader is seeking to be public security minister, which would make him responsible for keeping the peace at the Jerusalem holy site….”

A Catholic Priest Tells the Truth

Daily Mail wrote on November 3:

“A Catholic priest has been branded hateful over a sermon about ‘rampant’ sin, and denounced same sex marriage, abortion and the ‘lunacy’ of transgenderism… A reported 30 members of the congregation walked out of the church…

“During the sermon, Fr Sheehy said: ‘You rarely hear about sin but it’s rampant. It’s rampant… And we see it, for example in the legislation of our governments. We see it in the promotion of abortion. We see it in the example of this lunatic approach of transgenderism. We see it, for example, in the promotion of sex between two men and two women. That is sinful. That is mortal sin.’

“He added it was a ‘fact; a reality’ that these things were sinful… Asked if he planned to apologise, he said: ‘Not at all – why would I apologise for the truth?‘”

Yes, why indeed?

Russia For Traditional Values

AFP wrote on November 9:

“Russia on Wednesday vowed to defend its ‘traditional’ values against threats from the United States and ‘gay propaganda’ in a document signed by President Vladimir Putin. The presidential decree… warns that Moscow must take ‘urgent measures’ to ward off threats including terror groups, ‘certain mass media’ and ‘the United States and other unfriendly foreign countries.’

“It also lists internal threats from ‘the activities of certain organisations and people on Russian soil’. These foes risk implanting ‘alien’ ideas in Russian society and causing ‘the destruction of the traditional family unit through propaganda of nontraditional sexual relationships,’ the decree says, using a phrase referring to LGBTQ relationships.

“The Orthodox Church welcomed the document as a way to ‘preserve our people and protect our children from being defiled,’ senior cleric Fyodor Lukyanov told TASS state news agency. The mission statement comes as Russian lawmakers are pushing through amendments to toughen up a controversial 2013 law banning ‘gay propaganda’ to minors, rewriting it to include adults as well.”

Diversity of Religions Act of God?

Life Site wrote on November 7:

“Pope Francis defended his controversial Abu Dhabi document which claimed that ‘diversity of religions’ is ‘willed by God,’ saying that it was ‘something that came from God.’…

“The Abu Dhabi document has been widely criticized by faithful Catholics for putting the Catholic faith and its worship of the God of Revelation on the same plane with religions that do not worship the true God and deliberately reject Him… the dubious passage in the document was never publicly corrected or clarified by the Pope or another Vatican official.”

The EU Rejects Free Speech!

On November 4, the Ron Paul Institute published the following article by Law Professor Jonathan Turley:

“We have been discussing how Democratic leaders like Hillary Clinton called on foreign companies to pass censorship laws to prevent Elon Musk from restoring free speech protections on Twitter. The EU has responded aggressively to warn Musk not to allow greater free speech or face crippling fines and even potential criminal enforcement. After years of using censorship-by-surrogates in social media companies, Democratic leaders seem to have rediscovered good old-fashioned state censorship.

“Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.) declared Musk’s pledge to restore free speech values on social media as threatening Democracy itself… Former President Obama has declared ‘regulation has to be part of the answer’ to disinformation… Hillary Clinton is looking to Europe to fill the vacuum and called upon her European counterparts to pass a massive censorship law to ‘bolster global democracy before it’s too late.’

“New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern recently repeated this call for global censorship at the United Nations to the applause of diplomats and media alike. EU censors have assured Democratic leaders that they will not allow free speech to break out on Twitter regardless of the wishes of its owner and customers.

“One of the most anti-free speech figures in the West, EU’s Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton has been raising the alarm that Twitter users might be able to read uncensored material or hear unauthorized views… Breton has made no secret that he views free speech as a danger coming from the United States that needs to be walled off from the Internet… the EU views free speech itself as an existential danger. They reject the notion of free speech…”

 It will only get worse when a core Europe of ten nations or groups of nations has formed, transferring their power and authority to a dictator and autocrat, called the Beast in the Bible.

Olaf Scholz Goes to China

Deutsche Welle wrote on November 5:

“On Friday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz went to China, despite domestic and international skepticism about his trip…

“Scholz’s 11-hour trip to China remains controversial — and not least because Germany’s current coalition government previously promised to change its approach to China, including reducing its dependency on the Asian giant. Experts say Scholz’s trip shows that Germany hasn’t really changed its policies towards China…

“‘The trip sends a message that even though Berlin should be seriously rethinking the relationship with China, they are going back to business as usual,’ said Zsuzsa Anna Ferenczy, an assistant professor at National Dong Hwa University in Taiwan and a former political advisor to the European Parliament. ‘While I think Europe needs to find a way to constructively talk to China from a position of strength, what Berlin is doing undermines that position by pursuing its own interests at the expense of the emerging, yet fragile, European unity that we’ve seen since the Ukraine war,’ she added.

“Reinhard Bütikofer, a German politician and member of the Greens party in the European Parliament, told DW that Scholz’s trip has contradicted the German coalition government’s agreement and will also have a negative impact on the European Union… ‘Germany’s China policy can’t be developed on the basis of the Chancellor alone, who has ignored competent advice on China at least three times. When we founded the new German government, we agreed Germany’s future China policy should be strongly integrated at the European level, and it should be coordinated in the trans-Atlantic relationship. Both haven’t happened,’ Bütikofer added.

“Prior to the trip, Scholz defended a controversial deal that allowed China’s state-owned shipping company [Cosco] to buy a minority 24.9% stake in one of Hamburg’s port terminals, ignoring objections from several cabinet members… ‘This visit is a manifestation of the fragmentation, not only within the EU, but also within the German political scene,’ said Marcin Jerzewski, head of the Taiwan office of the European Values Center, a Czech think tank…

“Sari Arho Havren, China researcher and adjunct professor at the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies, told DW that Scholz’s trip gives Beijing a strong signal that Germany ‘would bring the EU to see Beijing again in a more pragmatic and favorable light… This would mean normalizing Beijing’s behavior, [something] which is largely seen as the problem in the EU.’

“There’s also a significant divergence in how the two leaders view the world, Havren noted. ‘Scholz emphasized the severe consequences of the Ukrainian war, but for Xi, there is much more to it than that … Beijing sees the world through the lens of the US trying to contain China,’ she told DW. Through this lens, which also includes possible reunification of China and Taiwan, an ongoing partnership with Russia is important to China, as is a Europe that is not united on these issues. ‘With increasingly deepened ties to China through its powerful companies, Germany would potentially make a common European response against China less likely, in case of needing to choose sides between Beijing and Washington,’ Havren concluded.”

Scholz’s performance as chancellor has been controversial, to say the least. Note the next article.

Criticism From All Sides

Bild Online wrote on November 6:

“First of all, before his controversial trip (Friday) to the self-crowned lifetime dictator Xi Jinping (69), foreign minister [and coalition partner] Annalena Baerbock (Greens) had told him that this trip would not work at all…

“And then on Saturday: Scholz [SPD] had just returned from his China ride (23-hour flight for four-hour talks), FDP leader [and coalition partner] Christian Linder (43) reached out and explained to the chancellor how things should actually work with China: ‘Only what is allowed for Germans in China can also be allowed for Chinese people in Germany ‘, he said… What Lindner tells the chancellor via the press: If China refuses German companies to set up their own companies, then the Chinese companies can lie down here too and at most enter into a joint venture. And: If German companies cannot participate in Chinese infrastructure, then the reverse is also not possible. This also means that if we are not allowed to buy a port in China, then the chancellor cannot push this through for the Chinese either, as has just happened in Hamburg.

“As reported, Scholz flew to Beijing with a piece of the port of Hamburg as a gift. Half of the cabinet had opposed the purchase… Scholz earned ridicule and incomprehension worldwide for a tweet after the trip to Communist dictator Xi. It sounded as if friends had met: ‘Reliability and trust – these two values ​​play an important role in German and Chinese culture. They are also the basis for diplomatic relations and political partnerships. It’s good that we spoke in person.’

“Criticism rained down from all sides. Tenor: How can you use ‘trust’ and ‘reliability’ in connection with Xi and the China dictatorship?! Like they aren’t breaking human rights and spying on our economy.”

This also shows how fragile the German government and the coalition are.

Eight Billion People!

Daily Mail wrote on November 7:

“The world’s population is set to hit eight billion next week in a key milestone for humanity… The UN Population Division said that the population will continue to grow in the decades to come, with life expectancy set to increase to an average of 77.2 years by 2050. By November 15, the number of humans on Earth will grow to eight billion, more than three times higher than the 2.5 billion global headcount in 1950.

“The increase in life expectancy, as well as the number of people of childbearing age, has meant the UN predicts the world’s population will continue growing to about 8.5 billion in 2030, 9.7 billion in 2050, and a peak of about 10.4 billion in the 2080s… the UN projects that more than half of the population growth by 2050 will come from just eight countries: the Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines and Tanzania.”

EU’s Actions Re Coronavirus and Ukraine Cost Europeans Dearly

Euro News wrote on November 4:

“European citizens could have lost out on nearly €3,000 a year because of the austerity measures implemented by EU governments since the 2007 financial crisis, a new report has claimed… The news comes at a time when EU states are racking up levels of debt unseen during modern peacetime to mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic and effects of the war in Ukraine. Frank Van Lerven, programme lead of macro-economics at NEF, said austerity measures have been a failure…

“Berlin, known as one of the most frugal EU member states, was a main proponent of austerity and cutbacks at the time. It has recently been able to afford a €200 billion aid package to help German people and businesses through the current energy crisis, much to the annoyance of other member states that cannot afford to do so on such a large scale.

“Polling included in the report found that 70% of people are concerned by what might happen if austerity is reintroduced. At the same time, 70% of respondents also reported concern about rising government debt...”

Herr Lauterbach: Are You Not Ashamed?

Bild Online wrote on November 4:

“It was a really surprising appearance: Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (59, SPD) told journalists on Wednesday: ‘The daycare closures were unnecessary.’ In one sentence, he declared the years of severe government intervention in the lives of millions of families to be a mistake that shouldn’t have been made. Ironically, the man who drove the lockdown like no other, who painted the devil on the wall, who constantly insisted that daycare centers and schools remain closed, now stands up and speaks of a mistake.

“Lauterbach was referring to a recent study conducted by the German Youth Institute (DJI) and the Robert Koch Institute (RKI). According to this, the corona transmission rate for children under the age of 5 was 9.6 percent. The minister summed it up: ‘You could get infected much more slowly in daycare centers than within families.’ So the risk was higher at home and not the other way around.

“In June 2020, several German universities presented the preliminary results of their so-called Heidelberg study and came to the conclusion: ‘No indication of children as drivers of the infection process’. On January 22, 2021, data from a study by the Berlin Charité showed that children are not among the infection drivers in the pandemic.

“Such results were consistently ignored by the federal government. Above all by the then Chancellor Angela Merkel (68, CDU), her head of the chancellery Helge Braun (50, CDU), her health minister Jens Spahn (42, CDU) and Bavaria’s Prime Minister Markus Söder (55, CSU). And also from Lauterbach, who was still a simple member of parliament at the time. On March 17, 2021, he called on all federal states to close the schools that they had cautiously opened. Again and again he warned of the danger of corona in daycare centers…

“Lauterbach tirelessly prophesied new corona catastrophes that never materialized. Just like the other politicians who closed Germany’s daycare centers and schools. One would like to ask: Aren’t you ashamed?

“Obviously not. When asked if he regretted the closure of the daycare centers, Lauterbach said coldly: ‘I don’t believe in assigning blame.’ Merkel and [Bavaria’s Prime Minister Markus] Söder also showed no regrets and did not ask parents and children for forgiveness.

“Lauterbach was asked whether the closure of the schools was also unnecessary. There is no comprehensive study on this yet, he said. Why not? Family Minister Lisa Paus (54, Greens) announced on Wednesday that children and young people ‘often suffered less from the virus itself than from the consequences of the containment measures’. The psychological well-being has deteriorated in half of the students in Germany, among the socially disadvantaged even in two thirds. In 2021, 40 percent more children were hospitalized for eating disorders than in 2019.

“It is obvious that the closure of the schools was not necessary either. Millions of children and young people have been harmed senselessly. This is the balance that Lauterbach has to face.

“How does the government intend to help the harmed children and young people who have been thrown into depression by wrong political decisions? Answer us, Minister of Health. It’s your… duty.”

What was and is happening in Germany mirrors what was and is happening in the USA, the UK, Canada, Australia and many other English-speaking nations where equally senseless coronavirus restrictions were imposed—especially based on the wrong advice of Dr. Fauci and other “experts”—and NO apologies have been issued for the incredible harm caused for millions of citizens in those countries. But the USA is still living in a ridiculously appalling Orwellian fantasy world. Read the next article.

Injections Extended Into 2023

Life Site News wrote on November 6:

“The U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has extended the requirement for non-U.S. citizen, non-immigrants to show proof of COVID-19 injection in order to enter the country. This makes the U.S. one of the few remaining Western countries to uphold such a mandate.

“The renewal of the U.S. border restrictions was announced November 4, and will expire on January 8, 2023. The current restrictions – which require visitors and temporary residents to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination to enter the country – were due to expire on November 8…

“Under the terms of the extended border restrictions, airline operators must ensure that passengers, prior to boarding, show paper or digital proof of having taken COVID injections, or provide documents detailing an exemption from such requirements. The requirements align with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, which stipulate that a passenger must have had either one injection of a single-dose vaccine, or two of a double-dose injection. The injections must be at least 14 days prior to flying. While the restrictions apply to ‘noncitizen nonimmigrants,’ they do not apply to U.S. citizens and permanent residents.

“… the COVID19 injections do not prevent against contracting the virus… studies are now showing that the injections actually increase the chances of contracting the virus. Given the extension of the COVID-19 injection mandate for the U.S. border, this means that passengers could be allowed to fly into the country even if they have the virus, so long as they also have taken the injections. Such a policy undermines the TSA’s purported aim of limiting the transmission and spread of COVID-19.

“The U.S now also has the dubious honor of remaining one of the few countries (and the most significant) still requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccination for incoming passengers. Other countries include Yemen, Liberia, North Korea, China and Libya.”

What a list of dictatorial countries. The incredible shortsightedness, ignorance and incompetence of the American government and their agencies is beyond comprehension. Even Canada and the United Kingdom removed any requirements of coronavirus vaccinations for international travel.

“Fauci’s Failing to Meet His Sales Quota”

The Ron Paul Institute wrote on November 7:

“Speaking at an awards ceremony over the weekend, retiring government bureaucrat Anthony Fauci expressed his dismay over the fact that Americans seem entirely uninterested in getting the latest Pfizer and Moderna booster shots… Fauci raged, like a pharma rep who failed to meet his sales quota…

“In total, only about 7% of all Americans have taken the new shot, according to the CDC. The boosters were only tested on mice, but approved for emergency use through the FDA’s rubber stamp partnership with Pfizer and Moderna.

“There is no evidence that the boosters do anything beneficial to help combat Covid-19…  At the event, Fauci paradoxically received a humanitarian award named after Muhammad Ali, the anti-establishment, counter culture boxing icon who was persecuted by career government bureaucrats like Fauci for his refusal to serve in Vietnam. Fauci, for his part, avoided the draft by joining the NIH.

“In his acceptance speech, the disgruntled bureaucrat expressed his disgust with Americans who refuse to follow Government Health orders… ‘What I refer to as the normalization of untruths. Put more bluntly, the normalization of lies that we see all around us. Now, helped along by social media, facts and falsehoods now coexist as sometimes equals, deliberately sowing confusion and discord, and distorting reality,’ he continued…”

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.

This is an interesting question. Many times, especially the Catholic concepts of angels picture them as good-looking women with long blond hair, long white dresses and huge white wings, but is there any biblical evidence for such concepts?  On the other hand, can it be dogmatically said that angels, representing female features, do not exist?

We have addressed the question as to how angels are being portrayed in the Bible in our free booklet, “Angels, Demons and the Spirit World.”  Beginning with page 13, under the headline, “What Angels Look Like,” we show from the Bible that some angels have man-like features; some look like animals with wings (especially mentioned are those who are looking like a lion, a calf, a flying eagle, or black, white, red and sorrel horses); and others have features combining man-like and animal-like features (cherubs with wings are described as having the likeness of men, but each one has four faces—faces of a man, a lion, an ox, and an eagle). When describing the man-like features, we point out that sometimes, angels appeared as “young men,” but this is not always the case (at least, in several incidents, it is not mentioned that the angels manifesting themselves as men looked like young men).

We also said this in the above-mentioned booklet, on page 16, under the sub-headline, “Some Angels May Look Like Women”:

“We saw that angels commonly appear with man-like features, and some of them looked like young men. In addition, there is one Scripture that might perhaps indicate that some angels may look like women.  Notice Zechariah 5:9–11: ‘Then I raised my eyes and looked, and there were two women, coming with the wind in their wings; for they had wings like the wings of a stork, and they lifted up the basket between earth and heaven. So I said to the angel who talked with me, “Where are they carrying the basket?” And he said to me, “To build a house for it in the land of Shinar [Babylon, Genesis 11:2, 9; compare also Genesis 10:10; Daniel 1:2]; when it is ready, the basket will be set there on its base.”’”

We explain this seventh vision of the woman in the basket in our free booklet, “The Book of Zechariah—Prophecies for Today.” 

Beginning on page 45, we also quoted Zechariah 5, verses 5-8, saying this:

“(5) Then the angel who talked with me came out and said to me, ‘Lift your eyes now, and see what this is that goes forth.’ (6) So I asked, ‘What is it?’ And he said, ‘It is a basket that is going forth.’ He also said, ‘This is their resemblance [better: their iniquity] throughout the earth: (7) Here is a lead disc lifted up, and this is a woman sitting inside the basket’; (8) then he said, ‘This is Wickedness!’ And he thrust her down into the basket, and threw the lead cover over its mouth…”

In identifying the woman in the basket, we stated:

“Some commentaries identify the woman in the basket as the woman or harlot riding the beast, as described in the book of Revelation. There, she is called ‘Mystery, Babylon the great, the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth’ (Revelation 17:5). She is also described as a religious city built on seven hills (Revelation 17:9, 18, New International Version, Living Bible)—in other words, Babylon the great, in the book of Revelation, signifies a false religious, political, military and economic system. In this regard, notice the explanation of the Scofield Reference Notes: ‘The Babylon phase of the apostate church is symbolized by an unchaste woman, sodden with the greed and luxury of commercialism… Prophetically, the application to the Babylon of the Revelation is obvious.’

“Adam Clarke’s Commentary on the Bible agrees: ‘The land of Shinar means Babylon; and Babylon means Rome, in the Apocalypse…’”

When explaining the basket, in which the woman sits, we stated:

“We read that the woman… is confined to a basket or container, but she is trying, unsuccessfully, to escape from her prison (verses 7–8). This gives us the time setting of Zechariah’s vision—it describes the woman’s future judgment—which will occur when Jesus Christ returns… two women with wings of a stork (Zechariah 5:9)—perhaps angels—carry the imprisoned woman to the land of Babylon, to build a house or dwelling place for her (verse 11)… The two women will assist in removing ‘wickedness’—the wicked system—from this earth. Please note that true Christians are already told today to ‘Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues’ (Revelation 18:4). In the future, wickedness will be placed ‘forever in Babylon’ (compare Geneva Study Bible); that is, the burned and destroyed location and area of the modern city of Babylon will become a ‘house’ for demons during the time of the Millennium.”

The symbolism of the “woman” in the basket is biblically explained by comparing her with the fallen woman—Babylon the Great—riding the scarlet-colored beast in Revelation 17. In this context, we see the role of angels in regard to the destruction of Babylon and the evil Babylonian system of this world. In our Q&A, titled, “Please explain Christ’s saying, ‘Wherever the body is, there the eagles will be gathered together,’” we explain two passages in Matthew 24:26-28 and Luke 17:24-37, by showing an important distinction. While the passage in Luke seems to describe the protection of the body [Greek: soma] of Christ (the Church of God) through angels, including at the place of safety,  the passage in Matthew seems to be describing this world as a body or better carcass or corpse [Greek: ptoma], referring to the destruction of this evil world at the time of Christ’s return, emphasizing the role of angels in the process. We say:

“Eagles or angels will be gathered together to protect Christ’s body–the Church, as implied in Luke 17:37. And as everyone can observe when eagles or vultures descend on a carcass, so Christ’s actual return to this earth, as implied in Matthew 24:28, will be obvious and visible to all. Since eagles can refer to angels, it is even possible that Christ’s picture of descending eagles in Matthew 24:28 (and not only in Luke 17:37) refers to angels, in the sense that God will send symbolic eagles or angels to descend on the dead body or the carcass of this spiritually dead world, to render punishment and judgment on those who do not know or obey God.

“We read that God will ‘give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven WITH HIS MIGHTY ANGELS, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, when He comes, in that Day, to be glorified in His saints and to be admired among all those who believe, because our testimony among you was believed’ (2 Thessalonians 1:7-10).”

We also note the reference to and involvement of angels in the destruction of Babylon in passages such as Revelation 14:8; 16:17-19; and 18:21.

In light of these parallel references and the fact that angels will be involved with the fate of the Babylonian harlot or fallen church, the conclusion could be reached that the two women in the book of Zechariah, carrying Babylon to her place of destruction and of imprisonment for demons, could indeed be a description of angels.

If we were to say that the two women are strictly symbolic and figurative, without describing in some way angels and their appearance, then what would they portray? The Bible does not give any hint at their symbolic meaning, if in fact it is strictly a symbolic description. We must be careful not to use certain passages as strictly symbolic, rather than literal, because otherwise, everything could be interpreted as being strictly symbolic. This mistake has been made oftentimes in orthodox Christianity, teaching for example that God has no form and shape. All the references clearly describing God the Father and Jesus Christ the Son as having a Man-like appearance were interpreted away as simply figurative representations. The same was done in regard to angels who allegedly have no “gender” and no form and shape either. But nowhere has it been explained what these very specific and quite different descriptions of angelic appearances are supposed to symbolize.

When a description is supposed to be understood only in a symbolic way, that symbol must be made clear in the Bible (Certain commentaries have attempted to give the two women in Zechariah 5 a symbolic meaning, allegedly referring to the Greeks and the Romans, or the Assyrians and the Babylonians, but all of this is clearly false and quite ludicrous, and no biblical evidence was presented to back up their claims.) While Christ is described in the book of Revelation as looking like a glorified “Man” (Revelation 1:12-15), which description is to be taken quite literally, as confirmed in many other passages, He is also pictured as a Lamb (Revelation 5:6). This description is clearly symbolic, as Christ does not look like a Lamb, but the symbol is also clearly explained, as Christ was and is the Lamb of God who was slain to take away the sins of the world (John 1:29).

Some commentaries concede that the reference to the two women is not symbolic and that “there be no symbol” (cp. Barnes’ Notes on the Bible), but utterly fail to explain convincingly what the women are supposed to represent.

The following statements were published in bible.org:

“While angels generally appear as men in Scripture, Zechariah 5:9 may suggest this is not always the case. The two women mentioned in this passage are not specifically called angels, but they are clearly agents of God… The fate of the woman (wickedness) is portrayed: She is to be removed from the land. Although some regard the two women as agents of evil (partly because the stork is an unclean bird…), it seems preferable to regard them as divinely chosen agents. [To view the two women as agents of evil because they have wings compared with the wings of an unclean animal—a stork—is a ridiculous conclusion anyhow, because holy angels are also portrayed as representing “unclean” animals.]… The simile ‘wings like those of a stork’ is evidently intended to show that the winged women—carried along by the wind—were capable of supporting the woman (wickedness) in the basket over a great distance. The main point is that Scripture does not identify them as angels and we would be hard pressed to prove that angels sometimes appear as women from this passage.”

On the other hand, no alternative explanation is given as to what the women DID represent. One author wrote on the Internet: “… in Zech. 5:9, two winged women take the woman ‘wickedness’ away to Babylonia in a basket. While it is true that ‘wickedness’ is a personification rather than a true person in that context, the two creatures who transport her seem to be angels, functioning in a typically angelic way, and they are clearly described as female.”

In addition, we should take note of the fact that the physical world is patterned after the spirit world, which is explained in our recent sermon, “Our Ultimate Human Potential”. We also explain this fact in detail in our aforementioned booklet, “Angels, Demons and the Spirit World,” beginning on page 58. God created the first human couple after His image and likeness (Genesis 1:26; 5:1-2). We are not saying, of course, that God combines male and female features in His appearance (as some have falsely suggested), nor are we saying that God would have “spirit” organs necessary in the physical realm for reproduction, but the fact remains that human beings resemble God, and as born-again members of the God Family, they will be God’s sons and daughters (2 Corinthians 6:18). Humans who were women in the flesh do not become “men” in the resurrection, but they will be able to manifest themselves to humans in such a way that they can be recognized as resembling their former physical appearance.

We read that angels do not marry or are given in marriage, and the same will be true for born-again members of the God Family, but it does not say that they (angels or resurrected saints) won’t be male or female (even though this has been erroneously stated many times, in misquoting Scripture). The passage in question reads in Luke 20:35-36:

“But those who are counted worthy to attain that age, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage; nor can they die anymore, for they are equal to the angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection” (also compare Mark12:25).

The point is, God created human beings as male and female in the physical realm, and they will be called sons and daughters of God in the spirit realm. The angels were created before man but in the spirit realm. So it cannot be ruled out that some of the angels (but by no means all or maybe even the vast majority of them) have been created as models for the physical creation of man.

We cannot dogmatically conclude that the reference in Zechariah 5:9 describes angels with women-like manifestations, but lacking biblical evidence showing what they could otherwise exclusively portray symbolically, the inference might be there. In any event, their description in Zechariah 5:9 differs fundamentally from the way orthodox Christianity portrays female angels.

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

compiled by Dave Harris

“The Third Temple Under Netanyahu and Ben-Gvir?” is the title of  a new StandingWatch program, presented by Evangelist Norbert Link. Here is a summary:

A new most religious and conservative government is being formed in Israel under Benjamin Netanyahu, with the new rising star Itamar Ben-Gvir wanting to become security minister, which would make him responsible for keeping the peace at the Temple Mount. Who is Ben-Gvir? What is his position towards Jewish prayers on the Temple Mount and the building of the Third Temple?

A new Member Letter (November 2022) has been posted and sent to our subscribers. Norbert Link encourages us to remember that the Work of the Church of God produces fruit far beyond what we might sometimes be able to immediately see.

We conducted a Tech Team Meeting and a Ministerial Meeting via Google Meets on last Sunday, November 6, 2022. Hosted by Eric Rank, we first focused on our ad campaigns with the Team and then followed up with the ministry during which we discussed speaking procedures during Sabbath Services as well as planning for 2023.

Plans have been made to conduct our annual Church Conference in Escondido, CA, from Thursday, April 27, 2023, until and including Sunday, April 30, 2023.

A new Ad Campaign directed to German speakers features our booklet, “Die Zehn Gebote,” (The Ten Commandments).

“Nicht mehr heiraten?” is the title of this Sabbath’s new German sermon, presented by Norbert Link. Title in English: “Don’t Marry Anymore?”

“Himmelhoch jauchzend – zum Tode betrübt Zusammenfassung,” is the title of last Sabbath’s German sermonette, presented by Robert Muhr. Title in English: “Cheering Sky High – Saddened to Death.”

“Squirm,” the sermonette presented last Sabbath by Eric Rank, is now posted. Here is a summary:

The only way that we can grow as Christians is by acknowledging our weaknesses so that we give place for God to work in our lives. The vulnerability in that acknowledgment is uncomfortable, but we can trust in the strength of God to give us relief.

“Seeking and Finding God!” the sermon presented last Sabbath by Dave Harris, is now posted. Here is a summary:

The Bible presents examples of nations and individuals who sought God and found Him, and it also reveals what God expects of mankind in this regard.