Update 1130

On September 28, 2024, Norbert Link will present “Comments on News and Prophecy, September 28, 2024,” and Kalon Mitchell will present the sermon, titled, “The Cure for the Hardened Heart!”

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.

NOTE: Next Thursday, October 3, is the Feast of Trumpets. The sermonette will be given by Kalon Mitchell, and the sermon will be given by Norbert Link.

The fall of the United Kingdom continues apace.   Apart from a loss of standing on the world scene and internal problems in the country wherever you look, we now have two-tier policing. britannica.com has this to say about the police: “a body of officers representing the civil authority of government. Police typically are responsible for maintaining public order and safety, enforcing the law, and preventing, detecting, and investigating criminal activities. These functions are known as policing.”

The riots in various cities in the UK during the early part of August this year brought out misleading statements by the Prime Minister about it being brought about by right-wing thugs, thus missing the real point which many who were not involved actually have sympathy with.   In his Standing Watch programme at that time, Mr Norbert Link spoke about “Why Riots in the UK” and gave a very sensible and reasoned view of why these events took place.

We don’t get involved in politics, we don’t vote and we don’t take sides for or against any particular group or party but comment on what the effects of any action are that is taken as compared with what God has set out in His Word as to how man should behave.

Unfortunately, the police have been very selective about their policing, no doubt taking a lead from the government.  As we have a new government in power who are trying to show how tough they are going to be on law and order, certain actions have recently been taken which have been breath-taking.   Those who have been caught in violent actions have finished up in court, convicted with prison sentences in many cases in just a matter of days showing that this is conduct that will not be tolerated.

The problem is that it is a two-tier system.   Those who have protested in other ways are ignored.  For example, pro-Hamas demonstrators are allowed to spit out their vile hatred of Israel and the police haven’t taken any action at all.   Thugs who fought with police have not had their cases heard yet when they were caught on camera with their actions clear to see.

Not that long ago, the organisation, Black Lives Matter, was able to march and spew out their anarchic approach and, again, this was all allowed without the police taking any action at all.   

The Telegraph wrote in early August 2024 that “if [Prime Minister] Sir Keir Starmer wants to know why Britain’s worst riots in more than a decade have happened on his watch, he need only pay a visit to Lord Sewell, the man who wrote a landmark report on racial and ethnic disparities in 2021.  

“Tony Sewell as he was then, ruffled feathers – particularly on the Left – by concluding that deprivation, rather than ethnicity, was the biggest driver of inequality, and that poor white people in ‘left behind’ towns made up the largest group of disadvantaged people in the country.

“Three years on, his report seems uncannily prescient, and Lord Sewell (who is black) believes that unless Sir Keir confronts the underlying issues that have driven so many people onto the streets in recent days, the appalling scenes that have shamed the country will only be repeated.

“’Taking the knee, him [Keir Starmer] and Angela Rayner [then deputy leader of the Labour Party and now Deputy Prime Minister]- disaster!’ he says. ‘Both of them were just taking their lead from the US.’”

These problems don’t just happen in a vacuum; there are always reasons why and a background that has to be addressed in an even-handed and fair way.

Many still remember the problems that the UK had when rioters damaged statues of famous people and got away with lawless behaviour.  Yes, it was a different government then but the police still had a job to do and failed to do it.   Two-tier policing.

There comes a time when even the mild mannered and suffering masses will eventually say that enough is enough if matters are not dealt with in a fair and unbiased fashion; the majority of the population will accept that but when it comes to a blatantly biased approach, trouble will not be far away.

In our booklet “The Fall and Rise of Britain and America” we list many sins that will bring about the fall of these nations in chapter 3 which is headed – “Impending Downfall of Great Britain, the United States and Other English-Speaking Nations”.  Add to these, the possibility of civil unrest, and for those with eyes to see, a bleak future awaits our nations.

The Church of God has been given the commission to proclaim the Ezekiel warning message that we read about in chapter 3:17 which states: “So you, son of man: I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore you shall hear a word from My mouth and warn them for Me.”

And that is what we are doing today!

by Norbert Link

We begin with the escalation in the Middle East, caused by Iran and its proxies, and the shameful—but typical—hypocritical anti-Israel conduct of the UN and many Western nations, including France and Germany.

We discuss the dicey situation in Germany in light of the country’s most recent state election in Brandenburg; address new developments regarding the EU and NATO; and speak about the dangerous developments pertaining to the EU, Russia and Ukraine.

In this context, please view our new StandingWatch program, “Nuclear War With Russia?”

We speak on censorship of free speech; the conflict between Spain and the UK over Gibraltar; and the braindead idea to woo Catholics by offering them free tattoos.

We conclude with two interesting articles about Hitler’s plans to conquer Great Britain and the age-old question whether Hitler really died at the end of World War Two.

Israel-Lebanon War Escalates

The Sun wrote on September 20:

“A wanted Hezbollah terror chief has been killed in a deadly Israeli airstrike on Beirut.

“The devastating strike came just moments after the militant group launched 140 of their own rockets at northern Israel – with one even blasting a playground… The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) confirmed top brass Hezbollah commander Ibrahim Aqil, from their Radwan Force, was eliminated in today’s strike…  The Hezbollah chief was seen as the second in command of the Iran backed militia. [The US had offered a $7 million bounty for him.] Some 10 other senior chiefs from the terror group were killed alongside Aqil, Israel said.

“The Israeli air attack came just before Hezbollah launched their own menacing attack across the border. Three separate Hezbollah barrages, made up of Katyusha rockets, were recorded today with the first being made up of over 60 missiles. Minutes later the biggest collection of rockets was let off from Lebanon with 70 being reported by the IDF. Another 20 were then reportedly launched at the Mount Meron region in Israel.

“Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant has also declared the start of a ‘new phase’ of war as the country’s army moved north in recent weeks. The announcement paves the way for the first full-scale invasion of southern Lebanon since 2006 in a drive to push back the terror group and allow Israelis to return home.”

Of course, the world condemns Israel, while few condemn with the same vigor the terrorist activities of Hezbollah.

Newsmax wrote on September 22:

“Hezbollah and Israel exchanged heavy fire into Sunday, as the Lebanese militant group sent rockets deep into northern Israeli territory after facing some of the most intense bombardment in almost a year of conflict… Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said operations would continue until it was safe for evacuated people on his side of the border to return – also setting the stage for a long conflict as Hezbollah has vowed to fight on until a ceasefire in the parallel Gaza war…

“Israel wants Hezbollah to cease fire and withdraw forces from the border region, adhering to a U.N. resolution signed with Israel in 2006, irrespective of any Gaza deal. Tens of thousands of people have left their homes on both sides of the Israel-Lebanon border since Hezbollah began firing rockets at Israel in October in sympathy with Palestinians in Gaza.”

Hezbollah Strikes Tel Aviv

Deutsche Welle wrote on September 25:

“Hezbollah said it targeted a Mossad base after one of the group’s leaders was killed in a strike on Beirut. Israel intercepted the missile and said it was the first time Hezbollah had targeted Tel Aviv…

“The Israeli military said the move represented ‘an escalation.’ It all comes after senior Hezbollah commander Ibrahim Kobeisi, who headed the group’s missile and rocket force, was killed in Beirut on Tuesday.”

UN the Diplomatic Arm of Hamas?

Israel Today wrote on September 20:

“Jerusalem’s Old City, in addition to Judea and Samaria, must be Judenrein within a year, according to a Palestinian-drafted resolution, which the UN General Assembly passed on Wednesday. The resolution, which passed by a 124-14 margin with 43 abstentions, is meant to give force to a July advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice, which declared Israeli presence to be illegal in any area over the 1949 armistice line. More than 40 countries sponsored the resolution, which was the first that Palestinians filed after being granted unprecedented privileges, for a non-UN member, earlier this year.

“The resolution calls on the Israel Defense Forces to withdraw completely from Judea and Samaria, eastern Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip within 12 months, which means evacuating all Jewish communities beyond the armistice line, including Jerusalem’s Old City. It also bans arms sales to the IDF of any equipment that would be expected reasonably to be used in the territory over the 1949 lines and calls for a boycott of all products produced by Jews in those areas…

“General Assembly resolutions have no legal force, but the resolution’s passage on Wednesday is expected to be used in international courts and other fora to seek additional action against the Jewish state…

“Danny Danon, Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, called it ‘a shameful decision that backs the Palestinian Authority’s diplomatic terrorism.’ He added that the General Assembly ‘continues to dance to the music of the Palestinian Authority, which backs the Hamas murderers.’…

“Arsen Ostrovsky and Nadav Steinman, CEO and board chair, respectively, of the International Legal Forum, stated that ‘today, simply put, the United Nations has become the diplomatic arm of Hamas’... ‘All it does is reward the murderers, rapists and abductors of Hamas while pouring further fuel on worldwide antisemitism and eroding whatever remaining credibility of the already problematic and politicized International Court of Justice, upon which this resolution is meant to be based,’ they added…”

The Israeli anger directed at the duplicity and hypocrisy of the UN is totally understandable.

Iran’s Grand Ambition

The Algemeiner wrote on September 19:

“Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon lambasted Iran for being a puppet master ‘pulling the strings’ of terrorist groups across the Middle East, describing them as ‘Iran’s attack dogs’ while addressing the UN Security Council on Thursday. Danon stressed that the Islamic Republic of Iran, which he described as ‘the most oppressive regime in the world,’ wants ‘dominance, not diplomacy.’ ‘The country’s ‘grand ambition’ is the ‘creation of a Shiite supremacist empire that stretches across the entire Middle East and beyond,’ he insisted…

“‘The dark force driving the violence we see today is not a collection of independent groups. It is Iran pulling the strings. The Iran proxies — Hezbollah, Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the Houthis in Yemen, Shiite militias in Iraq and Syria, and terrorist cells in Judea and Samaria [the West Bank] — are all Iran’s attack dogs unleashed to spread death and destruction across the region.’ Danon also described the different terror cells as the ‘claws of a beast’ that is Iran.

“The ambassador then shifted his attention to the Palestinian Authority, accusing it of ‘standing by, utterly weak and impotent,’ by turning a blind eye to Iran’s terrorist actions or ‘actively collaborating with these terror networks.’ He once again criticized the PA’s leadership, including President Mahmoud Abbas, for refusing to condemn Hamas since the terror group’s Oct. 7 massacre across southern Israel.”

Danon stated the obvious, but most members of the Security Council [and many countries in the world] are willfully closing their eyes and ears so that they cannot see and hear.

France vs. Israel

Israel Today wrote on September 22:

“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and French President Emmanuel Macron held a difficult conversation last week over the escalating situation in Lebanon, Israel’s Channel 12 reported on Friday. According to the report, Macron, who initiated the call, hurled harsh accusations at the Israeli premier for leading Israel and Lebanon to the brink of a full-scale war. ‘The responsibility to prevent escalation is yours. You can opt for a diplomatic solution. This is the moment to show leadership and responsibility. Your activity in the north is pushing the region to war,’ Macron was quoted in the report as saying.

“Netanyahu replied: ‘Instead of putting the pressure on us, it’s about time you pressured Hezbollah. We will bring our residents back home [in the north]. This is the decision we made this week and we will act on it.’ On Thursday, France voted in favor of a United Nations General Assembly resolution proposed by the Palestinian Authority to impose sanctions and an arms embargo on Israel.”

Macron wants to be a leader of Europe, but he has been failing miserably. Now, he is venting his anger on Israel. But Germany’s Olaf Scholz and his staff are not any better. Note the next article.

Germany’s Failing  Policy

Focus wrote on September 20:

“The UN General Assembly calls by a large majority on Israel to vacate the occupied Palestinian territories. Germany abstains from the resolution…  FOCUS online chief correspondent Ulrich Reitz [wrote:] ‘Ultimately it turns out that the Israel strategy of Annalena Baerbock and the Foreign Office is simply embarrassing for Germany. The UN, under the leadership of Secretary General Antonio Guterres, is no longer an organization that can be unreservedly claimed to be on the side of law and international order…

“‘Already after the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, Germany abstained from a resolution. Then as now, the justification was that we wanted to keep channels of communication open to all sides.’ However, this is not an argument for Reitz. ‘If the channels of discussion are open to all sides, then one simply has to say that this German foreign policy has led to nothing. You have to attest to a complete lack of influence here.’… Baerbock’s numerous visits to the Middle East had no effect… no one was listening…

“Reitz finds the Foreign Office’s call for de-escalation from both sides to be misplaced. There can be no equality between the Israeli government and a terrorist organization… ‘We are dealing with a democratically legitimized government on the one hand… and a bunch of terrorists on the other. Those in both the West Bank and the Gaza Strip have decided to drive Israel into the sea and eradicate the Jewish state.”

Germany’s stance may not be only one of incompetence. Germany’s lip services for supporting Israel have long been more than dubious.

Too Political!

The Algemeiner wrote on September 20:

“Eden Golan, Israel’s representative in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, will perform her original song ‘October Rain’ at the United Nations to mark the one-year anniversary of the deadly Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attacks in southern Israel…

“The lyrics of ‘October Rain’ reference the Oct. 7 massacre…  Golan had originally planned to perform ‘October Rain’ at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest in Sweden, but the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which organizes the contest, rejected the song, deeming it too political. Golan instead competed in the Eurovision with a reworded version of the song that was retitled ‘Hurricane.’

“Golan finished in fifth place in the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest… after being booed on stage by anti-Israel protesters, experiencing death threats, and having one of the competition’s jury members refuse to give her points because of his personal opposition to Israel…”

European antisemitism, from the top down, is shameful, shocking and VERY dangerous. But it IS prophesied.

Milei, Erdogan and Pezeshkian Speak at UN

Breitbart wrote on September 24:

“Argentine President Javier Milei used his debut speech at the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday to deliver an enthusiastic condemnation of ‘globalism and the moral posturing of the woke agenda’ and warn that the U.N. flagship Agenda 2030 is a threat to global freedom… Milei launched into a searing condemnation of the recent United Nations record, condemning its support of Wuhan coronavirus lockdowns and its support of totalitarian regimes…

“Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spent over half of his very lengthy address to the U.N. General Assembly (UNGA) on Tuesday criticizing Israel for its war against the terrorists of Hamas and Hezbollah. Erdogan accused the Israelis of genocide, compared them to Nazi Germany, and demanded the U.N. authorize ‘coercive measures against Israel’ to halt the war in Gaza…. Erdogan extensively regurgitated Hamas propaganda about the war in Gaza, absurdly insisting that almost all of the casualties were ‘women and children’ deliberately targeted by Israel in a campaign of genocide… ‘Just as Hitler was stopped by an alliance of humanity, Netanyahu and his murder network must be stopped by an alliance of humanity,’ he declared…

“Nowhere in Erdogan’s speech was there even the slightest mention of why Israel is fighting Hamas in Gaza, and now Hezbollah in Lebanon… At the end of his long speech, Erdogan… launched a spirited attack against the LGBTQIAP2S+ movement, describing it as a threat to ‘the institution of the family,’ which is a ‘pillar of society.’… Erdogan said the homosexual agenda has become ‘a war against the sacred and human nature,’ a ‘multidimensional, comprehensive, and ruthless project of destruction.’”…

“Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian used his address to the U.N. General Assembly (UNGA) on Tuesday to attack Israel on behalf of Iran’s terrorist clients in Hama… Pezeshkian criticized former U.S. President Donald Trump for withdrawing from the 2015 nuclear deal… without mentioning the Iranian cheating that prompted Trump to withdraw… The Iranian leader pitched his closing remarks as a direct statement to the American people, implicitly either pleading with them, or threatening them, not to send Trump back to the White House.”

There are reports that Iran has been, and probably continues to be, trying to assassinate Trump.

Biden’s Embarrassing Farewell Address

The New York Post wrote on September 24:

“Biden has not yet come to grips with reality. He dishonestly suggests he voluntarily passed the party’s torch to his vice president, declaring that ‘Some things are more important than staying in power.’ …

“Indeed, the widespread belief that we are now closer than ever to World War III captures the truth of Biden’s disastrous term. Rarely if ever have things gotten so bad so fast. ..

“Vladimir Putin saw the sudden withdrawal as proof that America was in retreat and decided the time was ripe for an invasion of Ukraine… Iran smelled the weakness and unleashed the hell of Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis on Israel. Yet, repeating the mistakes of Barack Obama, Biden continues to reward Iran with sanctions relief and punishes Israel by withholding arms and isolating it on the world stage… Then there’s China, which had to be giddy when Biden made excuses after one of its spy balloons flew openly across America’s heartland.”

Fox wrote on September 25:

“President Biden’s swan song on the world stage…  was a sad demonstration of American weakness… He repeated the mantra that Iran will never obtain a nuclear weapon, despite the fact that even the UN’s Atomic Energy Agency and everybody listening, knows that under his watch Iran has already become a threshold nuclear power….

“President Biden… lost his moral compass entirely… Antisemitism that is promoted and incited by the United Nations and those in his General Assembly audience. Antisemitism that is now doing enormous damage to a tolerant and peaceful America. Antisemitism that fuels the Iranian threat to world peace. .. Biden’s final speech was an opportunity to be honest and chastise the United Nations itself as an impediment to tolerance, equality and world peace.  He squandered it.”

Newsmax added on September 24:

“Biden addressed the U.N. General Assembly for the final time and urged an end to the Middle East conflict between Israel and Iran’s proxy groups while at the same time praising the military support for Ukraine in its war against Russia. Trump’s campaign’s statement noted that the world has already witnessed the ‘devastation wrought by four years of Harris-Biden, and nothing can mask it.’

“Biden told the assembly that the world ‘is stronger than we think’ and noted his accomplishment of ‘ending’ of the war in Afghanistan. The Trump campaign took issue with Biden’s claim and called it ‘among the biggest foreign policy debacles in modern history’ adding it ‘resulted in the deaths of 13 U.S. service members and gave the Taliban safe haven for their reign of terror. Kamala [Harris], who has never said the names of the fallen heroes out loud, bragged about being the ‘last person in the room’ for the decisions that led to the withdrawal.” 

The Future of Olaf Scholz

Express published the following article on September 20, BEFORE the anxiously awaited state election in the eastern German state of Brandenburg:

“Voters go to the polls in the east German state of Brandenburg on Sunday, and Chancellor Olaf Scholz faces the prospect of being replaced by his own party if it goes as badly as the most recent regional elections. The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) will be hoping to claim victory in the rural state, just as they did in Thuringia at the start of September.

“In that election, Scholz’s Social Democrats (SPD) managed a meagre 6.1 percent of the vote, as the AfD blew apart the federal governing coalition with almost an 33 percent vote share. On the same day, the neighbouring state of Saxony held their election, in which the SPD once again performed miserably. The party won just 7.3 percent of the vote as they were annihilated by the Christian Democrats (CDU) on 31.9 percent, the AfD on 30.6 percent and the recently formed ‘left conservative’ Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) on 11.8 percent.

“Analysts believe another drubbing could see the Chancellor replaced by the far more popular defense minister Boris Pistorius, echoing how the Democrats dispensed with Joe Biden when he proved to be an electoral liability. The German federal elections are being held in a year’s time and as it stands the SPD under Scholz are tanking in the polls. According to Politico’s Poll of Polls, the SPD are on just 14 percent nationally, five points behind the AfD and 18 points behind the CDU – Angela Merkel’s old party – on 32 percent.”

As it turned out, Scholz’ SPD did not perform as poorly as feared. Note the next article.

SPD Wins Narrowly Over AfD

Thomson/Reuters wrote on September 22:

“German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democrats (SPD) [did] fend off the far-right in a state election in Brandenburg on Sunday after trailing behind the Alternative for Germany (AfD) throughout the campaign…  The SPD, which has governed the state surrounding the capital Berlin since reunification in 1990, scored [30.9 %] of the vote, ahead of the far-right Alternative for Germany on 29.2%, in a last-minute comeback…

“The success for the SPD could give Scholz a slight reprieve from party discussions about his suitability to be once more its chancellor candidate for the federal election scheduled for next September given his unpopularity with voters. It is unlikely, however, to give him or his party a major boost given the popular, incumbent SPD premier Dietmar Woidke had distanced himself from Scholz during the campaign and criticized the federal government’s policies…

“Three-quarters of those who voted for the SPD did not do so out of conviction but rather to fend off the AfD…  The SPD is polling just 15% at national level, down from the 25.7% it scored in the 2021 federal election. That is behind the AfD on around 20% and opposition conservatives on 32%.

“All three parties in Scholz’s ideologically heterogeneous coalition combined are currently polling at around 30%, less than the conservatives [CDU] alone. The coalition has come under fire for its constant bickering and for its handling of immigration. In the formerly Communist-run East, many voters are also critical of its delivery of weapons to Ukraine to help it fend off Russia’s full-scale invasion…

“Woidke warned against complacency, noting the AfD was still gaining momentum. The ZDF poll suggested it had gained 5.7 percentage points since the last Brandenburg election in 2019. AfD co-leader Tino Chrupalla noted the AfD had made strong gains among young voters…

“The new leftist Alliance Sahra Wagenknecht [came] in third place, on [13.5%], ahead of the conservatives [CDU] on [12.1%], underscoring the ongoing upheavals in Germany’s political landscape making predictions tricky.”

The other two coalition parties in the German government, the Green and the FDP, did not even reach the 5% threshold and did not make it into state parliament. The CDU did not do well in the Brandenburg election. The one who did best, overall in all three states, was the AfD.

It is difficult to see that Scholz (SPD) would be reelected next year. The CDU announced that Friedrich Merz would be their candidate for chancellorship—another highly controversial political figure who is accused of being out of touch with ordinary Germans while representing the interests of corporate elites over the people. Germany seems to stumble from one problem to the next.

Turbulent Times Ahead

Report 24 wrote on September 23:

“In Brandenburg, the SPD under Prime Minister Dietmar Woidke achieved a narrow victory in the 2024 state elections. With a razor-thin lead over the AfD, the SPD was able to maintain its position as the strongest force in the state, but the circumstances of this victory highlight the profound changes and challenges in the East German political landscape… The CDU… recorded the worst result in the East. In addition, the AfD also receives a blocking minority in Brandenburg.

“A decisive factor in the SPD victory was Prime Minister Woidke’s unusual tactics. In a dramatic appeal (which some people also viewed as blackmail), he threatened to resign if his party did not emerge as the strongest force in the election. This strategy proved successful in mobilizing voters from other parties willing to change, especially those who wanted to prevent the AfD from winning…

“While the AfD became the strongest force in all age groups under 60, the SPD owes its victory primarily to seniors. In the group of people over 60, the SPD was able to maintain a clear lead over the AfD, which ultimately made the difference. This trend shows a growing dissatisfaction among young people with the established parties and their turn to populist alternatives…

“The election also revealed the dwindling importance of some parties in eastern Germany. The Greens and FDP, which are still part of the government coalition at the federal level, hardly play a role in Brandenburg and the other eastern federal states. Both parties failed at the five percent hurdle and will therefore not be represented in the state parliament…

“The effects of the Brandenburg election extend far beyond the state’s borders. FDP Vice President Wolfgang Kubicki has already speculated about a possible early end to the traffic light coalition at the federal level. He expressed doubts that the government in Berlin would remain in office until Christmas. These statements underline the nervousness in the ranks of the governing parties in view of the election results in Brandenburg. Another notable aspect of the election was the loss of Prime Minister Woidke’s direct mandate. He lost to the AfD candidate in his constituency with a difference of just seven votes. This result symbolizes the fragility of the political situation and the growing strength of the AfD, including at the local level…

“The SPD’s narrow victory may promise short-term stability, but the underlying trends – particularly the AfD’s strength among younger voters and the weakness of the center parties – point to turbulent times in East German and possibly all-German politics.“

Poor Choices

Report 24 wrote the following on September 23:

“The AfD’s success in the state elections in Brandenburg is remarkable, but democracy in the ‘best Germany of all time’ is in bad shape. The pluralistic system, in which people had a variety of political parties with different programs and priorities to choose from, was buried. Today, citizens can only choose between the united front of the cartel parties and the AfD. And as long as the new anti-German unity party can still scrape together enough votes, all votes for the opposition will be summarily declared invalid…

“In a democracy, it is unreasonable to effectively declare a third of the votes invalid by eliminating any hint of political participation by the elected party. The fairytale of the ‘right-wing extremist’ party, which should be prevented, is only spread on political grounds: This accusation from the Office for the Protection of the Constitution is merely a ‘matter of interpretation by a non-independent authority with political officials who are bound by instructions’ (quote from the NZZ). How credible is a salesperson who tries to convince you that every product except his own is dangerous and harmful? Should this seller be put in the position of excluding all competition from the market?…”

German Governmental Green Pary in Disarray

Deutsche Welle wrote on September 25:

“Green party national co-chairman Omid Nouripour told reporters early on Wednesday that he and co-chair Ricarda Lang would be resigning their posts. ‘We came to the conclusion that a new start is needed,’ Nouripour said in Berlin. New leadership should be chosen at the party conference in November, he said. 

“The Greens have endured three disastrous state elections in eastern Germany this month. Most recently,  on Sunday in Brandenburg, they missed the 5% hurdle required to guarantee representation in parliament. ‘Sunday’s election result in Brandenburg is evidence of the most serious crisis in our party in a decade,’ Nouripour said. 

“In Germany’s political system, party leaders or chairpersons at the federal level are not necessarily also the party candidates for chancellor. This is also the case for the Greens. Currently, Economy Minister Robert Habeck is considered most likely to stand as the party’s chancellor candidate in next year’s federal elections, given that Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has said she does not want the position for a second consecutive election.”

“German Car Manufacturers Should Become American”

Focus wrote on September 25:

“Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump would like to boost car manufacturing in the USA if he wins the election. Trump spoke about this on Tuesday at a campaign appearance in Georgia – and already has a clear idea of ​​how it works.

“He explained that he wanted to encourage German and other companies to move to the USA: ‘I want German car manufacturers to become American car manufacturers.’ VW, BMW and Mercedes, for example, should increase their locations in the USA.

“Trump also wants to attract companies with special economic benefits. These are intended to offer the ‘lowest taxes, lowest energy costs, lowest regulatory burden and free access to the best and largest market in the world’. All of this assuming they produce in the USA and employ Americans. Otherwise, Trump threatens high import tariffs.”

EU vs. NATO

The Financial Times wrote on or about September 20:

“The EU’s defence efforts were already diverting resources from existing Nato structures, senior alliance officials told the Financial Times. ‘If Europe is under attack, people need to know immediately who is in charge of responding to that,’ said one of the alliance officials… Competing structures create uncertainty . . . that only helps the enemy.’

“In particular, Nato is concerned by the proposed expansion of the EU Military Staff, a structure that oversees the bloc’s military missions. Officials said the plan could complicate critical chains of command in the event of conflict, and is diverting manpower from Nato’s own understaffed command structure at a time when generals are in short supply.

“Officials also warned that EU defence procurement plans could exclude Nato states such as the UK, Norway and Turkey that are not members of the bloc and thus weaken existing defence-industrial co-operation projects. Twenty-three of the EU’s 27 member states are part of Nato, but there are divisions within the bloc as to how much of a role the EU — primarily a trade and regulatory bloc — should play in the future defence of the continent.

“Paris [is] pointing out that the bloc needs to be prepared for a weakening of American interest in Europe — a risk heightened by the potential re-election of Donald Trump as US president. ‘Now is therefore the time to build a true European Defence Union. Yes, I know there are some who are perhaps uncomfortable with the idea. But what we should be uncomfortable about are the threats to our security,’… Ursula von der Leyen said. Von der Leyen has created a dedicated defence commissioner in her new team set to take office this year. She picked former Lithuanian prime minister Andrius Kubilius for the role.”

This new “dedicated defense commissioner” might perhaps play an interesting role in the future. Note the next article.

The New EU Defense Commissioner—“A King Without a Kingdom?”

The Economic Times wrote on September 20:

“Facing an aggressive Russia, a long war in Ukraine and an uncertain American commitment to Europe, Ursula von der Leyen, as president of the European Commission, has created a new post of defense commissioner.

“The task before any new commissioner is formidable. The war in Ukraine has pointed up huge shortcomings in Europe’s capacity to defend itself. Its armies are small and sometimes poorly equipped. It has been slow to increase military spending and prioritize the production of artillery shells, ammunition and air defense. It remains deeply dependent on the United States for key military equipment and funds… Christian Mölling, a defense expert and director for Europe for the Bertelsmann Foundation [said:] ‘It’s a king without a kingdom.’

“In a recent comprehensive report on how to revive European growth and competitiveness, Mario Draghi, the former Italian prime minister and governor of the European Central Bank, supported the new commissioner’s job. Europe buys more than 60% of its equipment from the United States, plus another 15% from other non-EU countries. So making European weapons more competitive would be good for European companies and taxpayers, Draghi argued, echoing many others.

“… the question of European military dependency on Washington is no longer just a theoretical question, said Ian Lesser, director of the Brussels office of the German Marshall Fund… ‘It is in the process of shifting from seeing its own defense companies as national champions to thinking of them also as essential building blocks for stronger European defense,’ Lesser said….” 

Western Arms for Ukraine to Be Used in Russia?

TRT World wrote on September 20:

“The European Parliament has adopted a resolution calling on EU countries to let Ukraine use Western weapons to strike military targets inside Russia, prompting an angry rebuke from Moscow. EU lawmakers approved the resolution on Thursday, which is non-binding and does not reflect the stance of the bloc’s 27 countries, with 425 votes in favour, 131 against and 63 abstentions, during a plenary session in Strasbourg…

“Echoing an earlier warning by President Vladimir Putin, Vyacheslav Volodin, the president of Russia’s lower house Duma, condemned the vote…  ‘What the European Parliament is calling for leads to a world war using nuclear weapons,’ Volodin said, warning that Russian missiles could hit Strasbourg within minutes of launch [He specifically said: ‘The Sarmat missile’s flight time to Strasbourg is three minutes 20 seconds.’] … This month, Putin warned that green-lighting the use of long-range weapons deep inside Russia would put the NATO military alliance ‘at war’ with Moscow. Washington currently authorises Ukraine to only hit Russian targets in occupied parts of Ukraine and some in Russian border regions directly related to Moscow’s combat operations.”

Express added on September 20 that “Strasbourg, France, is often considered the EU’s de facto capital due to the fact it holds many of the bloc’s key institutions including the European Parliament.”

Ultimately, but not quite yet, nuclear war will break out between Europe and Russia.

“Washington’s Ukraine Obsession Is Going to Get Us All Killed!”

On September 23, Ron Paul wrote in his weekly column of the Ron Paul Institute:

“Last week the world narrowly escaped likely nuclear destruction, as the Biden Administration considered Ukraine’s request to allow US missiles to strike deeply into Russian territory. Russian president Vladimir Putin warned, as the request was being considered, that because these missiles could not be launched without the active participation of the US military and NATO, Russia would consider itself in a state of war with both NATO and the US should they be launched. It was a Cuban Missile Crisis on a massive scale.

“Thankfully, permission was reportedly not granted by Washington to hit deep inside Russia, but as we have seen throughout this war, a weapons system is often first denied and then eventually granted to Washington’s proxies in Kiev. We should not rest easy even if nuclear war has been temporarily averted. Would missile strikes deep inside Russia win the war for Ukraine? Not even the Pentagon thinks so. US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin himself said earlier this month that granting Ukraine permission to launch missiles into Russia would not be a ‘game-changer’ in the two and a half year war. Risking nuclear destruction for no tangible purpose? Have these people gone insane?

“Even the ‘game-changers’ have changed little in this war. How many times has the pro-war mainstream media told us a weapons system would be a ‘game-changer’ for Ukraine? Remember Javelin missiles? Leopard tanks? HIMARS?… each one of them fails to turn the tide in Ukraine’s favor…  The fact is that Russia is winning the war despite hundreds of billions of dollars and the best weapons systems from the US and NATO countries. Each new shipment of increasingly sophisticated weapons does not produce battlefield victories for Ukraine. It only produces more dead Ukrainian soldiers and more profits for the weapons manufacturers.

“Even the mainstream media… has begun to report on Ukraine’s huge losses and hopeless situation. Yet as more and more start to wake up about the disastrous proxy war, Washington only knows one direction when it comes to war: forward. Just over a week ago the Pentagon announced another $250 million arms package for Ukraine. Nobody believes that is going to reverse the steady gains made by Russia on the battlefield, but it will generate more profits for the US arms manufacturers who are the real force behind our hyper-interventionist foreign policy.

“The unlikely duo of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and Donald Trump, Jr., said it best in a recent editorial in The Hill: ‘We cannot get any closer to the brink than this. And for what? To “weaken Russia”? To control Ukraine’s minerals? No vital American interest is at stake. To risk nuclear conflict for the sake of the neoconservative fantasy of global “full-spectrum dominance” is madness.’”

Zelensky Attacks Trump

Breitbart wrote on September 23:

“Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is bashing former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance (R-OH), attacking them in American media outlets…

“The New Yorker has an exhaustive piece on Zelensky penned by Joshua Yaffa, stating that the Ukrainian leader ‘speaks with the urgency of a leader who knows that he may be facing his last best chance for substantial foreign assistance’ as President Biden’s presidential term is coming to an end. The Q&A in the piece is revealing, as Zelensky openly attacks Trump, asserting that he ‘doesn’t really know how to stop the war even if he might think he knows how.’” 

No Digital Dollar in Canada

LifeSiteNews wrote on September 24:

“Plans by the Bank of Canada (BOC) to implement a digital ‘dollar,’ also known as a central bank digital currency (CBDC), have been shelved. Officials from Canada’s central bank said that a digital currency… will no longer be considered after years of investigating bringing one to market…

“Most Canadians do not want a digital dollar… an overwhelming majority of citizens want to ‘leave cash alone’… many people rely on cash to pay for things. The bank concluded that the introduction of a digital currency would only be feasible if consumers demanded its release.  The reversal comes after the BOC had already forged ahead and filed a trademark for a digital currency…

“Digital currencies have been touted as the future by some government officials, but… many experts warn that such technology would ultimately restrict freedom and be used as a ‘control tool’ against citizens similar to China’s pervasive social credit system.”

More Censorship in Canada

Rebel News wrote on September 19:

“Grave news for freedom of the press: the Federal Court of Canada just upheld an atrocious ruling by Justin Trudeau’s hand-picked censorship committee, denying Rebel News a Qualified Canadian Journalism Organization (QCJO) news licence. In free countries, readers get to decide which journalists to trust. But in Trudeau’s Canada, that’s now a government decision, and Trudeau hand-picks the censorship panel making the decision…

“Rebel News publishes thousands of news stories every year. And the busiest time in our history was during the trucker convoy, back in February, 2022. We were publishing up to twenty stories a day, almost all of it from the ground — in Ottawa, Windsor, Coutts and other protest places. We were the window on the trucker convoy for the whole world. That month, we actually had more viewers than the CBC state broadcaster gets on an average month. But here’s how Trudeau’s censorship committee described that three-week period of time: ‘only 2% of the items during the aforementioned period constituted original news content.’… the judge accepted that bizarre claim and used it as a reason to deny us a QCJO licence…

“Trudeau has spent millions of dollars censoring us, including creating this well-paid censorship panel, clearly built with us in mind… What’s extra-gross is the silence from mainstream media journalists. Most Canadian journalists have been bought off by Trudeau. If they work for the CBC, (and more than 50% of Canadian journalists do) they get 100% of their pay from Trudeau. And even if they work for the ‘private’ news media, they get, on average, a $30,000 subsidy from Trudeau. That’s why they’re silent today. And that’s another reason why they hate Rebel News: because we don’t take any cash from the government, and they’re ashamed that they do.

“Under Bill C-11, which is now law, Trudeau has the power to order companies like YouTube and Facebook to either ‘boost’ or ‘throttle’ Canadian content. It would be too conspicuous for Trudeau to order them to ban Rebel News. But all he has to do is to order them to ban journalism that doesn’t have the QCJO licence. That way he can say he wasn’t targeting Rebel News, and that the tech companies did it, not him.”

Canada’s descent into dictatorship under left-wing radical Trudeau is undeniable.

Ireland Drops Portions of Hate Speech Bill… For Now

Fox News wrote on September 21:

“The Irish government is dropping parts of its controversial hate speech laws which have been criticized by free speech advocates around the world, including X owner Elon Musk who vowed to fight the legislation in court… The measure would have allowed for the jailing of citizens for merely possessing material that criticizes certain protected characteristics, ranging from gender identity to national origin. Some critics have compared it to the concept of punishing people for ‘thoughtcrime,’ a term popularized by George Orwell’s dystopian novel ‘1984.’…

“The legislation, the Incitement to Violence or Hatred and Hate Offences bill, has already passed through the Dáil, Ireland’s lower chamber, but it had stalled in the Senate, the upper chamber. [Irish Justice Minister Helen McEntee] says… that legislation aimed at bringing forward tougher sentences for physical hate crimes under the bill will proceed… ‘I am adamant that hate crime legislation will be enacted,’ she said… The hate speech bill had faced mounting criticism even from government backbenches and some of those in opposition. Ireland’s main opposition party Sinn Féin voted in favor of the bill but later called for it to be scrapped.”

It’s all politics. And the push to enact freedom-denying hate speech laws will continue in Ireland, and all over the world.

Socialist Spain to Restrict Freedom of Speech?

The European Conservative wrote on September 18:

“Spain’s socialist government has unveiled radical plans to regulate the press to combat so-called ‘disinformation.’ Critics have branded the move as ‘censorship’ and an attempt by prime minister Pedro Sánchez to distract attention from an ongoing scandal involving his wife.

“The Democratic Action Plan will create a register of media outlets operating in Spain… [which] will allow the government to dictate who media outlets’ shareholders can be, their sources of financing, and how much government institutions will spend on advertising with them. Any media outlet not on the register will likely be branded ‘pseudo-media,’ a term used by the socialist government and its supporters to discredit any new outlets that deviate from the establishment line.

“In a parliamentary debate on Wednesday, the leader of the opposition centre-right Partido Popular, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, accused Sánchez of having a ‘banana-republic conception of power.’ He accused the prime minister of Censorship and persecution of anyone who dares to criticise you. We haven’t seen anything like this since Franco.’

“The plan was proposed amid an investigation into Sánchez’s wife, Begoña Gómez, who is accused of influence-peddling and corruption. The PM has blamed what he calls ‘far-right’ online media for pursuing the case. The campaign by Sánchez against supposed ‘misinformation’ has intensified since he was called—and refused—to testify before judge Juan Carlos Peinado, making him the first sitting Spanish prime minister ever to refuse such cooperation. He later announced he would sue Peinado for alleged malfeasance. A government spokesperson accused the judge of acting ‘for political motives and outside the law.’”

And so, it seems Sanchez wants to control the media to protect his wife…

The Fight Over Gibraltar

Express wrote on September 20:

“Spain has issued a dire warning to the UK, with a deal on the status of Gibraltar post Brexit yet to be agreed, despite months of negotiations… there is still no resolution to thorny border issues affecting the UK Overseas Territory. Spain repeated its warning that if the stalemate continues, it will carry out border checks on the Rock within two months…

“On November 10, the EU will introduce Entry-Exit System (EES) at all borders, effectively resulting in a hard-border between the Rock and its neighbour Spain, with fears that it could spark chaos… An open border is of huge importance for the 15,000 people who cross into Spain every day for work as well as the territory’s economy.”

The battle for Gibraltar between Spain and the UK will intensify.

Tattoos in the Catholic Church

Die Welt wrote on September 20:

“During an unusual event, the Catholic Church wants to talk to people. Brave people can get a tattoo in St. John’s Church – only Christian motifs are possible. First pray and sing together, then get a tattoo: With an unusual campaign, the Diocese of Osnabrück wants to make people curious about faith and the Catholic Church.

“Today… a tattoo service will be celebrated for the first time in Osnabrück’s St. John’s Church. The needles should buzz to the sounds of the organ. Anyone who has registered in advance can have a Christian symbol tattooed on their forearm or calf for free… Spontaneous tattoo sessions may also be possible for those who decide at short notice…

“According to the diocese, one in five people in Germany is tattooed… The priest who will lead the service is already tattooed. He is a prison chaplain for the Diocese of Osnabrück…”

Tattoos are sinful. Please read our Q&A in this regard, titled, “Does the Bible teach anything about the use of tattoos?“  

If Hitler Had Conquered Britain…

The Sun wrote on September 20:

“A CHILLING map reveals how Britain would have looked if Adolf Hitler had won World War Two – with a new capital far from London and a holiday home for the dictator. Bombshell dossiers for Operation Sea Lion – Nazi Germany’s ambitious plan for a full-scale invasion of Britain – detail how the Third Reich planned an attack on the English coast in a bid to take over Europe.

“Nazi planners identified five sectors of the English coast to attack – from Ramsgate in Kent to Selsey Bill in West Sussex. They planned to land some 100,000 troops, 650 tanks and 4,500 horses in the first wave of the attack on September 21, 1940 on the southeast coast from the French ports of Le Havre, Cherbourg, Boulogne and Ostend. Once a bridgehead had been established, a further 500,000 soldiers would have landed. They would have begun mass territorial attacks between Ramsgate and Deal, Folkestone and Dungeness, Dungeness and Rye, Bexhill-on-Sea and Beachy Head and Brighton to Selsey Bill…

“Hitler already had managed to pull off some of the greatest military campaigns that summer, capturing France and the Low Countries in Europe… German officials were convinced that an onslaught would have led to the ‘rapid abandonment’ of the British defences south of London within just two weeks – before capturing the length and breadth of the nation…

“Under German plans, Oxford – Hitler’s preferred seat of power for the Reich – was to be the new capital of Britain. The city’s historic centres were left untouched by the Germans during the devastating air raids of the Battle of Britain – believed to be part of Hitler’s plan. Plans were also to carve out the nation to form six new districts – and each of them would have had to central military control centre as big as the size of a city. Headquarters were to be set up at Liverpool, Birmingham, Newcastle, London, Dublin and Glasgow. Historians also believe that Ireland would have been united under the Nazis.

“Meanwhile, the famous Blenheim Palace near Oxford would have turned into Hitler’s secret holiday home in Nazi Britain. Blenheim Palace is the birthplace and ancestral home of Winston Churchill – the man who led Britain against Hitler during World War Two… Documents detailing Operation Sea Lion reveal how German researchers were employed to find out details of local road systems, geography, units of measurement, money and even translations of some Welsh words, all to be used by invading forces when they landed. The documents were found in the German naval archives after the Allies captured Berlin to end the war.

“Hitler believed that Operation Sea Lion would have led to the rapid conclusion of the war, winning over Europe and establishing his absolute dictatorship…”

The Austrian/German Adolf Hitler failed in conquering Britain, while the next German and/or Austrian leader—the beast—will succeed.

Hitler’s Death… Or Was It?

In an accompanying article, the Sun wrote on September 20:

“On April 30, 1945, Adolf Hitler…  decided to take his own life in the Führerbunker in Berlin after it became clear that Germany would lose the Battle of Berlin. But in the months and years following his death, however, conspiracy theories circulated over whether or not he actually died – and if he escaped instead. It all began with the Soviet Union’s decision to seed two contradictory narratives in 1945: that Hitler died by taking cyanide or that he had survived and fled to another country.

“Joseph Stalin himself even outright denied Hitler was dead when asked by US President Harry Truman.

“It is known some Nazis used hidden escape routes called ‘ratlines’ to flee from Germany as the Third Reich collapsed, with some finding shelter in South America… Declassified documents… showed how the UK and US hunted for Hitler for ten years after the end of World War 2 as they feared he was still alive. Secret documents reveal investigations into claims Hitler had a body double, U-boat sightings in Argentina, and claims that Adolf was photographed alive in Colombia.

“One document reported to the FBI in 1947 even described a town called ‘Casino’ near Rio Grande in Brazil which appeared to be ‘entirely populated’ by Germans. FBI agents interviewed an informant, who claimed to be a former French resistance fighter, who said he saw Hitler and Eva Braun sitting at a resort in the town. Many notorious Nazis did manage to escape to South America, but it is accepted by history that Hitler and Eva Braun were not among them.”

Even if Hitler survived, he would be dead by now. But the end-time “beast”— following Hitler’s footsteps, but turning out to be much worse than Hitler—is very much alive today.

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.

In the second part of this series, we specifically looked at Deuteronomy 18:10 in some detail.   This section of Scripture showed that the practices mentioned were those which the people of God should not get involved with.

Let us now look at Deuteronomy 18:11: “(There shall not be found among you) one who conjures spells.”

J R Dummelow listed “this evil practice as the device by which one claimed to weave magic spells and curses by tying knots, etc.” By no stretch of imagination can this be related to “getting information from God”.  Consulter with familiar spirits” – such persons, pretending to speak with ghosts or spirits, “were probably ventriloquists who claimed to hold communications with subterranean spirits.”

They were in fact communicating with demons pretending to be communicating with the “ghosts” of departed ones.

Verse 11 continues: “(There shall not be found among you) a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead.”

The Authorized Version translates “who calls up the dead” as “necromancer.”

Coffman’s Commentaries on the Bible observe: “‘Necromancer’—This referred to one who made inquiries of the dead, pretending to procure vital information by this device. Despite this evil, futile thing being condemned in the law of God, Saul, king of Israel sought out the witch of Endor in order to have a conversation, as he thought, with the deceased prophet Samuel (1 Samuel 28:7-25).  From the above, it is clear enough that this paragraph deals with a number of evils that having nothing whatever to do with ‘getting a revelation from God….’”

A necromancer pretended to speak with the dead. In reality, he spoke with demons pretending to be the dead relatives of loved ones.

As we read earlier “For all who do these things are an abomination to the LORD, and because of these abominations the LORD your God drives them out from before you” (Deuteronomy 18:12).

God’s judgment was upon the Canaanites because of these occult practices, and if Israel took up the same occult practices, they could also expect the judgment of God.

Interestingly, enduringword.com observed: “God did not take these occult actions lightly then, nor does He now. It is consorting with the power of darkness, and always to be rejected by Christians.

“Our culture is becoming more and more accepting of these occult themes and practices, while it is becoming more and more intolerant of Biblical Christianity. In 1991, a ninth grade Junior High Student in Dickson, Tennessee, sued the school board because his teacher wouldn’t accept a research paper written on the life of Jesus. Students were allowed to write on topics such as the occult, reincarnation and spiritualism, and the teacher originally only said that the topics must be ‘decent.’ The student was given a zero on her paper when the topic was declared unacceptable (from an August, 1991 news report).”

And the decline has speeded up in more recent years.  Astrology and Ouija boards are other occult practices condemned by God but tolerated, and maybe even encouraged in our “more enlightened society.”

In decades past, the word occult dealt with anything that was outside of “natural” thinking. It was a generic term that incorporated almost everything that we now view to be part of the non-traditional spiritual frontier.

We have long understood in the Church of God that there are only two sources of spiritual power.  God is the great Creator God who is love, and Satan who is the god of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4). Satan has only the power that God allows him to have, but it is considerable, and he is currently the prince of the power of the air (Ephesians 2:2). God is allowing him some latitude at this time that is within His purpose for mankind. Satan is inevitably involved in the paganism of this world and all of the dark forces that emanate from that.

gaia.com, in its article, “What is paganism?,” gives the following list of books under the heading Paranormal and Occult:

“Tarot, the I Ching, cartomancy, or telling fortunes with regular playing cards, palmistry, numerology, phrenology, crystal gazing, clairvoyance, clairaudience, automatic writing and tea leaf reading. Also séances, astral projection out of body experiences, Ouija boards, mind-reading, auras, ghosts, haunted houses, vampirism, lycanthropy, fairies, brownies and sprites, herbalism, numerology, communicating with elemental forces, reincarnation, past lives, trances, spirit boxes, witchcraft, sorcerers and their familiars, and ritual magic. In addition, there were books on demonology, angelic communication, the dark arts, mind control, ESP for fun and profit…”

It just goes to show how much Satan and the demonic world have influenced so many people that such practices as listed above are accepted in society, and yet the Truth from the Living God can be seen as hate speech.

Paganism, the very opposite of belief in a supreme Creator God, is inextricably linked with occult practices. There are many verses condemning pagan practices in both the Old Testament and the New Testament, and looking at an Analytical Concordance of the Bible will reveal these.  Let us quote just a few of so many passages to show the Bible’s consistency in condemning such practices.

Exodus 22:18 says: “You shall not permit a sorceress to live.”

Leviticus 19:31 states: “‘Give no regard to mediums and familiar spirits; do not seek after them, to be defiled by them: I am the LORD your God.”

Leviticus 20:6 adds: “‘And the person who turns to mediums and familiar spirits, to prostitute himself with them, I will set My face against that person and cut him off from his people.”

2 Kings 17:17 states: “And they caused their sons and daughters to pass through the fire, practiced witchcraft and soothsaying, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke Him to anger.”

2 Chronicles 33:6 says: “Also he [Manasseh] caused his sons to pass through the fire in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom; he practiced soothsaying, used witchcraft and sorcery, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke Him to anger.”

Isaiah 8:19 states: “And when they say to you, ‘Seek those who are mediums and wizards, who whisper and mutter,’ should not a people seek their God? Should they seek the dead on behalf of the living?”

Jeremiah 27:9 says: “Therefore do not listen to your prophets, your diviners, your dreamers, your soothsayers, or your sorcerers, who speak to you, saying, ‘You shall not serve the king of Babylon.’”

Micah 5:12 states: “I will cut off sorceries from your hand, And you shall have no soothsayers.”

Nahum 3:4-5 says: “‘Because of the multitude of harlotries of the seductive harlot, The mistress of sorceries, Who sells nations through her harlotries, And families through her sorceries. Behold, I am against you,’ says the LORD of hosts…”

In the New Testament, in the book of Acts 8:9 and 13, we read about Simon the Sorcerer’s profession of the Christian faith.

^“But there was a certain man called Simon, who previously practiced sorcery in the city and astonished the people of Samaria, claiming that he was someone great… Then Simon himself also believed; and when he was baptized he continued with Philip, and was amazed, seeing the miracles and signs which were done.”

However, this turned out to be a false conversion, as we read in verses 18-21:

“And when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money, saying, ‘Give me this power also, that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit.’ But Peter said to him, ‘Your money perish with you [The Luther Bible 1984 writes: “… that you may be condemned with your money”] because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money! You have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God.’”

It was thought that this sorcerer had had a change of heart but that was not how it turned out to be. History tells us that he, as Simon Magus, went to Rome and continued his sorcery there; many think today that the Apostle Peter was in Rome, but it was indeed Simon Magus, and not Simon Peter.

Acts 19:19 states what Simon Magus should have done: “Also, many of those who had practiced magic brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted up the value of them, and it totaled fifty thousand pieces of silver.”

Galatians 5:19-21 adds: “Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are:… idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies… those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

Revelation 21:8 states: “But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

However, in spite of the above instructions of God in His Word, mainstream Christianity continues to practice old pagan customs.

(To be continued)

Lead Writer: Brian Gale (United Kingdom)

compiled by Dave Harris

“Nuclear War With Russia?” is the title of a new StandingWatch program, presented by Evangelist Norbert Link. Here is the summary:  

The possibility of nuclear war with Russia seems to be growing. Russia’s warnings in this regard should not be ignored or taken lightly. Last week, the world narrowly escaped  a “Cuban Missile Crisis on a massive scale.” But for how long? What does this all mean?

“Nuklearkrieg mit Russland?” is the title of a new AufPostenStehen program, presented by Norbert Link. This German program covers the same material as described above.

“Who Is Jesus Christ?—His Many Descriptions in the Bible!” our newest booklet, has completed final review and has been sent to graphic designer, Shelly Bruno, in preparation for printing.

“Niedergang und Aufstieg des jüdischen Volkes,” our new German booklet, has been received from the printer and is being distributed to subscribers. This is a translation of our English booklet, “The Fall and Rise of the Jewish People.”

“Das Turiner Grabtuch—eine dämonische Fälschung!” is the title of this Sabbath’s new German sermon, presented by Norbert Link. Title in English: “The Shroud of Turin—a Demonical Fake!”

“Warum hören Sie uns zu?” last Sabbath’s German sermonette presented by Patrick Flück, is now posted. Title in English: “Why Are You Listening to Us?”

“Ich habe Dich berufen…!” last Sabbath’s German sermon presented by Christoph Sperzel, is now posted. Title in English: “I Have Called You…!”

“Empathy,” last Sabbath’s sermonette presented by Frank Bruno, is now posted. Here is the summary:

Living in the world today poses unique challenges for each of us, and more so for a true Christian. In this Sermonette we will cover various scriptures that will help us understand that we must rely on God and His Son to guide us through the turbulence and to salvation. We also must have empathy for our Brethren and understand that we must support one another through our trials and have compassion, just as Jesus Christ has compassion for those who obey Him.

“The Legacy of Faith,” last Sabbath’s sermon presented by Dave Harris, is now posted. Here is the summary:

Do Christians leave a legacy–like many of those listed in the Bible? Will there be long-lasting impact for what God’s people do with their lives? By our actions, are we helping to shape our own future life in the Kingdom of God?

FALL HOLY DAYS:

Feast of Trumpets–October 3, 2024

Day of Atonement—October 12, 2024

Feast of Tabernacles—October 17-23, 2024

Last Great Day—October 24, 2024

Note: These services will be broadcast live.