Update 705

On September 12, 2015, Mike Link will present the sermonette, titled, “Are You Ready?” and Norbert Link will present the sermon, titled, “What Is and What Isn’t a Christian Marriage?”

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.

Monday, September 14, 2015, is the Feast of Trumpets. Services in the morning will start at 10:00 am Pacific Time; the afternoon services will begin at 2:00 pm Pacific Time.

In the morning, Eric Rank will present the sermonette, titled, “Whole Heart,” and Robb Harris will present the sermon, titled, “The Law is Setting Us Free”; in the afternoon, Norbert Link will present the offertory, titled, “Three Times a Year,” and the sermon, titled, “Religious Deception in God’s Church?”

During my children’s summer vacation I’ve had the opportunity to spend a little more time than usual doing things together with them. Usually that means running an errand or doing something that’s just a little bit out of the ordinary. None of those activities are very noteworthy, but what stands out to me is their willing attitude to join me in the activity. Most of the time, these activities are very new to my kids and involve the risk of doing something differently. I usually present the opportunity to be my companion without requiring them to join me, so I’m pleased when they demonstrate the willingness to try something new and tag along with me. Their willing attitude is what pleases me the most.

This kind of willing attitude is something that God requires of us too. As human beings, we have free will to choose how we will behave, whether to follow God, or not. While the choice is freely ours to make, the Bible is very clear about what the right choice is. The decisions we make about obeying God or following other competing desires have drastically different rewards and consequences. There may be a short-term benefit of worldly satisfaction by following our own desires, but the ultimate consequence of not following God is death. Just as a parent is pleased when his children heed instruction, God is pleased when we follow Him. On top of that, He offers an eternal reward!

Our attitude is very important to God. We’ve heard this before, but it is good to be reminded. Even when our actions have the appearance of obedience and righteousness, it is our attitude that is judged. Proverbs 21:2 describes this in elegant terms, “Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, But the Lord weighs the hearts.”  God is not going to be fooled by the mere appearance of our behavior, but our intentions and willingness to submit will be judged.

With the Fall Holy Days upon us, we will undoubtedly find ourselves under all kinds of pressure, putting our attitudes to the test. Knowing that our hearts will be judged under such pressure, now is the time to make sure that we are willing to follow God with joy and gladness. If we follow God begrudgingly or bitterly, it will be plain to Him and the consequence will be severe.

There may be unpleasant consequences for obeying God as well, but those consequences are worldly and temporary. Paul served jail time and was physically beaten for standing up for the Truth. Jesus Christ laid down His whole life in the ultimate act of obedience. How severe are these “bad” consequences relative to the good things that we face? I think that it’s clear that the vast majority of difficulties that we may encounter pale in comparison. When we read about Paul’s or Christ’s examples, we see how courageous and how willing they were to fulfill their purpose. This is the kind of willing attitude that we must have.

We need to be encouraged, especially as we enter the Fall Holy Day season, knowing that we can trust in God and that the worldly consequences that we may face are relatively insignificant. David reflects on this when he writes, “In God I have put my trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” Are we willing to put our trust in God and stand up firmly for the Truth? We must!

We report about the unsolvable migrant crisis in Europe; show the different actions and reactions in this regard; and speak on the fear that ISIS may be using the refugee crisis to infiltrate Europe.

We continue with articles raising the question as to whether Europe is trying to build a superstate “by the back door” and whether it is attempting to build a “Christian fortress.”

Turning to events in the USA, we publish an article about the ongoing debate and the pitiful decision of US lawmakers regarding the incredibly ridiculous Iran deal; pointing out that Pope Francis may be at odds with both Republican and Democratic frontrunners–Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton; speak on the ongoing Christian persecution in this country through the left-liberal agenda; and conclude with a warning that terrible natural disasters of unparalleled proportions are bound to strike America, while some ignorant Christian groups preach their usual nonsense about the end of the world.

Wealthiest Muslim Countries Refuse to Take in Syrian Refugees

Breitbart reported on September 5:

“Five of the wealthiest Muslim countries have taken no Syrian refugees in at all, arguing that doing so would open them up to the risk of terrorism. Although the oil rich countries have handed over aid money, Britain has donated more than Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar combined.

“Between 10 and 12 million Syrians have been displaced by the bloody civil war raging in their country. Most still remain within Syria’s borders, but around four million have fled over the borders into neighbouring countries, mostly Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon, and beyond.

“Lebanon, which has 1.1 million Syrian refugees, shut her borders to the Syrians in June of last year. Jordan, host to another 630,000, followed suit in August last year, preventing more Syrians from abandoning their country.

“By early August 2015, European states had received nearly 350,000 asylum applications from Syrians, nearly a third of whom applied to Germany for asylum. Another 65,000 have applied in Sweden and 50,000 in Serbia. Hungary and Austria have received close to 19,000 applications each although that figure is likely to rise, while the UK is processing 7,030 applications, according to the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR).

“Yet amidst cries for Europe to do more, it has transpired that of the five wealthiest countries on the Arabian Peninsula, that is, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain, not one has taken in a single refugee from Syria. Instead, they have argued that accepting large numbers of Syrians is a threat to their safety, as terrorists could be hiding within an influx of people…”

The fear of radical Muslim integration is real. See the next article.

Is ISIS Using Migrant Crisis to Infiltrate Europe?

WND wrote on September 5:

“… looking at Europe and America, a migration invasion… is underway. Evidence of that invasion came in February when an ISIS operative confirmed what many already suspected – the Islamic State is using the refugee crisis to form a fifth column of Muslim fighters inside Western nations. The Syrian operative claimed more than 4,000 trained ISIS gunmen have already been smuggled into Europe – hidden among innocent refugees…

“ISIS is believed to be actively smuggling covert gunmen across the 565-mile Turkish border and on to wealthier European nations… The ISIS fighters use local smugglers to blend in and travel within the ranks of a tidal wave of illegal migrants flooding into Europe, both by boat from North Africa and on land through Hungary and Austria into Germany, Belgium and Sweden…

“More than 1.5 million have migrated into Turkey alone, with millions more refugees in Lebanon, Jordan and outside their homes in Syria itself. Almost all of the migrants flooding into Europe are Muslims. Most of the Christians have been hiding in churches and homes in the Middle East, afraid to venture to the United Nations refugee camps, which tend to be managed by Muslims…”

The fact that most Christian Syrians decide to stay, while many Muslims decide to leave, is an interesting phenomenon.

Uncomfortable Questions

The Times of Israel wrote on September 6:

“… Is Europe paying a price for its efforts to stay out of certain recent and ongoing Middle East crises, notably the civil war in Syria? The West has known all along, in terrible, gory detail, that President Bashar Assad has been massacring his own people. And yet, to its immense moral discredit, it has allowed him to carry on doing so… Europe was certainly not insisting that US President Barack Obama punish Assad for his use of non-conventional weapons.

“… had certain world leaders and forums been a little less obsessed with the notion of Israel as the root of all Middle East evil, and a little more focused on tyranny and religious extremism as the root of most Middle East evil, Western diplomatic and economic leverage could have helped alleviate at least some of the horrors that various people in this part of the world are now seeking to escape?

“… do the world powers truly believe that their latest act of ‘statesmanship’ — rewarding Iran for its rogue nuclear program with a deal that sends tens of billions into the regime’s coffers and thus entrenches the rapacious, human rights-abusing ayatollahs in power — is going to foster greater stability in this part of the world?

“What now, for instance, is Germany, the economic powerhouse of Europe, to do in the face of what is certain to be the ongoing escalation of demands by the world’s oppressed to be allowed to join its citizenry?…  How to prevent the evils of Islamic extremism entering along with its victims?

“… how should Israel be acting? Should the Jewish state throw open its borders to the peoples of the north, brought up to hate us?…  Should we allow people of Palestinian origin to cross from Syria and Lebanon into the West Bank, as PA President Mahmoud Abbas has demanded? Plainly, that would be easier if we were at peace with the Palestinians, rather than deadlocked…

“Too many questions; too few answers. And the validation of a familiar assertion: The Middle East is the dinner guest who never goes home. Ignore it or seek to disengage from it at your peril.”

Pope Francis’ Appeal to Europe’s Catholics

The Washington Post wrote on September 6:

“Issuing a broad appeal to Europe’s Catholics, Pope Francis on Sunday called on ‘every’ parish, religious community, monastery and sanctuary to take in one refu­gee family — an appeal that, if honored, would offer shelter to tens of thousands… The appeal also amounted to interfaith outreach — something Francis has been known for — because the majority of the refugees are Muslims from Syria, Iraq and other parts of the Middle East, Asia and Africa…

“Thousands of people fleeing war and poverty continued to stream into Austria and Germany from Hungary on Sunday, an extraordinary column of asylum-seekers that showed little sign of abating. With a fresh rush of migrants at Europe’s borders, the broader refugee crisis only looked to be deepening. Austrian authorities said that 2,000 new asylum-seekers had arrived at their border overnight, a day after trains took more than 11,000 people onward to Germany.

“… there remained no European plan in place to handle the torrent of human need… The absence of an agreement has led individual nations to take radically different approaches to the problem. Hungary has built a 108-mile fence of razor wire at its border with Serbia, and leaders have vowed to deploy the army to keep new migrants from entering. Sweden, meanwhile, is offering permanent residency to Syrian refugees… British Prime Minister David Cameron [has] criticized the German open-door approach for spurring a vast flow of asylum-seekers to Europe, many of whom have taken dangerous routes to get there. Cameron has said that the solution to the crisis lies in achieving peace in Syria, not in taking in more refugees…”

Putin Blames USA and EU for Migrant Crisis

Breitbart wrote on September 4:

“The Russian President Vladimir Putin has blamed the migrant crisis emanating from the Middle East on America. He also blamed European states for backing US efforts to spread democracy, which he said were responsible for the current exodus of people sweeping across the EU… ‘We in Russia say, and I have said it myself, that there will be large scale problems if our so-called Western partners pursue such an erroneous policy, especially foreign policy, in the regions of the Muslim world in the Middle East and North Africa. They continue to engage in such a policy… What kind of policy is it? It is about imposing their own standards, without taking into account the historical, religious, national, cultural features of these regions…’

“Putin commented that he was surprised [at] the US’s criticism of Europe’s handling of the crisis, seeing as it was the US which had created it. He emphasized that America had not suffered at all personally from the crisis, while Europe, which ‘blindly followed US instructions,’ had suffered heavily.’

Sadly, Putin has a point. On the other hand, in supporting Assad, Russia is pursuing some self-serving interests in Syria. Rumors are being circulated that Russia may be willing to intervene militarily in Syria, by sending ships, troops and airplanes, and that Russian forces are already fighting in Syria for Assad.

European-Wide Immigration Deal in the Making?

The Telegraph wrote on September 4:

“European leaders are preparing to create a powerful EU-wide border protection force to deal with the refugee crisis engulfing the continent… the Commission will draw up a list of ‘safe countries of origin’. Migrants from these countries would be returned, because the EU considers them to be sufficiently stable. The list is expected to include all the Balkan States, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Senegal and a number of other African countries…

“Countries such as Germany and Italy called for the EU rapidly to put in place a common asylum system or face the collapse of its cherished right to free movement… Italy’s Prime Minister, Matteo Renzi, and his ministers back the creation of an EU-wide immigration policy and an EU asylum law…”

This example shows that when the EU is faced with a continent-wide humanitarian crisis, it is willing to unite. According to prophecy, the threat of a military crisis will ensue soon, prompting the EU to establish a European army. The next articles show, however, that a solution will not be found easily, and that Britain has strong reservations.

“There Is Not Enough Unity in the EU”

The New York Times wrote on September 9:

“Citing history, morality and economics… Jean-Claude Juncker, the president of the European Commission, urged the bloc to put aside deep divisions over welcoming refugees from war-torn and poverty-stricken nations in the Middle East and Africa and forge a stronger and more unified response… Mr. Juncker cast the crisis as the most compelling one facing the bloc since World War II. It was not only a humanitarian issue but also a test of the European Union’s fundamental ability to act in a unified manner…

“‘There is not enough Europe in this union,’ he said, referring to how the bloc has reacted so far. ‘And there is not enough union in this union. We have to change this. And we have to change this now.’… He also proposed unity on such matters as identifying those who are more likely to be granted asylum, and establishing common standards for how they are treated, rather than a patchwork of national policies…

“Prime Minister David Cameron of Britain… has balked at surrendering national autonomy… Others have argued that guaranteeing spots for migrants will only encourage more to make the journey.

“Mr. Juncker is hardly the first to deliver such an appeal to European leaders. Last November, Pope Francis addressed the European Parliament in Strasbourg and challenged its malaise in addressing its problems. ‘The time has come for us to abandon the idea of a Europe which is fearful and self-absorbed,’ the pope said.”

Too Expensive for Germany?

Deutsche Welle wrote on September 6:

“According to a report in the Sunday edition of German newspaper, the ‘Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung’ (FAZ), financial costs for Germany could reach anywhere between 9 and 10.5 billion euros by the end of the year… A refugee summit held by the German parliament in July budgeted 5.6 billion euros for an expected 450,000 asylum applications this year. In light of the recent mass influx of refugees from Africa and the Middle East, however, Germany is now expecting to take in some 800,000 by the end of December…

“But there are already ructions within Angela Merkel’s conservative side of the coalition over her handling of the refugee crisis. In a telephone conference late on Saturday, the Bavarian sister party to her Christian Democratic Union, the Christian Social Union, reportedly criticized Merkel for taking in more refugees who were stranded in Hungary this week. CSU General Secretary Andreas Scheuer deemed the move as the ‘wrong decision.’ Several other conservatives also warned of a ‘suction effect’…  Bavaria’s Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann said that every refugee coming to Europe was heading for Germany, and the country could not afford to deal with the situation alone. It was a ‘completely wrong signal within Europe,’ he said…”

Reuters added on September 7:

“Thousands more refugees were expected to arrive in Germany on Monday after 20,000 came in over the weekend, piling pressure on Chancellor Angela Merkel whose open-door policy has made the country a magnet for people fleeing civil war in Syria… German and Austrian officials appeared to have been surprised by the numbers that continued to flow in from Hungary…

“Merkel has been praised by human rights groups for her decision — in response to a growing humanitarian crisis in Hungary — to temporarily ignore European rules which state that migrants must register for asylum in the first EU country where they arrive. But over the weekend there were signs of dissent within her conservative camp, with officials from the Bavarian Christian Social Union (CSU) criticizing her handling of the crisis. ‘There is no society that could cope with something like this,’ said CSU leader and Bavarian premier Horst Seehofer said. ‘The federal government needs a plan here.’…”

How Long Will German Acceptance of Hundreds of Thousands of Migrants Last?

The New York Times wrote on September 5:

“As tens of thousands of asylum seekers now pour into Germany, their desired destination, they will be met here by bowls of steaming soup and bread rolls, working bathrooms and an efficient bureaucracy to move them to temporary housing and, possibly, legal immigration status. The arrival in August of more than 104,400 people seeking asylum has strained resources and challenged authorities from Bavaria to Berlin. Yet such logistical problems are manageable for the Germans, who pride themselves on the country’s order and adherence to established rules.

“But the long-term integration of a group of people expected to reach 1 percent of the overall population, most of whom practice a different religion and often hold profoundly different world views, is another question altogether… some fear the outpouring of generosity will not last. The Social Ministry expects the German government to spend 1.8 billion to 3.3 billion euros, about $2 billion to $3.7 billion, in 2016 to cover the refugees’ basic needs, language lessons and job training. As those costs mount, so might resentment.

“Already Germany has experienced a formidable backlash against the migrants — the worst in Europe… Even as the country prepares to mark a quarter-century of German reunification this fall, a spate of violent anti-immigrant protests in the eastern state of Saxony has led to accusations that differences between the two regions still exist, revealing just how difficult it can be even for two peoples who share a language and heritage to feel as one.

“Experts also point to the former West Germany’s far less successful experiment of integration in the 1960s, when that country invited men, most of them from Turkey, to fill the industrial jobs in its post-World War II factories. But they were viewed as ‘guests,’ who would eventually return home, not as future citizens… The descendants of those ‘guest workers’ who remained in the country now make up the nearly four million Muslims in Germany’s population of almost 82 million… the Turkish experience is apparently very much on the mind of [Thomas] de Maizière, [Germany’s interior minister]… ‘Now we will get hundreds of thousands of Muslims more formed by Arabic background,’ he told the weekly [“Die Zeit”]. ‘According to all that I am told by my French colleague, that is a big difference, as far as integration is concerned.’”

Hungary and Austria Close Borders to Migrants

Breitbart wrote on September 7:

“Hungary has had enough. After weeks of turmoil driven by immigrants surging through the country’s frontiers on their way to Germany, borders with Serbia to the south and Austria to the north are being closed in an effort to return order to the nation’s sovereignty…

“Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann told reporters late Sunday night he supports the closures after what he called ‘intensive talks’ with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. ‘We have always said this is an emergency situation in which we must act quickly and humanely,’ said Faymann. ‘We have helped more than 12,000 people in an acute situation. Now we have to move step-by-step away from emergency measures towards normality, in conformity with the law and dignity.’

“Austria’s agreement to once again close its border came after a statement broadcast by state television broadcaster ORF, when Mr Orban said the two countries should state clearly they will not accept more refugees, ‘because otherwise several million people would arrive in Europe.’”

Chaos in Europe 

Breitbart wrote on September 10:

“Borders are being closed and major European Union (EU) treaties are being discarded as tens of thousands of migrants swarm across Europe, overwhelming national police forces in their wake…

“The Serbia-Hungary border was closed last week, and has been in a state of political flux since uncontrollable volumes of people walked the major M5 motorway between Serbian capital Belgrade and Hungarian capital Budapest. Dozens of major arterial routes have been closed across the continent since, as police have been forced to re-route legitimate traffic as the column of immigrants headed north…

“The border between Germany and Denmark was closed last night by Danish police as hundreds of migrants continued their foot journey north to Sweden…  Guardian reports Danish police instructed railway operators to stop all trains going between the two nations ‘until further notice’, with police physically stopping two trains at Rødby, Denmark, and stopping ferries crossing the Baltic.

“Passport checks have been reconstituted on the Danish-German border, possibly for the first time since 2001.

“Austrian police were also forced to close a major motorway after a column of 800-strong immigrant column  ‘surprised’ the force when they walked up the main motorway to Vienna from Budapest… More than 1,700 crossed the border in just the three hours after midnight…”

Deutsche Welle wrote on September 10:

“Austria has suspended train services from Hungary as it struggles to cope with overcrowding at train stations… The company said domestic services would continue to run from Nickelsdorf – the main border crossing into Austria from Hungary for migrants seeking to travel on to other countries such as Germany… Danish train operator DSB said trains to and from Germany, which were suspended on Wednesday, would start running again on Thursday. Danish police said they were letting refugees travel freely towards Sweden…

“Hungary said its armed forces were taking part in exercises to prepare to guard the border and assist police in controlling the flow of migrants…”

Majority of Brits for Brexit… Caused Largely by the Migrant Crisis

The Daily Mail wrote on September 7:

“A majority of British people would vote to leave the European Union in the wake of the migrant crisis engulfing the continent, a shock new Mail on Sunday poll has found. If a referendum were to be held tomorrow on whether to remain a member of the EU, 51 per cent of British people would vote ‘No’… The survey also found strong backing for David Cameron’s stance in standing up to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who wants the UK to take in a greater share of migrants.

“Growing public support to cut all ties with Brussels came as it was revealed the Prime Minister told Merkel to her face: ‘I could walk away from the EU.’ At a private dinner in Downing Street, Merkel accused him of being ‘too forceful’ in demanding concessions from the rest of the EU. That was why ‘we all hate you and isolate you,’ she said…

“British voters are opposed to opening the door to large numbers of refugees… Nearly three in ten say the UK should accept no refugees at all, while nearly half think we should take 1,000 or fewer. Only one in four favours taking 10,000 or more…

“The Prime Minister will take comfort from support for his handling of the issue so far. He beats Merkel by a clear two-to-one margin. And nearly two out of three say he is right to refuse to sign up to Merkel’s plan to divide up the migrants among all EU countries, with the larger and richer countries taking the most. Only one in five say Cameron is wrong…

“The poll also reflects concern that letting more refugees in could make things worse not better. Nearly six out of ten say it would encourage more people to come to the UK. And there is little appetite for British military intervention against Islamic State to solve the crisis. Nearly half of those questioned oppose such action, against a third who are in favour…”

EU Superstate in the Making?

The Telegraph wrote on September 6:

“Professor Otmar Issing, the chief architect of monetary union through its early years, said it would be ‘dangerous’ to transfer control over tax and spending to the EU federal level before full political union has been established first on democratic foundations. Such a quantum leap in the constitutional structure of Europe – effectively the creation of an EU superstate, with a parliament comparable in power to the US Congress – is unthinkable in the current political atmosphere. It would require referenda across Europe, and a two-thirds majority in both houses of the German parliament. ‘The chances of political union are close to zero,’ he said, speaking at the Ambrosetti forum of world policymakers on Lake Como.

“If Europe were to jump the gun and force the pace of integration, this would lead to a rogue plenipotentiary with unbridled powers over sensitive issues of national life. ‘It is hard to see how it could be given democratic accountability,’ he said.

“Prof Issing, a towering figure in the pre-EMU Bundesbank and the European Central Bank’s first chief economist, said control of budgets must for now be left to national government and sovereign parliaments that are genuinely answerable to their own peoples. ‘Political union cannot be obtained in the European Union by the back door. It is a violation of the principle of no taxation without representation, and represents a wrong and dangerous approach,’ he said…

“Prof Issing has always been open to an authentic United States of Europe similar to the US federal democracy. What he objects to is a deformed halfway house where supra-national bodies take decisions behind closed doors…”

But that is exactly what may happen… and which is already happening to a large extent today.

Building a Christian Fortress Europe?

AFP wrote on September 7:

“Turkish Prime Minister Ahmed Davutoglu on Sunday criticised the ‘ridiculously small’ share of refugees the EU is accepting, labelling the continent the ‘Christian fortress Europe.’ Turkey had taken more than two million people alone from war-torn Syria and Iraq, creating ‘a buffer zone between the chaos and Europe,’ Davutoglu wrote for Monday’s edition of Germany’s Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung daily.

“He criticised as low the financial contribution the EU had made in support of Turkey’s effort… There seemed to be the ‘convenient reflex’ to load the refugee problems on the shoulders of Turkey and to build a ‘Christian fortress Europe,’ he wrote. Such an approach contradicted European values, and Turkey as an EU candidate nation could not imagine it had the support of majority of Europeans, wrote the prime minister.

“For Europe, it was time to finally act collectively on immigration, he added, saying that Turkey was ready for a coordinated cooperation with ‘our European partners.'”

Iran’s Continuing Threats

JTA wrote on September 9:

“Israel will not exist in 25 years, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said. Khamenei made the threat in a speech to the Iranian people and followed it up with a tweet  on his official Twitter account later on Wednesday. ‘After negotiations, in the Zionist regime they said they had no more concern about Iran for next 25 years; I’d say: Firstly, you will not see the next 25 years; God willing, there will be nothing as Zionist regime in 25 years. Secondly, until then, struggling, heroic and Jihadi morale will leave no moment of serenity for Zionists,’ Khamenei said.

“Khamenei also took aim at the United States, which he called the ‘Great Satan.’ ‘Iranian nation did expel this Great Satan; we barred their direct access and now we must not allow their indirect access and infiltration,’ Khamenei tweeted. ‘We would negotiate and reach agreement in different levels of ‘state, religion or ethnic groups’ with all countries but the Great Satan,’ he also tweeted, indicating that he will not allow talks with the United States on other issues.”

It is amazing that President Obama, who calls Khamenei the “supreme leader,” is willing to strike a deal with Iran. Democrats’ desire to support this deal, due to wrongly understood “party loyalty,” and Republicans’ bickering in the House as to how to oppose it, paint a terrible picture of American helplessness.

Right-Wing Coalition Opposes Iran Deal, Slams Boehner

The Times of Israel wrote on September 9:

“Gathered outside the steps of the Capitol under a blazing sun, a coalition of right-wing organizations gathered to oppose the Iran deal, but while the rhetoric against President Barack Obama blazed as hot as the sun, speakers and audience members spared little vitriol for the Republican leaders in Congress. Three Republican presidential candidates — Senator Ted Cruz, mogul Donald Trump and former Virginia governor Jim Gilmore — all took the stage to condemn the nuclear agreement, but speakers also accused the Republican leadership of tacitly giving in to the administration.

“Attendees booed at the mention of Speaker of the House John Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell minutes after the House floor debate on the Iran deal ground to a halt due to an internal uprising among conservative Republicans in the House…

“Cruz warned businesses that ‘if this president behaves illegally and says you can hand this money over to Iran — that does not exempt you from having to uphold the law.’ US banks, he said, would be subject to ‘billions of dollars in civil liabilities and litigation’ if they facilitate trade with Iran under what Cruz described as an illegitimate agreement. ‘Mitch McConnell and John Boehner can stop this deal if they simply enforce federal law,’ Cruz asserted. ‘If Republican leadership decides that a show vote is more important than stopping this deal, then the single biggest issue in 2016 will be stopping Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.’

“The Republican candidate… said that any presidential candidate ‘should be ready to stand up in January 2017 and rip up this catastrophic deal.’ Trump, who took the stage shortly after Cruz, has said that he would not ‘tear up the deal,’ but would rather look for loopholes and weaknesses in its text… He promised that if he won the election in November 2016, three Americans being held in Iran and one who has disappeared in the Islamic Republic would be returned immediately. ‘I guarantee you those prisoners will be back in the country before I take office,’ he said. ‘I’m telling [Iran] right now.’

“Conservative talk show host Charles Levin… condemned what he described as ‘the capitulation of a Republican Congress’… accusing the Republican leadership of ‘recklessly and deliberately avoiding any direct confrontation with an imperial president… Tell the Republicans in Congress it’s time to step up, enforce the constitution and defeat this disastrous deal.’”

This does not show much confidence in the establishment of the Democrats and the Republicans. But will those who make strong promises really deliver, if they get the chance? In any event, in spite of the clear handwriting on the wall, irresponsible lawmakers blocked attempts to stop the horrible deal. Please note the next articles.

Irresponsible US Lawmakers Approve of the Iran Deal

Deutsche Welle wrote on September 10:

A Democratic minority in the US Senate staved off a united Republican effort to sink the Iran nuclear deal Thursday, edging President Barack Obama closer to a major foreign policy victory. But the parliamentary riposte by Democrats is only a temporary victory as Republicans vow to keep fighting.

“… the Republican motion failed by two votes shy of the 60 needed to advance in the 100-member Senate. Senator Mitch McConnell, the Senate Republican leader, immediately took steps to push for another vote. ‘This debate is far from over, and frankly, it’s just beginning,’ said House Speaker John Boehner, a Republican. ‘This is a bad deal with decades-long consequences for the security of the American people and our allies. And we’ll use every tool at our disposal to stop, slow, and delay this agreement.’

“But in reality the House’s power to stop the deal is doubtful; it can at best delay ratification. All 42 of the Senate votes not to advance the measure were from Democrats or independents who normally vote with them. Four Democratic senators sided with Republicans.

“Congress had passed legislation that gave it 60 days to review the July accord, which is set to expire September 17… From next week, the Obama administration will be free to start scaling back US sanctions against Iran. The accord aims to constrain Iran’s nuclear ambitions in exchange for hundreds of billions of dollars in relief from international sanctions.”

The Washington Post added on September 10:

“Meanwhile, the House on Thursday evening passed, 245 to 186, a resolution stating that President Obama didn’t fulfill his obligations under the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act because Congress has yet to see two confidential side agreements pertaining to the deal — documents the administration says it doesn’t have. The resolution also stated that the 60-day clock for Congress to approve the deal hasn’t started.

“But despite the House vote… the Senate action virtually assures that the deal will be implemented, at least in the short term.”

Politics galore. The only problem is, because of this political maneuvering and these desperate attempts to get votes, the interests of the USA, Israel and other countries in the free world are being neglected, abused and violated.

Pope vs. Trump and Clinton

Breitbart wrote on September 7:

“Politico has called Francis the ‘anti-Donald Trump,’ saying that he differs from the GOP—and Trump in particular—on a host of issues, noting that many of his declarations ‘are at odds with positions held by Republicans.’ No one would suggest that Pope Francis and Donald Trump see eye to eye. The men differ on an array of topics, from immigration to economic reform to the environment…

“One could just as easily, and perhaps more truly, call Pope Francis the ‘anti-Hillary,’ since many of the key positions she trumpets… are diametrically opposed to the Pope’s views. In recent days, the Pope has spoken out against abortion more than any other single issue, while in late July Hillary Clinton reaffirmed her undying support for Planned Parenthood, in the midst of the abortion giant’s scandal over the sale of baby body parts…

“Donald Trump will not be the only one to find himself challenged by what the Pope has to say.”

Pope Francis does not see eye to eye with any of the potential future leaders of the USA.

Left-Liberal Religious Persecution in the USA Continues…

ABC News reported on September 5:

“[Oregon’s] Marion County Judge Vance Day is being investigated by a judicial fitness commission in part over his refusal to perform same-sex marriages on religious grounds, a spokesman for the judge said.

“When a federal court ruling in May 2014 made same-sex marriage legal in Oregon, Day instructed his staff to refer same-sex couples looking to marry to other judges… Last fall, he decided to stop performing weddings altogether… ‘He made a decision nearly a year ago to stop doing weddings altogether, and the principal factor that he weighed was the pressure that one would face to perform a same-sex wedding, which he had a conflict with his religious beliefs,’ [spokesman] Korten said…

“The investigation of Day’s conduct comes amid heightened national attention to the responsibilities of public officials who oppose same-sex marriage. Kim Davis, a county clerk in Kentucky, went to jail Thursday because of her refusal to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Last month, the Ohio Supreme Court’s Board of Professional Conduct said judges can’t refuse to marry same-sex couples on personal, moral or religious grounds.

“Judges who stop performing all marriages to avoid marrying same-sex couples may be interpreted as biased and could be disqualified from any case where sexual orientation is an issue, the Ohio board ruled.”

Surrendering to Judicial Tyranny?

Breitbart wrote on September 7:

“On Sunday, former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, appearing on ABC’s This Week, was queried by host George Stephanopoulos about Huckabee’s blazing defense of Kim Davis, who was jailed for refusing to issue same-sex marriage licenses in Kentucky. Stephanopoulos started by stating that some conservatives said Davis should not have defied the Supreme Court’s ruling that same-sex marriage was legal…

“Huckabee answered bluntly, ‘… Lincoln ignored the 1857 Dred Scott decision that said black people weren’t fully human. It was a wrong decision. And to say that we have to surrender to judicial supremacy is to do what Jefferson warned against, which is in essence to surrender to judicial tyranny’…

“Then Huckabee moved in for the kill, blasting: ‘You’ve got Democrats who ignored the law when it was the law to have traditional marriage. Gavin Newsom in San Francisco as mayor performed same-sex weddings even though it was illegal. Did he ever get put in jail? He most certainly did not. You have Barack Obama and Eric Holder, when he was attorney general. They ignored the rulings of [the Defense of Marriage Act].  Did they ever get put in jail for ignoring the law? They most certainly did not. So when is it that liberals get to choose what laws they support, but a county clerk in Kentucky who, acting on her Christian faith, is criminalized, jailed without bail, because she acted on her conscience and according to the only law that is in front of her?’…”

The Huffington Post wrote on September 6:

“GOP presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee on Sunday defended Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis for refusing to issue same-sex marriage licenses. When asked by ABC host George Stephanopoulos whether Davis had an obligation to uphold the law, even if she disagreed with it, Huckabee argued she did not. ‘You obey if it’s right,’ the former Arkansas governor said… ‘So, I go back to my question, is slavery the law of the land because Dred Scott said so? Was that a correct decision? Should the courts have been irrevocably followed on that? Should Lincoln have been put in jail? Because he ignored it. That’s the fundamental question.’

“The 1857 Dred Scott decision is widely viewed as the worst Supreme Court ruling in history. In it, the Court ruled that no one with African ancestry could be a citizen of the United States and voided prior legislation that had blocked the expansion of slavery into parts of the country…”

The Bible is very clear that we have to obey the law of the land ONLY if it does not violate the law of the Bible, in word and/or in spirit. We must obey GOD rather than man. This appalling development, which is instigated by the left-wing agenda, is a serious threat to religious liberty and freedom. What we see is that a tiny Bible-defying noisy minority, consisting of Homosexuals, Transgender etc,. impose their will on the silent majority of heterosexual American citizens who still claim to believe in the moral standards taught in the Bible. And now notice the next truly incredible article.

Gay Judge Refuses to Perform Marriages for Straight Couples

The website of thepcmdgazette.com reported on September 7:

“An openly gay Texas judge says she refuses to conduct marriage ceremonies for straight couples. No one tried to put her in jail. No federal judges tried to condemn her. The Dallas County Judge Tonya Parker explained her decision at a monthly meeting for the Stonewall Democrats of Dallas. ‘I do not perform them because it is not an equal application of the law. Period,’ she said, according to the Dallas Voice, a newspaper for the gay community.

“Parker is believed to be the first openly ‘gay’ African-American elected official in the history of the state… Her refusal to marry people based on the fact that they were not homosexuals wasn’t backed by any faith based belief or anything other than a personal vendetta. So why isn’t this a big deal? Well, most people that go to her and get turned down go somewhere else.

“People that know she is just being an attention seeker go somewhere else without even considering her as an option… So why was Kim Davis jailed and not the judge? Why did this gay couple come from another state, go to the only place not issuing gay marriage licenses, bring the media, then demand Kim Davis denounce her faith? Why couldn’t they have just [gone] somewhere else?…”

The answer is simple: Because some in the gay minority want to impose their radical will on a silent majority. In the meantime, Davis was released from prison, but nothing has changed, and if she refuses to conduct marriages for gay couples, she will find herself in jail again.

Coming—The Mother of All Disasters

The Atlantic wrote on September 2:

“For years before Hurricane Katrina, storm experts warned that a big hurricane would inundate the Big Easy. Reporters noted that the levees were unstable and could fail. Yet hardly anyone paid attention to these Cassandras until after the levees had broken, the Gulf Coast had been blown to pieces, and New Orleans sat beneath feet of water.

“The wall-to-wall coverage afforded to the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina reveals the sway that a deadly act of God or man can hold on people, even 10 years later. But it also raises uncomfortable questions about how effectively the nation is prepared for the next catastrophe, whether that be a hurricane or something else. There are plenty of people warning about the dangers that lie ahead, but that doesn’t mean that the average citizen or most levels of the government are anywhere near ready for them…

“Huge hurricanes could all but wash major cities away. Earthquakes on the West Coast and even in the center of the country could knock out power for months, make running water a distant memory, and deprive residents of the roofs over their heads. A deadly epidemic, such as the U.S. hasn’t seen in 97 years, could take the lives of tens of thousands. A terrorist could unleash an improvised nuclear device in a major city, killing thousands—an event without historical precedent…

“Some [events]—like a major earthquake hitting Southern California—are inevitable, given enough time… the most fearsome threats are the ones that have existed forever, and which humans are powerless to prevent: hurricanes and earthquakes…

“On September 8, 1900, a hurricane struck the Texas coast at Galveston, just southwest of Houston. The gales from the storm are estimated at 120 miles per hour, but the exact number is unknown… Historians now think between 6,000 and 12,000 people were killed. It was impossible to bury so many bodies, so corpses were thrown into the sea. When they washed ashore, a new tactic was adopted: mass funeral pyres. It remains the deadliest U.S. hurricane on the record and, by one measure, the third most costly…

“Miami, too, has been repeatedly struck by hurricanes—but not, perhaps, ‘the big one,’ at least not recently. That happened in 1926, when a storm slammed Miami, moved across Florida to Tampa, and then continued on to hit the panhandle… There’s no way to stop hurricanes…

“The classic [anticipated earthquake], of course, is the one fault line practically every American can name: the San Andreas, running through California. The San Andreas is responsible for some of the nation’s most famous tremors—from the San Francisco quake of 1906 to the 1989 Loma Prieta quake…

“Los Angeles isn’t the only West Coast hegemon threatened by seismic activity. A widely read New Yorker story in July awakened many lay readers to the threat of a huge earthquake in the Pacific Northwest that could devastate Seattle and Portland… The New Yorker’s Kathryn Schulz lays out the danger clearly: A quake with a magnitude of 9 or greater. Buildings not constructed for an earthquake, like those in Los Angeles. An impact area of 140,000 square miles, with 13,000 dead. And the real clincher: A massive tsunami sweeping in after the quake.

“…a major earthquake around New Madrid could shake Memphis and St. Louis and spread devastation across seven states… the last time there was major activity around New Madrid, in 1811 and 1812, the tremors strongly shook some 50,000 square miles. The shaking was strong enough to ring church bells in Boston. In some places, the ground subsided by more than 16 feet. Boatmen reported that the Mississippi River ran backwards in places as the ground shifted under it.

“What makes each of these scenarios so scary is that they’re inevitable… it’s practically certain that a huge hurricane will hit Miami or Houston, and that a huge earthquake will hit Los Angeles or the Northwest.

“The other major menaces tend to fall into the category of possible… Take the improvised nuclear device… How likely is it that a terrorist group is able to detonate a dirty bomb in a population center? That’s very tough to predict… Or how about a huge epidemic?…

“Each of these Maximum of Maximum scenarios represents a disaster larger than any the United States has ever seen. The swath of destruction they would create seems too large to imagine…”

… but not in the Way Some Ignorant Christian Groups Predict

The Independent wrote on September 8:

“Minority Christian groups have predicted the world will end later this month – when they say a ‘blood moon’ will bring about an apocalyptic meteor strike. Scientists say a ‘blood moon’ will occur on September 28, when the moon passes into the shadow of the earth cast by the Sun (a lunar eclipse) and appears dim and reddish.

“Some religious leaders believe that because this is the fourth consecutive lunar eclipse since April 2014, it is part of a ‘tetrad’ – which foretells a meteorite destroying earth and the end of time.

“Experts at Nasa remain unconvinced…

“The Blood Moon theory has its roots in a passage in the Bible in Joel 2:31 which reads: ‘And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord come.

“Similarly, in Acts 2:20: ‘The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.’ And again in Revelation 6:12: ‘[…] and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood’.

“That a ‘tetrad’ of lunar eclipses, with six full moons in between them, will coincide with an asteroid hitting earth was popularised by US pastors Mark Biltz and John Hagee. They each noted that previous tetrads in history had coincided with noteworthy, tragic and triumphant events in Jewish history… Present day biblical theorists who follow the teachings have been worried that in a period somewhere between September 22 to 28 2015, the world will end.”

We can DOGMATICALLY say that the world will NOT end in September of 2015. Hagee is wrong on this, and he has also popularized the false concept of a secret rapture in his “Left Behind” series… which is totally contradicted in Scripture. The biblical passages, quoted above, speak of a time AFTER the great tribulation has begun… which it has NOT.  For more information, please read our free booklet, “The Mysteries of the Book of Revelation.”

Also, we want to remind our readers in this same context of the following “failed prophecy”: 

IWB had reported on March 20, 2015:

“Jonathan Cahn was given a revelation from Almighty God and wrote a book by the name of ‘The Harbinger’. A harbinger is a warning, and in this case it is a pattern of warnings from Almighty God to the American people… I can tell you now that if Almighty God continues His pattern of judgment on the USA, the financial collapse of the US dollar, will happen on Sunday, the 13th of September 2015. This date is the 29th of ELUL 5775 on the Hebrew calendar and the next Shemitah in the Septennial Sabbatical Cycle…”

Of course, the US dollar will not collapse this Sunday. All of these deceiving “prophecies” are just mere human reasoning or demon-inspired… God has NOTHING to do with them. Sadly, some gullible and ignorant Christians and Jews fall for them.

In two previous Q&A’s on healing, we pointed out that because of Christ’s supreme Sacrifice, God has promised to heal our physical illnesses, if we are fulfilling certain conditions. We showed that God expects of a sick person to ask the ministers of His Church to anoint the sick with oil, place their hands on the sick person’s head and pray over him or her, asking God for healing.

If a minister is not living close enough to the sick person, he can anoint a small piece of cloth with oil, lay his hands on it and pray over it, and then send it to the sick person who will place it on his or her head and pray to God for healing. It will be within the MINISTER’s discretion whether to anoint personally or to prepare and send an anointed cloth, and ONLY ordained ministers of God are permitted to anoint the sick or to prepare an anointed cloth for the sick.

It has been the long-held understanding of the Church of God that a sick person should first ask the ministry for anointing. This may be followed in appropriate cases by a prayer request from the ministry to the Church congregation. Usually, it would not be the right procedure to request of the ministry to ask for prayers from the congregation, without having first asked the ministry for anointing.

We also showed in our previous Q&A’s, that the sick person must have faith to be healed, being certain that he or she WILL be healed. A sick person must not doubt that God will heal him or her, because a doubter must not suppose that he or she will receive anything from God.

In our free booklet, “Sickness and Healing – What the Bible Tells Us” we explain the following:

“Faith is necessary for healing, but faith alone is not enough. Our way of life has a great deal to do with whether God may choose to heal us or not. We read in 1 John 3:22: ‘And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.’”

In this Q&A, we will focus on John’s statement that we must do those things which are pleasing in God’s sight. It is important to understand WHAT we must DO in order to please God.

The Greek word which is used for “pleasing” in 1 John 3:22 is “arestos.” Christ said in John 8:29: “The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please [Greek: “arestos”] Him.”

We read in the Old Testament that God was well pleased with Christ because He was righteous, exalted the law and made it more honorable (Isaiah 42:21). This is a reference to God’s spiritual law of the Ten Commandments and the statutes and judgments. Christ came to reveal the spiritual intent of the law. Ritual temporary animal sacrifices found their fulfillment in Christ’s Sacrifice, and in this context, David said in Psalm 69:30-31: “I will praise the name of God with a song, And will magnify Him with thanksgiving. This also shall please the LORD better than an ox or bull…” However, as we will see, we are still to give “spiritual” sacrifices to God.

In the New Testament, the Father confirmed on several occasions that Christ was His beloved Son in whom He was well pleased.

Greek words which are related to “arestos,” but emphasize a still higher degree of acceptance, are “euarestos” or “euaresteo.” The New King James Bible translates the last word sometimes with “acceptable” or “acceptably.”

We read in 2 Corinthians 5:9 that Paul and his co-workers made it their aim, “whether present or absent, to be well pleasing” to God. We read that Enoch pleased God because he had faith, and that it is impossible to please God without faith, knowing that God will reward us when we diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:5-6). We are told in Hebrews 12:28 that with God’s grace, we can and should serve Him “acceptably” or in a way which is well pleasing to God, with reverence and godly fear, knowing that we are to inherit the Kingdom of God.

Hebrews 13:16 reminds us to do good and to share, as God is well pleased with such sacrifices. Elaborating on this, Paul tells us in Romans 12:1-2 that we are to present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy and “acceptable” or well pleasing to God. He continues that we are not to be conformed to this world, but that we must be transformed by the renewing of our minds, so that we can prove what is God’s good, perfect and “acceptable” or well-pleasing will.

Ephesians 5:8-11 states that we were once darkness, but that we are not to have any more fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness; rather, we are now light in Christ and must walk as children of light, manifesting goodness, righteousness and truth in our lives and finding out what is “acceptable” or well pleasing to God. (Colossians 1:10 adds that Paul is praying for the brethren that they “may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.” Even though a different Greek expression for “fully pleasing” is used here, the conveyed meaning is the same.)

Romans 14:18 tells us that we are “acceptable” or “well pleasing” to God and approved by men if we are living in righteousness and peace and joy through the power of the Holy Spirit (verse 17).

Focusing on the conditions and requirements for physical healing and the fact that we must be pleasing God in how we live, we find an interesting statement in Proverbs 16:7, which reads: “When a man’s ways please the LORD, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.” Since God is interested in a peaceful relationship with one’s enemies, how much more is He interested in peaceful reconciliation between brethren. We cited Romans 14:17-18, stating that we please God when we live in peace. We also read in Psalm 133:1 : “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brethren to dwell together in unity!”

Pleasing God includes seeking to establish a peaceful relationship with one another. This requires asking others for their forgiveness of trespasses which we might have committed against them, and forgiving others their trespasses against us. This is the reason why James says in chapter 5, verses 13–16: “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray… Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”

We state in our above-mentioned booklet about healing:

“We are being told in James 5:16 that we are to ‘confess [our] trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that [we] may be healed.’ The Greek word for ‘trespass,’ paraptoma, is used in numerous additional passages, for instance in Galatians 6:1; Ephesians 2:1; 2:5; or 2 Corinthians 5:19. It is consistently and correctly translated in the New King James Bible as ‘trespasses’ in those passages. We are told in Colossians 2:13 that God, upon our repentance, forgives us all of our ‘trespasses.’ We are also told that if we forgive men their ‘trespasses,’ our Father will forgive us our ‘trespasses’ as well, but if we do not forgive men their ‘trespasses,’ our Father will not forgive us our ‘trespasses,’ either (Matthew 6:14–15; compare Matthew 18:35).

“The ‘trespasses’ which we need to confess to our brother or sister, in order to obtain his or her ‘forgiveness,’ are those that we have committed against our brother or our sister. Mark 11:25–26 tells us: ‘And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.’

“Unresolved problems between brethren might… prevent healing of physical sickness. James 5:16 tells us, ‘Confess your trespasses to one another [with the goal to ‘clear the air’], and pray for one another, THAT you may be healed.’ After all, Christ told Peter to forgive his repenting brother ‘seventy times seven’ (Matthew 18:22). In Peter’s question, the brother had sinned against Peter and had come to him to express to him his sorrow—in other words, to ‘confess’ to Peter his trespass or sin against Peter…

“Notice, too, Matthew 5:23–24, ‘Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First, be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.’

“If we commit a sin or trespass against someone else, resulting in an offense and a problem within our relationship with that other person, we are to ‘confess’ our sin or trespass to that person, asking him or her for forgiveness, with the goal of restoring our relationship. At the same time, we are NOT to ‘confess’ or talk about our sin or trespass with others, unless a situation develops as described in Matthew 18:15–17. Notice, however, the very first step in the Matthew 18 process: ‘Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him ALONE. If he hears you, you have gained your brother.’ At that moment, the process is supposed to end, and the sin or trespass against the brother is supposed to be forgiven, buried and gone. It is not to be ‘resurrected’ by the parties, and it is most certainly not to be talked about to others…”

The Scripture in James 5:14–16 is a command for us that if we are sick, we are to ask for God’s true ministers to anoint us with oil [a symbol of God’s Holy Spirit of power] and to pray over us. We have to pray with faith. At the same time, we read that if we committed SINS, they will be forgiven us. This is addressing sins against God, and God will only forgive us when we REPENT. We must not think that we can ask God for healing, while we are willing, at the same time, to continue living in sin. Pleasing God means and includes that we deeply repent of our sins, cease from sin and forsake it, and ask God for His forgiveness.

In addition, we do what is pleasing in God’s sight when we confess our trespasses to one another; that is, we must repent of our trespasses and we may even have to ask the other person against whom we have trespassed to forgive us, if it is obvious that this particular trespass is still an ongoing problem between us. Further, we must be willing to forgive others their trespasses against us—the goal is to restore a peaceful relationship and unity between brethren.

If we behave in this way, then we “do those things that are pleasing in His sight,” and we have fulfilled another requirement or condition necessary for our healing.

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

A new Member Letter has been mailed. In this letter, Norbert Link addresses the terrible violence that is occurring and continuing to spread in the world. He also points to the importance of the Fall Holy Days we are about to observe and the Work of God we must accomplish. This letter is posted on our webpage.

The 2015 Feast Brochure has been completed by our graphics designer, Shelly Bruno. We will distribute copies at the Feast, and you can view and download a copy from our webpage.

Our newest booklet, “Do You Know the Jesus of the Bible?” was received today from the printer. It is also posted for viewing. We will distribute the booklet during the Feast of Tabernacles to our Feast attendees, and we will mail copies to those requesting the booklet shortly thereafter.

“No More Religious Freedom in the USA?” is the title of a new StandingWatch program presented by Evangelist Norbert Link. Here is a summary:

The decision of a U.S. District Judge in Kentucky to jail County Clerk Kim Davis for refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples because of her religious beliefs manifests ongoing and increasing religious persecution in America. Politicians who say that Davis has to obey the law of the land do not seem to understand the complexity of the matter. Numerous examples will be presented in this program, showing that individual religious freedom is under attack and violated on a constant basis. The trend will continue, being pursued by a relentless tiny minority which is determined to impose its will on a silent majority. But whom are we to obey more–man or God?

 

“Biblical Prophecy,” is a new Standingwatch Talking Points, presented by Pastor Rene Messier. Here is a summary:

What does the Bible tell us about our future? What will happen from now until the time of Christ’s Return—and far beyond that? What person on earth would not want to know? The surprising answer is that God revealed thousands of years ago, in the pages of the Bible, what is going to happen, beginning very soon.

“Willst Du Gesund Werden?” is the new German sermon for this Sabbath. Title in English: “Do You Want to Be Made Well?”

“Posaunenfest 2015—Religiöse Verführung in Gottes Kirche?“ is the title of the German sermon for the Feast of Trumpets. It deals with religious deception at the time of Christ’s return. Title in English: “Trumpets 2015–Religious Deception in God’s Church?”

“Spiritually Naked,” the sermonette presented last Sabbath by Kalon Mitchell, is now posted. Here is a summary:

In the 3rd chapter of Revelation we find the church of Laodicea mentioned.  This church is mentioned as spiritually naked.  Later on it is mentioned that the true church is making herself ready and clothing herself with righteous acts. Let’s discover the difference between the two.

“Why Did King Saul Fail?” the sermon presented last Sabbath by Norbert Link, is now posted. Here is a summary:

Following Israel’s demand for a king to fight their battles, God instructed the judge and prophet Samuel to anoint Saul as their king. Saul received God’s Holy Spirit, but he failed miserably. Why? In this sermon we will show you numerous examples of Saul’s misconduct leading to his downfall. They must serve as a warning for us. If we repeat King Saul’s mistakes, we might be likewise at risk of falling away from God.

As a reminder, here are the dates for the Fall Holy Days:

September 14— Feast of Trumpets
September 23—Day of Atonement
September 28 through October 4—Feast of Tabernacles
October 5—Last Great Day