Update 711

On November 14, 2015, Michael Link will present the sermonette, titled, “The  Power of God,” and Norbert Link will present the sermon, titled, “Prophetic Consequences of Our Migrant Crisis.”

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.

Recently, Republican Presidential candidate and retired neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson brought attention again to the hypothesis that Joseph might have built the Egyptian pyramids. He added that it is his belief that they were built to store grain. “Experts” dismissed this conclusion, stating that it was “accepted science they were tombs for pharaohs.” Others claimed that no “major Jewish or Christian sect shares his belief about the pyramids’ origins.” Dr. Carson’s own church, the Seventh-Day Adventists, “clarified” that Dr. Carson’s belief about the pyramids were “his own interpretation.”

Could it be, however, that science and Dr. Carson’s concepts might harmonize, to a certain extent? Even though there is no evidence that Joseph built all of the pyramids or that the pyramids were built for the purpose of storing grain during the biblical seven years of famine in Egypt, there IS evidence that Joseph might have been involved with building one particular pyramid–the Cheops or Great Pyramid, together with Pharaoh Khufu. In addition, there is evidence to show that Pharaoh Khufu was none other than the biblical Job.

In his article, “Who Built the Great Pyramid?” (The Plain Truth, May 1964), Dr. Herman Hoeh pointed out:

“At the true entrance to the Great Pyramid we saw the hieroglyphic carving containing the name of the mighty builder of this architectural wonder of the ancient world. His name in Egyptian is spelled Khufu by modern writers. The Greeks spelled his name Cheops. That is why the Pyramid is often called the Pyramid of Cheops today…

“The Egyptian historian Manetho, who lived in the third century before Christ, wrote that Khufu ‘was of a DIFFERENT RACE’ from the Egyptians (Wathen’s Arts and Antiquities of Egypt, p. 54). Herodotus, the famous Greek historian of the 5th century before Christ, states that the builders of the Great Pyramid were SHEPHERDS (Euterpe §128). But the Egyptians were not shepherds! Notice Genesis 46:31-34: ‘And Joseph said unto his brethren… I will go up, and shew Pharaoh, and say unto him, My brethren, and my father’s house… are come unto me; and the men are shepherds…And it shall come to pass, when Pharaoh shall call you, and shall say, What is your occupation? That ye shall say, Thy servants’ trade hath been about cattle… FOR EVERY SHEPHERD IS AN ABOMINATION UNTO THE EGYPTIANS.” …

“Cheops was not a polytheist. He was a worshipper of the One God. ‘Cheops closed the temples and prohibited the Egyptians from offering sacrifices,’ wrote Herodotus in book II of his History, §124…

“The facts of history are that Cheops (1726-1663 B.C.) was a young contemporary of King Zoser of Egypt. Zoser (1737-1718 B.C.) built the ‘step pyramid’ shortly before Cheops built the Great Pyramid (Budge, A History of Egypt, vol. II, p. 9)… king Zoser ruled part of Lower Egypt at the same time Joseph was Prime Minister under Pharaoh Amenemhet III, king of Upper Egypt. Ancient Egypt… was a confederation of small city states. Amenemhet III (1741-1692 B.C.) was king of Upper Egypt and Pharaoh of all Egypt. But under him were lesser kings, among whom was Zoser. Cheops was [also] a foreign [lesser] King whose domain extended into the Delta of Egypt.

“King Zoser recorded the seven years’ drought in Joseph’s time. ‘My heart is in great anxiety,’ said Zoser, ‘for in my time the Nile has not overflowed for a period of SEVEN YEARS’ (Cambridge Ancient History, p. 309-310, vol. I). The Bible reveals the seven years of famine extended from 1727 to 1720 B.C. Here is clear evidence that Cheops, a contemporary of Zoser, must have built the Great Pyramid during the beginning of the sojourn (1726-1487 B.C.) of Israel in Egypt and about the time of the seven years of famine!…

“A noted man who helped Cheops in building the Pyramid was named Souf. He was ‘chief of the works of Khufu’ (Rawlinson’s Egypt, ch. 14)… Elsewhere he is called ‘Saf-hotep’ — meaning ‘Saf the servant.’ He was apparently one of 12 brothers who built the Labyrinth — the ‘Pentagon’ of Ancient Egypt — for Amenemhet III (Wathen’s Antiquities, p. 142)… ‘Souf’… could be none other than Joseph!… Egyptians still call Joseph ‘Yousuf.’… A corrupted Egyptian story records an incident in the later life of Cheops or Khufu, in which he calls an aged Egyptian sage to his palace (Budge’s Egypt, vol. II, p. 43). The sage lived 110 years. Joseph died at 110 years of age (Gen. 50:26)…

“Manetho, the Egyptian historian, wrote of Cheops: ‘He was arrogant toward the gods, but repented and wrote the Sacred Book… a work of great importance’ (see Wathen’s Antiquities, p. 268; and Budge’s Egypt, vol. II, p. 31)…

“Cheops has another name — Saaru of Shaaru (Petrie’s History of Egypt, vol. I, p. 37). Saaru is another name ‘for the inhabitants of Mt. Seir’ (Rawlinson’s History of Egypt, ch. 22). Khufu, then, was a foreign King whose domain extended from Mt. Seir to Lower Egypt during and after the time of Joseph… Mt. Seir was famous in history as the ‘Land of Uz’ (Vol. III of Clarke’s Commentary, preface to Book of Job). Uz was a descendant of Seir the Horite (Gen. 36:28). The Arabs preserve a corrupt record of Cheops of Mt. Seir or of the Land of Uz. They call him the ‘wizard of Oz.’ Now what individual who dwelled in Uz [note Job 1:1] was arrogant, repented of his sin and wrote a Sacred Book? None other than JOB!  And the Sacred Book is the Book of Job! …

“The ancient Greeks called Job ‘Cheops’… Plainly, Cheops is but an altered pronunciation of Job! …

“Cheops lived in Joseph’s time. So did Job! Job lived in the generation after Esau, for one of his friends was Eliphaz the Temanite (Job 2:11). Eliphaz was the father of the Temanites (Gen. 36: 11) and the son of Esau, Jacob’s brother (verse 10). Eliphaz and Joseph were first cousins.  Job lived before the Mosaic law which permitted only Levites to sacrifice. Notice that Job sacrificed to God for his family as was customarily done in patriarchal times (Job 1:5; 42:8).  None of the conversation in the book of Job refers to the exodus under Moses…

“Coming into Egypt with Jacob in 1726 was a grandson — named Job! ‘And these are the names of the children of Israel who came into Egypt, Jacob and his sons… And the sons of Issachar: Tola, and Phuvah and Job, and Shimron’ (Genesis 46:13)… Cheops or Job was Joseph’s nephew…

“We might also consider whether the pyramid was designed by Job to be the tomb or resting place of Joseph’s mummy, before it was carried up out of Egypt by Moses (Exodus 13:19). Cheops or Job, according to the ancient historians, was not buried in it. The sarcophagus in the ‘King’s chamber’ was empty in ancient times. No treasures were hidden in the Pyramid’s inner recesses…”

We also find some additional biblical statements which might support the conclusion that Job was a king and none other than Pharaoh Khufu or Cheops who built the Great Pyramid.

For instance, we read in Job 3:11-15 that in case of Job’s death at his birth, he would have been buried with kings and princes, showing that he was of royal blood.

In the Plain Truth of October 1957, Herbert W. Armstrong wrote in his article, “Why Must Men Suffer?”:

“Some authorities believe that Job was the architect and director of the building of the Great Pyramid—still today the largest building on earth, and prior to the construction of the Woolworth building the tallest. That Job was proud of his righteousness is plain. That he also might have been puffed up over constructing the world’s greatest building clears up much that God says now to him.  Job was too well aware of his righteousness. God now proceeded to deflate his ego. Can it, then be possible God now compares His creation of the earth, and all that is, to the comparatively insignificant accomplishment of building the Great Pyramid? It’s interesting to keep this possibility in mind.

“‘When I founded the earth,’ God opened up on Job, ‘where were you, then? Answer me that, if you have wit to know! Who measured out the earth?—do you know that? Who stretched the builder’s line on it? What were its pedestals placed on? Who laid the cornerstone, when the morning-stars were singing, and all the angels chanted in their joy?’” (Verses 4-7).  It is significant that a pyramid is the only kind of building on earth where the corner-stone is the top stone—the last stone laid—at the COMPLETION of the building! And here God represents the symbolic ‘corner-stone’ of the EARTH as being laid at its completion—when the angels shouted for joy!  And so God continued to deflate poor Job. Job may have been the most righteous man on earth—yet how insignificant he was, compared to GOD!”

Many have responded with ridicule to Dr. Carson’s “personal interpretation” that Joseph might have built the pyramids. Even though it appears that he was “only” involved with building one pyramid—the Cheops or Great Pyramid—and even though it cannot be proven that this was done for the purpose of storing grain (although the construction of the Great Pyramid began apparently about the time of the seven years of famine), this example of a hostile, scoffing and arrogant reaction shows that one should be careful not to reject and dismiss ideas out of hand, labeling them as “odd” or “stupid,” only because they do not seem to fit into the paradigm of commonly held concepts and beliefs. After all, “let GOD be true, but every man a liar” (Romans 3:4).

We begin focusing on the crash of a Russian jet in Egypt, killing everyone on board. The overwhelming conclusion by the USA, the UK and Europe seems to be that ISIS was responsible for this terrorist attack—“the most significant terrorist-related airline incident since 9/11.” This revelation would have serious consequences for the fight against ISIS, as it would have become clear that ISIS would be capable of committing such horrible acts, expanding the “local terror scene” of defined areas in the Middle East and “bursting onto the international terror scene” without borders.

We report on the desire of senior rabbis to build a Third Temple on the Temple Mount and address the first meeting between China and Taiwan since 1949; and we are drawing our readers’ attention again to the unprecedented migrant crisis in Europe and Germany. An insightful article by Pat Buchanan points at the inevitable conclusion that “one day soon, a voice will arise across the Atlantic calling for an end to this invasion, by force if necessary, and declare: ‘Let Europe be Europe!’” At the same time, the fight pertaining to Britain’s membership in the EU intensifies. We also report on the death of former German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt.

Donald Trump continues to pick wrong fights, while President Obama is losing his fight—at least temporarily—regarding his immigration policy.

A $35 million missile test by the US Navy in Southern California had residents from San Francisco to Mexico “freak out,” and quite a few believed that extraterrestrial aliens had finally arrived. According to the Navy, their tests are being conducted for the purpose of “deterring Russian aggression.”

The secrets of the Egyptian pyramids are far from solved, and we report on the “thermal scanning of Giza pyramids throwing up anomalies” of the Great Pyramid at ground level, which are suspected to show empty areas in the pyramids, internal air currents, or different building materials used.

We continue with a terrible result of public opinion in the UK and address the ongoing threat of a new eruption of Washington’s Mount St. Helens which is considered a “high-risk volcano,” and even of the neighboring volcano Mount Adams.

We conclude with articles about the Mormon Church’s correct position on same-sex marriage and the shocking revelation of wide-spread sexting by American children and teens. Inasmuch as this illegal “trend” has become a major issue, we are quoting articles showing parents what they can do to supervise their children and prevent them from engaging in those very serious criminal activities which might destroy their entire lives… and the lives of others.

ISIS’ Worldwide Terrorist Threats

Reuters reported on November 6:

“Moscow suspended passenger flights to Egypt, and the United States imposed new air travel security requirements in the wake of the crash of a Russian jet in Egypt, as Western officials pointed on Friday to the conclusion it was brought down by a bomb… While no official investigation has confirmed that claim of responsibility, countries have been canceling flights and announcing new precautions, leaving tens of thousands of European and Russian tourists stranded at Red Sea resorts…

“U.S. President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron have already said the crash might have been caused by a bomb. Moscow initially rebuked Western countries for drawing such conclusions too quickly. But President Vladimir Putin’s decision to suspend Russian flights suggests the Kremlin is no longer trying to avert attention from that theory…

“French TV station France 2 said on its website that the sound of an explosion could be heard on the black boxes recovered from the plane, according to an investigator who had access to them. The investigator ruled out engine failure, it added…

“Decisions by Britain and other European countries to suspend flights to Sharm al-Sheikh left tens of thousands of tourists stranded in one of the most popular destinations for European holidaymakers seeking winter sunshine. Moscow’s decision to follow suit on Friday adds tens of thousands more… The Russian Travel Industry Union, cited by Interfax, estimated there were about 50,000 Russian tourists currently in Egypt and said refunding canceled tickets to Egypt could bankrupt Russian tour operators…

“British attempts to bring home thousands of stranded tourists were thrown into chaos on Friday when Egypt reduced the number of flights it would allow to take them home…”

The Washington Post wrote on November 6:

“The hardening prospect that a Russian airliner was brought down over the Sinai Peninsula by a terrorist bomb is raising concerns that the threat from the Islamic State has dramatically expanded, and it points to the potentially deadly role of insurgents around the world who have allied themselves with the militant group… If the Islamic State indeed destroyed the plane, it would shatter whatever expectation there was that the group could be confined and ultimately defeated within Iraq and Syria — the region where it has seized territory and declared a caliphate…

“There have been arrests of Islamic State operatives in Kosovo and Albania in recent months for allegedly planning attacks in Europe, said Bruce Hoffman, a terrorism expert at Georgetown University. ‘But this is the first time that ISIL has crossed the threshold and burst onto the international terror scene,’ he said…

“The apparent ability of the group to smuggle a bomb on board a plane loaded with tourists is disturbing to U.S. security officials, who had comforted themselves with the idea that the Islamic State appeared focused on establishing its caliphate and was so far unwilling or unable to strike outside its immediate area of operations. ‘This is the most significant terrorist-related airline incident since 9/11,’ Hoffman said. ‘So the repercussions for this have to be quite profound.’”

Deutsche Welle reported on November 7:

“The weekly ‘Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung’ (FAS) reported in its Sunday edition that the German government believes the Russian Metrojet airliner was bombed by the ‘Islamic State’ (IS) terrorist group. ‘All available information points to this conclusion,’ a senior German security official told the paper, adding that the aircraft’s sudden drop in altitude, without any irregularities having been recorded in the cockpit, make a bomb ‘very plausible.’”

Subsequently, governmental officials from the USA, Great Britain and Europe have stated that they are “99% sure” that the Russian plane was destroyed by a bomb.

The Associated Press reported on November 10 that “Moscow’s ban on all flights to Egypt in the wake of a Russian plane crash will last for at least several months, the Kremlin chief of staff said Tuesday, dealing a severe blow to Egypt’s struggling tourism industry.”

“The Temple Mount Belongs to Israel”

i24news.tv reported on November 11, 2015:

“[70 senior] rabbis from the Religious Zionism movement have issued a petition claiming the sacred status of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, also known as the al-Aqsa Mosque to Muslims…

“The rabbis have said that they refuse to give up Jewish ownership of the Temple Mount and continue to pray for the construction of the third temple where its predecessors had been…

“Under the headline, ‘We won’t give up the Temple Mount,’ the Rabbis wrote that ‘the Temple Mount belongs to the people of Israel for generations of about 3,000 years now, since it was purchased by King David for its full price from Araunah the Jebusite… The two temples of the people of Israel stood on the Temple Mount for some 1,000 years, before the religion of Islam even existed. No one has the authority to give up the Temple Mount…’

“The rabbis argued that the people of Israel were certain of the fulfillment of the prophets’ vision on the construction of the temple, and ‘pray that we will see it happen soon in our time.’”

Leaders of China and Taiwan Meet for the First Time Since 1949

The Associated Press reported on November 7:

“The leaders of China and Taiwan met Saturday for the first time since the formerly bitter Cold War foes split amid civil war 66 years ago, and though no concrete agreement resulted, both hailed the meeting as a sign of a new stability in relations… In brief opening remarks in front of reporters before going into a closed-door meeting, [China’s] Xi said, ‘History will record this day.’ He alluded to China’s long-cherished goals of unification with Taiwan, saying, ‘We are one family,’ and ‘No force can pull us apart.’

“[Taiwan’s] Ma said, ‘Both sides should respect each other’s values and way of life,’ while adding that relations between the sides were ‘the most peaceful and stable they have ever been.’

“When they split in 1949, both sides aspired to absorb the other, with each claiming the mantle of the only legitimate government of all of China, Taiwan included. Communist Party-ruled China still demands that Taiwan eventually be unified with the mainland, by force if necessary, while many citizens of democratic Taiwan increasingly prefer to simply maintain the separate status the island has carved out over more than six decades.

“Critics of Ma in Taiwan are wary that his meeting with Xi and similar contacts will pave the way for Beijing to assert greater control over the island, further deepening its international isolation… China refuses to acknowledge the island as anything other than a breakaway province, and pressure from Beijing keeps Taiwan out of the United Nations and other major multinational organizations…

“Each leader hopes to seal his legacy as one who helped bring decades of division and mistrust to a mutually acceptable end…”

“Let Europe Be Europe!”

On November 9, WorldNetDaily published the following article by Pat Buchanan:

“‘A modern day mass migration is taking place … that could change the face of Europe’s civilization,’ warned Hungarian President Viktor Orban… He erected a 110-mile fence on the Serb border, redirecting hundreds of thousands of migrants away from Hungary to Croatia, thence to Austria and Germany.

“Sunday, after a third of a million had passed through, Croatia replaced a center-left with a rightist party. A fortnight ago, the right-wing eurosceptic Law and Justice Party won a landslide victory in Poland.

“Support for Angela Merkel, who has opened Germany to a million migrants, is plummeting. Bavaria’s CSU, sister party of Merkel’s CDU, is in rebellion. Bavaria has been the main port of entry for the hundreds of thousands of arriving migrants.

“Europe is undergoing the greatest mass migration since World War II, when 14 million Germans were driven out of Prussia and eastern Germany and Central and Eastern Europe. That mass migration halted after two years. But no end is in sight to the migrations from Africa and the Middle East. As long as Europe’s borders remain open, they will come. And the people who wish to come number not just in the millions but the tens and scores of millions. And they know how to get there…

“Under the Schengen Agreement, there are to be no barriers to trade and travel, to the movement of goods and people inside the EU. Yet, across Europe, fences are going up, borders are being re-established, anti-immigrant and anti-EU parties like the National Front of France’s Marine Le Pen, are gaining converts. If the mass migrations are not halted, the rise of nationalist regimes at the expense of Europe’s liberals and leftists is inevitable…

“Optimists point to how America absorbed the 15 million that arrived in the Great Wave of immigration from 1890 to 1920. But they ignore the differences. America’s immigrants were Europeans from Christian nations… those pouring into Europe are Arab, African and Muslim, not European Christians or Jews. They come from other civilizations and cultures. And they are… creating enclaves in Europe that replicate the lands whence they came…

“Will Europe remain Europe if she is repopulated by Arabs, Muslims, Asians and Africans? What will hold Europe together?… One day soon, a voice will arise across the Atlantic calling for an end to this invasion, by force if necessary, and declare: ‘Let Europe be Europe!’”

In light of the last paragraph, the following articles are quite revealing… and frightening, considering the consequences.

“Germany Unable to House 300,000 Refugees”

The Local wrote on November 9:

“Germany doesn’t have the capacity to house hundreds of thousands of the refugees set to arrive in the country over the remainder of the year, a study released on Monday claims… [arguing] that Germany currently only has the capacity to house around half a million refugees. But with almost that number already having arrived in the country – and 380,000 more projected to arrive before the year is out – that means housing solutions are still needed for 370,000 migrants.

“The report included a survey of 300 local authorities in Germany who estimated that a total of 870,000 people would arrive in Germany in the whole of 2015 seeking asylum. Over three quarters of local authorities said that their greatest challenge was finding shelter for all the refugees who arrive at their door. Almost two-thirds also voiced fears over the lack of reliable numbers of arriving refugees…”

Migrant Crisis in Germany

Breitbart wrote on November 12, 2015:

“Germany’s finance minister has warned that an ‘avalanche’ of migrants has been triggered, just as it was revealed that Germany should expect up to 10 million migrants by 2020. According to the calculations of another member of German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s ‘grand coalition’ of parties, the continent can expect nearly 10 times as many migrants as has been projected for this year alone over the next five years…

“The nation is expecting up to 1.5 million this year alone. The numbers began rising sharply immediately after Mrs. Merkel promised to suspend the Dublin agreement in August, and ‘welcome’ any migrant who could make it across the German borders… the German government has no idea how many migrants it has already taken in and begun to process…”

The Local added on November 12:

“Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble has warned that the flow of refugees into Germany and Europe could turn into an ‘avalanche’ if not managed properly. ‘Avalanches can be triggered when some slightly careless skier goes to the slope and moves a little bit of snow,’ Schäuble said in Berlin on Wednesday evening. It was impossible to tell at this point whether the avalanche had reached the valley floor or was still in the top third of the slope, he added.

“The comments were a rare statement of position from Merkel’s finance chief Schäuble, who has until recently confined himself to comments on the affordability of the refugee crisis… In recent days, Germany has tightened its refugee policy, re-introducing the so-called ‘Dublin rules’ for Syrian refugees, which would see them sent back to the first EU country they entered to apply for asylum.

“Last week, Sweden asked refugees on their way to the Nordic country to stay in Germany as they were hitting their limit for accommodating migrants. And Merkel faced a mini-rebellion over the weekend from her Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere when he announced his own plans for stricter policies, apparently without the backing of other senior officials.”

Courting Turkey

Deutsche Welle reported on November 12:

“EU officials have announced they will hold talks with Ankara over ways to help stem the migrants crisis… The EU has been courting Turkey for the past couple months in the hopes its leader, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, will take on some of the burden of caring for the migrants. Turkey is home to some 2 million Syrian refugees.

“In exchange for assistance, Ankara has demanded 3 billion euros ($3.2 billion) in aid from the EU. Brussels has already pledged closer ties with the country and says it is working to pull together the requested amount of money… In October, Merkel paid a visit to Ankara after bomb blasts that left more than 100 people dead in the Turkish capital. The visit was seen largely as an effort by the chancellor to mend relations with Erdogan, especially as both the refugee crisis and the ongoing fighting in the Middle East intensify.”

Ex-German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt Dies

Deutsche Welle reported on November 10:

“Schmidt, who led West Germany from 1974 to 1982, died on Tuesday at the age of 96… Schmidt was a politician who believed in plain speaking and whose steadfast refusal to censor himself never detracted from his popularity. He was regularly voted the most popular politician in postwar Germany, despite being contrary and often opinionated.

“In a television interview at the height of the European financial crisis, for example, he didn’t mince words when asked what he thought of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s leadership. ‘It would take me a while to come up with a diplomatic answer,’ he said. Asked what he thought of then Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle of the pro-business Free Democrats, his response was similarly caustic. ‘You can‘t seriously expect me to answer that,’ he said.

“Schmidt remained consistently critical of developments in the EU, the feasibility of a multicultural Germany and the Bundeswehr’s mission in Afghanistan, but continued nonetheless to enjoy the respect of the German public…

“For many Germans, Helmut Schmidt earned that respect first and foremost with his handling of the infamous ‘German Autumn’ in late 1977, when West Germany was terrorized by the left-wing urban guerrillas of the Red Army Faction (RAF). The German Autumn reached its high point when the RAF kidnapped industrialist Hanns Martin Schleyer [who was later killed by the terrorists] and hijacked the Lufthansa airplane Landshut with the help of the allied Palestinian group PFLP, landing in Mogadishu, Somalia. Their aim was to force the release of RAF terrorists from German jails. But Helmut Schmidt dug in his heels, refusing to meet the kidnappers’ demands… In a highly fraught mission, Schmidt had the West German counterterrorism group GSG 9 storm the Landshut airplane. All passengers were freed. Had any hostages died, it later emerged, Schmidt would have most certainly resigned as chancellor…

“In 1974, when Willy Brandt resigned over what became known as the Guillaume affair, an espionage scandal revolving around the exposure of an East German spy within the West German government, Helmut Schmidt was his obvious successor…

“His relationship with his own party, the Social Democrats, was never an easy one. He was seen to belong to the more conservative end of the SPD… An ardent believer in NATO, Schmidt was willing to let the alliance station US nuclear missiles in West Germany. His detractors, within his party and among the German public, saw his stance as naive. He defended his position, arguing to those pushing for unilateral disarmament rather than contractually secured disarmament, that ‘history has shown that surrender by no means prevents aggression on the part of the stronger power.’

“It was a stance that the SPD supported with considerable reluctance and wasted no time officially reversing when Schmidt left office in 1982. He resigned the chancellorship after a vote of no confidence, having lost his voting majority in the Bundestag over his refusal to cut West Germany’s social welfare programs…

“In subsequent years Schmidt withdrew from the political arena, becoming a co-publisher of the weekly newspaper ‘Die Zeit’…”

The Washington Post added on November 10:

“Helmut Schmidt… helped complete the transformation of his country from a subdued and still recovering post-World War II ally into the leading political and economic power in Europe…

“Inducted into the Hitler youth movement at 16 and the army in 1937, he served for eight years, fought for a while on the Russian front, was awarded an Iron Cross as an artillery officer and was eventually captured by the British in 1945. He managed to keep secret a dangerous family fact during the Third Reich: His father was an illegitimate child, and his real grandfather was Jewish.

“Mr. Schmidt was a Lutheran, but there was no outward sense that religion played a role in his life… He took a leading role in development of the European Monetary System which, except for the British pound, tied major European currencies together as protection against wide dollar fluctuations…

“On occasion, he spoke broadly about Europe’s common cultural identity, from the Atlantic to the Urals in Russia… In Europe, he deepened relations with France, especially…”

In spite of his faults and limitations, Helmut Schmidt was an influential and popular leader, regardless of whether one agreed with his positions or not.

Britain to EU: Change or We Will Leave

Daily Mail wrote on November 10:

“Mr Cameron insisted major changes were need[ed] as the price for keeping Britain in the EU, and warned his planned referendum could not be reversed, adding: ‘Leave means leave.’ He demanded Brussels rules be rewritten to protect Britain from becoming ‘tangled’ in a United States of Europe [to] ensure non-euro countries are not forced to bail out the single currency. If he gets what wants he will campaign ‘with all my heart and all my soul’ for Britain to stay in the EU in his promised referendum but if they refuse to meet his demands, he will ‘rule nothing out’…

“By far the biggest challenge to other EU countries is the demand for tougher limits on who can claim benefits from Britain’s welfare system ‘to reduce the numbers [of migrants] coming here’… officials in Brussels were quick to point out that he stands little chance of getting a deal on benefits…”

The Washington Post added on November 10:

“Call it the British wish list: an array of demands, aspirations and proposals sent to its partners in the European Union on Tuesday that clarifies battle lines in an intensifying debate over whether Britain should quit the bloc… Cameron has promised to hold a referendum on Britain’s membership in the E.U. before the end of 2017, the outcome of which could fundamentally reshape both Britain and the E.U…

“Cameron argued that the referendum would be ‘perhaps the most important decision British people will have to take at the ballot box in our lifetimes’…

“At the beginning of the year, the chances of Britain leaving the E.U. seemed slim, but polls now show the gap narrowing, with marginal differences between the ‘remain’ and ‘leave’ sides. Analysts say the migration crisis engulfing Europe has made it more difficult for the British government to argue the merits of staying in the group…

“Cameron is expected to face resistance to some of his demands, notably around restricting benefits for other E.U. citizens living in Britain. The freedom to live and work in other E.U. member states is a key tenet of the E.U. project, and anything that appears to be a restriction on that freedom of movement could be challenged. In his letter, Cameron proposed that E.U. citizens coming to work in Britain should not qualify for some benefits unless they had lived in the country for four years.

“European Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas said that some of Cameron’s demands were ‘highly problematic as they touch upon the fundamental freedoms of the internal market,’ the Reuters news agency reported. He said that ‘direct discrimination between E.U. citizens clearly falls into this last category.’…

“But even if Cameron were to get all of the concessions he wants, there is no guarantee that voters will favor remaining part of the bloc. ‘When we poll British voters, it’s clear they want to go beyond benefit changes. They want fundamental reform on issues of free movement. Voters don’t simply want in-work benefits curbed for migrants, they want fewer migrants — and that’s the awkward reality for David Cameron,’ said Matthew Goodwin, a politics professor at the University of Kent.

“Cameron also stressed that there would be no second referendum on E.U. membership. ‘If we vote to leave, then we will leave. . . . This is our only chance to get this right for Britain and for the whole E.U.,’ he said.”

Setback for Obama’s Immigration Policy

Politico wrote on November 9:

“A federal appeals court has rejected President Barack Obama’s effort to move forward with a series of executive actions he announced last year seeking to give quasi-legal status and work permits to [up to five] millions of undocumented immigrants. The 2-1 ruling Monday from the New Orleans-based 5th Circuit is a defeat for the Obama administration, but one that may have come just in the nick of time to give the Supreme Court the chance to revive Obama’s attempt to make it easier for many immigrants who entered the U.S. illegally to live and work here…

“Obama’s actions announced last November expanded eligibility for a program the president set up in 2012 to allow immigrants who entered the U.S. illegally as children to get ‘deferred action’ status and be eligible to work legally. The new effort also included a new initiative to grant the same status to illegal immigrants who are the parents of U.S. citizens or green-card holders…

“When Obama announced the new moves about a year ago, he said he was acting because Congress failed to pass comprehensive immigration reform legislation. But the decisions drew sharp criticism from Republican lawmakers, who argued he was overstepping his powers under the Constitution. Congressional Republicans had seized on multiple statements Obama himself made that indicated the president did not believe he had the legal authority to act on his own to halt deportations and grant work permits…

“‘This decision contributes to the mounting evidence that the president’s executive action on immigration was unlawful and he simply cannot be trusted on this issue,’ said AshLee Strong, spokeswoman for House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.)…”

As was to be expected, the Obama Administration announced that they will appeal the decision to the US Supreme Court.

Trump Picks Wrong Fight Against Starbucks

Breitbart wrote on November 10:

“Donald Trump has suggested a boycott of Starbucks over the coffee giant’s un-festive red cups… telling a capacity crowd in Springfield, Illinois, he was shocked by the design, which this year is pure red with absolutely no Christmas-related imagery at all. He also told the crowd to be proud of celebrating the season, saying ‘We will all be saying Merry Christmas again’ if he enters the White House… He added that Starbucks operates a store in one of his buildings, saying: ‘That’s the end of that lease, but who cares?’’

The Washington Post added on November 10 that “the self-avowed Presbyterian and presidential hopeful Donald Trump suggested it might be a good idea [to boycott Starbucks], but even his own church won’t claim him. Instead, many Christians responded to the backlash with backlash, saying that a boycott was pointless and a bit ridiculous.”

Fox News stated on November 10: “It wasn’t too long ago that many of the same folks complaining about Starbucks were defending Christian-owned bakeries and flower shops… we ought not to be telling bakeries and florists how to run their business and we ought not to be telling Starbucks how to run theirs.”

 Christmas has NOTHING TO DO with the Jesus Christ of the Bible. It is a pagan holiday to the core, which was dedicated to the worship of pagan sun gods. As a Christian, one ought not to celebrate “Christmas.” So, not “all” will say “Merry Christmas”, even if Mr. Trump becomes President. Non-Christians would most certainly not say it, and true Christians won’t or shouldn’t, either.

In other developments, Breitbart reported on November 11:

“Wednesday on MSNBC’s ‘Morning Joe,’ Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said to remove the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants living in the United States, he would have a ‘deportation force.’”

This would without doubt create a logistic nightmare and may result in unparalleled civil unrest and violence.

Mysterious Occurrences in Southern California Caused by US Navy

The Los Angeles Times wrote on November 9:

“The U.S. Navy said it launched a second — and final — missile in a planned exercise Monday afternoon from a submarine off the Southern California coast… The blast-off took place to far less fanfare than Saturday night’s launch, which provoked residents from San Francisco to Mexico to take to social media, posting photos of an eerie-looking bluish-green plume smeared above the Pacific.

“Speculations were wide-ranging, including rumors of an otherworldly alien UFO visit… The Navy later confirmed a ballistic submarine launched an unarmed Trident II (D5) missile in a test flight…

“The Kentucky, the ballistic submarine, conducted the two launches as part of a demonstration and shakedown operation, or DASO, process that certifies the readiness of a submarine’s crew and strategic weapons before returning to operational availability…

“The $31 million missile, built by Lockheed Martin Corp. in Sunnyvale, Calif., has had more than 150 successful launches since its first test in 1989. It is capable of hitting a target 4,000 nautical miles away…

“While the risk of nuclear confrontation between the United States and Russia declined after the 1991 fall of the Soviet Union, it has never gone away. The U.S. military’s nuclear weapons strategy rests on a triad of delivery systems — bombers, submarines and land-based missiles — developed early in the Cold War to deliver warheads anywhere in the world.

“The Pentagon recently embarked on a $355-billion program for modernizing each aging leg of the U.S. nuclear triad over the next decade. The submarine missile test came late Saturday after Defense Secretary Ashton Carter addressed a defense forum at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley about the U.S. ‘adapting our operational posture and contingency plans’ to deter Russia’s ‘aggression.’ ‘We do not seek a cold, let alone a hot, war with Russia,’ he said to the forum. ‘We do not seek to make Russia an enemy. But make no mistake; the United States will defend our interests, our allies, the principled international order, and the positive future it affords us all.’”

However, the Bible paints a grim picture of US incapability to defend against an all-powerful enemy… which will not be Russia.

Thermal Scanning of Great Pyramid Throws Up Anomalies

The Associated Press wrote on November 9:

“Scans revealed ‘particularly impressive’ anomaly at ground level on [the] eastern side of [the] largest of three pyramids… Two weeks of new thermal scanning of the pyramids of Giza have identified anomalies, including a major one in the largest pyramid, Egypt’s antiquities ministry has announced… The scanning showed ‘a particularly impressive [anomaly] located on the eastern side of the Khufu pyramid at ground level”, the ministry said. The largest of the three Giza pyramids is known locally as Khufu and internationally as Cheops.

“The thermal scanning was carried out during sunrise, as the sun heats the structures from the outside, and then during sunset as the pyramids are cooling down. The speed of the heating and cooling phases was used to uncover ‘hypotheses’ such as empty areas in the pyramids, internal air currents, or different building materials used…”

For interesting facts on the history of the Great Pyramid, please read our Editorial in this week’s Update.

How the Public in the UK Is Deceived

The Guardian wrote on November 10:

“Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species has been voted the most influential academic book ever written…

“After a list of the top 20 academic books was pulled together by expert academic booksellers, librarians and publishers to mark the inaugural Academic Book Week, the public was asked to vote on what they believed to be the most influential… Darwin’s explanation of his theory of evolution was the public’s overwhelming favourite, with 26% of the vote, said organisers.

“Professor Andrew Prescott of the University of Glasgow called Darwin’s 1859 study ‘the supreme demonstration of why academic books matter’. ‘Darwin used meticulous observation of the world around us, combined with protracted and profound reflection, to create a book which has changed the way we think about everything – not only the natural world, but religion, history and society,’ he said. ‘Every researcher, no matter whether they are writing books, creating digital products or producing artworks, aspires to produce something as significant in the history of thought as Origin of Species.’…

“On the Origin of Species was followed in the public vote by The Communist Manifesto and The Complete Works of Shakespeare, with Plato’s The Republic fourth, and Immanuel Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason fifth…”

The truth is that Charles Darwin’s “Origin of Species” and “The Communist Manifesto” are probably some of the worst books ever written. The false concepts and philosophies expressed in them are diametrically opposite to the teachings of the Bible.

Could Mount St Helens Erupt Again Very Soon?

Daily Mail reported on November 5:

“Its scarred and jagged crater is a reminder of the terrible devastation that Mount St Helens wrought over the Washington countryside 35 years ago. Now a new study of the volcanic plumbing lurking beneath the 8,363ft (2,459 metre) summit suggests the volcano could yet again blow its top in an explosive eruption.

“Geologists studying the volcano, which is responsible for the most deadly eruption in US history, have discovered a second enormous magma chamber buried far beneath the surface… They said earthquakes around the volcano are a sign of magma pumping from the lower reservoir into the upper one, and this could reveal clues about an impending eruption… The researchers also believe a second neighbouring volcano – Mount Adams – may also be fed from the deeper magma chamber…

“Researchers claim to have worked out how to accurately predict the eruption of ‘supervolcanoes’ that blanket the earth in giant ash clouds triggering a ‘nuclear winter’… They said a series of distinct earthquakes in the months leading up to the massive eruption on 18 May 1980, which killed 57 people, may have been caused by the pumping of magma from the lower to the upper chamber. This caused the pressure inside the upper chamber to increase dramatically until it erupted explosively…

“Mount St Helens began erupting again back in 2004 producing a new lava dome, but fell silent in July 2008. However, it is still considered to be a high-risk volcano and the US Geological Survey are closely monitoring it for signs for renewed unrest… The scarred and jagged crater of Mount St Helens… looms over the surrounding countryside in Washington. Its current shape is the result of a massive explosion in 1980, but a lava dome has been steadily growing inside the crater since 2004…”

Mormons Against Same-Sex Marriage

Newsmax reported on November 6:

“The Mormon Church… believes that apostasy occurs when ‘an individual or community rejects the revelations and ordinances of God, changes the gospel of Jesus Christ, or rebels against the commandments of God, thereby losing the blessings of the Holy [Spirit] and of divine authority.’

“… church spokesman Eric Hawkins… added in a statement that the Mormon Church’s policy has been against gay marriage for a long time. ‘The Church has long been on record as opposing same-sex marriages. While it respects the law of the land, and acknowledges the right of others to think and act differently, it does not perform or accept same-sex marriage within its membership,’ the statement continued.”

On this point, the Mormons teach correctly that same-sex “marriages” are against the truth of the Bible.

Wide-Spread Sexting in America

CNN reported on November 9:

“Students at a Colorado high school exchanged hundreds of naked photos of themselves, prompting a felony investigation by police and the forfeiture of a football game because many players have been implicated in the sexting scandal, officials said… Students used a photo vault app that hides the nude photos by appearing to be a calculator or media player… ‘When you go into it and you … hold a certain button long enough, a prompt for password comes up. Once you enter that password, then any messages that have been sent from photo vault to photo vault start coming up,’ [an official] said…

“‘For parents that may be having conversations with their children or reviewing cell phones as the superintendent recommended, they need to understand that continuing or ongoing possession of these materials does constitute a very serious crime for the adults and for the children,’ the prosecutor said. Any convictions could involve registration as a sex offender…”

It was reported that children and teens as young as 12 years of age allegedly participated in the sexting scandal in Colorado.

On January 2, 2015, CNN had published the following article:

“More than half the undergraduate students who took part in an anonymous online survey said they sexted when they were teenagers… an astonishing 61% did not know that sending nude photos via text could be considered child pornography.

“[One expert is quoted as saying:] ‘… parents need to be actively involved in their children’s online lives… parents should go over with their child when they get a phone, including setting up a contract so they understand their phone will be monitored… Phones are a privilege, not a right. They should only be given to kids with the expectation that mom or dad will be checking it on a daily basis.’”

On November 6, The New York Times gave some valuable tips for parents as to how to deal with these secret “vault apps” of their children and teens:

“When students were caught participating in an illicit photo ring that was operating out of a high school in Cañon City, Colo., parents and school officials there were quick to say that kind of thing was surely happening all over the country…

“Parents concerned about vault apps can take proactive measures by enabling parental controls. For families with iPhones, parents can screen apps before they are downloaded to their children’s iPhones with a feature called Ask to Buy. By turning on Ask to Buy, whenever a child wants to download an app (whether free or paid), it sends a request to the parent’s iPhone, and the parent can then approve or deny the download. The steps, which are available on Apple’s website, involve setting up each iPhone with Family Sharing and then enabling Ask to Buy for the child’s iPhone.

“For families with Android devices, parents can enable parental controls inside Google Play’s app store… parents can download an app called AppLock on the child’s device and lock down any app that they suspect to be a vault app with a PIN code.

“Websites that focus on digital learning for teenagers provide tips for parents on how to spot a hidden app. Common Sense Media, one such website, detailed some of the ways they use vault apps, and other apps that are used to discreetly take photos…

“A post published on TeenSafe.com said that parents should be proactive about looking for warning signs that teenagers are using vault apps: Hiding phone screens, refusing to give over passwords and a sudden increase in device usage are all red flags, according to the site…”

Sadly, in this day and age of perverse behavior, induced by Satan the devil and his demons, such proactive steps by parents may become very necessary.

Most professing Christians do not understand that the Bible speaks about more than just one resurrection. In fact, Scripture reveals three resurrections.

In our “Statement of Beliefs,” we address the three resurrections in the context of God’s annual Holy Days in the Fall or Autumn, as follows:

“The Feast of Trumpets… symbolizes the soon coming return of Jesus Christ to this earth (Leviticus 23:24-25; 1 Corinthians 15:52; 1 Thessalonians 4:16), and our resurrection or change to immortality, to be born again into the Kingdom or Family of God (1 Corinthians 15:50-54, 42-49; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; John 3: 3, 5-8)…

“The Feast of Tabernacles… symbolizes the reign of Christ for 1,000 years, together with His saints made immortal, during which time Satan will be bound and the entire world will be living under the government of God (Leviticus 23:33-35; Daniel 7:27; John 7:2-8, 10-14; Revelation 20:4)…

“The Last Great Day… symbolizes a 100-year period called the ‘Great White Throne Judgment,’ during which all persons who have ever lived and who were never called by God for salvation during this life, will have their first opportunity to accept Christ as their Savior (Leviticus 23:36; John 7:37; Revelation 20:11-12). At the end of that period, there will be a judgment during which all people who have ever lived and who have refused to accept Christ as their Savior, will be finally condemned to eternal death and destroyed in Gehenna fire (Revelation 20:13-15).”

In our free booklet,  “Is That In the Bible? The Mysteries of the Book of Revelation“, we state the following:

“In Revelation 20, we are introduced to the concept of THREE resurrections… Paul was inspired by God to write in 1 Corinthians 15:20–26… that there is an ORDER of resurrections… When Christ returns, only those who died IN CHRIST will be resurrected. They will be resurrected to immortality. However, not all of the dead will be resurrected at that time… This resurrection to eternal life at the time of Christ’s return is described in 1 Corinthians 15:50–54… Those in the first resurrection will become immortal Spirit beings—they will be part of the resurrection of ETERNAL LIFE. They will rule with Christ ON THIS EARTH for a thousand years (Revelation 20: 4, 6; 5:9–10)…

“Following the first resurrection of those who died ‘in Christ’ will be the second resurrection of those who had not accepted Christ when they died. They will come back to live as humans, and will then have their first opportunity to learn the truth and accept Christ. But their resurrection will come LATER—it will NOT occur at the time of Christ’s return. Revelation 20:5, 11–12 describes the SECOND resurrection: ‘But the REST OF THE DEAD [who were not in the FIRST resurrection] did not live again UNTIL the thousand years [the Millennium] were finished… Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it… And I saw the dead, small and great, STANDING before God… And the dead were JUDGED…’

“This second resurrection is not one to eternal life, but to physical life. It is a resurrection to JUDGMENT… Ezekiel 37:7–11 describes the resurrection of the entire house of Israel to PHYSICAL LIFE. They will be resurrected in the SECOND resurrection. When the dead of Israel are brought back again to physical life, God will deal with them as He deals with true Christians today… It is not only the people of Israel who will be resurrected at that time. We read in Matthew 12:41–42 that the men of Nineveh and the queen of the South ‘will RISE UP in the JUDGMENT’ together with people who were alive at the time of Jesus Christ. Compare, too, Matthew 10:14–15 and Matthew 11:21–24, referring to other unconverted people who had died in the past…

“But there will be a FINAL resurrection following the second resurrection. We refer to it as the THIRD resurrection… Unfortunately, there are those who have rejected their opportunity to come to repentance and accept Christ. They have committed the ‘unpardonable sin.’ They once knew and understood perfectly well that they had to submit to Christ, but they refused to do so. They became bitter, hateful, resentful and malicious. They made the irreversible decision NEVER to repent… God will save such a person from eternal misery, by DESTROYING him in a lake of fire. Revelation 20:13–15 describes the THIRD resurrection, which will occur sometime AFTER the judgment period of the second resurrection: ‘The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.’”

In this series of articles, we will be addressing in detail the nature and conditions of the Second Resurrection or the Great White Throne Judgment.

In our free booklet, “Biblical Prophecy — From Now Until Forever,” we state that “As a general truism, when we look at the physical conditions during the Millennium and compare them with the conditions during the Great White Throne Judgment period, we find that the conditions are very similar.”

This observation has great consequences for the understanding of how exactly the people in the Second Resurrection will live.

We make the following statements in our afore-mentioned booklet on “Biblical Prophecy—From Now Until Forever”:

“For instance, we read the famous statement in Isaiah 11:6-9 that during the Millennium, wild beasts will be tame and that the wolf and lamb shall feed together. The same conditions are described in Isaiah 65:25, referring to the Great White Throne Judgment period (compare the context in verses 17 and 20), but a few more details are given then; i.e., that ‘dust shall be the serpent’s food.’…

“We know that Christ will come to restore all things on this earth (Acts 3:19-21), and… this includes, of course, the establishment of the government of God here on earth. The restoration must therefore also apply, by necessity, to the time period of the Great White Throne Judgment. Christ’s restoration includes the fact that mankind will be brought to repentance at that time, and that the Holy Spirit will be offered to them… Christ will rule on the throne of David in Jerusalem during the Millennium. His rule will continue during the Great White Throne Judgment period. He will continue to RULE on the throne of David in Jerusalem (Luke 1:32-33)…

“Notice Isaiah 25:7-9: ‘And He will destroy on this mountain The surface of the covering cast over ALL people, And the veil that is spread over ALL nations. He will swallow up death forever, And the Lord God will wipe away tears from ALL faces; the rebuke of His people He will take away from ALL the earth; for the LORD has spoken.’ As we can see, this is the ultimate goal. This message is partially repeated in Revelation 21:4, when God the Father dwells on the new earth.

“In order to achieve that goal in fulfillment of God’s Will that all men should be saved (even though some will refuse to be saved), Christ’s rule during the Great White Throne Judgment period must allow for that process—including the removal of the spiritual veil which blinds the people to the truth… Even though God will remove the spiritual veil from people’s minds, they still need to be taught the right way, and they have to be encouraged to stay on that right path, as is explained in Isaiah 30:20-21, referring to teachers showing the way. God’s immortal saints will be those teachers, and the God Family will hasten righteousness in mercy on the earth (Isaiah 16:5; Psalm 96:13; 67:3-4).”

It is important to focus on this process of salvation. People will not accept Christ “automatically.” This is not the case today for those who are being called for salvation in this day and age, and this won’t be the case during the Millennium either. Let us focus on a few examples as to how people are being brought to Christ and God’s Way of Life in the Millennium, from which we can deduce how Christ will deal with the people during the Great White Throne Judgment period:

Quoting again from our afore-mentioned booklet on Biblical Prophecy:

“The Bible makes it very clear that after Christ’s return, He will sit on the throne of David in Jerusalem (Luke 1:32) to rule the entire world. But all the nations will not automatically and immediately know and embrace the truth; they will have to be taught and their minds will have to be opened. Their conversion will be a process—the same as ours is today…

“Recall that at the beginning of the Millennium, Asiatic hordes will try to conquer the land of Israel (compare chapters 38 and 39 of the book of Ezekiel). But notice WHY God will deal with the hordes supernaturally, mightily and swiftly: For one reason, He wants to have the survivors of Israel and Judah understand, once and for all, HOW powerful God is, and that He will always defend them, and that there is never a need for them to fight in war. In fact, God wants them to realize that it would always be wrong for them to fight in war.

“Notice Ezekiel 39:22: ‘So the house of Israel shall know that I am the LORD their God from that day forward.’ Compare also verse 7, first part: ‘So I will make My holy name known in the midst of My people Israel. And I will not let them profane My holy name anymore.’ The second part of Ezekiel 39:7 tells us this: ‘Then the nations shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One of Israel.’

“… when God intervenes for Israel and when He brings the Far Eastern nations into judgment with a great earthquake, pestilence and bloodshed, flooding rain, great hailstones, fire and brimstone (Ezekiel 38:19, 22), so that even the troops of the hostile armies will begin to fight each other (verse 21), then it will become clear to the nations that God is now hallowed in Israel, and that Israel’s former sins have been forgiven. But equally importantly, Israel will know and understand this too (compare Ezekiel 39:27-29)…”

In the Millennium, individuals and nations will not automatically accept the fact that they must cease from war. It will take time to bring about the transformation of their minds to understand the utter futility of war. We read in Isaiah 2:3 about conditions in the Millennium: “Many people shall come and say, ‘Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD… He will teach us His ways, And we shall walk in His paths.’… He shall judge between the nations, And rebuke many people; They shall beat their swords into plowshares, And their spears into pruning hooks; Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, Neither shall they learn war anymore.”

Those who are being resurrected to physical life during the Great White Throne Judgment period will also have to learn that war is wrong. This learning process will require some time.

In our booklet on Biblical Prophecy, we continue to describe further developments during the Millennium:

“… not every nation is going to be willing to obey God immediately and to keep His Sabbath and His Holy Days. We read in Zechariah 14:16-19, that not every nation will immediately worship God in the right way—some will refuse for a while to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. When this happens, God will deal with them. He will withhold certain blessings—rain in due season, which is necessary for a good harvest—and so they will learn swiftly that it does not pay to disobey God…”

There is no reason to assume that it will be different in the Great White Throne Judgment period. There will be those who won’t easily want to follow God’s Law, including His provisions regarding the weekly Sabbath and the annual Holy Days. So, God will have to deal with them in the same way as He will have to correct the disobedient ones in the Millennium.

It is the same today. God chastens us when we disobey Him (Hebrews 12:4-11; Revelation 3:19).  He will do the same in the Millennium AND during the Great White Throne Judgment period. In the next installment, we will continue to see how exactly God will deal with those who will be brought back to physical life in the Second Resurrection.

(To Be Continued)

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

A new member letter for November was written by Pastor Dave Harris and will be mailed early next week. In the letter, Mr. Harris discusses the importance of doing the Work of God.

“Did Joseph Build the Pyramids?” is the title of our new StandingWatch program presented by Evangelist Norbert Link.

Here is a summary:

Republican Presidential candidate and retired neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson brought again attention to the hypothesis that Joseph might have built the Egyptian pyramids. He added that it is his belief that they were built to store grain. “Experts” dismissed this conclusion, citing contrary scientific evidence, but could it be that science and Dr. Carson’s concepts might harmonize, to a certain extent? In fact, this program shows that there IS evidence that Joseph might have been involved, together with Pharaoh Khufu or Cheops, with building one particular pyramid–the Cheops or Great Pyramid. In addition, there is evidence to show that Pharaoh Khufu was none other than the biblical Job.

A German AufPostenStehen program was also recorded and posted, discussing the same issues, titled “Haben Josef und Hiob die Cheops-Pyramide gebaut?” The title in English would be: “Did Joseph and Job Build the Cheops Pyramid?”

“Echte Freundschaft–wie kann es sie geben?” is the title of this week’s German sermon. The title in English: “True Friendship—Is It Possible?”

“The New Religion,” last week’s sermonette presented by Robb Harris, is now posted. Here is a summary:

We are exhorted to fulfill the requirements of Godly religion. Religion must be focused on the Will of God. As Christians with our minds opened, we are warned to remain unspotted from the world.

“Finding the Perfect Church,” last week’s sermon presented by Dave Harris, is now posted. Here is a summary:

As a Christian, how would you describe yourself? Would you say that you are perfect—right now? Or would you admit that there remains much to perfect?