Update 766

On December 31, 2016, Robb Harris will present the sermonette, titled, “Digital Perfection?”, and Dave Harris will present the sermon, titled, “The POWER of the Bible.”

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.

Human beings often seek the newest, greatest thing. Instead of being content with what they have, they want to get more and more. This was Satan’s downfall. He was not happy with the office God appointed him to. He wanted more and more. Eventually, he was thrown to the earth, and we know what his final outcome will be.

As we get ready to move into 2017, people in society often make “New Year’s Resolutions.” These are frequently short lived ideas that carry on for a little while and then fade away. We must be careful that we do not have this type of attitude. After the Feast of Tabernacles, we usually find ourselves invigorated and ready to carry on the good fight. But what happens to our resolve a few months down the road?

As we look at the deteriorating world around us, we are often reminded that these things MUST happen so that the end may come. Matthew 24:5-14 shows us the climate that we will witness before the return of Jesus Christ. The work of preaching the Gospel is our duty, even as we see the love of many growing cold. This will not happen to us if we are setting the right goals and are consistently moving towards them.

Luke 12:31-32, 34 states: “But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you. Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom… For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Where do we put our treasures? Do we horde them? Do we give them away? Are we constantly thinking about how we can fulfill this Scripture in our lives? We do this through the things we think, say and do. Our hearts need to be devoted in learning how to draw closer to God and Christ, so we can stay strong and ever ready—putting forth our best effort so that we shine as examples to those around us. We can be joyful at all times, through thick and thin, because we have the promise of God that we will be in His Kingdom if we hold fast.

This is not new information. These are things we have heard time and again. But truly, as we move into 2017, what will happen in our lives? Will the Scriptures of turning cold and falling away apply to any of us? Or will the opposite be true and will we walk away from 2017 into 2018 as a stronger and more faithful people? We have to decide that we want God’s Way of Life more than ANYTHING else in this world. Matthew 10:38 tells us that we need to take our cross and follow after Christ. Either we will be worthy or we will be unworthy. These are the two choices set before us. Which choice will we make?

The year 2016 ended as it began—with uncertainty, fear, violence and tremendous upheaval. It seems that catastrophes and tragedies are happening on a daily basis. Truly, every objective and astute person should be able to see that the signs of the times point at the very last days of our present evil age, and the soon-coming Return of Jesus Christ.

We begin with the terror attack in Berlin, Germany, and the incredible incompetency of the German security apparatus. At the same time, we see Angela Merkel being attacked from all sides for her ill-conceived and devastating migrant policy.

We continue with the Obama Administration’s “complicity” in the “Aleppo tragedy,” as John McCain put it; the fear of a new nuclear arms race between USA, Russia and China; a fatal Russian plane crash which could have been caused by a terrorist attack; and the troubling relationship between the Obama Administration and Putin’s Russia.

We are focusing on the betrayal of Israel by the Obama Administration. (Please see our StandingWatch program on this topic, titled, “Israel Betrayed by USA and Forsaken by the World.”) President Obama’s actions have been condemned in the USA by Democrats and Republicans alike. President Obama is accused of having actively worked with autocratic governments to condemn Israel’s settlement policy, and having instructed his ambassador to abstain from the vote of the UN Security Council, rather than vetoing it, thereby breaking with a long-standing US tradition. It is also felt that President Obama did this in order to prevent President-elect Donald Trump from working with Israel on a peace treaty with the Palestinians, potentially causing great upheaval regarding the Temple Mount and the status of Jerusalem. Germany’s support of the resolution will continue to destroy any friendly relationship between Angela Merkel and Donald Trump. At the same time, Israel has vowed to disregard the resolution; Prime Minister Netanyahu has summoned the ambassadors of the countries responsible for the resolution, and he has begun to stop funding UN projects.

We also report on a controversy in Israel about the pagan Christmas tree; a pre-Christian find of a Nativity scene in Egypt; and public Hanukkah events in Europe with the attempt to “drive out darkness.” We conclude with a dire warning of Britain’s clergymen and Prince Charles regarding the dangers we may face in 2017, as well as a summary of events and developments in 2016, which do not indicate a bright future in 2017.

Insane Tunisian Terrorist Murdering 12 People in Germany Shot Dead by Italian Police

The Sun wrote on December 23:

“Rewind five years, and just days after arriving from the Tunisian post of Sfax trouble-maker Amri was involved in burning down a migrant shelter. His four-year spell in an Italian jail saw him radicalised by extremists who admired ISIS… The extent of Amri’s radicalisation was revealed with his callous killing of 12 innocent people at the German Christmas market on Monday. In a pledge of allegiance to terror group ISIS, he said: ‘My message to crusaders bombing Muslims everyday… Their blood will not go in vain…’

“The Tunisian terrorist screamed ‘Allahu Akbar’ before being killed in a hail of bullets by a rookie cop during a dramatic Milan shoot-out. Amri was brought down by Italian police at 3am this morning after officers asked him to show his ID. He is believed to have slipped over the border from France by train…”

Italy was able to do what Germany was unable to accomplish.

Arrests in Terrorist Attack in Germany

Deutsche Welle reported on December 24:

“Three people – including a nephew of the suspect in the Berlin Christmas market attack – have been arrested in Tunisia… According to a statement, the three suspects are part of a ‘terrorist cell… connected to the terrorist Anis Amri who carried out the terrorist attack in Berlin.’ One of the Tunisian suspects is allegedly Amri’s nephew.”

Further Arrest in Germany

Deutsche Welle reported on December 28:

“Berlin police made [an] arrest early on Wednesday after searching the home and business premises of a 40-year-old Tunisian man in the southern Berlin district of Tempelhof. Investigators were reportedly led to the alleged accomplice after finding his contact details in the phone belonging to the main suspect, Anis Amri…

“According to research by German broadcaster WDR, Amri was much better connected to the western German Ruhr region than previously thought. Since the end of 2015, he regularly commuted between Berlin and the Ruhr region where he is believed to have visited a dozen mosques. The 24-year-old Tunisian is also thought to have had particularly good contacts in Dortmund and to have possessed a key to a mosque where he stayed overnight.”

Subsequently, Deutsche Welle wrote on December 29:

“German police have released a man who had been detained over alleged ties to Berlin attack suspect Anis Amri. Authorities have said they will continue the search for accomplices in the deadly attack. The 40-year-old was allowed to walk free on Thursday, after German authorities determined that he was not a ‘possible contact person for Anis Amri,’ spokesman Frauke Köhler told reporters on Thursday.”

Again, another blunder by the German authorities in this sad saga.

Mad Murderer “Fits the Profile” and “Should Not Have Been in Germany in the First Place”

Breitbart wrote on December 23:

“A member of German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) has said illegal migrants such as Christmas market attack suspect Anis Amri play the German asylum system and should not have been in the country in the first place.  MP for Berlin and CDU member Dr. Philipp Lengsfeld told BBC Radio 4’s Today audience that men like Amri ‘fits a profile’ that sceptics of Merkel’s Willkommenskultur (‘welcome culture’) have been discussing for some time…

“He then stated that following revelations of the suspect’s background that it was right to review Germany’s asylum policies – a suggestion backed by Merkel’s coalition partner and Bavarian Christian Social Union (CSU) leader Horst Seehofer… Dr. Lengsfeld is a member of the ‘Berlin Circle’ – a traditionalist group within Merkel’s CDU which wants to return the party to its conservative roots and roll back Merkel’s migrant policy.”

Angela Merkel’s migrant policy has failed miserably. It was a disaster in the making from the very outset.

Too Little and Far Too Late–Merkel Orders “Sweeping Review” of Germany’s Failed Security Apparatus

The Local wrote on December 23:

“Chancellor Angela Merkel on Friday ordered a sweeping review of Germany’s security apparatus, which has drawn withering criticism after a known jihadist killed 12 people in a Berlin Christmas market. Anger has mounted since it emerged chief suspect Tunisian Anis Amri, 24 – who was shot dead Friday by police in Milan – was a known radical Islamist and criminal who had long been under counter-terrorism surveillance on suspicion he was plotting an attack. Critics have also pointed to a two-day delay before authorities issued a public wanted notice for the fugitive, as well as the fact the rejected asylum seeker should have been deported long ago. Amid the fierce criticism, Merkel pledged a ‘comprehensive’ analysis of what went wrong…

“Politicians and newspapers have deplored the fact that Amri had slipped through the net of security services, who knew he had been in contact with Islamist ‘hate preachers’ and, according to news weekly Der Spiegel, that he had offered himself for a suicide mission. German police had monitored Amri since March but dropped the surveillance in September thinking he was primarily… a small-time drug dealer.

“Anger has also focused on the investigation since Monday’s truck attack. After following an initial false lead, police only found Amri’s identity papers in the lorry’s cabin a day after the attack, and authorities took another day before issuing a Europe-wide public wanted notice. Merkel – already under fire from right-wing populists over her liberal migrant policies – can now expect the security debate to heat up ahead of an election expected in September. Berlin’s B.Z. tabloid charged in a blistering headline this week: ‘They knew him. They did nothing.’

“Conservative lawmaker Stephan Mayer said the case ‘held up a magnifying glass’ to the failings of Merkel’s migration policy, and Christian Lindner, head of the Free Democrats opposition party, charged that ‘catastrophic mistakes’ had been made. Peter Neumann, professor of security studies at the King’s College, pointed to ‘a systemic failure’…

“Criticism has also focused on Germany’s over-burdened asylum and immigration services. Amri’s asylum request was denied in June but because Tunisia refused to take him back, denying he was a citizen, he was issued a stay of deportation paper — the document that police found in the mangled truck cabin. The new Tunisian travel document only arrived on Wednesday, two days after the attack.

“Germany has repeatedly accused Tunisia and other north African states of stalling on the repatriation of their nationals. A law to designate Tunisia, as well as Morocco and Algeria, as ‘safe countries of origin’, to raise the bar for asylum requests, has been held up for months in Germany’s upper house, over human rights concerns in the North African countries.”

Germany will soon institute sweeping changes… but in all probability, not under the weak leadership of Angela Merkel and her incompetent subordinate ministers. It is by no means certain that she will be re-elected in 2017. Germany is being prepared for a strong male personage to lead… and such a person WILL arrive soon.

Huge Support for German Anti-Migration Party AfD

Daily Mail wrote on December 23:

“Support for Germany’s anti-migration AfD party soared to a one-year high of more than 15 percent in the wake of the Berlin truck attack… Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats lost 1.5 points to hit 31.5 percent while the Social Democrats, junior partners in the ruling coalition, ceded one point to 20.5 percent…

“In the immediate aftermath of the Berlin attack, the AfD blamed Merkel’s liberal border policy, under which more than one million asylum seekers entered the country since 2015, for posing a serious security threat to the country. One party official, Marcus Pretzell, even called the victims ‘Merkel’s dead’, in a tweet later criticised by the AfD leadership…

“On Wednesday, a senior German politician has blamed the Christmas terror attacks on ‘institutional political correctness’, arguing that the suspect – a known ISIS fanatic who was on a deportation list – would not have been free to act if police had enforced the law…

“Hugh Theodore Bronson, the deputy leader of the Alternative For Deutschland party (AfD), said that German deportation law was ignored because the authorities were afraid of offending Muslims. Referring to the fact that the prime suspect, Anis Amri, had been arrested three times in Germany and was a known ISIS fanatic with weapons training who was due to be deported, Bronson added: ‘There is a refusal by the authorities to implement German law…”

Not everything which is being said by AfD is incorrect propaganda.

Was “Political Correctness” Reason for Germany’s Failed Pursuit of Terrorist?

Breitbart wrote on December 24:

“German police and judiciary have accused Hamburg Justice Minister [and Green party politician] Till Steffen of delaying the release of pictures of the Christmas market attacker Anis Amri because he was worried about provoking ‘racist’ comments on Facebook… Steffen cited ‘privacy concerns’ when he initially prevented law enforcers from releasing pictures of Anis Amri. However, it has been claimed by members of the judiciary and the police that Steffen… denied the release of images of Amri because he was concerned it would incite racial hatred. It is alleged that he only released images after a 12-hour delay following a call from German newspaper Bild.

“Joachim Lenders, Hamburg’s chief of police, told Bild: ‘It is incomprehensible to throw such a spanner in the works of investigators. Steffen is incompetent.’ Parliamentary leader André Trepoll, who is a member of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party, called ‘Scandalsenator’ Steffen a ‘security risk’ for delaying the search for the world’s most wanted man…

“CDU judiciary spokesman Richard Seelmaeker called for a special meeting of the Justice Committee, stressing: ‘Anis Amri allegedly murdered twelve people, but instead of using all means necessary to search for him, Hamburg’s green justice senator was more concerned about the state of comments in a Facebook post – which hindered our police… If the allegations against Steffen are proven true, he can no longer hold the position of senator,’ the CDU judicial expert added.

“Calls for his resignation were also made by the anti-mass migration Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. Dirk Nockemann, the party’s spokesman, said: ‘It is an incredible and scandalous process … [Steffen’s] concerns are unstable and far-fetched.’”

Austria’s Cardinal Christoph Schönborn Changes His View on the Migrant Crisis

Express wrote on December 25:

“Cardinal Christoph Schönborn [Archbishop of Vienna, Austria] said he had come to ‘rethink’ his stance on the migrant crisis… The Cardinal, who is tipped as a possible future leader of the Roman Catholic church, said he was no longer convinced that Europe should accept all arrivals… He said: ‘We have had to learn, this [crisis] goes well beyond our capacity and ability… Our country is worried”.

“… Cardinal Schönborn is something of a controversial figure within the church… In his homily at St Stephen’s Cathedral on September 11 he said: ‘Will there be a third Islamic attempt to conquer Europe? Many Muslims think this and wish this and say that Europe is at its end.’

“Cardinal Schönborn later clarified: ‘Europe’s Christian legacy is in danger, because we Europeans have squandered it. That has absolutely nothing to do with Islam nor with the refugees. It is clear that many Islamists would like to take advantage of our weakness, but they are not responsible for it. We are.’

“Cardinal Schönborn, who has a large amount of support from conservative elements within the church was originally a student of Joseph Ratzinger (aka Pope Benedict XVI) at the University of Regensberg and later became the co-editor with the future Pope Benedict XVI of the landmark Catechism of the Catholic Church commissioned by Pope St. John Paul II.”

Donald Trump’s National Security Adviser General Michael Flynn Meets with Austria’s Heinz-Christian Strache

The Independent wrote on December 21:

“Heinz-Christian Strache says he met General Michael Flynn ‘and other high-ranking US politicians’… at New York’s Trump Tower. Describing them as ‘friends’, he said they had discussed Mr Trump’s presidential victory.  Mr Strache, whose Freedom party was defeated in a rerun of the Austrian presidential election earlier this month, also announced he had signed a cooperation agreement Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party.  They agreed to ‘contribute to the expansion of the partnership between the two parties and countries, including in matters of international security, migration crisis, economic and human development, supporting traditional values and protecting the environment’, the party said in a statement on its website.

“Mr Strache said: ‘The Freedom party is continuing to win political influence. A collaboration between the US and Russia is particularly important for a diplomatic settlement of the conflict in Syria and in the Crimea’. He also called the economic sanctions imposed on Russia after the July 2104 downing of the MH17 flight over the Ukrainian region of Donetsk, ‘ultimately useless’. ‘Politics has to serve the people and not be used for geopolitical power games’, he continued…”

USA’s “Complicity in the Aleppo Tragedy”

Newsmax wrote on December 23:

“John McCain again ripped into President Barack Obama’s inaction on Syria, this time writing an opinion piece for The Washington Post saying that the president ‘has borne witness to all of this and done nothing to stop it.’ The Arizona senator’s op-ed echoes many of the same sentiments and phrasing from a statement he and Sen. Lindsey Graham released nearly two weeks ago when Aleppo was falling to the Syrian military. Now that Aleppo has fallen, McCain is driving home the message that the United States had a hand in it all. ‘As we eulogize the dead of Aleppo, we must acknowledge the United States’ complicity in this tragedy,’ McCain wrote.

“Worse, McCain says Obama’s strategy of inaction and watching from afar threatens our homeland. ‘We must acknowledge that we have a stake in what happens in Syria. It is not just about the suffering of others, as moving as that is. It is about the national security of the United States,’ McCain wrote. ‘We do not need to become the world’s policeman to defend our interests. But we cannot wall ourselves off from the chaos of our dangerous world. And if we try, the instability, terror and destruction at the heart of that chaos will eventually make their way to our shores,’ McCain concluded.”

Even though John McCain addressed the failed policy of President Obama, his criticism would likewise apply to the intentions of President-elect Donald Trump to withdraw from American involvement on the world scene.

New Nuclear Arms Race between USA, Russia and China?

Deutsche Welle wrote on December 23:

“US President-elect Donald Trump said on Friday he would welcome an international nuclear arms race in an interview with broadcaster MSNBC. The network had asked Trump to elaborate on comments made a few days earlier on Twitter, wherein the president-elect promoted nuclear proliferation.

“Trump wrote that the US ‘must greatly strengthen and expand its nuclear capability until such time as the world comes to its senses regarding nukes.’… The comment on Twitter set shares in uranium production firms surging and caused a great deal of alarm amongst non-proliferation experts. When MSNBC’s Mika Brzezinski asked Trump for details during a telephone call, he responded ‘let it be an arms race. We will outmatch them at every pass and outlast them all.’

“Trump did not say who ‘them’ could be, but his original comment came on the same day that Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that Moscow should also boost its nuclear arsenal… The president-elect’s spokesman Sean Spicer… implied that [‘them’ or] ‘other countries’ meant Russia and China… The United States has a stockpile of some 6,970 nuclear warheads, and Russia 7,300. The two nations began to cut down on nuclear spending in the 1970s…”

The idea that peace can be established through a nuclear arms race is erroneous. The Bible predicts a nuclear war in the not-too-distant future, and the USA will NOT prevail in that coming war, which will threaten the very survival of mankind.

Russian Plane Crashes Into Black Sea, Killing 92 People—Terrorism Not Excluded

The Associated Press reported on December 25:

“Backed by ships, helicopters and drones, Russian rescue teams searched for victims in the Black Sea after a Russian plane carrying 92 people to Syria crashed Sunday shortly after takeoff from Sochi. Investigators said they are looking into every possible cause for the crash, including a terror attack. All 84 passengers and eight crew members on board the Tu-154 plane operated by the Russian military are believed to have died when it fell into the sea two minutes after taking off in good weather from the southern Russian city…

“Asked if a terror attack was a possibility, Transport Minister Maxim Sokolov said in Sochi that investigators were looking into every possible reason.

“The plane belonged to the Defense Ministry and was taking its world famous army choir, the Alexandrov Ensemble, to a New Year’s concert at Hemeimeem air base in Syria’s coastal province of Latakia. Those on board also included nine Russian journalists and a Russian doctor famous for her work in war zones. Russian President Vladimir Putin went on television to declare Monday a nationwide day of mourning…

“The plane that crashed was built in 1983, and underwent factory check-ups and maintenance in 2014 and earlier this year, according to the Defense Ministry… Some experts noted that the crew’s failure to report a malfunction pointed at a possible terror attack…

“Russian planes have been brought down previously by terror attacks. In October 2015, a Russian passenger plane carrying mostly Russian tourists back from vacation in Egypt was brought down by a bomb over the Sinai, killing all 224 people aboard. Officials said the explosive device was planted in the plane’s luggage compartment. The local affiliate of the Islamic State group claimed responsibility.

“In August 2004, two Russian planes were blown up in the skies over Russia by suicide bombers, killing 89 people. A Chechen warlord claimed responsibility for the twin attacks, which happened on the same day…”

Deutsche Welle reported on December 29:

“Based on the available evidence, the authorities ruled out a midair blast as the cause of the crash. ‘There was no explosion on board, I can say that for certain,’ said General Sergey Bainetov, head of flight safety for the Russian air force. ‘But an act of terror does not necessarily mean an explosion, there might be other causes. That is why we are not discarding this version of events.’”

Putin to US Democrats: “You Lost. Get Over It.” Relationship between Russia and USA “Can’t Get Any Worse.”

The Washington Post wrote on December 23:

“Russian President Vladimir Putin has a message for the White House and Democratic leaders who accuse him of stealing their candidate’s victory: Don’t be sore losers. That was how Putin answered a question Friday at his nationally televised annual news conference about whether Russia interfered in the U.S. presidential election in favor of Donald Trump. The Democrats ‘are losing on all fronts and looking elsewhere for things to blame,’ he told the nearly 1,400… ‘In my view this, how shall I say it, degrades their own dignity. You have to know how to lose with dignity.’

“The Kremlin leader — who also sent an upbeat letter to Trump last week that the president-elect revealed Friday — pointed out that Republicans had won the House and Senate, as well. ‘Did we do that, too?’ he said with a slight grin… ‘Outstanding figures in American history from the ranks of the Democratic Party would likely be turning in their graves. Roosevelt certainly would be,’ Putin told the journalists… ‘Trump understood the mood of the people and kept going until the end, when nobody believed in him,’ Putin said…

“The Russian leader has repeatedly denied involvement in the U.S. election despite the accusations from the White House, and the Kremlin has questioned the evidence for the U.S. claims… Putin also reiterated at the news conference his interest in better ties with the United States after the inauguration of Trump, who, during the campaign, espoused positions favorable to Russia, including joining forces to fight terrorism and considering whether to recognize Russia’s annexation of Ukraine.

“The Russian president played down the significance of Trump’s tweet Thursday calling for the United States to expand its nuclear arsenal, calling it ‘nothing unusual’ and saying that Moscow did not intend to pursue an arms race ‘that we can’t afford.’ Putin did say that Russia was modernizing its nuclear strike capability, which he said, would enable it to overpower any missile defenses that the United States is developing. Russia, he said, ‘will be stronger than any aggressor.’

“Putin moved back the news conference a day to attend the funeral of his slain ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov, who was shot dead in public by a man shouting slogans about the war in Syria.  Since the assassination, Moscow and Ankara have made a show of their willingness to work together and, along with Iran, bring a settlement to Syria… The Russia-Turkey-Iran troika met in Moscow on Tuesday. The United States’ absence was a sign not only of the stalemate of U.S.-Russian talks over Syria, but also of the bad blood in the relationship as a whole. ‘Mr Trump did, after all, say during the election campaign that he thought it right to normalize U.S.-Russia links and said it would not get worse,’ Putin said. ‘Because they cannot get any worse, I agree with him on that. We’ll think together about how to make the situation better.’ Someone asked whether Putin would accept an invitation from Trump to the United States. ‘Of course, I will, if he invites me,’ Putin said.”

Much of what Vladimir Putin said— especially regarding the White House and the Democrats—is not without merit. However, the relationship between the USA and Russia CAN get worse, but the truth is, that no big wars will break out between Russia and the USA. Rather, we will see devastating wars between Europe and Russia; as well as between Europe and the USA.

USA “Retaliates” Against Russia

Deutsche Welle wrote on December 29:

“The United States announced on Thursday that two Russian compounds in Maryland and New York, used by Russian personnel for intelligence-related activities, will be closed. Access to the compounds will be denied to all Russian diplomats as of noon on Friday, ‘The New York Times’ reported.

“The State Department also declared 35 Russian intelligence operatives ‘persona non grata,’ meaning they must leave the country.

“Washington has accused the Russian military’s Main Intelligence Directorate

(GRU) of hacking information with the intent to interfere with the US election – along with help from the Federal Security Service (FSB)…

‘US President Barack Obama said he implemented the sanctions in response to the Russian government’s ‘aggressive harassment of US officials and cyber operations’ aimed at last month’s US election… The president added, however, that the actions were ‘not the sum total of our response to Russia’s aggressive activities.’…

‘Dmitry Peskov, the spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin, signaled that Moscow was now considering retaliatory measures against the US…

“With Trump due to take office on January 20, Obama’s move puts the president-elect in the position of having to decide whether to retract the measures once sworn in as president…”

Reuters added on December 29:

“Trump said in October he would ‘cancel every unconstitutional executive action, memorandum and order issued by President Obama’ on his first day in office, without saying who would determine their constitutionality.”

“Obama Backstabs Israel”

With this headline, the Drudge Report introduced the Obama Administration’s decision to abstain from, rather than veto, a Resolution by the Security Council, condemning Israeli settlements.

JTA wrote on December 23:

“The U.N. Security Council adopted a resolution condemning Israeli settlements, with the United States abstaining. The resolution was adopted Friday afternoon with 14 votes in favor and only the U.S. abstention…

“Israel was defiant in its reaction to the resolution and the U.S. vote. ‘Israel rejects this shameful anti-Israel resolution at the UN and will not abide by its terms,’ a statement from the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. ‘At a time when the Security Council does nothing to stop the slaughter of half a million people in Syria, it disgracefully gangs up on the one true democracy in the Middle East, Israel, and calls the Western Wall “occupied territory.” The Obama administration not only failed to protect Israel against this gang-up at the UN, it colluded with it behind the scenes’…

“Speaking to the Security Council, Israel’s U.N. envoy, Danny Danon, described the resolution as ‘evil’ and likened it to condemning Americans for building in Washington or the French for building in Paris. ‘This resolution today will be added to the long and shameful list of anti-Israel U.N. resolutions,’ Danon said. ‘Instead of charting a course forward,  you are sending a message to the Palestinians that they should continue on the path of terrorism…’

“The resolution was introduced by New Zealand, Venezuela, Malaysia and Senegal… On Facebook, Trump wrote that the resolution was ‘extremely unfair.’…

“Several U.S. lawmakers also criticized the American abstention. Sen. Charles Schumer and Rep. Nita Lowey, both New York Democrats, and Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., all issued statements criticizing the Obama administration. ‘It is extremely frustrating, disappointing and confounding that the Administration has failed to veto this resolution,’ said Schumer, the incoming Senate minority leader. ‘Whatever one’s views are on settlements, the U.N. is the wrong forum to settle these issues.’…

“The Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, the Jewish community’s foreign policy umbrella group, issued a scathing denunciation of the resolution and the American vote. ‘There is no justification or explanation that validates the United States failure to veto the one-sided, offensive resolution adopted by the Security Council today,’ said a statement attributed from the Presidents Conference chairman, Stephen Greenberg, and its executive vice chairman, Malcolm Hoenlein. ‘The United States vote will be seen as a betrayal of the fundamentals of the special relationship that will nevertheless continue to mark the close ties between the peoples of the two countries’…”

Further Harsh Condemnation for President Obama

Deutsche Welle wrote on December 23:

“The Palestinian Presidency… commented that the UN vote amounted to a ‘big blow’ to Israel. Trump meanwhile only said that upon his inauguration, ‘things will be different’ in US-UN relations… the resolution is reportedly near-impossible for the Trump administration to reverse…

“The resolution, initially circulated by Egypt, was originally going to be discussed the previous day but then faced an indefinite postponement, after US President-elect Donald Trump reportedly intervened and spoke to Egypt’s president, Abdel Fattah el-Sissi. Egypt represents all Arab states on the Security Council…

“US Senator John McCain commented that the US’ abstention from the vote made the US ‘complicit in this outrageous attack against Israel.’…

“An Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the Agence France Presse (AFP) news agency that outgoing US President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry were ‘behind this shameful move against Israel at the UN… President Obama could declare his willingness to veto this resolution in an instant but instead is pushing it,’ the official said, calling it an ‘abandonment’ of the Jewish state, ‘which breaks decades of US policy of protecting Israel at the UN and undermines the prospects of working with the next administration of advancing peace… The US administration secretly cooked up with the Palestinians an extreme anti-Israeli resolution behind Israel’s back which would be a tail wind for terror and boycotts and effectively make the Western Wall occupied Palestinian territory,’ the same official told the Associated Press news agency.”

President Obama Under Increasing Attack for Betrayal of Israel

Newsmax wrote on December 23 and 24 in a series of related articles:

“… former U.S. Ambassador John Bolton… thinks President Barack Obama took the action to ‘box the incoming Trump administration in.’ ‘This was a stab in the back against the Israelis,’ Bolton [said]. ‘It was entirely predictable. I would say this for people in the pro-Israel community in the United States who defended Obama’s Middle East policy over these last eight years: You should have seen this coming and this is what you get for supporting Barack Obama’… Further, Bolton said, the consequences of the resolution will be felt for many years in negative ways for both Israel and the United States… ‘I do think, contrary to what Obama says, this is the death now of the two-state solution,” Bolton said… Bolton continued that he’d recommend that Trump call the resolution ‘illegitimate’ and say the United States will try to repeal it, and if that fails, cut the U.S. contribution to the UN.’…

“Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee… slammed President Barack Obama Friday…  ‘I’m so outraged I can’t even hardly contain myself,’ the former Republican candidate [said]… He added that when President-elect Donald Trump takes over the White House next month, ‘the first thing he does I hope is send some jackhammers over to the Turtle Bay neighborhood in Manhattan and jack-knife the United Nations off into the river… When people use the term ‘settlements,’ they may think of the Israelis building a bunch of tents and mobile homes… These settlements are communities and neighborhoods with schools and synagogues and shops and permanent structures, where people live and raise their families. And Judea and Samaria belong to Israel. Obama is saying that the Western Wall ought to be part of territory that’s given back,’ he continued. ‘This is insane — so beyond anything that we’ve seen in 40 years. It’s just stunning’. Huckabee, who has long attacked the United Nations for its anti-Israel policies, joined several congressional Republicans in calling for an end to federal financial support for the organization ‘if they’re going to do stupid and frankly idiotic things that are hurtful to any hope of peace…’”

“Conservatives Friday ripped the U.N. Security Council for condemning Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem — and the Obama administration’s abstention from the unanimous vote — with Sen. Lindsey Graham threatening to cut funding to the United Nations. ‘This provocative action by the United Nations is an outrage and must be dealt with sternly and forcefully,’ said the South Carolina Republican, who chairs a subcommittee that oversees funding to the organization. ‘The United States is currently responsible for approximately 22 percent of the United Nations total budget. The Obama-Kerry foreign policy has gone from naïve and foolish to flat-out reckless,’ he added…

“Texas Sen. Ted Cruz said he supported Graham’s call to strip the U.N. of federal funding ‘and reconsider aid to countries if they fail to join our opposition.’

“Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said that the abstention was ‘a failure of leadership and judgment’ by President Barack Obama. ‘It is highly regrettable that one of President Obama’s last actions in office was again to abandon our ally Israel,’ the Kentucky Republican said.

“House Speaker Paul Ryan called the vote ‘absolutely shameful.’ ‘Today’s vote is a blow to peace that sets a dangerous precedent for further diplomatic efforts to isolate and demonize Israel,’ the Wisconsin congressman said…

“Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton declared that Obama was ‘personally responsible for this anti-Israel resolution. ‘His diplomats secretly coordinated the vote, yet he doesn’t even have the courage of his own convictions to vote for it,’ the first-term GOP member said. ‘This cowardly, disgraceful action cements President Obama’s richly deserved legacy as the most anti-Israel president in American history.’…

“Jay Sekulow, chief counsel for the American Center for Law and Justice, called the abstention ‘an act of utter cowardice. ‘This dramatic shift in U.S. policy leaves our strongest ally in the region vulnerable,’ he said. ‘To make matters worse, this cowardly act — under the cover of the Christmas and Hanukkah holidays — comes when the fallout will be left to the incoming administration.’

“Matt Brooks, executive director of the Republican Jewish Coalition, said that ‘the actions of the Obama administration will forever be remembered as a dark, shameful moment for our country…’”

No Love Left Between Obama and Netanyahu

Times of Israel wrote on December 23:

“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lashed out at US President Barack Obama Friday, accusing him of actively working against Israel at the UN — seemingly abandoning all pretense of diplomatic cautiousness after a US abstention at the Security Council led to the passage of a resolution against settlements…

“Netanyahu said he would immediately call back Israel’s ambassadors in New Zealand and Senegal — two sponsors of Friday evening’s resolution — for consultations. He also said a planned official visit by Senegal’s foreign minister next month would be cancelled and all Israeli aid programs in Senegal would be halted. Israeli officials reacted with disappointment and anger to Washington’s failure to veto the resolution.

“… cabinet minister Tzachi Hanegbi said the US vote also ‘spits in the face’ of incoming president Donald Trump…”

Whether or not the Obama Administration actively collaborated with the instigators of the Security Council resolution, their decision not to veto the resolution is indeed a shameful and well-calculated attempt to not only backstab Israel during the remaining days of Barack Obama’s failed Presidency, but it is also clearly designed at preventing President-elect Donald Trump from establishing a more friendly and productive relationship with Israel.  

Israel to Re-Assess Its Ties to UN—Stops Funding to Five UN Institutions

Deutsche Welle reported on December 24:

“Israel will re-assess its ties with the United Nations following the adoption by the Security Council of a resolution demanding an end to Israeli settlement building, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday… ‘I instructed the Foreign Ministry to complete within a month a re-evaluation of all our contacts with the United Nations, including the Israeli funding of U.N. institutions and the presence of U.N. representatives in Israel,’ Netanyahu said in broadcast remarks. ‘I have already instructed to stop about 30 million shekels ($7.8 million) in funding to five U.N. institutions, five bodies, that are especially hostile to Israel … and there is more to come,’ he said.”

Israel Summons Ambassadors

Reuters reported on December 25:

“Israel summoned the ambassadors of 10 nations to Jerusalem to reprimand them on Sunday… Ambassadors from 10 of the 14 countries that voted in favor of the resolution and have embassies in Israel – Britain, China, Russia, France, Egypt, Japan, Uruguay, Spain, Ukraine and New Zealand – were summoned to the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem, the ministry said. Sunday is a regular work day in Israel, but most embassies are closed, and calling in envoys on Christmas Day is highly unusual.”

The Jerusalem Post stressed that Netanyahu summoned the US ambassador as well.

Why an American Veto Would Have Been Critical

The Guardian wrote on December 23:

“The resolution says Israel’s settlements on Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem, have ‘no legal validity’ and demands a halt to ‘all Israeli settlement activities’… The resolution reiterated that Israeli settlement was a ‘flagrant violation’ of international law… A resolution requires nine votes in favour and no vetoes by the United States, France, Russia, Britain or China in order to be adopted…

“While the resolution is largely symbolic in some senses, it will be seen as empowering an increasingly tough EU over Israel and will give pause to international companies who have interests in the occupied territories…

“The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), one of the most influential lobby groups, said it was ‘deeply disturbed by the failure of the Obama administration to exercise its veto to prevent a destructive, one-sided, anti-Israel resolution from being enacted by the United Nations security council’. It also pointedly thanked Trump for his attempts to intervene: ‘AIPAC expresses its appreciation to president-elect Trump and the many Democratic and Republican members of Congress who urged a veto of this resolution.’ …

“About 430,000 Israeli settlers live in the West Bank and a further 200,000 Israelis live in east Jerusalem, which Palestinians see as the capital of their future state. The resolution demands that ‘Israel immediately and completely cease all settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem’.”

As can be seen, a veto by the USA would have prevented the resolution from being adopted. With the American abstention, the Obama Administration voted in effect FOR the resolution. This can only be viewed as a betrayal of Israel and of Israel’s position of Jerusalem as its eternal capital.

Impossible to Reverse?

The Independent wrote on December 23:

“The Israeli Prime Minister said his administration was looking forward to working with Donald Trump to negate Friday’s resolution…

“Given the world’s widespread opposition to settlements, the action will be almost impossible for anyone, including Mr Trump, to reverse. Nevertheless, the president-elect vowed via Twitter: ‘As to the UN, things will be different after Jan 20th.'”

Germany Supports Anti-Israel Resolution

Bild Online reported on December 25 that Frank-Walter Steinmeier, “currently Minister for Foreign Affairs and probably soon the next President,” supported the text of the “anti-Israel” resolution. In its article, Bild asked whether Israel was being forsaken by their friends. Bild continued that Steinmeier sided with autocratic countries which voted for the resolution, including Russia, China, Egypt and Venezuela.

Bild strongly disagreed with Steinmeier who “did not even say a word about the anti-Israel content.” The paper also pointed out that the resolution does not bring any solution; and ignores the historic relationship between the Temple Mount in Jerusalem and the Jewish people. The tabloid referred to “the Western Wall of the Temple as the most holy site which was destroyed in 70 AD,” explaining that Israel will never allow that it will fall into the hands of Palestinians who want it to become a part of East Jerusalem as their capital.

Sadly, the German position is in line with most countries which are antagonistic against and hostile towards Israel. The Bible prophecies that Israel will indeed be forsaken by their “friends”—many of whom were never real friends to begin with.

Further Incredible Attacks by John Kerry: Israel Cannot Be Jewish and a Democracy at the Same Time

Grabien.com wrote on December 28:

“Secretary of State John Kerry declared Wednesday that Israel ‘can either be Jewish or democratic’ but ‘it cannot be both.’ “Here’s a transcript: ‘The truth is that trends on the ground, violence, terrorism, settlement expansion and the seemingly endless occupation, they are combining to destroy hopes for peace on both sides and increasingly cementing any reversible — an irreversible one state reality that most people do not actually want.

“‘Today, there are a similar number of Jews and Palestinians living between the Jordan river and the Mediterranean Sea. They have a choice. They can choose to live together in one state or they can separate into two states. But here is a fundamental reality. If the choice is one state, Israel can either be Jewish or democratic. It cannot be both. And it won’t ever really be at peace. Moreover, the Palestinians will never fully realize their vast potential in a homeland of their own with a one state solution.”

One wonders what the international reaction and outrage would have been, if a German politician would have dared to make comments like these.

Breitbart added the following:

“Kerry complained about Netanyahu’s democratically-elected government — which the Obama administration did its best to defeat in 2015 by using American taxpayers’ money to fund left-wing political efforts during the Israeli election — ‘His current coalition is the most right-wing in Israeli history, with an agenda driven by the most extreme elements.’”

The Kerry Backlash

The Washington Post wrote on December 29:

‘Secretary of State John Kerry set off a firestorm in the United States and Israel… It will be hard to argue that [UN] resolution and Kerry speech did anything but make matters worse and diminish the United States in the region… Indeed, the resolution and Kerry’s speech seemed more designed to blame Israel for the Obama administration’s disastrous Middle East policy than to prompt a return to the ‘peace process’…

“All of this will cement President-elect Donald Trump’s decision to move the embassy and increase chances he will cut off funds to the Palestinian Authority and maybe even the U.N. Like the rest of the Middle East, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is much more volatile and further from a peaceful resolution than it was at the start of the Obama presidency.”

Trust in God

Breitbart wrote on December 29:

“The Times of Israel reports: The US has forsaken Israel, and the Jewish state can now place its trust only in God, Israel’s Sephardic Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef said Wednesday, as Jerusalem and Washington continued to face off over Friday’s United Nations Security Council resolution condemning Israeli settlements.

“‘Sometimes, we need to be reminded from above that we can count on no one but our Father who art in heaven,’ Yosef told followers at the Western Wall. ‘Even America forsook us last week at the UN.’

“He added: ‘We mustn’t forget that the hearts of kings and captains are in the hands of the Lord, and we can count on no one but (the Lord).’”

Trump Attacks Obama

Deutsche Welle wrote on December 28:

“[US Secretary of State John Kerry’s public] remarks come just weeks before the Obama administration hands over power to President-elect Donald Trump, who on Wednesday reiterated his support for Israel over the settlement issue… Kerry warned that expanding settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem was leading to an ‘irreversible one-state reality’… On Wednesday, despite attempts to delay a local housing committee from approving plans to build 492 new homes in annexed East Jerusalem, the construction was later given the go-ahead, a local non-profit organization said.

“For his part in a worsening row, Trump took to Twitter ahead of Kerry’s speech on Wednesday to say: ‘Stay strong Israel, January 20th is fast approaching!’ referring to his upcoming inauguration. The billionaire businessman said Obama had treated Israel with ‘total disdain and disrespect,’ adding that ‘They used to have a great friend in the US, but not anymore.’

“… Trump’s incoming ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, opposes a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian situation and has publicly stated that Israel’s settlement activity is not illegal, in his opinion.”

Trump also twittered this: “Doing my best to disregard the many inflammatory President O statements and roadblocks. Thought it was going to be a smooth transition – NOT!”

This was so predictable, and it will become even more contentious.

The Temple Will Be Built on the Temple Mount

Israel National News reported on December 25:

“Ne’emanei Har Habayit activists lit a Hanukkah menorah outside the Old City of Jerusalem’s Jaffa Gate on Sunday morning, in response to the United Nations Security Council’s latest anti-Israel resolution. Ne’emanei Har Habayit is a group of activists dedicated to preserving the Temple Mount’s Jewish identity. The name literally means ‘the Temple Mount’s faithful.’

“During the ceremony, Ne’emanei Har Habayit CEO Gershon Salomon said, ‘Today, we send a message to the Jewish nation and to the entire world – especially to the ‘Oom Shmoom’ (UN – ed.). The Temple Mount belongs to us for eternity. Jerusalem belongs to us, and only to us. We will not move from this spot, ever… I am optimistic regarding President-elect Donald Trump’s new administration, but the final decision will be made by Israel, not by the US, Rome, or Paris. Israel’s fate will be decided in Jerusalem, and on the Temple Mount we will build the Third Temple, right under the noses of world leaders,’ Salomon emphasized.”

Jerusalem Eternal Capital City of Israel

The Jewish Press wrote on December 27:

“President Reuven Rivlin [stated on Tuesday:] ‘United Jerusalem is the eternal capital of Israel and it will remain so. There is no international body with the power to revoke this. And as sovereigns of the city, I stand here today to repeat in the clearest way: the State of Israel is deeply committed to ensure the religious rights of all faith communities in Jerusalem and throughout Israel.’”

Christmas Tree Controversy in Israel

JTA wrote on December 21:

“Rabbinic officials in Jerusalem and northern Israel recently issued separate statements saying that displays of Christmas trees are against Jewish law… ‘As the secular year ends, we want to remind you that erecting a Christmas tree in a hotel contravenes halacha and that therefore it is clear that no one should erect [a tree] in a hotel,’ Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi Yona Metzger and Sephardi Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar wrote to hotel managers. The letter also said it was ‘appropriate to avoid hosting’ New Year’s parties, reminding hotel managers that the New Year is properly observed at the beginning of the Jewish calendar.

“A day earlier, the rabbi of the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, a prestigious public science and engineering university in Haifa, forbade students from entering the student union on campus because of the presence of a Christmas tree in the building. ‘The Christmas tree is a religious symbol — not Christian, but even more problematic — pagan,’ Rabbi Elad Dokow wrote in a Q&A on the religious Srugim website. ‘Halacha clearly states that whenever it is possible to circumvent and not pass through a place where there is any kind of idolatry, this must be done. So one should not enter the student union if it’s not necessary to do so… This is the world’s only Jewish state. And it has a role to be a “light unto the nations” and not to uncritically embrace every idea.’ Dokow compared the Christmas tree’s display to… allowing a Spanish food festival that ‘prominently featured pork.’…

“The Chief Rabbinate — the highest Jewish authority in Israel and overseer of the Jerusalem Rabbinate — last year offered some protection to displayers of Christmas trees. Under threat of a petition to the Supreme Court, the Chief Rabbinate issued guidelines stating that its kashrut inspectors could not revoke the kosher certifications of hotels over the trees or Shabbat violations. The Technion responded to its Christmas tree controversy with a statement saying that Rabbi Dokow’s words ‘expressed his personal opinion and not that of the Technion’….

“Knesset member Yousef Jabareen of the Joint List of Arab political parties accused Dokow of incitement… ‘These statements contain clear incitement to racism, in violation of the law, and therefore also constitute a serious criminal offense,’ the Israeli daily Haaretz reported. According to Haaretz, Technion student Peter Hana said ‘an absolute majority of students, as well as management and the dean,’ supported the Christmas tree, and ‘only a handful of students and the rabbi himself chose to come out against it.’”

It is of course pharisaical to forbid entering a building because of the presence of a Christmas tree. At the same time, the Christmas tree IS of pagan origin and neither Christians nor Jews should display it.

 “5,000-Year-Old Nativity Scene Found in Egypt”

As linked by the Drudge Report, Seeker.com wrote on December 22:

“Italian researchers have discovered what might be the oldest nativity scene ever found — 5,000-year-old rock art that depicts a star in the east, a newborn between parents and two animals… ‘It’s a very evocative scene which indeed resembles the Christmas nativity. But it predates it by some 3,000 years,’ geologist Marco Morelli, director of the Museum of Planetary Sciences in Prato, near Florence, Italy, told Seeker.

“Morelli found the cave drawing in 2005, but only now his team has decided to reveal the amazing find… He noted the newborn is drawn slightly above, as if raising to the sky. Such position, with the baby not yet between the parents, would have meant a birth or a pregnancy… The scene becomes more symbolically complex if the other figures, two animals and a small circular feature, are taken into consideration. On the upper part is a headless lion, a mythical beast which appears in several rock art drawings from the same area, while below in the scene a baboon or an anthropomorphic monkey can be seen. In the east, the Neolithic artist [has] drawn what appears to be star.

“The researchers called the site the ‘Cave of the Parents.’ ‘No doubt it’s an intriguing drawing,’ Morelli said. ‘We didn’t find similar scenes until the early Christian age.’”

This find sheds some light on the pagan concepts associated with the birth of Christ. For more information, please listen to our sermon, “The REAL Christmas Story.”

Public Hanukkah Events in Europe to ‘Drive Out Darkness’

JTA wrote on December 22:

“Before Monday’s attack on a Christmas market in Berlin, Rabbi Yehudah Teichtal had planned to invite hundreds of people to the traditional lighting of the first Hanukkah candle at a large menorah erected at the city’s Brandenburg Gate monument. But he decided to change his original plan following the attack… And so, ‘Instead of one public lighting this Hanukkah, we’re going to have one on each of the eight nights of Hanukkah,’ Teichtal, a Chabad rabbi who is part of the Jewish community in Berlin, told JTA on Thursday. ‘It’s our way of driving out the darkness that is terrorism.’

“Teichtal’s determination is shared by rabbis across Europe, including France and the Netherlands, who speak of upholding and celebrating the relatively new tradition of public lightings of menorahs. Some Jewish leaders say that celebrating Hanukkah at central locales in European capitals and cities is considered an appropriate, uplifting Jewish response to the wave of Islamist terrorism hitting the continent…

“Separately, the Jewish community of the Netherlands is preparing to co-host, together with Christian Zionists from the Christians for Israel organization, a public lighting in The Hague of what organizers say is the largest Hanukkah menorah in Europe. Christian Zionists built the menorah in 2013 as a gift for the country’s Jewish community… Hanukkah, a holiday celebrating the defiance of Jews during the Maccabean revolt against the Syrian Greek army, is especially appropriate for such demonstrations…”

Sadly, these displays will do little, if anything, to drive out the darkness of terrorism or other ungodly conduct.

How Nuclear Wars Could Start

The Guardian wrote on December 25:

“A fake news story has touched off a Twitter confrontation between nuclear powers Pakistan and Israel. The exchange took place following the publication of a fake story headlined ‘Israeli Defense Minister: If Pakistan send ground troops to Syria on any pretext, we will destroy this country with a nuclear attack’. The story appeared on 20 December on the site AWD News.

“In an apparent response to the story, Pakistan’s defence minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif sent a warning to Israel on Twitter that ‘Pakistan is a nuclear state too.’ Israel’s defense ministry tweeted back on Saturday, saying the original story was ‘totally fictitious.’ AWD has been identified by fact-checking organisations as a fake news site.

“Israel maintains a policy of nuclear ambiguity, neither confirming nor denying the existence of an arsenal but is widely believed to have its own nuclear weapons. Pakistan became a nuclear power in 1998. The countries have no diplomatic ties. There was no immediate reaction from Pakistan to Israel’s response…”

Americans Admire Obama and Hillary Clinton the Most

Newsmax wrote on December 28:

“President Obama beat Donald Trump as the most admired man in 2016, a new Gallup poll shows. Twenty-two percent of those polled listed Obama as the most admired man, while Trump came in second with 15 percent… Here’s how the poll breaks down: Pope Francis (4 percent); Bernie Sanders (2 percent) and the Rev. Billy Graham (1) percent round out the top five admired men…

“Hillary Clinton is the most admired woman for the 21st time with 12 percent; Michelle Obama was second with 8 percent. German Chancellor Angela Merkel (3 percent); Oprah Winfrey (3 percent) and Ellen DeGeneres (2 percent) complete the top five.”

One may have to wonder whether Americans have lost it completely, if these results are true.

Uncertainty and Fear Continue for 2017

The Guardian wrote on December 24:

“Britain’s Christian leaders are focusing their Christmas messages on uncertainty, anxiety and fear at the end of a tumultuous year on the global stage… Cardinal Vincent Nichols, the archbishop of Westminster and leader of the Catholic church in England and Wales… quoted WB Yeats’s 1919 poem, The Second Coming: ‘Things fall apart, the centre cannot hold / Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world.’…

“In the last week Prince Charles has also spoken about disturbing trends in 2016. ‘We are now seeing the rise of many populist groups across the world that are increasingly aggressive to those who adhere to a minority faith. All of this has deeply disturbing echoes of the dark days of the 1930s,’ the prince said…  ‘We owe it to those who suffered and died so horribly not to repeat the horrors of the past.’”

The Guardian added on December 25:

“The phrase ‘turning point’ is overused, but future historians are likely to view the year 2016 as exactly that. The standout event was Donald Trump’s surprise victory. The maverick Republican’s defeat of Hillary Clinton produced a shock that reverberated around the world. The billionaire’s White House tenancy begins on 20 January. Many will dub that date Black Friday, fearful that Trumpism may irreparably damage international security, environmental protection and human rights. Others will see it as a sign of welcome change. It will be a year of living dangerously…

“Trump’s protectionist, isolationist stance brought into question the inevitability of globalisation, suggesting a return to a pre-1939 age of economic nationalism, punitive tariffs, trade barriers, controls on movement of labour and capital, closed markets and minds… he questioned the usefulness of international institutions such as the United Nations, the World Bank and Nato. He cast doubt on key security alliances in Asia. Trump also ignited concern for April’s Paris climate change deal.

“Trump’s stated support for the unilateral waging of war, for authoritarian governance, torture, indefinite detention without trial, and religious and racial profiling of immigrants and refugees could, if copied, destroy the universal legal and human rights protections erected via the UN system since 1945…

“Britain’s narrow 52%-48% referendum vote in June in favour of leaving the EU was unexpected. Many drew parallels with the US, saying similar nationalist, populist forces were at work… If the British government’s timetable holds, Brexit will begin in March, when the UK will formally file for divorce…

“France will hold a presidential election in spring. Marine Le Pen, of the far-right National Front, is expected to do very well. Le Pen wants France to quit the EU and euro. Her main challenger is likely to be François Fillon, a Catholic Thatcherite, for the centre right. The Socialist president, François Hollande, will not stand for re-election. In the Netherlands’ March general election, the Islamophobe Geert Wilders could prove an influential warm-up act for Le Pen. Wilders advocates a Dutch ‘Nexit’…

“Germany holds federal elections in September. Angela Merkel is seeking re-election for a fourth term as chancellor, but faces strong opposition from the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany… The fashionable idea that Merkel will pick up the torch from Obama and become defender-in-chief of western liberal democracy looks like wishful thinking…

“Despite repeated UN attempts at peace, Syria’s civil war passed the five-year mark in 2016 and approached a bloody denouement… The siege of eastern Aleppo became a symbol of the suffering and brutality of the Syrian war. Children were killed or maimed in large numbers. Hospitals and schools were repeatedly hit…

“In Iraq, an offensive to retake Mosul from Isis got bogged down. The war in Yemen showed no sign of abating, notwithstanding a furore in Britain and the US about arms sales to Saudi Arabia, whose airstrikes are blamed for numerous civilian deaths. In Libya, a new threat from Isis emerged, centred on the late Muammar Gaddafi’s stronghold in Sirte, prompting fierce fighting.

“Isis was also active in Afghanistan, challenging the Taliban for control of rural areas. Afghanistan is now America’s longest war. More than 8,000 US troops are still based there…

“The Isis threat will persist… the global spread of Islamist extremism is likely to continue…

“Syria aside, Russia’s military build-up along its border with the Baltic republics, its meddling in Ukraine, and its covert political influence-peddling, disinformation campaigns and cyber warfare in eastern Europe are expected to accelerate…

“Putin has been building bridges to Xi Jinping, China’s president. This alliance of convenience will create more headaches for the west in 2017. Xi has enlisted Russia’s support in conducting military ‘exercises’ around disputed South China Sea islands, where Beijing is rapidly expanding its presence. China defied a 2016 UN court ruling deeming its activities illegal…

“The nuclear brinkmanship of North Korea’s paranoid regime increased regional tensions. This problem will possibly come to a head in 2017. Kim Jong-un, the country’s dictator, conducted an underground nuclear test in September, the fifth and biggest, involving nuclear-capable ballistic missiles.

“In Tokyo, there were calls for Japanese rearmament. Trump suggested Japan and South Korea acquire nuclear weapons… Trump demanded Japan and South Korea pay more for US bases…

“The biggest regional upset was in the Philippines, where the foul-mouthed Rodrigo Duterte was elected president… Protests from the US and UN prompted him to turn to China for support, repudiating the long-standing US alliance…”

The Bible gives us several principles when addressing conscience. At the same time, we must be careful not to misinterpret what the Bible actually says.

It is clear from Scripture that we must not violate our conscience IF it is NOT in contradiction to what the Bible prohibits or demands. At the same time, we are NOT to follow our conscience if this would violate biblical injunctions.

For instance, we must never follow our conscience when it “commands” us to kill (such as, defeating our enemy in war); or to vote in governmental elections (to “improve” the situation in our country); or to commit adultery with our neighbor’s wife (because she feels unloved by her husband); or to violate the Sabbath (as we “must” work to feed our family); or to attend Christmas celebrations (so as not to offend our relatives and friends). Likewise, we must never follow our conscience by not doing what we are commanded to do; that is, we must not refuse to tithe “for conscience’s sake”; we must not refuse to abstain from leavened products during the seven Days of Unleavened Bread; and we must not refuse to keep the Sabbath and the annual Holy Days.  We pointed out in previous Q&A’s, discussing how to keep the weekly Sabbath and the annual Holy Days, that our conscience must never be a reason for not observing the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days and the Last Great Day at a place which God has chosen, which would include renting a hotel room or other temporary accommodation during this time.

In addressing the conscience of a member pertaining to the question as to whether or not to eat in a restaurant on the weekly Sabbath (or, by extension, annual Holy Days), we stated the following in our free booklet, “God’s Commanded Holy Days“:

“If Church members today eat occasionally in a nice, quiet restaurant on the Sabbath or a Holy Day after Church services, for instance, while, at the same time fellowshipping with other brethren and speaking about the things that pertain to God, then we must not condemn them for that. For instance, Church members might be traveling for quite a distance to attend Church services, looking forward to spending additional time with their brethren after services. If, on the other hand, your conscience does not allow you to go to a restaurant on a Sabbath or a Holy Day, then you must not do so, since ‘whatever is not from faith [or conviction] is sin’ (Romans 14:23). It would be advisable, though, to review the Scriptures to see whether your conscience is based on the Bible or merely on man-made traditions.”

Two principles are to be emphasized in this context. First, it is not wrong or against Church teaching, which is based on the Bible, to eat out in a restaurant on the Sabbath. This has been a very contentious issue for some who have tried to enforce their personal contrary opinion on the entire Church. Second, the individual member must evaluate his or her stance to see whether he or she is in line with Church teaching. As God’s true Church has been given the authority from God to bind and to loose, which includes decisions pertaining to biblical principles in “gray” areas, the individual member is to review his conscientious position to see whether it should be maintained.

We need to address a third principle. That is, the Church is not to forego a certain practice, which is based on the Bible, just because an individual member has a different “conviction.” In other words, the Church is under NO obligation to cater to such opinions by individual members.

We have seen over the years that some Christians have developed their own personal opinions, calling them conviction and arguing that the Church must follow and adopt them for the individual’s benefit. They may say that Scriptures in Romans 14:14-15, 20-21; 1 Corinthians 8:1-13; and 1 Corinthians 10:25-29 support this conclusion. ALL of these passages address the question of consuming CLEAN meat or drinks (like wine), which had been offered to idols. Paul makes clear that such consumption is not wrong, but it would be wrong if we were to violate the conscience of a member who is weak in the faith. We must understand, however, in what way we would violate his or her conscience.

The violation would take place if the member who is weak in the faith was to be induced by our conduct to also consume such ceremonially “unclean” meat or drink (as it had been offered to idols), but he or she would do so in violation of his or her conscience (which tells him or her not to do so), because he or she would do it because of our example. What these Scriptures don’t teach us is that we must never consume any clean meat or drink sacrificed to idols because a member is present whose conscience prohibits him or her from doing so.

What we should do in such a situation is to either ask the member whether he or she would be offended by our consumption of such meat or drink, and if he or she is, we would not eat or drink it in his or her presence; or, if we are aware that the member might be tempted to consume such meat or drink in violation of his or her conscience, we would admonish him or her not to do so. But what the Church would not have to do is to abstain from consuming such meat or drink altogether because of the conscience of a weak member. (We should note that the above-quoted passages do not even address vegetarianism or abstention from alcohol per se, but in certain circumstances, similar principles would apply.)

Consider what the consequences would be if the Church had to cater to the individual “convictions” of each member.

In our last Q&A, we addressed the concept of music. Even though Paul’s examples, as mentioned above, deal with meat and drinks sacrificed to idols which was apparently a big issue among some members in the church at Corinth, the same principles apply today to other scenarios, as we explained in our last Q&A.  Some may like certain types of music, while others may not care for them. But the mere fact that one Christian might not like or object to a certain type of music is not a compelling reason for other Christians to refrain from listening to or playing such music. However, a Christian would not play or listen to that kind of music in the presence of a member who would be offended by it. But this does not mean that he would not play or listen to it when the member is not present; nor, that the Church would need to forego an entire musical presentation during a social event because one member might be offended by some of the music which might be played or performed at that event. In such case, the member would have to make a decision as to whether or not to attend or participate in the event. However, if the Church concludes that such an event is appropriate, then the member would be well advised to critically evaluate his or her contrary “conviction.”

When addressing Sabbath activities, the Church is under no obligation to forego eating in a restaurant on the Sabbath (as discussed above), only because one member would have a problem of conscience with such activity. A big problem ensues if the Church decides to meet in a restaurant for the Night to Be Much Observed (which always falls on an annual Sabbath—the First Day of Unleavened Bread). In that case, the member will have to make a decision as to whether to follow the Church’s directive or his or her own conscience. Again, in this case, the member would need to carefully evaluate whether his or her “conscience” is in accordance with Scriptural injunctions and teachings (which it would not be); and whether he or she might become guilty of causing division by his or her disagreement.

Some new members, especially because of their religious background, might reject dancing or playing cards, chess or video games. Again, it would be important for the members to review their conscience (since it is based on erroneous thinking, as the Bible does not prohibit such activities), but it most certainly would not be the duty of the Church to cancel a dance activity or a fun and game night because of the “conscience” of that particular  member. But until the member comes to see that his or her objections are wrong, it would be best for him or her not to attend such a function, so that he or she would not become offended or induced to participate in such activities in violation of his or her conscience.

Especially when addressing music or movies, the scale of potential “offenses” could be huge. Some might only watch movies which are rated G, and some have refused watching cartoons in which animals “speak.” These “convictions” can never be the basis for other members as to what to watch or not to watch; nor for the Church to decide as to what movies to watch or show during a social Church gathering. They must not serve as the basis for only watching or showing those movies with which no member would have any problem. It is safe to say that with such an approach, NO movie could ever be watched at all. This would support the idea by some not to watch any movies or any TV, but again, this is not a biblical approach. Rather, it would be an unbalanced approach. It is also somewhat amusing to observe the fact that some of those who object to going to movies, theaters or watching TV might spend hours on the Internet, surfing for all kinds of programs.

What was stated in our last Q&A on appropriate and inappropriate music equally applies to the kind of appropriate and inappropriate movies which we might or might not want to watch; and the principles regarding offending others, which were discussed in the context of music, are equally applicable to movies or TV shows. Our individual taste is quite different, and some might not want to watch any science fiction movies (including Star Trek or Star Wars), but they must never become judgmental and condemnatory against those of their brethren who enjoy watching those. For instance, the Church of God has long ago shown interesting and remarkable parallels between the Star Wars movies and personages and events described in the Old Testament. Some movies with biblical themes might be problematic for some, especially if they picture Jesus Christ. The key is to be convinced in our own minds (Romans 14:5), and not to condemn others for their conclusions which might be different from ours, and which are not contrary to biblical principles.

We read in Romans 14:4: “Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls.” In this particular case, the issue was fasting. Some felt that they had to fast on a particular day, while others did not agree with that concept. Paul says: “He who observes the day [of fasting], observes it to the Lord, and he who does not observe the day [of fasting], to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks, and he who does not eat [but fasts], to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks” (Romans 14:6).

It is also critical to note the context of Galatians 6:1, which says that those who are spiritual are to restore a brother (or sister) who is overtaken by a trespass. This could be misunderstood to mean that our conclusions as to what movies to watch; what music to listen to; what food to eat; what hobbies to pursue; what games to play; and many other activities must be imposed on others, as they are “overtaken” by a trespass because they do not share our taste, opinion or conclusion. However, as should be seen from the forgoing, such an approach would be erroneous.

Listening to a particular piece of music; watching a particular movie; playing a particular game or engaging in a particular social activity might not at all constitute a “trespass.” But even if it did, we need to consider whether WE are qualified to “restore” our brother (or sister).  Christ warns us to first look at ourselves, and Paul echoes this by demanding that we must be “spiritual” if we want to help someone. We cannot help a brother or a sister by removing a speck from their eye when there is a plank in our own eye. Christ said very clearly, “First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye” (Matthew 7:5). Any attempt of a correcting member to “restore” a brother or sister would certainly not be effective, if he or she has to deal with similar problems. A person who smokes will not be a good helper for those who try to overcome smoking. A person who votes in governmental elections is not the best counselor for those who are faced with jury duty or military conscription. A person who is divorced without biblical reason and who is remarried will not be most helpful for those who are contemplating divorce.

At the same time, the plank in our eye might be a self-righteous and pharisaical attitude towards what constitutes proper conduct, while the speck in our brother’s or sister’s eye might perhaps be – comparatively speaking — a less serious “offense.” Once our plank is removed, we might see much clearer the speck of our brother or sister and realize what our right and proper conduct should be.  In most cases, such proper conduct, if there is a need for “restoration,” should be left to the ministry to deal with—including in areas of proper or improper movies, music, games or hobbies. The ministry will look at the entire picture to determine what action, if any, should be recommended or taken—including facts and circumstances not known by members who might be “eager” to help.

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

The Church Conference for 2017 will be conducted in Escondido, California, with arrivals on March 23 and ending on March 28.

“Israel Betrayed by USA and Forsaken by the World,” is the title of a new StandingWatch program, presented by Evangelist Norbert Link. Here is a summary:

“Obama Backstabs Israel.” With this headline, the Drudge Report introduced the Obama Administration’s decision to abstain from, rather than veto a resolution by the UN Security Council, condemning Israeli settlements. Israel, as well as US Democrats and Republicans, are outraged and are speaking of dire consequences. Most countries, including Germany, support the anti-Israel resolution. Why are these developments highly explosive in the light of biblical prophecy?

“Israel von Obama verraten und von der Welt verlassen,”  is the title of a new AufPostenStehen program, presented by Evangelist Norbert Link, which covers the same subject as the StandingWatch program described above.

Our new German booklet, “Kennen Sie den Jesus der Bibel?” (German translation of, “Do You Know the Jesus of the Bible?”)  has been posted on the Web.

“Nicht Aufgrund Eigner Kraft,” is the title of this Sabbath’s German sermon. Title in English: “Not because of our own Strength.”

“Don’t Look Back,” the sermonette presented last Sabbath by Thilo Hanstein, is now posted. Here is a summary:

The Bible shows us that man has a great potential from God. Do you know this potential and what to do with it? Would you like to start a new life?

“The True Christmas Story,” the sermon presented last Sabbath by Norbert Link, is now posted. Here is a summary:

Is the usual presentation of Christ’s birth in accordance with the biblical account? When was Jesus born—in what year and in what month? What about the year Zero? When did Herod the Great die? When was Cyrenius governor of Syria? Was Christ born in a stable? What was the inn in which Mary and Joseph found no place? Were Mary and Joseph poor? Were animals present when Jesus was born? Did angels sing? Did the wise men from the east and the shepherds visit Christ during the night of His birth? Who were those wise men? How many were they? Where do the customs come from which one thinks of and engages in during the Christmas season?