In our latest StandingWatch program, titled, Killing of Fishermen—Must Illegal Orders Be Obeyed?, we discussed that six Democratic lawmakers urged service members to defy illegal orders and President Trump’s reaction. He called them traitors and described their conduct as seditious behavior at the highest level, advocating their arrest and death.
Subsequently, it was reported that the FBI requested “interviews” with them. A law professor who teaches national-security law described this as “a frivolous investigation meant to suppress speech” (The Wall Street Journal, November 25). Especially, the “investigation” of Senator Mark Kelly, a retired Navy pilot and astronaut, potentially facing a military tribunal to be court-martialed, has been roundly condemned by many observers.
Also, many veterans, highly praised in the past by President Trump, strongly voiced their objection to the entire matter, saying that “calling for an investigation into a well-known principle of service is dangerous, and says more about this administration than it does about Senator Kelly” (The Independent, November 25).
Sadly, these developments only serve as one example of a situation within the USA which is deeply troublesome. The ongoing controversial actions of ICE raids, detentions and deportations of potentially everyone being in the country “illegally,” as defined by the Trump administration, including members of DACA, stand in strong contrast to original representations during the presidential campaign that only dangerous hard-core criminals would be arrested and deported.
Some of the comments we received on the above-mentioned StandingWatch program and the German AufPostenStehen version, covering the same topic, are telling. One viewer wrote: “An excellent commentary on the current leadership of America and its inevitable downfall as prophesied in the bible. Thanks to God there is at least one Church of God not singing the praises of [Trump]… an iceberg has been hit and all that’s being done is rearranging of the deck chairs. These are dangerous times unfolding before our very eyes.”
Another viewer wrote: “Especially because the man who is [an] astronaut [Senator Mark Kelly] is a war hero [with] 39 years of service and his poor wife [was] shot in [the] head and lived, thank God. He has paid a [huge] price to be an American.”
A German-speaking viewer wrote: “This humanity is a complete madhouse. In Germany, it is a punishable offense to carry out unlawful orders. Such orders must be strictly and absolutely refused without fear of punishment. That’s what I was taught in the German armed forces.”
In fact, this last comment is very remarkable in light of Germany’s dark history, especially during the Nazi era and former East Germany. We know, of course, that terrible times lie ahead for Germany in the not-too-distant future.
In light of Trump’s questionable actions, which are clearly not in line with godly principles, and which will contribute to America’s inevitable downfall, why are we so confident that God will use him to build the Third Temple? (Compare for example our Editorial, dated October 31, 2025, titled, “When Our Critics Become Silent…”). Actually, there is no contradiction, but, in fact, biblical confirmation. We will explain this in detail in a future Q&A.
All of this sounds like bad news, but it isn’t. These events, and many more, must occur before Christ can return. But these days will be shortened and He WILL return soon to end the madness of this current civilization and to usher in the beautiful world tomorrow. This is the good news or gospel of the rule of the Kingdom of God here on earth which must be and is “preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14). And for THAT, we can be truly thankful.