On June 13, 2015, Mike Link will present the sermonette, titled, “Change,” and Norbert Link will present the sermon, titled, “666–The Number of the Beast.”

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 there have been several references to compromise in the messages we have been receiving, and today I’d like to look at why it is so important not to compromise on God’s Word. Once we compromise, we open the floodgates to changes, which can lead to the destruction of the entire Church and also the individual.

Through the leadership of Evangelist Norbert Link, we are determined not to compromise with God’s Word, regardless of the consequences, even if this means low growth, threats or other “setbacks.” One of the key reasons is a matter of trust, as stated by Christ in Luke 16:10:  “He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much.”

If we as a Church can be faithful in that which is little in comparison–the unfettered preaching of the gospel to the world without compromise or apology–then we can be entrusted with the much bigger task of ruling the world under and with Christ, as revealed in Revelation 5:10: “ And [You] have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth.”

Rulers and priests (teachers) under Christ will not be intimidated or shy, and they will not compromise in getting the truth out to the world.

This is somewhat of a proving ground for us now. Can we do it as we are commanded, do it faithfully and allow God to open the doors for us, and not to get hung up on looking for huge numbers in the Church nor for a host of other distractions? Bear in mind what God was able to do with Gideon’s small group, after He had reduced the number from 30,000 to 300, to prove the point that God can do wonders with a small dedicated uncompromising  faithful group who are seeking to do His will regardless of the consequences, until the end of their lives or the return of Christ? If they do, then they will inherit salvation and receive the crown of life.

Matthew 10:22 says:  “And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved.”

2 Timothy 4:8 adds: “Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.”

Paul never let the trials he had to go through blur the reward that was before him. His trials are outlined in 2 Corinthians 11:23-28:

“Are they ministers of Christ?—I speak as a fool—I am more: in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often. From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness—besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches.”

Paul never allowed the trials to hinder his God-given task. I wonder if we would remain that faithful if we were to face even a fraction of what he had to go through.  Paul was aware of the promise from Christ not to ever be forsaken, which must have given him the strength and courage to endure his trials.

Hebrews 13:5 tells all of us: “Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, ‘I WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU NOR FORSAKE YOU.’”

We can draw strength from this promise from Christ, giving us the determination to move forward with the task at hand in an uncompromising way, which will guarantee us a position in the Kingdom of God.

In this issue, we are reporting on anti-Semitism in Germany; the explosive situation in Ukraine; the enduring Russian-Italian friendship and Europe’s unwillingness to defend NATO member states against Russian aggression; the Pope’s visit to Bosnia and his warnings of World War III; the concern of a coming war between Shiites and Sunnis in the Middle East which might have worldwide consequences; and the real danger of ISIS’s ability to build devastating dirty bombs.

 We continue with the surprising election result in Turkey; Europe’s ongoing attempts to rescue Greece; David Cameron’s fight with his conservative party members over Britain’s exodus from the EU; and a challenging assertion that it is not in the British character to speak the truth about “serious stuff,” including abortion, and that Britain’s religious leaders are spineless.

We address Pope Francis’ strong statements against same-sex marriages and the “demonic gender ideology,” as well as the ongoing attempts of left-liberals in the USA to promote their transgender agenda, even in children’s books; the divided picture of the American Republican Party towards transgender people; and Donald Trump’s harsh criticism of his Republican colleagues and Democratic politicians and governmental officials; including his usual announcement (to become official on June 16) that he might run for President.

We conclude with an article suggesting that the Obama Administration will continue with the NSA spying program even though it expired and was rejected by Congress and a federal court; and the arrival of deadly mosquitoes in central Europe.

Enduring Anti-Americanism in Germany

The Associated Press wrote on May 7:

“President Barack Obama is aiming to show unity with Western allies on global challenges during an overnight trip to Germany, especially Chancellor Angela Merkel amid enduring anti-Americanism in her country over U.S. spying programs…

“The spying controversy has grown in recent weeks amid reports that Germany’s own Federal Intelligence Agency, better known by its German acronym BND, may have helped the U.S. spy on European companies and officials as long ago as 2008… ‘While we tend to view a lot of the impact of the NSA revelations in Europe as subsided, they have not subsided in Germany,’ said Heather Conley, director of the Europe Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. ‘This issue is being used in multiple ways to increase, I think, anti-Americanism in Germany and to weaken the chancellor.’…

“Obama said there ‘was no doubt’ the spying revelations damaged impressions of the United States in Germany and that he’s been trying to restore confidence… Julianne Smith, a former Obama White House official who is a senior fellow at the Center for New American Security, said part of the disillusionment in Germany and Europe more broadly comes from their sky-high expectations of Obama when he came to office…”

Ukraine About to Explode

Deutsche Welle wrote on June 7:

“The situation in Ukraine is about to escalate once again… In recent weeks, we were tempted to think, to some extent, that the situation in eastern Ukraine was about to calm down… Now, the period of treacherous calm is over.

“Using mortars and tanks, Russia-backed combatants of the so-called ‘people’s republics’ launched a massive military attack  from Donetsk along a major road stretching to the west. This onslaught could pave the way for a new large-scale attack, which people in the region have been fearing for a long time.

“As yet, no one has come forward to declare that the Minsk agreement, negotiated four months ago in the Belarusian capital, has failed. Instead, there is talk of a ‘setback’ and a ‘violation of the agreement.’ European politicians are voicing their concern and warning of a new spiral of violence. They have made a habit of that since the beginning of the conflict – always, it seems, simultaneously viewing the situation through rose-tinted glasses. Can the Minsk agreement work at all? Is a peace plan realistic if just one of the parties involved shows no commitment at all with respect to the objectives agreed upon?…

“To this day, Russia has denied involvement in the war. In fact, however, there was a Russian invasion of Ukraine. Soldiers from Russia were captured there; many have even died in Ukraine. The issue is controversial to such an extent that, a short while ago, a new law was passed in Russia according to which any reporting on the circumstances leading to the death of an army member is forbidden: a measure adopted to ensure secrecy, as if Russia were involved in a war.

“There are a number of indications that a large-scale attack is being prepared in Ukraine. In that case, the Minsk agreement would definitely be history… There is no indication that Russia – or the separatists – has renounced the path of war…”

Italy’s Ties and “Friendship” With Russia

Deutsche Welle wrote on June 10:

“Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi… spoke of ‘traditional Italian-Russian friendship’ while meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, at the beginning of [the] Kremlin chief’s diplomatic visit to Italy and the Vatican… The Italian prime minister, however, showed no intention of breaking ranks with other Western powers, only days after G7 countries [excluded Putin from their meeting and] reaffirmed sanctions against Moscow at a summit in Germany.

“Despite the G7 snub, the Kremlin still enjoys better relations with Rome than with most EU countries; Italy is Russia’s third-biggest trading partner after China and Germany, with deals between the two countries topping 30 billion euros ($33.9 billion) last year… The EU is due to decide in two weeks whether economic sanctions over Russian annexation of Crimea will stay in place…

“After meeting Renzi, the Russian president is to meet Pope Francis… On Wednesday, The United States urged the Vatican to take a tougher stance on Russia… Putin is also expected to meet long-time Italian leader Silvio Berlusconi, who is a personal friend of the Russian president.”

Everybody is involved in politics and “self-serving” economic interests, which means, that nothing good will come out of these talks. And that Putin and Berlusconi are personal friends does not speak for either one of them.

NATO Unwilling to Defend Russia’s Neighbors Against Russian Aggression?

The Washington Post wrote on June 10:

“After more than a year of war in Ukraine, Western European citizens are extremely wary of using military force to defend NATO allies from Russia, according to a wide-ranging opinion poll released Wednesday. The findings highlight fears among Russia’s NATO neighbors that the Western defense alliance may not be ready if put to the test.

“Fewer than half of those surveyed in Britain, Germany, France, Italy and Spain supported using military force to defend NATO allies if Russia entered a serious military conflict with one of them… The results came at a time of the worst tensions between Russia and the West since the Cold War…

“The NATO charter requires that member nations defend one another if one comes under attack. But the former Eastern bloc countries that joined the alliance in 2004 have long feared that their partners may not come to their aid…

“The three Baltic countries — Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania — as well as Poland have increased their defense spending since the conflict started in Ukraine…

“[The] United States was the most open to backing its allies if one was attacked. Of the Americans questioned, 56 percent were in favor of using military force and 37 percent were against. Germany, which has taken the lead European role in negotiations with Russia, was the most skeptical of a military response, with 38 percent in favor and 58 percent opposed…”

The Local added on June 10:

“The survey also shows a significant drop in [German] enthusiasm for Nato. Whereas in 2009 73 percent of Germans said they had a favourable opinion of the military alliance, this number has dropped to 55 percent in 2015. In no other Nato country did the survey find such drop in trust in the alliance.

“Germans are also fairly split over whom they attribute blame to for the Ukraine crisis. 29 percent say that Russia is to blame while 25 percent say that the pro-Russian separatists are responsible. 12 percent meanwhile say that the west is responsible.

“A large majority of Germans are in favour of economic support to the Ukrainian government (71 percent) although far fewer support delivering weapons to Kiev (19 percent.) A majority of Germans also reject both Nato membership and EU membership for Ukraine… There were also significant differences in attitudes between east and west Germany in evidence. While 19 percent of west Germans have a positive opinion of Vladimir Putin this number rises to 40 percent for east Germans.”

The Pope in Bosnia… Speaks of World War III

AFP wrote on June 6

“Pope Francis on Saturday bemoaned the ‘atmosphere of war’ haunting the world as he urged the people of war-scarred Sarajevo to provide an example of how different cultures and religions can co-exist peacefully… Many conflicts across the planet amount to ‘a kind of third world war being fought piecemeal and, in the context of global communications, we sense an atmosphere of war,’ the pontiff said in a mass at the stadium during a one-day visit to the Bosnian capital… ‘But war means children, women and the elderly in refugee camps, it means forced displacement, destroyed houses, streets and factories: above all countless shattered lives…

“The pontiff had earlier referred to Sarajevo, with its synagogues, churches and mosques, as a ‘European Jerusalem’, a crossroads of cultures, nations and religions…In a reference to the legacy of the war, which left Sarajevo in ruins and Bosnia permanently divided along ethnic lines, he urged the country’s Muslim, Serb and Croat communities to reach out to each other at every level… Later, at a meeting with Catholic, Muslim, Jewish and Orthodox religious figures, he said Sarajevo could reclaim its former status as a beacon of multiculturalism…

“Despite a show of unity to welcome the pope, it was not hard to find reminders on Saturday of how fragile Bosnia’s unity is. It was noticeable that there were far more red and white Croatian flags being waved than Bosnia’s blue and yellow ones. The national anthem played for Francis on his arrival remains without words because the three communities have been unable to agree [on] a common text…

“The 1992-95 Bosnian war left nearly 100,000 people dead and resulted in half the population, some two million people, being forced to leave their homes, many of them never to return. More than a third of Bosnia’s pre-war ethnic Croat population have left the country which is now divided in two between a Bosnian Serb republic and a Croat-Muslim federation… Around 40 percent of the population of Bosnia is of Islamic heritage, just over 30 percent are from the Serbian Orthodox tradition and around one in 10, almost uniquely Croats, describe themselves as Catholics.”

This area, formerly known as Yugoslavia, has been a powder keg for many decades and even centuries, and it was here where World War I started.

 Coming – A Shiite-Sunni War?

McClatchy Newspapers wrote on June 10:

“The Middle East crisis that peaked one year ago Wednesday when the Islamic State captured Mosul may result in the breakup of Iraq and an indefinite continuation of a war in Syria that’s already out of control… Yet still worse things could happen. ‘The conditions are very much like 1914,’ says Michael Stephens of the Royal United Service Institute in London. ‘All it will take is one little spark, and Iran and Saudi Arabia will go at each other, believing they are fighting a defensive war.’  Hiwa Osman, an Iraqi Kurdish commentator, was even more blunt: ‘The whole region is braced for the big war, the war that has not yet happened, the Shiite-Sunni war.’

“U.S. and foreign experts say the U.S still has not developed a strategy for dealing with the Sunni extremists who now hold more territory [in] Iraq and Syria than one year ago… The experts criticize America’s detachment from the four wars now under way in the region. And they say the Obama administration is banking on Iran to stabilize the region, a very dubious course. ‘We really don’t have a strategy at all. We’re basically playing this day by day,’ Robert Gates, a former secretary of defense, told MSNBC last month.

“The one conflict where the U.S. has poured money, weapons and military advisers is Iraq, but the outlook after the Sunni city of Ramadi fell to the Sunni extremists is for a long, drawn-out conflict. John Allen, the former retired Marine Corps general who serves as U.S. envoy to the global coalition fighting the Islamic State… said an Iraqi civil war ‘is almost unavoidable’…

“Everyone agrees that the international system is very different from 1914, when the two competing European alliances went to war. But there are similarities. That was ‘a crisis nobody wanted to have. When it came, it would be over in a few months’ time. It would end all wars. Everybody knows what happened,’ said Thorbjorn Jagland, a Norwegian politician and secretary general of the Council of Europe, a human rights watchdog body. ‘I don’t want to call the leaders today sleepwalkers, but maybe they have entered into a situation that nobody intended or wanted,’ he said.

“‘There are too many actors and too many unknowns. Everyone seems to be stuck in his own way,’ said Altay Cengizer, director of policy planning at the Turkish Foreign Ministry. He warned of the dangers of a prolonged crisis. ‘We are playing with fire,’ he said. ‘You cannot all day long play with fire. A fire will start.’”

More Bad News—ISIS Ready to Develop a Devastating Dirty Bomb?

The Independent wrote on June 10:

“The Isis militant group has seized enough radioactive material from government facilities to suggest it has the capacity to build a large and devastating ‘dirty’ bomb…  According to the Australian foreign minister, Julie Bishop, Nato has expressed deep concerns about the materials seized by Isis from research centres and hospitals that would normally only be available to governments… The threat of Isis’s radioactive and biological weapons stockpile was so severe that the Australia Group, a 40-nation bloc dedicated to ending the use of chemical weapons, held a session on the subject at its summit in Perth last week… Ms Bishop spoke at the Australia Group meeting about fears Isis was weaponising poisonous gases such as chlorine…

“The growing concerns about Isis’s development of weapons of mass destruction come at a time when experts fear the militant group will be ‘more active than ever’ to mark the start of Ramadan and the one-year anniversary of its declaration of a ‘caliphate’. Isis said it was changing its name to ‘Islamic state’ following the first public address by its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in Mosul on 29 June last year, and the US-based Institute for the Study of War has noted that the group usually reserves its major operations to coincide with the Islamic holy month.”

Turkish President Erdogan Suffers Major Setback

The Associated Press reported on June 7:

“In a stunning rebuke of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ambitions to expand his powers, Turkish voters stripped his party of its simple majority in parliament, preliminary election results showed Sunday. With 99.9 percent of the vote counted, Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development Party, the AKP, had the support of around 41% of voters… According to projections, that would give it some 258 seats — 18 below the minimum needed to keep its majority.

“The unexpected setback for AKP likely puts an end, for the time being, to Erdogan’s hopes of passing constitutional changes that would have greatly boosted the powers of his office. Instead, he faces struggles to retain his pre-eminent place in Turkish politics without the obvious levers to steer the government through his party in parliament.

“The result is also a bitter blow to Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, whose political prospects are uncertain after leading his party to such a disappointing result. AKP will now have to seek a coalition partner to stay in power, with the nationalist MHP the most likely candidate…

“The biggest setback for AKP came with the rise of the main pro-Kurdish party, HDP, which for the first time easily cleared the threshold of 10% for representation as a party in the parliament. The preliminary results put its tally at almost 13%…

“The vote came amid high tensions after bombings Friday during a HDP rally killed 2 people and wounded scores…”

AFP added on June 7:

“Turkey’s Islamic-rooted ruling party (AKP) lost its parliamentary majority in Sunday’s legislative elections… [This] means the AKP will need to form a coalition for the first time since coming to power in 2002…

“The result was a triumph for the HDP [a party dominated by ethnic Kurds], which in the campaign had sought to present itself as a genuinely Turkish party and reach out to voters beyond its main Kurdish support base to secular Turks, women and gays. It was also a personal victory for the party’s charismatic leader Selahattin Demirtas, dubbed the ‘Kurdish Obama’… He said there would be no coalition with the AKP and instead the HDP would make a ‘strong and honest opposition’.”

The Washington Post added on June 7:

“It was a remarkable achievement for a party [HDP] that was formed less than three years ago and has direct ties to the violent three-decade Kurdish separatist insurgency in Turkey’s southeast. The war between the militant Kurd­istan Workers’ Party, or PKK, and the Turkish state has claimed 40,000 lives since it first flared in the early 1980s… Among the HDP’s parliamentarians are relatives of jailed or slain leaders of the PKK, an organization still considered a terrorist group by Washington and An­kara. Demirtas, the HDP’s charismatic icon, is believed to have a brother among the guerrillas.

“For decades, Kurdish identity was suppressed by the Turkish state. Ironically, it was under Erdogan and the AKP that Kurds began to experience more cultural rights, including the freedom to speak and write in their own language.”

The EUObserver wrote on June 9:

“Turkey faced a near market crash on Monday (8 June) after ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) failed to win a majority in Sunday’s general election, raising fears about the country’s political stability… Markets reacted negatively to the [election’s] results that left president [Erdogan’s] AKP with no majority for the first time since 2002 and no obvious coalition partner… Prime minister Ahmet Davutoglu, who is due to meet Erdogan on Tuesday, will have forty-five days to form a government and new elections are not ruled out.

“The period could create instability for [a] Turkish economy that benefited much from Erdogan’s rule and AKP links with business… The political uncertainties could also weigh on relations with the EU, Turkey’s top import and export partner. In a statement Monday, EU chief diplomat Federica Mogherini and enlargement commissioner Johannes Hahn said that ‘the coming period offers opportunities for further strengthening the EU-Turkey relationship’…”

The Battle for Greece

Reuters wrote on June 10:

“Greece and its international lenders moved closer to the brink on Wednesday… Athens said it was waiting for the creditors to respond to ideas it put forward on Monday. Euro zone officials said the proposals were inadequate to plug holes in the Greek budget and also dodged key reforms to make the economy more competitive…

“Athens is likely to default on a 1.6 billion euro repayment due to the International Monetary Fund at the end of June unless it receives fresh funds from its frozen bailout or the European Central Bank lets it sell more short-term debt to Greek banks. That will only happen if the two sides can agree in the coming days on a cash-for-reform deal that has been the focus of acrimonious negotiations for the last four months.

“A default could lead to the imposition of capital controls and possibly put Greece on a path to becoming the first country to leave the 19-nation single currency area, undermining the euro’s avowed irreversibility… The European Commission said its chief, Jean-Claude Juncker, who accused Tsipras on Sunday of misrepresenting the creditors’ proposals and misleading his parliament, had no plans as yet to meet the Greek premier…

“Greece appears to be insisting it will not sign any deal unless it contains a commitment to official debt relief, while the creditors say they will only start discussing debt rescheduling once a deal is signed and implemented… ‘If Greece does exit then it is possible that all hell breaks loose and that risk assets and peripheral government bonds suffer,’ said Gary Jenkins, chief credit strategist at LNG Capital. ‘However the least likely outcome is that Greece leaves and that the Eurozone takes no measures to stop speculation that it might fall apart.’”

This will remain to be seen. Earlier this week, Bild Online reported that Angela Merkel was apparently willing to come once again to the rescue of Greece, but many members of the coalition parties are allegedly strongly against further monetary help (The German population is overwhelmingly against it). On the other hand, politicians were strongly against monetary help for Greece several times before, and still finally agreed to it on several occasions.

Deutsche Welle reported on June 11 that the “International Monetary Fund has walked out on talks with Greece on Wednesday, dashing hopes of a compromise in ongoing debt negotiations.” Bild Online added on June 11 that a meeting on Wednesday night and Thursday morning between Angela Merkel (60), Alexis Tsipras (40) und François Hollande (60)failed to produce any results and that, as a consequence, Angela Merkel is now also preparing for a “Grexit.” A final meeting is scheduled for next Thursday.

Cameron Warned that 100 Conservative MPs May Vote for Brexit

The Independent wrote on Monday 8:

“David Cameron has been warned that 100 Conservative MPs will vote for Britain to leave the European Union unless he wins the reforms they want when he renegotiates new membership terms. The Prime Minister’s post-election honeymoon with his own MPs ended as Eurosceptic Tories set out demands that he has little chance of securing. They include reforms to the EU’s freedom of movement rules and allowing the UK Parliament to veto EU laws.

“Mr Cameron made clear that Conservative ministers would have to resign if they failed to back his position in the referendum. Speaking at the start of the G7 summit in Germany, he said he expected all Tory ministers to accept the deal he negotiates and that they would have to leave the Government if they decide to support a No campaign…

“But in a move likely to infuriate Tory rebels, Mr Cameron suggested he might be prepared to accept a renegotiation deal that did not include treaty change as long as it could not be challenged by European courts… Treaty change is one of the key demands of Conservatives for Britain…

“Mr Cameron said he could see no reason why the referendum debate could not be held on the same day as other UK elections – despite a call by the Electoral Commission for it to be held on a separate date. That means the plebiscite could be held next May, when there are elections for local authorities, the Scottish Parliament and Welsh assembly and Mayor of London…

“Speaking ahead of a meeting with Mr Cameron, President Obama re-iterated his desire for Britain to remain as a member of the EU… He added: ‘We have no closer partner around the world on a whole host of issues.’”

The Daily Express added on June 8:

“Mr Cameron spoke out at Schloss Elmau in Bavaria, after a new Conservatives for Britain group was announced yesterday… More than 50 MPs are reported to have signed up to the group [this number is expected to grow to 100 and beyond], which will formally support the Prime Minister’s renegotiation drive but could lead the campaign for a British exit if the members are unimpressed with the terms of the deal…

“Tory MP Steve Baker, who is chairing Conservatives for Britain, said: ‘We wish David Cameron every success but, unless senior EU officials awake to the possibility that one of the largest EU members is serious about a fundamental change in our relationship, our recommendation to British voters seems likely to be: Exit.’

“The Daily Express has led the anti EU debate, helping to force Mr Cameron into a referendum.”

David Cameron’s undefined and shifting goals regarding his stance on Britain’s membership in the EU may lead to undesired consequences—either way.

“In Britain, No One Tells the Truth About Serious Stuff!”

Breitbart wrote on June 7:

“In Britain, no one tells the truth about really serious stuff. It’s not in the national character. So reporters had to do some maths this week to work out that, according to official statistics, 27 per cent of all deaths in England and Wales are abortions…

“According to figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), there were 506,790 recorded deaths in England and Wales in 2013 – the most recent year for which figures are available. These, however, do not include abortions. Separate figures, also compiled by the ONS, reveal that a total of 185,331 abortions took place in England and Wales in the same year.

“Adding the total number of unborn babies who died as a result of abortion in 2013 to the total number of recorded deaths in England and Wales brings the overall death total to 692,121. This means that 26.78 per cent of the deaths were caused by abortion. The figure has remained relatively stable for the past few years, with abortions accounting for 27.76 per cent of deaths in 2010, 28.17 per cent in 2011 and 27.05 per cent in 2012.

“The current consensus, which appears to be that a woman’s body is hers to do with as she pleases until the little brat pops out, strikes me as utterly sociopathic and wrong. When two lives are at stake, surely a mother has a moral duty to consider the well-being of her unborn baby…

“I instinctively recoil from abortion as one of the great horrors of civilisation… it would be nice to have the conversation… without being told that men have no right to express an opinion on the subject, or that women must simply be left to murder as many of their children as they please, without care or consequence, and that neither society nor the law ought to encourage them to think it through.

“You rarely see anyone in Britain stating the pro-life position with any ferocity. It’s normally done apologetically in newspaper columns and in Catholic magazines… I wonder why that is. Is the reason we don’t even talk about this subject that there’s no strong religious conservatism in our public life? Because there really isn’t… The Catholic Church is almost as bad as the Church of England when it comes to speaking plainly about God. Our bishops would much rather bleat on about climate change — driving away thousands of young people, who come to the church seeking spiritual enlightenment, not green propaganda.

“Our religious leaders are spineless…”

The above-quoted comments ring so true… sadly!

Pope Francis: “Marriage Under Attack from ‘Demonic Gender Ideology’”

Breitbart wrote on June 9:

“Following the recent Irish referendum that recognized same-sex marriage, Pope Francis insisted again on Monday that the ‘complementarity of man and woman’ is essential to marriage, but is under attack from ‘so-called gender ideology, in the name of a freer and fairer society.’ The Pope has repeatedly warned his audiences of the dangers of an ideology of gender that seeks to undermine the proper understanding of marriage as well as human sexuality…

“Noting that the family is under attack from a series of social ills, the Pope underscored ‘the value and beauty’ of marriage, founded on ‘the complementarity of man and woman,’ which he called ‘the crown of God’s creation.’…

“This is not the first time the Pope has sounded the alarm on the dangers of gender politics. Francis has used the strongest language imaginable, calling modern gender ideology ‘demonic,’ and comparing gender theory with ‘the educational policies of Hitler.’ The Pope has also said that gender theory fails to recognize ‘the order of creation.’… Basing himself on Biblical theology, the Pope has declared that God creates people as ‘male and female,’ rather than an ever expanding spectrum of contrived pseudo-sexual genders.”

“Transgender Children’s Books Gain Popularity, Indoctrination Rises”

Newsmax reported on June 7:

“As transgender issues become more mainstream, so have books about the subject for children…

“The books include not only memoirs, but science fiction and young adult romance, the Times notes. And though some are printed by publishers that focus on gay and lesbian themes, mainstream publishers such as Scholastic Press and Disney Hyperion are getting on board. ‘As our culture is starting to acknowledge transgender people and acknowledge that they are part of the fabric of who we are, literature is reflecting that,’ Scholastic Press’ David Levithan told the Times.

“But not everyone is happy… Scholastic’s upcoming ‘George,’ has faced resistance from some teachers and librarians who say third- and fourth-graders may not be ready for the transgender discussion. But the publisher has actually increased its first printing from 35,000 to 50,000 copies based on strong pre-orders.”

This is abominable!

Jenner Welcome in Republican Party

Fox News reported on June 7:

“Republican presidential contender Lindsey Graham says his party has room for transgendered people like Caitlyn Jenner. The South Carolina senator calls himself a ‘traditional marriage kind of guy.’ But he says he ‘can only imagine the torment that Bruce Jenner went through’ before becoming a transgendered woman. He hopes that, now, she’s ‘found peace.’

“The underdog Republican candidate is campaigning on the need to counter threats from terrorists and Islamic State militants. He shares the opposition to same-sex marriage expressed by his rivals but says the Supreme Court is settling that question. Graham says if Jenner wants to be a Republican, she’s welcome. And he says if she wants a safe country and a strong economy, she should vote for him… Jenner has suggested earlier that he is a Republican.”

Lindsey Graham’s controversial statements are in total opposition to conservative commentators, such as radio host Rush Limbaugh, who warned Republicans not to go that route.

Will Trump Really Run This Time?

The News & Observer reported on June 7:

“Billionaire businessman Donald Trump all but confirmed he’ll run for the Republican presidential nomination during a stop Saturday at the N.C. GOP convention. Trump says he’ll make his formal announcement on June 16. ‘I think a lot of people are going to be very happy’ with the decision, Trump told The News & Observer before a sold-out speech Saturday night. ‘They’re tired of watching America go down. … It’s about making America great again. I can do it, and nobody else can do it.’…

“Trump referred to the constantly growing field of Republican candidates as ‘clowns’… [He specifically singled out Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio in this context.]

“Addressing criticism that he lacks the political experience to be president, Trump said he’d be strong on foreign policy. ‘I’ve made a lot of money beating China and other countries,’ he said. ‘I only have experience beating other countries. Is that good experience?’

“Trump offered an alternative plan for the international trade negotiations under way. He said Ford and other companies looking to move manufacturing to Mexico or overseas should face a 35 percent tax when they ship the goods back to the U.S…

“Trump wasn’t modest about his credentials. ‘I would be the greatest jobs president that God ever created,’ he said. ‘I would be strongest by far on security, because I’m very big into the military, very big into the vets.’ He said he knows how to beat the Islamic State militants and criticized the Obama administration’s approach… Trump called President Barack Obama ‘most likely incompetent.’ He questioned why Secretary of State John Kerry bicycles at age 71… And he said Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign is ‘unusual’ because she avoids media questions…”

Donald Trump has been announcing time and time again that he was contemplating running for the US Presidency… but he never did. Will it be different this time around?

America’s Spying Program… Back from the Dead?

The Guardian wrote on June 9:

“The Obama administration has asked a secret surveillance court to ignore a federal court that found bulk surveillance illegal and to once again grant the National Security Agency the power to collect the phone records of millions of Americans for six months.

“The legal request, filed nearly four hours after Barack Obama vowed to sign a new law banning precisely the bulk collection he asks the secret court to approve, also suggests that the administration may not necessarily comply with any potential court order demanding that the collection stop…

“Justice Department national security chief John A Carlin cited a six-month transition period provided in the USA Freedom Act – passed by the Senate last week to ban the bulk collection – as a reason to permit an ‘orderly transition’ of the NSA’s domestic dragnet. Carlin did not address whether the transition clause of the Freedom Act still applies now that a congressional deadlock meant the program shut down on 31 May.

“But Carlin asked the Fisa court to set aside a landmark declaration by the second circuit court of appeals. Decided on 7 May, the appeals court ruled that the government had erroneously interpreted the Patriot Act’s authorization of data collection as ‘relevant’ to an ongoing investigation to permit bulk collection. Carlin, in his filing, wrote that the Patriot Act provision remained ‘in effect’ during the transition period…

“On Friday, the conservative group FreedomWorks filed a rare motion before the Fisa court, asking it to reject the government’s surveillance request as a violation of the fourth amendment’s prohibition on unreasonable searches and seizures. Fisa court judge Michael Moseman gave the justice department until this coming Friday to respond – and explicitly barred the government from arguing that FreedomWorks lacks the standing to petition the secret court. ‘The only federal appeals court to have considered this surveillance concluded, after very careful analysis, that it’s unlawful. It’s disturbing and disappointing that the government is proposing to continue it,’ said Jaffer, of the ACLU.”

But bad habits seldom die quickly…

The Danger of Deadly Mosquitoes in Europe

The Austrian edition of The Local wrote on June 10:

“The summer may bring hot sunny days and long evenings, but it also brings mosquitoes and this year experts are warning people to be on guard against ‘exotic’ species which bite during the day. ‘Unfortunately in the last two or three years we have noticed more exotic mosquito types in Austria – such as the Asian tiger mosquito – which are active during the day,’ Franz Allerberger, from the Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES), told the ORF. He says the invasive Asian mosquitoes have already been spotted in Graz, and are likely to come to the Vienna area in the next year or two.

“The Asian tiger mosquito has become more common in central Europe, due to the global transport of goods and increasing international travel. It doesn’t need wetlands to breed and can survive colder winters. Researcher Bernhard Seidel, who first discovered the species in Austria in 2011, says that they came to Austria via Slovenia and Switzerland. They tend to colonise urbanised areas and will breed around houses and gardens in small containers such as bird baths, containers, and old tires. There are concerns that the mosquitoes, which are vicious biters, could transmit diseases such as West Nile virus, as well as new, emerging diseases like dengue fever and chikungunya – both of which can be deadly.

“Allerberger said the common house mosquito is more likely to breed after flooding, and the easiest way to eliminate them is to empty water that collects in buckets, cans, jars, barrels, boats, discarded tires, clogged roof gutters, paddling pools or pool covers and any artificially created collection of water. Cutting down weeds, trimming and maintaining shrubs and grass also helps reduce adult mosquito populations that hide in vegetation.

“In 2011 the common house mosquito was found to be carrying West Nile virus in Lower Austria, and in 2014 mosquitoes in Vienna were also found to be carriers of the disease… there is no vaccination for it.

“Experts recommend using mosquito nets, fly screens, and wearing light coloured, loose fitting clothing with long sleeves and legs to prevent bites. Mosquito repellent sprays contain chemicals which deter the mosquito from biting, but should not be used on small children or babies. Mosquito nets are recommended as the best way to protect babies in prams.”

This is an intriguing question. In a recent Q&A, we stated the following:

“The Bible does NOT say that people will DIE in the Millennium TO BE RESURRECTED TO IMMORTALITY at a later time. It appears LIKELY that all will indeed live until the end of the Millennium, so that all will be exposed to Satan’s evil devices when he is released from prison. Most (except for those very few who survive the Great Tribulation and live on into the Millennium) had never had any experience with Satan who was bound in prison for all this time, while they were born in the Millennium and grew up; so God might want to test all of them to see where they really stand. This is not the case with those who will be in the Second Resurrection, because ALL of them had been tempted by Satan in their prior life. Therefore, there is no need for God to keep Satan around to allow him to tempt them once again.”

A specific question was asked as to how this statement applies to unborn or aborted children. In what way were they tempted by Satan before their life ended prematurely? And how will they be judged by God in the Great White Throne Judgment period, since they were never born and did not sin in their mother’s womb?

First of all, let us recall that, and exactly how, aborted babies will be resurrected.

We stated the following in a previous Q&A:

“The Bible also teaches that all those who did NOT die ‘in Christ’ will be resurrected AFTER the Millennium to be given their chance to choose God’s Way of Life. This is commonly referred to in the Bible as the ‘second resurrection.’ But they will be resurrected as physical beings, not as Spirit beings. When they are raised from the dead, they will receive a new physical body–not a spiritual body… God will be using their spirit in man (which returned to God upon death) to create through it a new physical body for them. God will give them a new flesh and blood physical body, as He pleases, using the spirit in man as a ‘mold’ which has retained even the outward appearance of the person.

“This is not to say that the persons will be raised exactly to the same physical existence that they had when they died. For instance, we don’t believe that a person who, through an accident or a birth defect, had only one arm or one leg, will be resurrected to exactly that identical state, but, in all likelihood, with two arms and two legs. We find it reasonable to conclude that blind persons will be raised with eyesight. An aborted fetus will obviously not be resurrected as a fetus, but as a human being who will be capable of living on his own [To clarify, a fetus is a human being. But he or she will not be raised in the Second Resurrection as a fetus, but as a physical human being capable of living on his or her own.]. When Adam and Eve were created, God did not create them as little children, but as grown adults, perhaps in their early or mid-twenties, and He placed in them the spirit in man, even though they were without any prior experience… all [in the Great White Throne Judgment] will be resurrected to live healthy lives for about one hundred years, which–as the Bible indicates–is most likely the time allotted to them during the Great White Throne Judgment period, prior to the creation of new heavens and a new earth (compare Isaiah 65:17, 20, indicating that a ‘child’–that is a Christian who is to become like a child–will live for one hundred years, and that an unrepented ‘sinner,’ being ‘one hundred years old,’ shall be ‘accursed’).”

In chapter 11 of our free booklet, “Biblical Prophecy–From Now Until Forever,” we added the following:

“After the Millennium, there will be a Second Resurrection when God will resurrect all those who did not commit the unpardonable sin, and who were not already changed into Spirit in the First Resurrection or during or at the end of the Millennium. Everyone who died without having been given an opportunity to accept the truth and to live God’s way of life will receive that opportunity then. They will be resurrected as a human being, in a physical state, here on earth, and will live for about 100 years (compare Isaiah 65:20). During that time, they will also be given the opportunity to qualify to enter the Kingdom of God.

“This Second Resurrection is also commonly referred to as the ‘Great White Throne Judgment’ period, during which all persons who have ever lived and who were never called by God for salvation during their lifetime, will have their first opportunity to accept Christ as their Savior…

“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…’

“Ezekiel 37:7–11 describes the resurrection of the entire house of Israel to PHYSICAL LIFE. They will be resurrected in the SECOND resurrection… 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…

“At the end of the Great White Throne Judgment period, there will be a ‘judicial’ finding. Those who qualified for the Kingdom of God will be changed into immortal God beings, entering the very Family of God. Those who irrevocably decided against God’s Way of Life will be condemned and die. They will subsequently be resurrected again in the Third Resurrection [to be destroyed in the lake of fire]…

“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)—His government and peace will be everlasting; His throne will stand forever, and His rule will be without end (compare Isaiah 9:6-7; Daniel 7:27; 2:44)…

“We referred earlier to Ezekiel’s vision of the valley of dry bones, as set forth in Ezekiel 37. It describes the resurrection of the entire house of Israel. We are specifically informed that the dead Israelites will be resurrected to PHYSICAL life. They will come to know God (verse 6). God will open their graves and bring them to the land of Israel (verse 12). This implies that they will be resurrected where they died and/or were buried, but that God will then bring them to the places He wants them to be…

“After they are resurrected from the dead, apparently at the place where they were buried or died, they will all be brought before Christ in Jerusalem, to appear before His throne and judgment seat. It is very likely that angels and immortal saints will assist in this process of bringing the resurrected persons to Christ’s throne in Jerusalem.

“Remember that we read in Revelation 20:11-12 that John sees in vision a great white throne and Him that sat on it, and the dead are standing before God to give account and hear God’s pronouncement of judgment—the death penalty for everyone, since all have sinned. But then Christ will explain that because of His death and sacrifice, their sins can be forgiven, and the Holy Spirit will be offered to them…

“God will then ‘dismiss’ them to settle in those places on earth designed for them. The Gentiles, as well as the Israelites, will have an allotted time of perhaps 100 years to qualify for the Kingdom of God. 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).”

In a Q&A about the spirit in man in man we pointed out the following:

“In the book of Isaiah we are told that each human being has a spirit within him. ‘Thus says God the Lord, Who created the heavens and stretched them out, Who spread forth the earth and that which comes from it, Who gives breath to the people on it, and spirit to those who walk on it…’ (Isaiah 42:5)… The Bible strongly indicates that God gives the human spirit at the time of conception, and then takes it back at the time of death. We read in Zechariah 12:1, ‘Thus says the Lord who stretches out the heavens, lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him.’ Ecclesiastes 12:7 says, ‘Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it.’ When the spirit in man leaves a person, that person is dead. James 2:26 says, ‘For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also…

“… each person has a human spirit which God gives to each human, apparently at the time of conception, and which goes back to God in heaven when the person dies. This spirit is not the person, nor is it immortal or eternal, nor does it have a conscious existence when the person dies.”

This means, then, that an aborted baby or a baby who dies prematurely in the mother’s womb, has received the spirit in man, apparently at the time of conception; he or she has therefore become a human being since conception and will be resurrected in the Second Resurrection of the Great White Throne Judgment period.

In light of the foregoing statements, we are ready to answer the question as to how aborted babies and those who die prematurely before birth, will be judged. We read in Revelation 20:12:

“And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.”

A reference to opened books at the time when the court is seated can also be found in Daniel 7:10. The “books” which were opened refer to the books of the Bible (compare for example Exodus 17:14, referring to the writings or books of Moses; Jeremiah 30:2, referring to the book of Jeremiah; Luke 4:17, referring to the book of Isaiah—see also Isaiah 29:18; John 20:30, referring to the book of John; Hebrews 10:7 and Psalm 40:7, referring to Old Testament writings; and Revelation 1:11; 22:7, 9, 10, 18, 19, referring to the book of Revelation).

But the books are ALSO referring to the deeds, actions and thoughts which have been and will be recorded in heaven (Psalm 56:8; Psalm 139:16; Malachi 3:16). The judgment of those who will be resurrected in the Second Resurrection refers to their prior life AND to their lifetime during the Great White Throne Judgment period. As God’s judgment is already now on the house of God (1 Peter 4:17), so God’s judgment will also be upon those in the Second Resurrection until the end of that period. They will be judged in accordance with the contents of the books of the Bible. The contents will then be open to their understanding (compare Psalm 119:18), and they will be evaluated as to how they will live in compliance with the Bible.  The Book of Life will also be open for them, as then will be THEIR time for salvation, when their names can be written into the Book of Life to grant them eternal life and preserve them from the lake of fire (compare Revelation 20:15).

At the BEGINNING of the Great White Throne Judgment period, all will stand in front of Christ’s throne. They will be confronted with their sins in their prior life, which they have to realize, confess and repent of, so that they can obtain forgiveness of their PAST sins. But how can this apply to an unborn baby, and how did Satan tempt the baby in the mother’s womb?

We need to understand that we do not only have to repent of what we DO, but also, of what we ARE. The Bible shows us that apart from God’s Spirit within us, NOTHING good dwells within us (Romans 7:18). The disciples asked Christ on one occasion whether a man or his parents had sinned because he was born blind, and Christ responded that neither of them had sinned (John 9:1-3). That is, neither of them had committed a particular sin which led to the blindness of the person at birth. But this does not mean that they did not have human nature, because all are born with HUMAN NATURE or, as the Bible puts it, with SINFUL FLESH. Christ never sinned, but He came into sinful flesh (Romans 8:3). He had human nature passed on to Him through His mother Mary, and He needed God’s help to overcome sin in the flesh. He had the fullness of God’s Spirit within Him without measure, and that from conception (John 3:34, Authorized Version), which enabled Him to stay sinless.

But this is not true for anyone else, nor is it true for those who will be resurrected in the Second Resurrection. When they were born, lived and died, they did not have any measure of God’s Holy Spirit within them (let alone Holy Spirit without measure), as none of them had been called in this day and age. Instead, all were born and conceived with human nature or “sinful flesh.” Even though an unborn baby who dies prematurely in his or her mother’s womb or who is aborted, does not commit sinful ACTS, they are still human beings with human nature, which CANNOT be subject to God’s law (Romans 8:7). In the Great White Throne Judgment period, they will realize that even as unborn babies, they were hopelessly doomed to failure and that they need Christ’s Sacrifice for the forgiveness of their “sinful flesh,” followed by the development of divine nature (2 Peter 1:4), which can only occur through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

It should be obvious that those humans who die prematurely or who are murdered through abortion will have a much easier time to accept God’s Way of Life than those who might have lived in sin for seventy, eighty or ninety years and who have to unlearn the bad habits of an entire lifetime. Persons who prematurely die as little babies will not have to UNLEARN much, if anything… but they still have to qualify by accepting God’s Way of Life and the gift of the Holy Spirit. Adam and Eve were in a similar category, but they refused to eat from the Tree of Life which would have granted them the gift of God’s Holy Spirit. God did not create Adam and Eve with wicked hearts and rebellious minds; however, He did not create them with a divine nature either, but with human nature, susceptible to the temptations of Satan the Devil. Since they were free moral agents, they could choose, and they chose to follow Satan—falling for his temptation—and to disobey God. Mankind has been following Satan ever since, but many times, man follows Satan without realizing it.

Satan has control over the whole world. He rules over this world… and he does so often by sending feelings, impulses and emotions, which are contrary to godly love and promote instead unrealized selfish ambitions. We might call this human nature… but in reality, it is SATAN’S NATURE which he instills into human beings. And in that sense, Satan has tempted everyone, to one degree or another, who will be resurrected in the Great White Throne Judgment. We read in Ephesians 2:1-3 that we all were once targets of Satan, the “prince of the power of the air,” “fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind and were BY NATURE children of wrath.”

The Bible shows that following the time of conception, sinful human nature is there, even in a baby. We read David’s words in Psalm 51:5: “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me.”

This is not a reference to any illicit acts of his mother and his father; rather, David describes here HIS human nature with which he was conceived and born.

The New International Version says: “Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.”

The Pulpit Commentary interprets David’s words as follows:

“Not only have I committed acts of sin (verses 1-4), but sin is thoroughly ingrained into MY NATURE. I was conceived in it; I was brought forth in it; only the strongest remedies can cleanse me from it (verse 7). But cleansing alone is not enough. I need renewal (verse 10); I need thy Holy Spirit (verse 11)…”

Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible says:

“Hence we learn the earliness of the corruption of nature; it is as soon as man is conceived and shapen; … and that it is the case of all men: for if this was the case of David, who was born of religious parents, was famous for his early piety, and from whose seed the Messiah sprung, it may well be concluded to be the case of all. And this corruption of NATURE is the fountain, source, and spring of all sin, secret and open, private and public; and is mentioned here not as an extenuation of David’s actual transgressions, but as an aggravation of them; he having been, from his conception and formation, nothing else but a mass of sin…”

The Ryrie Study Bible says: “It is not that the acts of giving birth or conceiving are in themselves sinful, but that from the moment of conception a person possesses a SINFUL NATURE.”

A similar statement can be found in Psalm 58:3. Even though it speaks of the wicked person, it goes back to his “origin,” showing where the development would lead if God was not to intervene. We read: “The wicked are estranged from the womb; they go astray as soon as they are born, speaking lies.”

This is not to be confused with the WRONG concept of the “original sin,” which holds that Adam and Eve’s sin was “imputed” to all of mankind, and that because of the sin of Adam and Eve, everybody is guilty. This negates personal and individual responsibility and accountability. But it IS true that due to Adam and Eve’s sin, access to the Tree of Life and God’s Holy Spirit was disallowed, leading to the kind of world under Satan’s influence which we experience today (Romans 5:12)—a world cut off from God and being held captive by Satan. The point is that even an unborn baby has human NATURE, which would have led to sinful CONDUCT following birth (compare Job 13:26; 14:1-4; 25:4; Psalm 25:7). And it is that human nature, instilled by Satan, which needs to be recognized by those in the Second Resurrection, realizing that they will have to replace their heart of stone (the natural heart) with a new heart of flesh (a godly heart, leading to the development of divine nature).

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

“666–The Number of the Beast,” is the first of three new sermons dealing with “Prophecy – How to Understand It”—to be presented by Norbert Link on June 13, 2015. This will be followed by presentations on June 20 and 27. In addition, we are promoting this series through press releases, Facebook and our own webpage, www.eternalgod.org.

A new Member Letter has been mailed. In this letter Brian Gale addresses the evil of war, especially noting the recent history of world wars which have never led to peace. He also focuses on the promise we have been given of Jesus Christ establishing true and lasting peace in God’s Kingdom.

“World War III and Christ’s Return” is the title of the most recent StandingWatch program presented by Evangelist Norbert Link. Here is a Summary:

Jesus warned that just prior to His Second Coming, an all-encompassing World War would threaten the very survival of mankind. We are living in those times today. Just this week, numerous articles were published, showing how World War III could begin… and where! While the world is asleep and its leaders are like sleepwalkers, reality paints a terrible picture. You NEED to know what is REALLY happening! We offer our free booklet, “Biblical Prophecy–From Now Until Forever.”

“Wann Nimmt Satans Macht ein Ende?” is the title of this week’s German sermon. Title in English: “When Will Satan’s Power Be Over?”

“Adapt,” the sermonette presented by Eric Rank last Sabbath, is now posted.

“Misguided Perceptions,” last Sabbath’s sermon presented by Robb Harris, is now posted. Here is a summary:

How do we view the world in light of our spiritually enabled eyesight? For thousands of years Satan has been misguiding mankind with one purpose: to lead us away from God.

On June 6, 2015, Eric Rank will present the sermonette, titled, “Adapt,” and Robb Harris will present the sermon, titled, “Misguided Perceptions.”

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.

During the middle of last week my mother contacted me to let me know that my 94 year old grandmother had died, and that the funeral would be on Friday. After hearing the news I quickly booked a flight at the last minute to travel back to my childhood home for the weekend. The unexpected travel took some effort to coordinate, but it was very important for me to be with my family during that time.

During the many hours that I spent traveling, I was compelled and had the time to meditate on the brevity of life, the swiftness of time, and the vain pursuits of mankind (compare Ecclesiastes 1:14). I was reminded of the statement made in James 4:14,  “… For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.” Certainly, the time that we have to live a life in the flesh is very short, and therefore the time that we have should be spent on things that are very important.

What is important then? This is a question that I thought a lot about. Do I spend my time on activities that are really important? After experiencing mortality closely, the typical answers naturally become re-evaluated. During the memorial service for my grandmother, I had the opportunity to look at photographs of snapshots taken throughout her life. I listened to stories from people who had spent time with her. The kinds of things that captivated me were the relationships that she had with people, how she influenced the lives of others, and the character of her way of life. Reflecting on her life caused me to realize that character and the ability to influence others in a positive way are very important for our relationship with other humans.

It is the development of our character that is important to God as well. We all have the opportunity to live our lives in a way that is obedient to God, showing our willingness to do what is good and right in His sight. Whether we are able to accumulate wealth or accomplish great worldly feats is inconsequential. Our ability to develop positive relationships with others so that we might influence people is also important to God. Christians are called to be lights in this world, as a living example of good works. As Jesus Christ instructed in Matthew 5:16, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” The ability to live a life that develops good, righteous character, that may cause God to be glorified is what’s important for us to focus on.

The corollary of knowing what is important is knowing what is not important in life. It is all too easy to become distracted and focus a disproportionate amount of time and energy on things that really don’t matter that much. When our lives are evaluated at the end, whether by our friends and family, or by Jesus Christ, many of the things that are seemingly important at the moment will be of little consequence. What will be important is the manner in which we have lived our short lives. Did we show the love for God and people in our lives, or not? Solomon sums it up well in Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 where he writes, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man’s all [or, “the whole duty of man”]. For God will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing, Whether good or evil.”

We are living in a corrupt world. And that not only in the well-recognized area of politics. The FIFA soccer (football) scandal is a sad testimony to the fact that even in the world’s most popular sport, bribery, kick-backs and other illegal activities seem to be commonplace. FBI investigations are apparently even directed against FIFA’s long-time president, Sepp Blatter, who was reelected in spite of the scandal, but subsequently decided to resign. The appalling truth is that many have warned in the past of FIFA’s illegal activities, including Germany’s “Kaiser” Franz Beckenbauer, especially when deciding on where to hold the World Cup tournaments, but he was immediately silenced by FIFA and ordered not to attend several soccer games for a certain period of time. What should be an enjoyable and relaxing occasion has become a morass of sinful behavior and corruption, due to unscrupulous functionaries… and we dare to say that the events in the soccer world are by no means limited to just that sport.

 In this issue, we begin reporting on developments in the Middle East, including the real danger for the whole world posed by some of ISIS’s activities; Iran’s unwavering support of Assad’s Syria and its increased stockpile of nuclear fuel in contradiction to the Obama administration’s representations; and the remarkable fact that most Turks view the state of Israel as the biggest threat to Turkey’s security.

We continue with David Cameron’s attempts to find help and support in Germany and other European countries, with a rather mixed and cautious reaction.

 We address the relationship between Germany and Egypt and report on appalling hateful accusations and actions of Muslims against Jews.

We focus on Rand Paul’s lonely fight against the NSA surveillance and bulk data collection program, facing criticism from all sides of the established political spectrum, while most Americans approve of his conduct; speak on President Obama’s stated belief that the USA has become the most respected country in the world; and report about America’s unconstitutional blackmail of those parents who refuse to vaccinate their children, as well as the virtually non-existent medical exemption.

We conclude with articles on a clash of “values” between “mainstream” Catholic Nancy Pelosi and the official position of her Church on abortion and same-sex marriage; a clash of “values” between Russia and the West on the issue of homosexuality and same-sex marriage; a clash of “values” on transgender identity; and a clash of “values” between the Bible and the position of the Church of England on the issue of women bishops and the description of God, which might be a contributing factor as to why the Christian religion does not seem to play an important role anymore for many British people.

ISIS Destruction of Oil Fields… the Unrealized Danger

The Telegraph wrote on May 30:

“Thick black smoke rising from the Baiji oil refinery could be seen as a dirty smudge on the horizon as far away as Baghdad after fighters from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) set fire to the enormous processing plant just over 100 miles north of the capital last week. The decision to torch the refinery, which once produced around a third of Iraq’s domestic fuel supplies, was made as the insurgents prepared to pull out of Baiji, which they captured last June in a victory that sent shock waves across world oil markets…

“A year on from the start of the siege and a shaky alliance of the Middle East’s major Arab powers, with the limited support of the reluctant US government, has failed to contain the expansion of Isil.

“The problem for the US and the rest of the industrialised world is that the Middle East controls 60pc of proven oil reserves and with it the keys to the global economy. Should Isil capture a major oil field in Iraq, or overwhelming the government, the consequences for energy markets and the financial system would be potentially catastrophic…

“Although most of Iraq’s major oil fields are located in the south of the country, which are Shia Muslim heartlands, the failure of the Iraqi army to deal with the threat of Isil is a sign of their vulnerability to isolated attacks. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia is in a virtual state of lockdown after the bombing by Isil militants of a Shia mosque in the oil-rich Eastern Province…

“To add to the problems facing Saudi Arabia’s new ruler, King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud, his kingdom is also facing insurgency from the so-called Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula terrorist group which is intent on destabilising the regime…

“Iran opposed Saudi Arabia last November when the kingdom’s oil minister, Ali al-Naimi, insisted that the group should stand on the side lines and allow market forces to drive down the oil price in order to render high-cost oil such as US shale unprofitable…”

When one considers this utmost picture of confusion in the Middle East, it is completely unrealistic to even suggest that in light of these in-fightings between Arab nations, ISIS, Iran and Syria, the nation of Saudi Arabia could be the next “king of the South” (as mentioned in Daniel 11). In addition, we have made clear and repeatedly explained in our literature that Egypt could not be the king of the South either. IF there is still another king of the South (which is not mandatory under biblical prophecy), it would have to be Ethiopia.

Iran’s Unwavering Support for Syria’s Assad Regime

Breitbart reported on June 1:

“The Speaker of Iran’s Majles [parliament] reiterated on Monday that Tehran continues its ‘unwavering’ support of the Assad regime in Syria. The Assad regime has been responsible for killing the majority of the 250,000+ dead as a result of the ongoing Syrian Civil War… By some estimates, Assad’s forces have been responsible for more than 85 percent of the civilian deaths during the war. Larjani, a former Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander, praised the Assad regime for its battles against the Islamic State and the ‘Zionist regime (Israel),’ state-run Mehr News Agency reported…

“On Monday, Larjani hosted a joint press conference with his Syrian counterpart, Mohammad Jihad al-Laham, who said of the occasion: ‘I am now in Tehran to talk about and boost bilateral ties; we are attacked by terrorist Takfirists (false Muslim) supported by the western hegemonic powers and which is their foster child; Iran and Russia are in the frontline of support for Syria; we have support by Iran and BRICS group on our sides.’

“Al-Laham added that the Tehran-Damascus alliance serves to protect stability in the region…”

Iran’s Stockpile of Nuclear Fuel Increased by 20 Percent

Newsmax reported on June 1:

“Iran’s stockpile of nuclear fuel increased about 20 percent over the last 18 months as high-stakes talks were underway – and despite the Obama administration’s claim the program had been ‘frozen.’ The spike was included in a report issued last week by the International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations organization that monitors compliance with nuclear treaties.

“… the increase creates a daunting challenge for President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry as a deadline for completion of a nuclear agreement looms at the end of June: Convincing Congress and U.S. allies that Iran will shrink its stockpile by 96 percent while it continues to produce new material and hasn’t made a dent in its current stockpile.”

The New York Times added on June 1:

“A major element of the forthcoming deal, if it is completed, permits Iran to maintain a stockpile of only 300 kilograms, or about 660 pounds, of nuclear fuel, less than would be needed to make a single weapon.

“That means Iran… would have to rid itself of more than nine tons of its stockpile in a matter of months. One easy solution would be to ship the fuel out of the country, but that is a politically fraught topic for the Iranians — and one that their deputy negotiator, Abbas Araqchi, ruled out in March… A State Department statement released a few days later that outlined the preliminary agreement reached at a marathon session in Lausanne, Switzerland, was silent on the question of how the reduction would be realized… ‘How are they going to do it?’ one senior American official said recently when asked about the negotiations, details of which Mr. Kerry and his team are trying to keep confidential. ‘We’re not certain. It’s their problem, not ours. But it’s a problem.’

“Nonetheless, officials say they expect the radical reduction of Iran’s stockpile to happen in the opening months of any agreement, either by shipping it out of the country or changing it into a form that would make it impossible to re-enrich and use as a weapon…”

It is mind-boggling to read the stated position of the US government in regard to this matter. It is a mixture of illusion, wishful thinking, denial, and worse.

Turks See Israel as Biggest Threat to Their Security

The Times of Israel wrote on May 31:

“A survey conducted recently in Turkey found that nearly half that country’s citizens see Israel as the biggest security threat, followed by the United States, and only then Syria… A similar poll in 2013 found 41% saw the United States as Turkey’s biggest threat, while 37.1% named Israel…

“Israel and Turkey have been at loggerheads over a 2010 incident that saw the Turkish Mavi Marmara ferry boarded by Israeli commandos as it attempted to break the naval blockade of the Gaza Strip. In the ensuing melee, after the Israeli soldiers were attacked with iron bars and wooden bats, troops opened fire and nine Turkish activists were killed; 10 Israeli soldiers were injured. The incident triggered a crisis in relations between Israel and Turkey, which were already strained since Israel’s military campaign in Gaza in 2008-2009. Israel issued a formal apology to Turkey in March 2013 but disagreements persist over Ankara’s demand that Israel pay damages to families of the deceased and to the wounded.

“Ties between the two countries have yet to recover, with Turkish officials often unleashing scathing rebukes of Israel. In January Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu accused his Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu, of killing Palestinian children and radicalizing the Muslim world. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is known for his angry outbursts at the Jewish state, declaring in July 2014 that Israel had ‘surpassed Hitler in barbarism.’ Turkey under his rule has been a consistent supporter of Hamas, the terror group that rules Gaza.”

These developments are highly remarkable, as the Bible prophesies in the book of Obadiah that Turkey (ancient Edom or Esau) will participate in an end-time confrontation against Israel, and that many Turks will celebrate Israel’s defeat and act very cruelly against Israeli refugees—even though Turkey has been very accommodating towards Jewish refugees in the more distant past.

“When Ephraim Went to Assyria”

The Local wrote on May 29:

“In contrast to previous frosty receptions from Merkel to Cameron’s pushes for reform, she welcomed the newly-reelected Prime Minister and promised constructive talks. ‘Where there’s a will, there’s a way,’ Merkel said. ‘We can’t say that treaty change [to the agreements underpinning the EU, a difficult and complex process] is totally impossible.’

“Cameron had come to Berlin in search of support for his shopping list of reforms, including tougher rules against migrants claiming benefits, protection for the City of London, and an exemption from the Treaty of Lisbon’s promise to strive for ‘ever closer union’ among EU countries. ‘We already have a multi-speed Europe,’ Merkel said, noting that some EU member states remained outside the Euro single currency and the Schengen free-travel zone. ‘We will continue to have two speeds, and I don’t see a problem with that.’…

“One surprise came when Merkel suggested that Germany itself might have changes of its own if Britain’s push for reform bore fruit… Both countries made much of their mutual economic interests, with Cameron praising the push for a free-trade agreement between the EU and USA, also noting that Germany is the biggest European investor in the UK.

“The two leaders’ close harmony was in contrast to the lukewarm agreement from French President Francois Hollande at a Paris meeting with Cameron on Thursday. And after her own meeting with Cameron, Polish Prime Minister Ewa Kopacz said that her country would respond with a ‘definite no’ to his hoped-for migration reforms.”

The EUObserver added on May 29:

“German chancellor Angela Merkel has indicated she’s willing to go as far as changing the EU treaty in order to keep Britain in the Union… The Berlin trip is part of Cameron’s tour of all EU capitals ahead of next month’s EU summit and ahead of his referendum on EU membership, to be held by the end of 2017. He has promised to campaign for a Yes, but only if EU leaders agree to far-reaching reforms.

“Merkel said she’s willing to consider treaty change, but noted that London should first draw up concrete demands… She also voiced willingness to grant the UK an opt-out from ‘ever closer Union’. The phrase is contained in the 1957 Treaty of Rome, the EU’s founding charter…

“… the French foreign minister, Laurent Fabius, accused [Cameron] of trying to ‘dismantle’ the EU. Despite Merkel’s words, an EU source said there’s ‘no appetite’ for treaty change at this point.  The process, which can take years, would, in any case, be almost impossible to complete in time for the UK vote… One solution could be to give the UK a legal promise that changes agreed now will be inserted later on.”

The Guardian wrote on May 29:

“[Cameron] is welcome here [in Berlin] in the most powerful EU country and, says Stefanie Bolzen in a commentary for Die Welt, the world’s most powerful woman [Merkel] ‘is an unconditional apologist for keeping the kingdom in the union, despite all the infuriation surrounding Cameron’s manoeuvring’.

“Despite the frustrations over what the German government sees as Cameron’s rather overly confident approach, and the distinct impression that he is ‘spoiling for a fight’… there are few in Berlin who want to see Britain leave…

“German business leaders too have warned that a referendum should happen sooner rather than later, and that 400,000 British jobs that are dependent on trade with Germany could be at risk if Britain leaves. Growing numbers of German companies in Britain have said they are plotting their departure in the case of a Brexit.”

The Local wrote on June 1:

“German Social Democratic Party (SPD) MEP Jo Leinen [a member of the EP’s Foreign Affairs, Environment and Constitutional Affairs committees] told The Local on Monday he was unhappy with comments from European Parliament (EP) President Martin Schulz, who suggested that Britain should be allowed to opt out of the call to work towards ‘ever closer union’ among EU countries. ‘The only country that has opted out of European integration with special rules in the past decades has been Great Britain,’ Schulz told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung. ‘We would only be recognizing what has been true for London for a long time.’

“But Social Democratic MEP Jo Leinen told The Local that Schulz’s fellow SPD members saw things differently. ‘European integration is an idea that’s been there from the very beginning – that it’s more than an economic space, but also a political community,’ Leinen said. ‘Anyone who wants to get rid of that doesn’t want to belong to a political community, but a single market… Many like me aren’t ready to throw the idea of European community overboard.’…

“He added that while German and UK interests are similar, with the two countries often forming the core of a northern European voting bloc to counterbalance the likes of France, Spain and Italy, the UK should take heed of Germany’s deeply ingrained sense of belonging to Europe. ‘Germany has the European idea almost in its Constitution,’ Leinen said. ‘That’s what has guided 60 years of German European politics.’

“While there were certainly reforms to be made so that the EU becomes more competitive and effective, Social Democrats wouldn’t abandon their political ideals just to keep Britain in, he said…”

Modern Ephraim (mainly the UK) is prophesied to try to find help from modern Assyria (mainly Germany), but God says in Hosea that such endeavors will fail, and that Assyria “cannot” help, even if it wanted to.

 Germany’s Blindness Regarding Egypt

Deutsche Welle reported on June 3:

“Angela Merkel has praised Egypt’s peace efforts in the Middle East following a meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Berlin. The pair’s press conference was shut down after it descended into chaos. The news conference hosted by German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin on Wednesday came to an abrupt end after security was called in to remove a female reporter who addressed al-Sisi yelling ‘He’s a murderer!’ There were also cries of ‘down with the military rule’ from the press pack, while reporters from Egypt yelled ‘long live Egypt!’ before the two leaders were hurriedly whisked from the room.

“Before the upset, Merkel had pledged closer economic ties with Egypt, saying the country was a key strategic partner in the Middle East and in the fight against Islamist extremism… Al-Sisi, Egypt’s former army chief, led the coup that ousted Islamist president Mohammed Morsi in 2013. He was subsequently elected by a landslide and has waged a brutal crackdown against Morsi’s supporters ever since. Hundreds have been killed or jailed, while dozens, including Morsi, have been sentenced to death in a series of mass trials.

“Al-Sisi’s two-day visit to Berlin has stirred up some controversy in Germany. Human rights activists have organized a number of street protests to coincide with the Egyptian leader’s trip, while NGOs including Amnesty International have asked Merkel to urge al-Sisi to end Egypt’s ‘human rights crisis.’

“Germany’s government is keen to maintain a cordial relationship with its partner in North Africa, although Bundestag house speaker Norbert Lammert called off his meeting with al-Sisi, citing Egypt’s lack of democracy and the crackdown on political opposition.

“In Wednesday’s press conference, Merkel acknowledged there were ‘differences of opinion’ between the two countries on human rights matters and capital punishment. The chancellor criticized Cairo’s reliance on the death penalty and stressed that ‘under no circumstances, even with regard to terrorist activities, must people be sentenced to death.’…

“Earlier on Wednesday, al-Sisi was welcomed by German President Joachim Gauck with full military honors at Berlin’s Bellevue Palace. The Egyptian leader was later expected to meet with Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel.”

The stance of many leading German politicians regarding Egypt’s dictatorship is shameful and cowardly.

Incredible Hatred and Anti-Semitism on the Temple Mount

The Times of Israel wrote on June 3:

“An Islamic preacher on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem told congregants that the Nazis burned the Jews of Europe during the Holocaust because they had been kidnapping children to use their blood in Passover bread. He also claimed that Jews worship Satan, plotted the 9/11 attacks, and control the Freemasons who sacrifice their wives and children in secret ceremonies…

“The Simon Wiesenthal Center sent a letter to Jordan’s King Abdullah and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas urging them to ‘immediately take action against Sheikh Khaled al-Mughrabi, the religious teacher at the Al-Aqsa Mosque who is on the payroll of the Waqf [the PA religious authority], for using his class to promote the infamous blood libel screed that ‘explains’ why the Nazi Holocaust took place. The ‘Blood Libel’ is a Christian medieval canard that accuses Jews of using the blood of children to make Passover matzah,’ the center said in a statement sent out to the press.

“‘The Temple Mount is a site of ultimate religious importance to Judaism and revered also by both Christianity and Islam. It should be an area that promotes peace, tolerance, and mutual understanding. However, the Al Aqsa Mosque has now been used to repeat horrific lies and legitimize genocide. Left unchallenged, the Sheik’s ‘sermon’ will only spawn more hatred and violence,’ the letter to Abdullah and Abbas read.

“During the recent sermon captured on video, al-Mughrabi says: ‘On the holiday of Passover it is ‎forbidden for them to eat regular bread. These matzahs ‎[unleavened Passover bread] were not kneaded in the regular way, but rather with the blood of children. In the end it reached the point ‎where they were burned in Germany, because of these things, because they ‎kidnapped young children.’…

“Al-Mughrabi begins by explaining that of the multiple gods that Jews worship, Satan ranks above the Muslim god Allah… ‘The Children of Israel had the holiday of Pesach, ‎what is now called Passover,’ al-Mughrabi said. ‘Every holiday, every group would look for a small child, ‎kidnap and steal him, bring a barrel called the barrel of nails… They would put the ‎small child in the barrel and his body would be pierced by these nails. In the bottom of ‎the barrel they would put a faucet and pour the blood… The Devil or one of the big ‎gods, demanded it of them as a condition for fulfilling their wishes, that they eat ‎‎[matzah] bread kneaded with the blood of children.’…

“Freemasons, he went on, are ‘witchcraft gatherings of the ‎Children of Israel.’ ‘One of the ceremonies, for instance if someone wants to be ‎accepted as a new member, or rise in rank… he has to somehow bring one of his sons ‎or daughters, or his wife or one of his male or female relatives, and put them on the ‎table and slaughter them with his own hands as a sacrifice to Satan, in order to rise in ‎the ranks of the Freemasons. My brothers, this exists until today.‎’

“The myth of blood baked into matzah, known as ‘the blood libel,’ dates back to the Middle Ages in Europe, and was often used as a pretext to commit atrocities against Jewish communities. The false allegation is still believed in some Arab cultures and is occasionally cited by officials and public figures.

“In September 2014 Sheikh Abd Al-Mun’im Abu Zant, a former Jordanian MP revived the blood libel in an interview with al-Aqsa TV. ‘On their religious holidays, if they cannot find a Muslim to slaughter, and use drops of his blood to knead the matzos they eat, they slaughter a Christian in order to take drops of his blood, and mix it into the matzos that they eat on that holiday,’ Abu Zant said.

“In July 2014 Palestinian Islamic Jihad spokesman Daoud Shihad said that Israeli rabbis told IDF soldiers to knead the blood of Arabs into their dough… A year earlier, in May 2013, Egyptian politician Khaled Zaafrani, during an interview on al-Hafez TV, a Salafist Egyptian station, also brought up the blood libel. ‘It is well-known that during Passover they make matzos called the “Blood of Zion.” They take a Christian child, slit his throat, and slaughter him…they never forgo this rite.’…”

These hateful and completely false accusations are ridiculous, but gullible people and fanatics are eager to believe them. Unless the Arab world stands up in a unified fashion to strongly condemn these fabrications (which will never happen), Muslims should not be surprised when some Christians and Jews resort to drawing pictures of Mohammed and ridiculing him. This, in turn, leads to more Islamic violence and attempts to murder those who organize these contests and demonstrations.  

Newsmax wrote on June 3:

“A man shot and killed by police in Boston on Tuesday was allegedly conspiring with another man to behead police officers and kill the Jewish-American activist Pamela Geller who had recently organized a Mohammed cartoon competition that was attacked in Texas, CNN reported Wednesday night.”

Geert Wilder on the Roll

The Associated Press reported on June 3:

“Dutch anti-Islam lawmaker Geert Wilders said Wednesday he plans to show cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad on Dutch television after Parliament refused to display them.

“Wilders said he would show the cartoons during television airtime reserved for political parties, in a move likely to offend Muslims since Islamic tradition holds that any physical depiction of the Prophet Muhammad is blasphemous. Political parties in the Netherlands get a small amount of airtime each year and broadcasting authorities have no say in what the parties show. Wilders said the broadcast would likely take place in the next few weeks, but an exact date has yet to be determined.

“The announcement came a month after Wilders gave a speech at a contest in Garland, Texas, for cartoon depictions of Muhammad. Shortly after Wilders left the event, it was targeted by two men with pistols and assault rifles. Security guards shot and killed the attackers…

“Wilders is no stranger to pushing the boundaries of free speech and targeting Islam. He has lived under round-the-clock protection since 2004 because of death threats.

“In the past, he triggered protests in the Muslim world for a short film he broadcast online which juxtaposed verses from the Quran against videos of violence and terrorism. He was acquitted in 2011 of hate speech as judges said that his anti-Islam rhetoric came in the context of a fierce national debate about immigration and multiculturalism. Wilders is again facing prosecution for hate speech over a chant last year in which he asked his supporters whether they wanted more or fewer Moroccans in the Netherlands and they shouted back ‘Fewer! Fewer! Fewer!’”

How such conduct could possibly lead to prosecution for hate speech is very difficult to comprehend.

Rand Paul’s Temporary Victory Against the NSA and the Political Establishment

Breitbart reported on June 1:

“Late Sunday the National Security Agency (NSA) shut down its bulk data collection program as the PATRIOT Act expired thanks to Paul’s efforts. He tells Breitbart News exclusively that ‘we’re excited by the fact that the battle has been won… The president has been told in no uncertain terms—and by the end of the week this will be in writing—that he can no longer illegally collect all of Americans’ phone records and keep them in Utah,’ Paul said.

“‘I think this is a big rebuke for the president. The courts told him it was illegal and he just kept doing it anyway. I think most Americans, particularly Republicans, don’t trust this president. This is the same president who went after Tea Party groups and went after religious liberty and religious groups. I don’t understand why some of the big government Republicans up here don’t get it because most Republicans I meet across the country don’t want this president to have access to all their phone records.

“Paul criticized—without naming names—GOP senators including Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) of Florida, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) of Arizona and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) of South Carolina and other Republicans like Jeb Bush for failing to listen to voters about their concerns with the NSA program.

“I think they get in a Washington echo chamber for so long and don’t get outside the beltway enough to listen to people in America,” Paul said of the Republicans who blindly support the program’… several recent polls that show he’s in the top tier of GOP candidates—and one of the best Republicans when it comes to facing off directly with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. In fact, polls from battleground states ranging from Iowa to Colorado to Pennsylvania to New Hampshire have Paul beating Clinton if the election were held right now.

“What’s more, several GOP primary polls put Paul in the top tier of GOP candidates…

“In Paul’s interview with Breitbart News on Monday, he largely credited Matt Drudge—the proprietor of the wildly successful Drudge Report—for helping lead the fight to stop the NSA… Drudge himself has been very vocal on the matter, Tweeting out his disdain for the NSA’s data collection program many times and also highlighting stories and efforts critical of the program on his website.

“Paul added he thinks that his effort to take down the NSA’s data collection program is proof positive that one person can make a difference in this world—even when they’re going up against the entire federal government…”

Newsmax added on June 1:

“More than twice as many Americans stand with Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul in wanting to see parts of the Patriot Act dealing with the collection of citizens’ cellphone data expire compared with those who want to keep existing rules, according to a new poll.”

The Washington Post wrote on June 1:

“The Capitol Hill impasse over federal surveillance powers continued Monday, as Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) refused to yield to pressure from the White House and fellow Republicans to step aside and allow the reinstatement of key USA Patriot Act provisions that expired early Monday morning…

“Paul… faced criticism from all sides. McConnell on Sunday accused him of engaging in a ‘campaign of demagoguery and disinformation,’ while Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said he had a ‘higher priority for his fundraising . . . than the security of the nation…’”

However, it was recently reported and is widely believed that there is no evidence that any of the NSA’s data which was collected under the NSA’s data collection program has led to a substantive prevention of a terror attack.

The Associated Press reported on June 2:

“Congress approved (and President Obama signed into law on Wednesday) sweeping changes… to surveillance laws enacted after the Sept. 11 attacks, eliminating the National Security Agency’s disputed bulk phone-records collection program and replacing it with a more restrictive measure to keep the records in phone companies’ hands. The legislation [revives] most of the programs the Senate had allowed to lapse in a dizzying collision of presidential politics and national security policy. But the authorization will undergo major changes, the legacy of agency contractor Edward Snowden’s explosive revelations two years ago about domestic spying by the government.”

In response to the new law, Rand Paul commented on June 3 that the American government only admits to its unconstitutional actions when those have been clearly revealed, after having repeatedly denied and lied about their conduct. TV Evangelist and political commentator Pat Robertson made some very strong remarks during his 700 Club TV program on June 3, accusing the NSA of conducting unnecessary Big Brother activities, which severely restrict individual liberties and freedoms.

USA Most Respected Country on Earth?

Breitbart reported on June 1:

“Monday while President Barack Obama was answering questions at a town hall… he said his administration has restored the United States as the ‘the most respected country on earth… People don’t remember, but when I came into office, the United States in world opinion ranked below China and just barely above Russia, and today once again, the United States is the most respected country on earth.

“‘Part of that I think is because of the work we did to reengage the world and say we want to work with you as partners with mutual interests and mutual respect. It was on that basis we were able to end two wars while still focusing on the very real threat of terrorism and try to work with our partners in Iraq and Afghanistan. It’s the reason why we are moving in the direction to normalize relations with Cuba and the nuclear deal that we are trying to negotiate with Iran.’”

Sadly, the President’s opinion could not be farther from reality. As some commentators have said, one wonders as to what planet the President is living on.

American Blackmail and the Virtually Non-Existent “Medical Vaccine Exemption”

On May 18, the website of www.nvic.org reported the following:

“Vaccine risks for you or your child can range from zero to 100 percent depending upon the genes you were born with; your microbiome DNA; the environment you live in; your age and health at the time of vaccination, and the type and how many vaccines you get.

“Vaccines are not safe or effective for everyone because we are not all the same and we do not all respond the same way to pharmaceutical products like vaccines.  Our response to infectious diseases and the risk for complications can also vary, depending upon our genes, environment, and age and health at the time of infection. That is why malnourished, vitamin deficient children living in impoverished environments, for example, are at higher risk for complications from gastrointestinal, respiratory and other childhood infections.

“The doctor or nurse giving vaccines to you or your child does not know whether the odds will be in your favor. You may get vaccinated and have no reaction or your immune system and brain function could be severely compromised. The scientific literature is clear about that fact and so is Congress and the U.S. Supreme Court, which have declared vaccines to be ‘unavoidably unsafe’ and shielded the pharmaceutical industry from vaccine injury lawsuits.

“Since 1988, there have been thousands of children and adults in America who have suffered brain inflammation and other long recognized vaccine reactions and have been awarded $3 billion dollars in vaccine injury compensation. There are thousands more, who have been unable to secure federal compensation for their vaccine injuries.

“But doctors and nurses are not taught about the genetic, biological and environmental high risk factors that could make you or your child more vulnerable to experiencing disabling vaccine complications. Vaccines are being recommended and given in a vacuum of knowledge and vaccine policymakers know it. As many Institute of Medicine committees have repeatedly pointed out in published reports spanning a quarter century, there are huge gaps in vaccine safety science.

“Vaccine safety research is not a priority because long ago public health officials made a calculated decision that the lives of those harmed by vaccines are expendable in order to pursue what they consider to be a more important goal: the eradication of a long list of infectious microorganisms through compulsory vaccine use. When vaccine risks turn out to be 100 percent for you or your child, you are expected to quietly accept that you are unavoidable collateral damage in the war on microorganisms.

“This cruel utilitarian rationale, also known as ‘the ends justifies the means,’ has been used by public health officials and medical trade groups to narrow the medical vaccine exemption so that, today, almost no medical condition qualifies as an ‘official’ reason (contraindication) for a doctor to grant someone a medical exemption to vaccination… Basically, the Centers for Disease Control now tells doctors that a medical vaccine exemption should only be granted if you are one of the estimated 320,000 children and adults annually receiving chemotherapy; 39 40 or one of the estimated 47,000 Americans who have had a recent organ or blood cell transplant; 41 42 or your child is one of the 40 to 100 children born every year with Severe Combined Immune Deficiency, known as SCID.

“Once you are done with chemo, no medical vaccine exemption for you. Once you have recovered from your organ or blood cell transplant, no medical vaccine exemption for you. And if you are immunosuppressed but don’t have SCID, the rarest and most severe of all immunodeficiency disorders, in most cases no medical exemption for you.  If you or your child are already suffering with autoimmune or brain disorders, such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, inflammatory bowel syndrome, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy or an immunosuppressive disease like HIV, no medical vaccine exemption for you. If you or your child have a family history of severe allergies, vaccine reactions, seizures, sudden infant death syndrome or serious autoimmune and neurological disorders, no medical vaccine exemption for you. If you or your child are sick at the time of vaccination with a fever or on antibiotics, no medical vaccine exemption for you.

“If, after vaccination, you or your child ran a 105-degree fever, collapsed or had seizures and symptoms of brain inflammation followed by serious health deterioration and you are still chronically ill but a doctor disagrees that your continuing health problems were caused by vaccination, no medical vaccine exemption for you.  If you are a pregnant health care worker and do not want to get a flu shot while you are pregnant because you do not want to risk a miscarriage, no medical vaccine exemption for you. If your child was injured or died after vaccination and you want to protect your other children from vaccine injury, no medical vaccine exemption for your children. If your baby was born prematurely and is low weight and struggling to survive, no medical vaccine exemption for your infant.

“For all practical purposes, the Centers for Disease Control and medical trade organizations now direct pediatricians and other vaccinators to deny the medical vaccine exemption to 99.99 percent of Americans. Although nobody can predict whether the odds will be in your favor, you are expected to obey doctors’ orders and get and give your children every government recommended vaccine – no exceptions and no questions asked – or be subjected to threats, coercion, discrimination and denial of medical care, education, and employment.

“Like drug companies selling vaccines, doctors giving vaccines are protected from vaccine injury lawsuits. If a doctor vaccinates you or your child against your will and you suffer a catastrophic vaccine reaction, you cannot seek justice in a civil court of law in front of a jury of your peers. Without accountability or liability, there is strong incentive for vaccinators to implement government vaccine policy and deny vaccine harm – but little incentive to prevent vaccine harm.

“Now public health and medical trade groups are pressuring legislators to pass laws that would not only eliminate non-medical religious and conscientious belief vaccine exemptions for children to attend school, but also would require children to get every one of the 69 doses of 16 federally recommended vaccines – unless a parent can get a medical vaccine exemption from a doctor…

“Zealously pursuing a 99.99 percent vaccination rate and using very small groups of immune compromised individuals as an excuse to eliminate all non-medical vaccine exemptions, liability free doctors want permission from lawmakers to blackmail virtually every American into playing vaccine roulette. And they want to do this in the absence of sound vaccine safety science, even for those potentially at higher risk for suffering vaccine harm…”

This entire scenario paints a horrible picture of scientific incompetence and prostitution, as well as cowardice and blackmail, uncontrolled morbid capitalism and governmental socialistic dictatorship, without ANY regard for individual liberties, freedom and religious conscience.

Pope Francis vs. Nancy Pelosi—the Epitome of Nonsense

Breitbart wrote on May 31:

“For the second time in a week, Pope Francis blasted abortion on Saturday, referring to it as a ‘scourge’ and insisting that ‘a just society recognizes the primacy of the right to life from conception to natural death.’ ‘The degree of progress of a civilization is measured by its ability to protect life, especially in its most fragile stages,’ he said in an address to the Science and Life Association, celebrating its 10th anniversary

“In a fascinating juxtaposition of news, on Friday the pro-abort House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi put herself forward in an MSNBC interview as a faithful, ‘mainstream Catholic’ unlike pro-life Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), whom she called a ‘polarizing’ figure for opposing same-sex marriage.

“On two of the biggest social justice issues of our day—abortion and gay marriage—Pelosi has taken a hardline stand in direct opposition to Church teaching, something resembling a ‘faithful’ Greenpeace member advocating baby seal killing or an orthodox Jew pushing pork. This past January, Ms. Pelosi said that she knew ‘more about having babies than the pope,’ and that a woman has “the right” to an abortion. In her acceptance speech for Planned Parenthood’s highest honor—the Margaret Sanger Award—Pelosi went still further, calling pro-lifers (like the pope) ‘dumb,’ ‘closed-minded’ and ‘oblivious.’

“At the time, Pelosi’s comments drew a stern response from her own archbishop, Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco, who stated that ‘no Catholic can dissent in good conscience’ from Church teaching on the sanctity of life. In a recent interview, Pope Francis underscored the paradox of modern secular societies that go to great lengths to protect children from harm, and yet defend a ‘right’ to abortion. ‘Curiously,’ he said, these countries with very strict laws regarding the protection of minors, who even punish fathers or mothers who spank their children, ‘have laws allowing them to kill their children before they are born… Those are the contradictions we live with now,’ he said.”

Pope Francis it totally correct on the issue of abortion and related subjects, including childrearing, and Nancy Pelosi is not only totally wrong… it is incomprehensible that she would call herself a faithful mainstream Catholic with rebellious views which completely deny her church’s doctrine. It is a mystery why she thought she could get away with such an anti-Catholic position and still claim to be a faithful Catholic.

Clash of “Values” between Russia and the West

The EUObserver wrote on May 27:

“Recent events in the EU and the Eurasian Union, Russia’s new bloc, highlight the clash of values. In Luxembourg on 15 May, Xavier Bettel, the PM, married his gay partner – a first for an EU head of government. In Ireland, a week later, people enshrined gay marriage in the constitution by referendum – another first. But in Moscow on 17 May, the international anti-homophobia day, police arrested rights activists at a small rally. In Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, which is to shortly join the Eurasian Union, thugs beat up activists, who were taken away by police, who beat them up again.

“The clash is also visible, in green (equality) and red (rights violations)… Most EU countries, but not the former Iron Curtain ones, are becoming greener. Most former Soviet states, including pro-EU ones, such as Ukraine, are becoming redder. It’s a clash enforced from the top.

“Russia, in 2012, passed legislation saying NGOs that receive EU or US money, a category which includes most NGOs that promote gay rights, are ‘foreign agents’. In 2013, it forbid ‘propaganda’ of homosexual relationships. In May, it said ‘undesirable’ NGOs can be shut down.

“Kyrgyzstan is passing Russia-model ‘foreign agents’ and homosexual propaganda laws. In Armenia, which is already in the Eurasian Union, the Russian ambassador has recommended a ‘foreign agents’ law. A homosexual propaganda bill, tabled in 2013, is, activists say, ‘still on the agenda’…

“Conservative mores in Catholic and Orthodox societies aren’t new. But Russia’s project, to turn them into anti-Western feeling, is a recent development.

“Loparev, the film-maker, whose last work documents gay teenagers’ life in Russia… noted that state TV, fronted by celebrity homophobes such as Dmitry Kiselyev and Arkady Mamontov, began to depict gay people as a fifth column and to blame them for economic problems. Ivan Okhlobystin, another pro-Kremlin TV star, in December 2013 said gay people should be ‘burned in ovens’. He was fired from his PR post at a mobile phone firm. But a fashion company, Baon, snapped him up. It later said ‘he’s … consistent with our target audience, our brand values: attachment to family life; Orthodox Christianity’…

“The EU-Armenia association treaty called for hate crime legislation. That’s defunct. But EU conditions for Armenia visa-free travel also include hate crime laws… But off the record, some EU diplomats say it’s unwise to give gay rights a prominent place in EU communications in the eastern neighbourhood.”

Practicing homosexuality is wrong, and promoting it especially among children and teens is also wrong. But at the same time, committing violent acts against them is wrong, too, and a suggestion to burn them in ovens, which is reminiscent to Hitler’s atrocities, is outrageous and appalling.

Transgender Identity a Mental Disorder?

Breitbart wrote on June 3:

“On Wednesday, the Wall Street Journal‘s online edition promoted a June 2014 op-ed by Dr. Paul McHugh, former psychiatrist-in-chief at Johns Hopkins Hospital, which argues that transgender identity is a mental illness akin to bulimia and should not be treated with surgery, which can cause more harm than good. Though the article did not appear in the paper’s print edition, its promotion on the website coincides with the debate over former Olympian Bruce (Caitlyn) Jenner.

“At the time of the op-ed’s original publication, the left reacted in fury…

“Dr. McHugh’s arguments focus on treatments that are demanded for transgendered individuals as a matter of right, including surgery in adults and puberty-delaying drugs in children. He writes: ‘A 2011 study at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden produced the most illuminating results yet regarding the transgendered, evidence that should give advocates pause. The long-term study—up to 30 years—followed 324 people who had sex-reassignment surgery. The study revealed that beginning about 10 years after having the surgery, the transgendered began to experience increasing mental difficulties. Most shockingly, their suicide mortality rose almost 20-fold above the comparable nontransgender population. This disturbing result has as yet no explanation but probably reflects the growing sense of isolation reported by the aging transgendered after surgery. The high suicide rate certainly challenges the surgery prescription.’”

When Is a Man a Man and a Woman a Woman?

In an accompanying article, Breitbart wrote on June 3:

“On Monday, Bruce Jenner announced that he wanted to be called Caitlyn Jenner in a photo spread for Vanity Fair… The notion that gender is completely fluid – that a man can become a woman and a woman can become a man – rests on the redefinition of maleness and femaleness into nothingness. The media insist that everyone use female pronouns to describe Jenner…

“Furthermore, the media claim that womanhood is completely disconnected from biology… Gender, it turns out, is all in one’s head, and therefore can be shifted at will… Jenner has already said he doesn’t know whether he will choose to have sex with men or women or both or neither…

“A male cannot magically become a female simply by injecting estrogen, reshaping the jawline, or inserting silicon beneath the skin of the chest. All of the straight male politicians and media members currently babbling on about how Jenner is a ‘she’ ought to be asked whether they would now be capable of having sex with him. The answer, of course, is no…

“Being a female is more than injections and plastic surgery, and even those who purport to believe Jenner is now a female recognize that, or hold the utterly incoherent position that genders are completely subjective and impossible to objectively define, but that we can objectively recognize transitions between them – and that those who refuse to submit to the delusions of the mentally ill must be denounced as intolerant and unscientific.”

The Independent wrote on June 4:

“Jenner’s transition has been celebrated across the world, while the cover has been praised as ground-breaking and an important moment for transgender rights and visibility.”

In spite of the “values” and “standards” in our world which is ruled by Satan, the concept that a man could become a woman through surgery, or vice versa, is completely condemned in the Bible.

Clash of “Values” on Same-Sex Marriages

The Local wrote on June 3:

“Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative Christian Democratic Union party (CDU) told the Saarbrücker Zeitung that she was worried about the consequences of changing the definition of marriage – currently narrowly defined as being between a man and a woman in the German Constitution. ‘If we open up this definition to become a long-term responsible partnership between two adults, then other demands can’t be ruled out, such as a marriage between close relatives or between more than two people,’ she opined.

“Social Democratic Party (SPD) politicians were quick to respond to Kramp-Karrenbauer, with secretary-general Yasmin Fahimi calling it ‘a new low for the debate on marriage for all… This is a blow in the face of hundreds of thousands of same-sex partnerships who stand up for one another and take on responsibilities,’ said Fahimi.

“The SPD were joined by Free Democratic Party (FDP) secretary-general Nicola Beer, who called Kramp-Karrenbauer’s words ‘shameless… She is deeply insulting homosexuals. I call on her to apologize for going off the rails’…

“A mother and a father pairing was the best way of raising a child, [Kramp-Karrenbauer] said…

“Politicians from the SPD, Greens and Linke (Left Party) are trying to put together a majority in the Bundesrat (upper house of parliament, representing the federal states) in favour of equalizing gay partnerships with heterosexual marriage. They hope to put Chancellor Merkel under pressure to overcome naysayers like Kramp-Karrenbauer in her own party.”

This is another example as to how liberal politicians are willing to aggressively silence those who do not agree with their unbiblical agenda through intimidation and defamation.

God a “She” in the Church of England

The Telegraph wrote on May 31:

“Support is growing within the Church of England to rewrite its official liturgy to refer to God as female following the selection of the first women bishops. Growing numbers of priests already insert words such as ‘she” and ‘mother’ informally into traditional service texts as part of a move to make the language of worship more inclusive, it has been claimed.

“But calls for a full overhaul of liturgy to recognise the equal status of women have already been discussed informally at a senior level… The Church of England’s worship already includes some references to God as female, many of them centuries old. Canticle 82, the song of Anselm, the 11th and 12th Century Archbishop of Canterbury, likens Jesus to a mother, while number 86, attributed to Julian of Norwich, speaks of God as ‘our mother in all things’…

“A spokesman for Lambeth Palace emphasised that the steering group is independent of the Archbishop of Canterbury and that any change in liturgy would have to be approved by the General Synod.”

To have women ministers and bishops in a Christian church is totally prohibited by the Bible, and to heap insult on injury, to refer to God as a woman is another abomination.

Being Christian Unimportant in Britain

The Independent wrote on June 1:

“The Church of England has lost nearly two million followers in the last two years and is on the brink of ‘extinction’, it has been warned.

“The number of people in the UK who describe their beliefs as being Church of England or Anglican dropped from 21 per cent to 17 per cent between 2012 and 2014- a loss of around 1.7 million followers. The number of Anglicans in Britain is now thought to stand at around 8.6 million…

“Over the same period, the poll found that the number of Muslims in Britain grew by close to a million making it the fastest growing religion in the UK. 4.7 per cent of Britons now describe themselves as Muslim, amounting to 2.4 million. When asked about their religious belief, the survey found that the most common response was having no religion. 49 per cent of people do not describe themselves has having any belief…

“Naomi Jones, Head of Social Attitudes at NatCen, said of the figures: ‘The proportion of people saying that they are Anglican has fallen quite dramatically in the last ten years, coinciding with a rise in people saying they are not religious… Another explanation could be that in the past religion played a more prominent role in people’s identity. We know… that people are less likely than in previous years to see being Christian as an important component of being British. Therefore, fewer British people may feel that the Church of England is an important part of their identity nowadays.”

With the Church of England having lost fundamental biblical standards, why should we be surprised?

(Español: ¿Cómo se puede creer en la Biblia?)

We recently received the following question:

“I have a very important question. Obviously there are many mistakes and things which contradict each other in the common Bible translations. So what is the true one without any mistakes? I mean there must be one. Otherwise, there would be no reason to believe in the whole thing. I hope you can answer my question.”

First, and foremost, let’s understand that no one has in their possession the original manuscripts upon which the Bible is based. Everything is either a copy or a translation. Does that fact invalidate the Bible? Not at all! The Bible, itself, is its own greatest witness for the proof that God inspired men to write down and then to preserve words from Him. Let’s begin with some Bible basics.

Among men, Jesus Christ, alone, has seen God. The Bible makes this point:

“No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him” (John 1:18).

Now consider what Jesus said of God—the One Who is called “the Father”:

“‘And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form’” (John 5:37).

God is Spirit (John 4:24); God is invisible (Colossians 1:15; 1 Timothy 1:17; Hebrews 11:27); God is eternal (Deuteronomy 33:27; Revelation 4:9; Romans 16:26).

Some might conclude that these Scriptures contradict other statements in the Bible in which it is said that men heard the voice of God and some actually saw His form. A direct example is found concerning the children of Israel during their exodus from Egypt, as they went to the Promised Land. Note:

“Then Moses went up, also Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and they saw the God of Israel. And there was under His feet as it were a paved work of sapphire stone, and it was like the very heavens in its clarity” (Exodus 24:9-10).

Other Scriptures reveal that the God seen by these men was Jesus Christ—before He came as a flesh and blood human (compare 1 Corinthians 10:4; John 1:18). The remarkable truth we find here is that two individuals are revealed as God in the Bible, the Father and the Son.

Now this is an example to show that there are explanations contained within the pages of the Bible concerning so-called contradictions. But one must realize that understanding the Word of God requires a willing attitude on our part, and we find how this approach was used by people who heard the gospel being preached:

“Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. Therefore many of them believed, and also not a few of the Greeks, prominent women as well as men” (Acts 17:10-12).

Even to Timothy, a minister, Paul said, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15, Authorized Version). Paul also gave Timothy these instructions:

“But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:14-17).

Paul was addressing the value of what we call the “Old Testament.” Jesus also referred to “‘the Scriptures’” (John 5:39); “‘the writings’” (John 5:47); and “‘the Law and the Prophets’” (Matthew 7:12; 22:40; compare also Luke 16:16)—all terms identifying the authority of the Old Testament!

Jesus Christ believed the Bible—as did His disciples who were led to establish the Church of God based on the very Word of God!

The Bible is not an accidental accumulation of various scrolls and letters which have somehow been preserved until our day. In fact, the Bible contains prophecies written specifically for our time! These particular writings were not even understood by those who wrote them.

Jacob’s revelation to his twelve sons was for “‘the last days’” (Genesis 49:1); Daniel wanted to know the meaning of the prophecies he was given, but was told, “‘the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end’” (Daniel 12:9); Habakkuk was told to write a vision which “‘at the end… will speak’” (Habakkuk 2:3); and Jesus Christ answered questions from His disciples about the end of the age by revealing signs and events which would coincide and culminate with His return to the earth!

You can believe the Bible based on prophecy—both the ones already fulfilled and those that are coming to pass even now.

Another test you can apply is to begin to seek God through reading the Bible and doing those things God instructs—get to know God through His written Word! King David used this as a key for himself:

“Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day. You, through Your commandments, make me wiser than my enemies; For they are ever with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers, For Your testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the ancients, Because I keep Your precepts” (Psalm 119:97-100).

Consider that Jesus Christ’s sinless life was based on His obedience to God’s laws found in the Word of God:

“Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come–In the volume of the book it is written of Me–To do Your will, O God’” (Hebrews 10:7; compare also John 15:9-10).

Jesus was asked by His disciples why it was that He spoke in parables. This is His answer:

“And He said, ‘To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that “Seeing they may not see, And hearing they may not understand”’” (Luke 8:10).

For you to believe the Bible, help from God is needed—you simply can’t open up the scriptures by yourself. The reason for this is that the Bible is a spiritual document which requires God’s revelation through His Holy Spirit:

“But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14).

So what do you do, now? Do what the apostle Peter instructed:

“Then Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit’” (Acts 2:38).

As to your concern about various translations of the Bible, take the first steps to begin to study and ask God to guide you. There are, of course, versions which more accurately reflect the original, and these are those which translate on a word-for-word basis into the language at hand. Understand, as well, that on the Day of Pentecost, when the Church of God was founded, those hearing the disciples preach were astounded and said, “‘And how is it that we hear, each in our own language in which we were born?’” (Acts 2:8).

They did not have to hear the message of salvation in a language they did not understand! So it is, today!

And, yes, your question is indeed an important one. For although there may be some minor difficulties in modern Bible translations, the truth of God IS contained in His written Word. BELIEVE THAT as a starting point!

“But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6).

Lead Writer: Dave Harris

“Prophecy – How to Understand It – Part 1: The Number of the Beast,” is the first of three new sermons to be presented by Norbert Link on June 13, 2015—followed by presentations on June 20 and 27. In addition, we are promoting this series through press releases, Facebook and our own webpage, www.eternalgod.org

“Corruption and Lies in Satan’s World” is the title of the most recent StandingWatch program presented by Evangelist Norbert Link. Here is a Summary:

We are living in a corrupt world, which is ruled by Satan the Devil. This program will give you recent examples of lies, deceit, corruption and delusion in the field of worldwide soccer or football; the controversial NSA Data Collection program; the false idea of America’s good reputation in the world; an incredibly hateful Muslim sermon on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem; the unrealized danger of transgender identity; the push for female pronouns to identify the Christian God; and the hot debate on same-sex marriages in Germany. We are offering a free subscription to our weekly Update and a free copy of our booklet, “Human Suffering…Why, and How Much Longer?”

“Good or Evil? — Catholic Ireland Votes to Legalize Same-Sex Marriages,” is the title of a new StandingWatch program presented by Evangelist Norbert Link. Here is a summary:

The Irish people voted by a landslide in favor of the legalization of same-sex marriages. Catholic Ireland is now referred to as a “beacon of light” and a “leader out of darkness,” “showing others the right way.” While the Roman Catholic Church officially views practicing homosexuality as “unnatural,” the German Protestant Church declared that it is “neither abnormal nor sinful.”  How does God see it? What does the Bible have to say about it? And if the Bible is clear on the matter, why are so many Christians afraid to stand up for the truth?

“Neu! Warum Christus Zurückkommen Muss!” is the title of this week’s German sermon. The English title would be, “Why Christ Must Come Back!”

A new StandingWatch Global Trailer by Pastor Brian Gale is now posted. “Evolution” is the title of this presentation.

“The Work in Germany,” last Sabbath’s sermonette presented by Norbert Link, is now posted. Here is a summary:

The Bible prophesies that at a time when a short powerful work of preaching the gospel message is being revived, modern Babylon will rise once again in Europe as the final short-lived resurrection of the ancient Holy Roman Empire. We are seeing the beginning of this prophecy being fulfilled in Germany; and Satan is very angry, knowing that his time is short.

“Good Fruits,” last Sabbath’s sermon presented by Mike Link, is now posted. Here is a summary:

To produce good fruit, one has to apply certain attributes which should produce blessings, if applied correctly.

On May 30, 2015, Norbert Link will present the sermonette, titled, “Update on the German Work,” and Mike Link will present the sermon, titled, “Good Fruit.”

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.

Over the decades I have had close contact with literally thousands of members in the Church of God. The beginning for me was hearing The World Tomorrow broadcast at age fifteen. A couple of years later, I met someone who was part of what was then called the Radio Church of God. That was followed by my attending Church services in Springfield, Missouri, and then being accepted to Ambassador College in the fall of 1964.

In those years of 1960’s and 1970’s, there was tremendous growth. Every aspect of the work of the Church flourished. There was inspiring unity, a kind of singleness of heart among the majority of people. Occasionally, however, some left the Church even when it was at its strongest. The reasons were varied, but those who remained carried on. The prevailing attitude was that this would only happen to the few, but just the opposite has proven to be the case!

Now, in May of 2015, tens of thousands of members who were once in the Worldwide Church of God have faded into a dizzying array of groups. While some struggle to remain faithful to God, most have allowed themselves to be reabsorbed into the society they once rejected!

My reflection on what has transpired is something we should know all too well. But this isn’t just history—it is our struggle of this time, and it will be true in the days ahead. It is because Satan seeks to stamp out anyone and everyone who is a member in the Church of God.

Looking back, it seems that we were easy prey for Satan. Our mistake in times past was that we didn’t really take precautions—we didn’t heed the warnings we all heard! But know this, while we can learn from what has happened in recent years, the real test remains—to finish!

Jesus outlined the challenge set before us:

“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and THERE ARE FEW WHO FIND IT” (Matthew 7:13-14)

We are living in strange times, and even “nature” seems to “behave “crazily.” While California is suffering from a severe draught, Texas and other US states are plagued with rain and flooding, and Israel, India and other countries are experiencing an “unprecedented” “brutal” heat wave, paralyzing industries and killing more than one thousand people.

In this report, we begin with Ireland’s popular vote by referendum to legalize same-sex marriages, and the repercussions this may have for other European countries; address the ongoing NSA and BND scandal in Germany which may have huge consequences for Angela Merkel and her party; speak of Russia’s aggressive conduct towards the West; and point out European ambitions and controversial plans to create a naval force to combat people-smugglers operating from Libya.

 We report on David Cameron’s hopeless attempts to change continental Europe’s thinking and the German and French rejection of his ambitious European plans; and address the election of a right-wing Catholic president in Poland who is considered to be a nationalist and a “moderate Eurosceptic,” while still supporting Poland’s EU membership.

 We continue with a disturbing article, stating that criminals hacked into more than 100,000 IRS records pertaining to individual US taxpayers; and report on the dilemma of many conservatives and Republicans in the USA, as they face a conflict between their Catholic membership, their personal belief and their official relationship with Pope Francis.

 We conclude with reports on God’s awesome universe and the fanciful opinion of intellectuals believing that it created itself and that all life on earth evolved—an unscientific and unbiblical hypothesis which Pope Francis has chosen to adopt as well–and with a warning to parents to be aware as to what (demonic) activities their children and teens may be engaged in.

Catholic Ireland Leads the Way

Deutsche Welle reported on May 24:

“After Ireland’s citizens voted overwhelmingly in favor of marriage equality in a historic referendum, members of Germany’s Green party have called for the recognition of same-sex marriage in Germany as well… Ireland voted by a landslide in favor of changing the constitution to recognize marriage between same-sex couples. It marks a significant step in a predominantly Catholic country where homosexuality was a criminal offense until 1993.

“Same-sex civil partnerships have been legal in Ireland since 2010. Similar recognition was introduced almost a decade earlier in Germany with the Civil Partnership Act in 2001… German partnerships, however, do not provide couples with exactly the same tax and adoption rights as marriage…

“Ireland is set to become the 19th country in the world to allow gay marriage, as well as the first to do so by referendum. More than 62 percent of the 3.2 million votes backed the change, while 37.9 percent opposed it…”

The Local added on May 26:

“Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) is feeling the pressure from opposition MPs, its own gay supporters and its Social Democratic Party (SPD) allies to look again at allowing gay marriage after Ireland’s popular ‘yes’ vote on Friday. Linke (Left) party leader Gregor Gysi told the Süddeutsche Zeitung that the Irish decision came at a time of  ‘cultural revolution’ that would have been ‘unimaginable’ just a short time ago…

“The CDU is already facing pressure from within its own ranks to change, with the Federation of Gays and Lesbians in the CDU calling for the party to change its tune. ‘The clear “yes” in Ireland is a signal. In Germany, something has to change in our party, too,’ federation leader Alexander Vogt told Spiegel Online. ‘Frau Merkel doesn’t need to dash forward any more. She just needs to jump aboard the train.’”

The Local added on May 28:

“Three days after Ireland voted ‘Yes’ to gay marriage in a referendum, German government spokesman Steffen Seibert defended the moves that aim to ensure equal treatment for gay couples without granting them the right to legally wed. ‘We will, in Germany, have to find our way,’ he told reporters… ‘It isn’t an equalization with marriage … Putting it on the same footing as marriage is not a goal of this government.’”

“Germany has since 2001 allowed civil unions for gay and lesbian couples, granting many but not all the rights extended to heterosexual spouses. Critics in particular point to gay couples still being forbidden from adopting children together in Germany.”

The EUObserver wrote on May 23:

“Following the referendum, parliament will introduce a bill to amend the Irish constitution. The Irish Times says the law will pass before the summer break. The new wording in the Irish charter is to say: ‘Marriage may be contracted in accordance with law by two persons without distinction as to their sex’.

“The vote means Ireland joins several other EU member states allowing same-sex marriage including Belgium, Denmark, France, Spain, and the Netherlands – the first in the world in 2001.”

Many commentators consider the referendum by overwhelmingly Catholic Ireland as a protest vote against the Catholic Church itself, as trust and confidence in the church has strongly diminished, which is largely due to the pedophile scandals, involving Catholic priests and the perceived attempts by the church to cover them up. Please also see the next article.

 “Defeat for Humanity”

 The LAT reported on May 26:

 “A close aide to Pope Francis on Tuesday denounced Ireland’s vote last week to legalize same-sex marriage, calling it a ‘defeat for humanity.’ Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s secretary of state, told reporters he was ‘deeply saddened’ by the outcome of the Friday referendum in Ireland, in which many voters defied the Roman Catholic Church by favoring marriage for same-sex couples…

“Although Francis made headlines in 2013 by saying ‘Who am I to judge,’ when asked for his views on homosexuality, he has fiercely defended heterosexual marriage and traditional family values. During his trip to the Philippines in January, Francis said the family was ‘threatened by growing efforts on the part of some to redefine the very institution of marriage.’… The Vatican views homosexual acts as unnatural. In November, Francis said at an inter-religious conference that ‘children have the right to grow up in a family with a father and mother capable of creating a suitable environment for the child’s development and emotional maturity.’

“On Monday, the Vatican’s daily newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano, called the Irish vote ‘a defeat’ and ‘a challenge for the whole church.’ The newspaper quoted Swiss Cardinal Georges Cottier as saying the result of the referendum was linked to ‘the pedophilia scandal that has rocked the Irish Church.’ Thanks in part to the Vatican’s influence on Italian politics, Italy has long resisted rulings on gay unions. But the Irish vote has galvanized the Italian government, led by prime minister Matteo Renzi, to push ahead with its own planned legislation on civil unions, which would allow couples of the same sex to be recognized by law.”

On this issue, the teaching of the Catholic Church and the Vatican is biblically correct. On the issue of Evolution (see article below), their teaching is wrong.

How the “Yes” Vote Came About

On May 27, Breitbart published the following article:

“The world has now seen that last Friday Ireland voted 62 percent to 38 percent in favor of same-sex marriage. The symbolic significance of the vote can hardly be missed. Once-Catholic Ireland is now a ‘modern, tolerant, secular and inclusive’ society in the eyes of our peers in the Western world…

“I was one of the leaders of the No campaign. I am a national newspaper columnist and have been for 21 years. In January 2007, I founded something called The Iona Institute. We are a small think tank dedicated to arguing for the rightful place of religion in public life and for the importance of traditional marriage.

“In almost all that time, same-sex marriage (preceded by civil partnerships) has been on the political agenda. Until recently, we were the only organization in the country arguing against same-sex marriage on a consistent basis. More recently, we were joined by Mothers and Fathers Matter (to which I am an adviser).

“Arrayed against us was every major political party, all of the mainstream media, every relevant NGO, an army of celebrities, and enormous financial resources. On our side was a very badly weakened Catholic Church, discredited by the child sex abuse scandals and its own authoritarian part.

“The Catholic Church did not play a front-of-house role in the campaign because it knew if it did, it would have been counter-productive. Instead, the Catholic bishops limited themselves to issuing pastoral letters on the subject, which some priests read out at masses and some did not.

“The Yes side in the campaign has also benefitted hugely from millions upon millions of American dollars… The money came from an American foundation called Atlantic Philanthropies, and it was used to turn the LGBT lobby into one of the most formidable lobbies the country has ever seen… The money from America is almost all one way, from the pockets of American liberals into the pockets of Irish liberals.

“But the Irish media cared not a whit about the fact that the LGBT lobby here is so lavishly funded with American dollars…

“By changing the Constitution as we have done, the Irish people, whether they know it or not, have now declared that the marriage of two men or two women is as ‘natural, primary and fundamental’ to society as the sexual unions of men and women. In addition, for the first time in any country ever, two married men or women can go into a court of law and say they have a constitutional right to have children…

“Roughly 30 percent of posters put up by the No side during the campaign were illegally torn down by Yes side activists who often boasted about it on social media. Torrents of abuse was directed at No side speakers on social media on a daily basis. The result was that many ordinary No voters were scared to speak to journalists because of what would then be directed at them as a result.

“Members of our police force, in full uniform, helped out at voter registration drives on behalf of the Yes side. The head of Twitter in Ireland called for a Yes vote. Former Irish President Mary McAleese broke with all previous practice by other past presidents by calling for a Yes vote. (Our presidency is largely a ceremonial role.)

“In this atmosphere, it was a minor miracle that the No side managed to garner 38 percent of votes cast, amounting to almost 750,000 voters. If we had any major media on our side or any major political party, the whole business would have been a much closer-run operation.

“In any event, it is done. An 87-year-old priest wrote to me Wednesday and expressed very well what happened here in Ireland: ‘Compassionate care of homosexual people was confused with the nature of marriage.’ I cannot sum it up any better than that.”

One-Third of Germans Feel Betrayed by Merkel

Deutsche Welle reported on May 24:

“Tension in ties between the United States and Germany heightened yet again Saturday when the mass-market ‘Bild’ newspaper reported that US intelligence agencies had started reviewing their cooperation with Germany’s foreign intelligence agency, the BND, as reports emerged that confidential information was leaked to the media by a German parliamentary committee.

“Allegations that the BND helped the NSA spy on European companies and officials has also strained Chancellor Angela Merkel’s coalition and damaged her popularity…  A US official said the leaks were worse than those attributed to Snowden, according to ‘Bild.’…

“Pressure is increasing on Merkel as critics accuse her staff of allowing the BND to help the NSA… A poll conducted last week found that one in three Germans feels deceived by Merkel… The Social Democratic Party, the junior member in Merkel’s so-called grand coalition government, has seen support increase as the surveillance scandal goes on…”

The German press reported on May 26 that according to new revelations, Angela Merkel had prior knowledge of the fact that there would be no “no-spy” agreement between the USA and Germany, long before this fact was officially admitted, suggesting that Merkel and her friends intentionally lied to the German people.

Putin’s Ongoing Persecution of Dissenters

The Associated Press reported on May 24:

“President Vladimir Putin signed a bill into law Saturday giving prosecutors the power to declare foreign and international organizations ‘undesirable’ in Russia and shut them down. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have condemned the measure as part of an ‘ongoing draconian crackdown which is squeezing the life out of civil society.’

“The law is part of a Kremlin campaign to stifle dissent that intensified after Putin began his third term in 2012. His return to the presidency had been accompanied by mass street protests that Putin accused the United States of fomenting. Russian suspicions of Western intentions have been further heightened because of tensions over Russia’s role in the conflict in Ukraine…

“U.S. State Department deputy spokesperson Marie Harf said the United States is ‘deeply troubled’ by the new law, calling it ‘a further example of the Russian government’s growing crackdown on independent voices and intentional steps to isolate the Russian people from the world.’”

Sadly, this is very true, but most Russians don’t care; rather, they admire and support Putin’s conduct.

 Russia Goes on the Attack against Germany

 Deutsche Welle reported on May 25:

“Foreign affairs politician Karl-Georg Wellmann has been stopped from entering Russia, where he was to take part in talks on ‘the future of Ukraine’… Wellmann is the head of the German-Ukrainian group in the German Bundestag, and a known critic of [the] Kremlin.

“Russian authorities banned Wellmann from entering Russia until November 2019… officials only informed of the move after he landed in Moscow Sheremetyevo airport on Sunday night. He was then asked to take the next flight to Berlin… Wellmann returned to Germany on Monday morning, after spending the night in the transit area at Moscow’s airport…

“Wellmann, who is a member of Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrat party (CDU), has been sharply critical of Russia’s actions in east Ukraine. He has urged tougher sanctions on the Kremlin and called Russia a ‘warmonger’ for allegedly supporting the rebels… While in Moscow, Wellmann had intended to meet Konstantin Kosachev, the international affairs committee chairman in Russia’s upper house of parliament, as well as Sergei Glazyev who is economic adviser to President Vladimir Putin, the German politician told Focus Online.

“Wellman also said that he suspected Russian authorities of having created a whole list of Western officials that they intend to keep out of Russia… ‘Because the list is not public, you only know that you are on it only when you are in the entry hall,’ Wellmann said.”

… and the USA

Reuters reported on May 28:

“Russian President Vladimir Putin defended Russia’s right to host the 2018 soccer World Cup on Thursday and accused the United States of meddling outside its jurisdiction in the arrest of top officials from world governing body FIFA.

“Putin said the arrests in Switzerland on Wednesday were an ‘obvious attempt’ to prevent FIFA head Sepp Blatter’s re-election this week [Deutsche Welle said that Blatter is expected to win Friday’s polls against Prince Ali bin al-Hussein of Jordan, even though Europe and the USA have pledged to support Prince Ali, according to the New York Times] but that the 79-year-old had Russia’s backing. ‘If anything happened, it did not happen on U.S. territory and the United States has nothing to do with it,’ he said. ‘This is yet another blatant attempt (by the United States) to extend its jurisdiction to other states.’

“The world’s most popular sport was plunged into turmoil this week when seven senior soccer officials were arrested on U.S. corruption charges to face extradition from Switzerland. Swiss authorities also announced a criminal investigation into the awarding of the next two World Cups, including the 2018 tournament which was granted to Russia in 2010 by a committee containing two of the indicted FIFA officials…

“‘Unfortunately, our American partners use such methods to achieve their selfish aims and illegally persecute people,’ [Russia’s Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko] said, citing former U.S. intelligence contractor Edward Snowden and WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, both of whom have evaded prosecution in the United States for divulging secret information by hiding abroad. ‘I do not rule out that in the case of FIFA, it’s exactly the same,’ Putin said.”

Tanks Don’t Need Visas

 Newsmax wrote on May 26:

“‘Tanks don’t need visas,’ Russia’s deputy prime minister reminded western nations in an assertive weekend interview timed with the start of a massive military exercise. Dmitry Rogozin was reacting to a question about visa bans by the U.S. and European countries being imposed on him and other Russia politicians and business leaders connected with the Ukraine dilemma, when he quipped ‘tanks don’t need visas’…

“Reuters and AFP reported that Russia’s Defense Ministry kicked off air force exercises in the Ural mountains and western Siberia involving 12,000 soldiers and 250 aircraft. The maneuvers are meant to prepare for a larger drill in September, called Tsentr-2015. NATO began a dueling military exercise with Germany, Great Britain, France, the Netherlands and the U.S. gathering in the Artic for two weeks of maneuvers…

“On Sunday, Rogozin posted a message on Twitter that Russia is not a threat to the West, which is facing ‘collapse under the onslaught of ISIS and gays.’… Tensions between the West and Russia seemed to increase Monday when Germany complained about Moscow denying a German lawmaker [Karl-Georg Wellmann] into Russia because of the Ukrainian crisis…”

EU Plans for Military Involvement

BBC News reported on May 18:

“EU ministers have approved plans to establish a naval force to combat people-smugglers operating from Libya. The aim is to launch the operation next month, with a headquarters in Rome under an Italian admiral, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said. The EU is struggling to cope with a surge in illegal migrants from Africa and the Middle East crossing the Mediterranean Sea to reach Europe…

“The UK is playing the lead role at the UN Security Council in drafting a resolution that would give the EU a legal basis for using military force against people traffickers… It is not clear how destroying boats at sea would stem the flow of migrants. If there are plans to destroy boats on standby before they leave Libyan shores then that would require a significant amount of intelligence on the ground. EU member states have no official presence in Libya…

“The mission could mean operating in areas controlled by a potentially hostile Islamist militia, and EU forces taking considerable risks to destroy boats and infrastructure used by smugglers…

“EU officials have said repeatedly that there will be “no boots on the ground”. But there will need to be an effort to disrupt the onshore operations of the smuggling gangs if the mission is to achieve its objectives. That could well involve the use of special forces, something that will not be advertised in advance. And there will be huge risks involved for the EU – political and military. It’s just that doing nothing is an even less attractive option.”

The EUObserver wrote on May 26:

“Another leaked EU paper on the Libya boat-sinking operation says it could harm Europe’s image and create false hope the warships are there to rescue people. The paper, drafted by the EU’s military committee, a branch of the foreign service, on 12 May was published on Monday (25 May) by whistleblower site Wikileaks… It says there’s ‘a risk to EU reputation’ if ‘loss of life be attributed, correctly or incorrectly, to action or inaction by the EU force’.

“It also says military activity in Libya risks ‘destabilising the political process by causing collateral damage, disrupting legitimate economic activity, or creating a perception of [the EU] having chosen sides’ between Libya’s rival authorities. It adds: ‘the information strategy should avoid suggesting that the focus is to rescue migrants at sea but emphasise that the aim of the operation is to disrupt the migrant-smuggling business model’…

“The military paper notes the warships, despite their mandate, will be in a tricky position if they encounter migrants whose safety is at risk, because ‘preservation of human life at sea is a legal obligation’ under international law… It also contradicts EU foreign service press statements there won’t be military activity on land… it says smugglers’ land-based ‘enabling assets (logistical facilities, fuel, communication equipment)’ are also targets.”

The UK might not be part of this planned EU endeavor. See the next articles.

Cameron Soon All Alone?

 The Telegraph wrote on May 26:

“Germany and France have agreed a pact to bring the Eurozone closer together without the need for treaty change in a potential blow to Britain’s plans for EU reform… The Prime Minister told Mr Juncker that the British people are ‘not happy with the status quo’ and believe that the EU needs to change ahead of a referendum on Britain’s membership by the end of 2017…

“After the Queen’s Speech on Wednesday, Mr Cameron will embark on a two-day diplomatic offensive to make his case with visits to Denmark, Holland, France, Poland and Germany…

“Earlier Mr Cameron spoke to Vladimir Putin, the Russian President, and the two men agreed to re-open talks over how to end the civil war in Syria and stop the rise of Isil.”

The Guardian added on May 26:

“Germany and France have forged a pact to integrate the eurozone without reopening the EU’s treaties, in a blow to David Cameron’s referendum campaign. Sidestepping Britain’s demands to renegotiate the Lisbon treaty and Britain’s place in the EU, the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, and the French president, François Hollande, have sealed an agreement aimed at fashioning a tighter political union among the single-currency countries while operating within the confines of the existing treaty…

“The Franco-German initiative, likely to be endorsed by the 25 June summit, would definitively close the door on treaty renegotiation… The Franco-German policy proposal, said Le Monde, ‘shows that French and German leaders do not have much in common with David Cameron’.”

The Local wrote on May 23:

“Germany and France have agreed to forge closer Eurozone ties without reopening the bloc’s treaties… The move is seemingly designed to undermine UK Prime Minister David Cameron’s attempts to renegotiate his country’s ties to the EU… Die Welt newspaper said the agreement represented ‘Berlin and Paris showing Cameron the red card’…

“Cameron wants EU heads of state to agree to reopen treaties so he can renegotiate Britain’s ties to the EU and win back some powers from Brussels, while at the same time allowing for closer cooperation among eurozone nations. The PM’s chief requirement is a change to laws surrounding access to benefits by EU migrants. Cameron wants restrictions on benefits unless migrants have lived in the country for four years. He is also expected to demand an opt-out from one the EU’s core principles of forging an ‘ever-closer union’ between member states.

“But it seems Hollande and Merkel have an entirely different agenda on the table… ‘Given that Cameron is about to go on tour around Europe and meet several heads of state, this move by Merkel and Hollande can’t be just coincidence,’ Philippe Marliere, professor in French and European politics at the University College London told The Local. ‘It’s clearly a signal of intent to show Cameron that “whatever he wants to get from us, we aren’t budging when it comes to treaties and the monetary union.”’”

Express added on May 26:

“Cameron’s attempts to renegotiate Britain’s role in the European Union will fail, Ukip’s deputy chairwoman [Suzanne Evans] has warned… The Prime Minister hopes to win ‘major concessions’ from Brussels – but Suzanne Evans claimed that he ‘won’t even get close’ to securing Britain’s independence… Evans also urged Britain to further its relations with the old Commonwealth and Anglosphere after leaving the EU, She said: ‘It’s the non-EU countries that mostly do the best trade with the EU.’”

Mr. Cameron’s desperate attempts to find allies and supporters for his cause, wherever he may be able to find them—inside and outside the EU—will not prevent the occurrence of the prophesied truth that the UK will find itself isolated and not helped by its allies in the very near future.

Austria to Repatriate Much of Its Gold Reserves from Britain

The Local wrote on May 28:

“Austria’s central bank announced on Thursday it would repatriate a large part of its gold reserves currently stored in Britain, after auditors warned of the risk of bulk storing in a foreign country. Until now the Austrian National Bank has kept 80 percent of its 280 tonnes of gold, worth around €8.6 million ($9.3 million), in London.

“But by 2020, the Bank of England’s stock of the precious metal will be reduced to 30 percent, while Austria will hold 50 percent and Switzerland 20 percent…

“Vienna confirmed it would begin to gradually repatriate 92.4 tonnes this summer. A further 47.6 tonnes will be transferred from Britain to Switzerland. Austria’s move echoes an announcement by Germany in 2013, which said it would repatriate all of its gold stocked in France as well as some of the reserves held in the United States, to ensure at least 50 percent was kept on German soil by 2020.”

 What’s Going on in Poland?

 Times of Israel wrote on May 26:

“Leaders of Poland’s Jewish community said Polish Jews are ready to cooperate with the country’s new right-wing president, who has criticized his predecessor’s apologies to Jews over the Holocaust.

“Andrzej Duda won Sunday’s presidential elections in Poland. Duda, whose father-in-law Julian Kornhauser is a well-known Polish-Jewish poet, garnered 52 percent of the vote, according to official results certified on Sunday night. His opponent, former president Bronislaw Komorowski, received 48 percent of the vote. Duda, a conservative politician, criticized the president’s apologies in recent years for the massacre that Polish farmers perpetrated against their Jewish neighbors in Jedwabne. The 1941 Jedwabne pogrom, in which dozens of Jews were burned alive by villagers who trapped them inside a barn, was exposed in the early 2000s by the historian Jan Gross. The discovery triggered furious reactions by Polish nationalists who claimed there was too little evidence to support the allegations, which they said falsely depicted Poland as a perpetrator nation instead of a victim of Nazi occupation.

“Komorwski said of Jedwabne during campaign debate that ‘the nation of victims was also the nation of perpetrators.’ Duda called Komorowski’s apologies an ‘attempt to destroy Poland’s good name.’… Duda is a member of the conservative right-wing Law and Justice Party. On Monday he announced that he would resign from membership in the party in order to serve as an independent president…

“Duda, a 43-year-old lawyer, will be taking office in August for a five-year term. Duda, a Roman Catholic, traveled on Monday to the Jasna Gora shrine in Czestochowa, and prayed there…

“Duda’s win is a serious warning for the ruling pro-EU government, in power since 2007, before fall parliamentary elections. It could herald a major political shift in the European Union’s sixth-largest economy, a country that has been able to punch above its weight in Europe without belonging to the 19-nation eurozone. Poland’s influence is underlined by the fact that one of its own, Donald Tusk, now heads the European Council in Brussels…

“Poland’s president has limited powers, but is the head of the armed forces, and can propose and veto legislation…

“In Moscow, the Kremlin said President Vladimir Putin congratulated Duda and ‘expressed confidence that building constructive relations between Russia and Poland, based on the principles of good neighborly relations and the mutual respect of interests, would strengthen security and stability in Europe.’”

The EUObserver added on May 25:

“Duda’s presidency will also influence Poland’s stance on the European scene, especially if Law and Justice wins parliamentary elections in October which past experience shows is likely… If it happens it is going to be a conservative and nationalistic shift in one of the most pro-European countries in EU… Duda is considered to be moderately eurosceptic. He thinks that Poland should not follow European mainstream politics which he sees as driven by Germany, but he supports Poland’s EU membership.”

IRS Hacked and Under Attack

 The Associated Press reported on May 26:

“Sophisticated criminals used an online service run by the IRS to access personal tax information from more than 100,000 taxpayers, part [of] an elaborate scheme to steal identities and claim fraudulent tax refunds, the IRS said Tuesday. The thieves accessed a system called ‘Get Transcript,’ where taxpayers can get tax returns and other filings from previous years. In order to access the information, the thieves cleared a security screen that required knowledge about the taxpayer, including Social Security number, date of birth, tax filing status and street address, the IRS said…

“Identity thieves, both foreign and domestic, have stepped up their efforts in recent years to claim fraudulent tax refunds. The agency estimates it paid out $5.8 billion in fraudulent refunds to identity thieves in 2013… ‘That the IRS — home to highly sensitive information on every single American and every single company doing business here at home — was vulnerable to this attack is simply unacceptable,’ said Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee. ‘What’s more, this agency has been repeatedly warned by top government watchdogs that its data security systems are inadequate against the growing threat of international hackers and data thieves.’’

 Republicans and Conservatives Clash with the Pope

Newsmax wrote on May 25:

“As Pope Francis makes pronouncements that are increasingly more progressive, this poses a problem for Catholic Republicans, Politico argues. The Vatican recognized Palestine as a state earlier this month, Pope Francis is expected to release an encyclical, which is a teaching document, addressing climate change by the end of June, and climate change will also be a topic he is expected to highlight when he addresses Congress in September. This is in addition to statements the pontiff has made previously about softening the church’s views on gay marriage, divorce and birth control.

“Catholic and conservative political activist and Iowa state treasure candidate Sam Clovis told Politico that ‘in northwest Iowa, we are discussing this a great deal, and sometimes it’s hard for us to reconcile the pronouncements we read from the Holy Father with our conservative principles.’ Politico contends that this may also present a problem for potential Catholic candidates for president such as former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum. Clovis, who also ran for Senate, told Politico that Bush’s Catholicism is ‘going to cause a lot of problems’ for him in Iowa ‘because Republicans are simply not going to take him seriously.’ …”

Our Awesome Universe

The Website of engadget.com reported on May 24:

“… imagine looking at something with the brightness of 300 trillion suns. That’s how intense ‘the most luminous galaxy found to date’ is, so much so that NASA has created a new classification for it and the 19 other similar galaxies it has discovered: extremely luminous infrared galaxies, or ELIRGs… This particular one is located 12.5 billion light years away, which means it started forming soon after the universe was born 13.8 billion years ago…”

Let’s put it in another way. GOD created it about 13.8 billion years ago (assuming these figures are remotely accurate).

 Flashback–The Erroneous Viewpoint of Pope Francis

The Independent wrote on October 28, 2014:

“The theories of evolution and the Big Bang are real and God is not ‘a magician with a magic wand’, Pope Francis has declared… Francis explained that both scientific theories were not incompatible with the existence of a creator – arguing instead that they ‘require it’. ‘When we read about Creation in Genesis, we run the risk of imagining God was a magician, with a magic wand able to do everything. But that is not so,’ Francis said.

“He added: ‘He created human beings and let them develop according to the internal laws that he gave to each one so they would reach their fulfilment… The Big Bang, which today we hold to be the origin of the world, does not contradict the intervention of the divine creator but, rather, requires it…’

“Giovanni Bignami, a professor and president of Italy’s National Institute for Astrophysics, told the Italian news agency Adnkronos: ‘The pope’s statement is significant. We are the direct descendents from the Big Bang that created the universe. Evolution came from creation.’”

The pope’s comments are not only in total opposition to and rejected by the Bible, but they also make no sense. If he truly believes in the Evolution concept, then God did not create any human beings—rather, a cell developed in an original soup of gases. The comment by Bignsami about the big bang “creating” the universe is even more fanciful.

Teaching of Creationism (to Be) Prohibited … but Evolution Must Be Taught in Schools

On May 24, the website of heraldscotland.com stated the following:

“Campaigners who called for an official ban on teaching creationism in schools have welcomed a ‘clear statement’ from a Scottish Government minister it should not be taught in science classes…

“In England and Wales, the teaching of creationism as scientific theories is prohibited in schools.

“A spokesman for the Scottish Government said: ‘Education Scotland does not identify creationism as a scientific principle, and it does not form part of the learning and teaching of science in our schools.’”

“Charlie Charlie” No Harmless Game!

CNA Daily News reported on May 27:

“A game that purports to invoke a Mexican demon – known as ‘Charlie, Charlie’ and considered to be a simplified version of the Ouija board – has gone viral on social media among young people…

“Scores of short video clips, mostly by teens, show players shrieking and running out of view when the pencil apparently moves on its own and points to a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’ after they say a phrase inviting the demon.”

Parents beware—and know what your children and teens are doing… including in school.

Some claim that Satan will be deceiving those who will be resurrected at the time of the Great White Throne Judgement period. That resurrection is referred to as the Second Resurrection and described in Revelation 20:11-12 and in many other places in the Bible. Others dispute that Satan will still be active at that time. Who is correct? Does the Bible give us clear answers?

God tells us that when Christ returns, Satan and his demons will be banished and thrown into a prison (the “bottomless pit” or the “abyss”), so that they will not be able to deceive the nations anymore. At that time, the Millennium of Christ’s rule over man will begin here on earth.

We explain this in detail in chapter 5 of our free booklet, “Biblical Prophecy–From Now Until Forever“:

“After Christ’s return and His battle with the hostile armies of this world, He will deal with the real author of destruction and deception—Satan the devil, along with his demons. We read in Revelation 20:1-3: ‘Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. He laid hold on the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while.’

“We read that Satan will be thrown into the ‘bottomless pit’… that same fate awaits all the demons under his control… When Satan and his demons will be placed in the ‘abyss’ [same Greek word as for ‘bottomless pit’] at the beginning of the Millennium, they will be as good as dead—unable to influence and deceive the nations any longer during that time period (compare Revelation 20:3)…[Later] Satan and his demons will be cast into the lake of fire and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever (Revelation 20:10; Matthew 25:41). Their torment will be spiritual, as they will see all of their evil works destroyed by fire (compare 2 Peter 3:10–13), and their influence on others will be gone forever. Their final fate might be revealed in Jude 13, referring to ‘wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.’ Compare, too, 2 Peter 2:17.

“Even though only Satan the Devil is specifically mentioned in Revelation 20:1-3, as the one who is being thrown into the abyss, it is obvious that the demons are included. This also becomes clear when reviewing carefully the fate of Satan and his angels at the time when the Millennium ends. Revelation 20:10 says that the Devil will be cast in the lake of fire, and that ‘they’ will be tormented day and night… We read in Matthew 25:41 that the lake of fire was ‘prepared for the devil and his angels.’ Therefore, it will be the devil and his demons who will be tormented in the lake of fire, for as long as that lake exists. Since spirit beings cannot die (compare Luke 20:36), they will be tormented—in a spiritual way—while being confined to the lake of fire, when they come to the realization that they are unable to deceive man anymore, and when they see all their ‘works’ and evil ‘accomplishments’ replaced by the good and prosperous ways of God…

“The same is true for Revelation 20:1-3, which mentions that Satan—the ruler of the demonic world—will be bound in the abyss or bottomless pit for a thousand years. Even though only the ruler over the demons is mentioned here, the demons themselves are included as well.”

We continue to explain, in referring to several biblical passages, that “the abyss or the bottomless pit, where Satan and his demons will be shut up, describes the destroyed areas where currently the modern city of Babylon—Rome—is situated. We read that the modern city of Babylon will never be rebuilt and inhabited again (Isaiah 13:19-22).”

We also explain that at the very beginning of the Millennium, an Asiatic army will invade the Promised Land, but it will be supernaturally defeated by God Himself. We go on to show that a “similar attack on Jerusalem will occur about 1,000 years later, after Satan has been ‘released from his prison.’ He will ‘go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea’ (Revelation 20:7-8). They will try to conquer Jerusalem, but God will destroy them (verse 9)…

“After 1,000 years of God’s rule, the peoples in the Millennium will not have experienced Satan and his demons who were imprisoned during that time. They will be unaware of the powerful influence of Satan and his evil devices. Once he is released from prison for a short while, he will go out to deceive the nations, just as he deceived Eve in the Garden of Eden; and as Eve fell for Satan’s deception, so will those people, choosing to believe Satan rather than God. Having lived all this time in a peaceful ‘Garden of Eden,’ they will still want to believe Satan.”

When will this last “war” take place? When will Satan be released from prison for a short period or a little while?

As we have read, Revelation 20:2-3 tells us that “Satan is to be bound for a thousand years,” and that “he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while.”

Please recall that we were also told in Revelation 20:7-10:

“Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison.” He will then go out to deceive the nations “in the four corners of the earth,” but God will defeat those who want to fight, and verse 10 tells us: “The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone… And they (the devil and his demons) will be (spiritually) tormented day and night forever and ever.”

Now notice carefully. AFTER these events have taken place, we read in verses 11-12: “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 describes the Second Resurrection of “the rest of the dead” who did not “live again until the thousand years were finished” (verse 5). It is then, AFTER the Millennium and AFTER the temporary release of Satan and his deception, that “the rest of the dead” are going to be resurrected and judged in the “Great White Throne Judgment.” At that time, Satan and his demons will not be around anymore to deceive any of them, because they will have been thrown, BEFORE these events, into the lake of fire and brimstone.

This poses the question as to why Satan will even be released from prison, and who exactly will be his targets. Also, when will the human beings living in the Millennium inherit eternal life?  To answer the second question first, two possibilities exist: Either, they will be changed to immortality on an individual basis in their due time when they have qualified (after all, when Christ returns, those who are still alive in Christ will be changed instantaneously); or, all those living in the Millennium will live the entire time period of 1,000 years and those who have qualified will be changed to immortality at the end of the Millennium (after they withstood Satan’s last temptation). After all, some people, before and at the time of Noah, lived for almost 1,000 years. The Bible does NOT say that people will DIE in the Millennium TO BE RESURRECTED TO IMMORTALITY at a later time.

It appears LIKELY that all will indeed live until the end of the Millennium, so that all will be exposed to Satan’s evil devices when he is released from prison. Most (except for those very few who survive the Great Tribulation and live on into the Millennium) had never had any experience with Satan who was bound in prison for all this time, while they were born in the Millennium and grew up; so God might want to test all of them to see where they really stand. This is not the case with those who will be in the Second Resurrection, because ALL of them had been tempted by Satan in their prior life. Therefore, there is no need for God to keep Satan around to allow him to tempt them once again.

This poses the next question as to when EXACTLY Satan will be released from prison. We read in the New King James Bible that this will occur when the thousand years “are finished” (Revelation 20:3) and when they “have expired” (Revelation 20:7). If this is the correct rendering, then this would mean that a short time will elapse after the Millennium, during which time Satan and his demons will be allowed to deceive the nations, before those who have qualified will be changed to immortality (Those who follow Satan in his last deception and who will be destroyed by God through fire will either be resurrected in the Second Resurrection, or, if their actions constitute the unpardonable sin, they will be resurrected in the Third Resurrection to be burned up in the lake of fire, Revelation 20:13-15). In any event, the Satanic deception will occur BEFORE the Great White Throne Judgment begins.

But it is possible, and even likely, that the rendering in the New King James Bible is not totally accurate, and that the wording should be that the coming Satanic deception will occur when the 1,000 years “are expiring” or “coming to a close”—not, when they “have expired” or “totally ended.” The New Living Translation and the Lamsa Bible say in Revelation 20:7 that the 1,000 years “come to an end.” But note that the Greek word in Revelation 20:3 and in Revelation 20:7 is in both cases “teleo,” and even though different words are used in the English translation, the original Greek word means, according to Strong’s Concordance, “to end,” “make an end” or “fill up” (which could include, “ending” or “coming to an end).” If so, then the Satanic deception would occur at the very end of the Millennium, when the thousand years are expiring or just coming to a close.

In light of this, it has been suggested that Revelation 20:9 may refer to or include the assembly of (some of) the saints (not yet made immortal) during the Feast of Tabernacles at the end of the Millennium, when the hostile nations will surround “the camp of the saints” and “the beloved city” of Jerusalem. The same word for “camp” is used in Hebrews 13:11 and 13, referring to the camp of Israel and the sanctuary in the wilderness. (In other places, the term is used to refer to hostile armies or barracks, but it clearly does not mean this in Revelation 20:9.). After this Satanic attack and the saints’ rejection of Satan’s deception, they would then be changed immediately to immortality.

In any event, this Satanic deception will not occur at the beginning of or during the Great White Throne Judgement. Rather, it will occur BEFORE then. When the billions of human beings who had died and who will be resurrected in the Second Resurrection to be given their first chance for salvation, Satan and his demons will NOT be allowed to deceive them; as they will already be imprisoned and “spiritually” “tormented” during that time in the lake of fire.

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

“Prophecy – How to Understand It – Part 1:  The Number of the Beast,” is the first of three new sermons to be presented by Norbert Link on June 13, 2015—followed by presentations on June 20 and 27.  In addition, we are promoting this series through press releases, Facebook and our own webpage, www.eternalgod.org

“Warum Kam Jesus zu Uns?” is the new German sermon for this week. Title in English: “Why Did Jesus Come to Us?”

A new Global Trailer with Brian Gale (“Germany in Prophecy,” #26)  has been posted on the Internet.

The following messages from last Sabbath and Pentecost have been posted:

“A Vision”—sermonette by Kalon Mitchell

“Comfort and Encouragement”—sermon by Norbert Link

“Crayons”—sermonette by Robb Harris

“What is the Church”—sermon by Dave Harris

“Cain and Abel”—sermonette by Michael Link

“Why Do We Keep Pentecost?”—sermon by Norbert Link