Having managed cities in my past, I have a unique perspective as to the problems commonly experienced. We’ve all seen examples of once-great cities that have declined. Cities such as New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Paris, and London were never godly, but they were admired for their outward beauty. I recall that during the early 2000s, New York City reduced the overall crime rate dramatically. This was celebrated as a major achievement, despite the ongoing presence of evil.

Several years ago, I attended a conference in Portland, Oregon. The city enjoys a pleasant setting along the banks of the Willamette River. The main gathering spot in the city, Pioneer Square, was a striking blend of green spaces, historic architecture, and commerce. Shops of all kinds lined the perimeter of the Square. Many of those shops have since closed due to factors such as the pandemic, violent crime, homelessness, street camping and the residue it leaves behind, not to mention rioting and retail theft. My point is that the most admired cities suffer degrees of chaos and confusion, as opposed to cities of God.

Consider the future of human societies as described in Isaiah 24. Some Bible translations give the following headline: “Impending Judgement on the Earth.” Verses 7-12 specifically illustrate God’s judgement for ongoing and unrepentant human sin: “The new wine fails, the vine languishes, All the merry hearted sigh. The mirth of the tambourine ceases, The noise of the jubilant ends, The joy of the harp ceases. They shall not drink wine with a song; Strong drink is bitter to those who drink it. The city of confusion is broken down; Every house is shut up, so that none may go in. There is a cry for wine in the streets, All joy is darkened, The mirth of the land is gone. In the city desolation is left, And the gate is stricken with destruction.”

We know that God’s judgement on this world is assured, and punishment for our disobedience and lack of sincere repentance will ignore social status, politics, and influence. The moral decay of cities the world typically lauds will not be spared God’s anger. Paris, once referred to as the City of Light, more aptly describes the darkness that defines so many cities. As true Christians, we understand that God’s plan for those He calls cannot be compared to the current state of our governments, no matter how well intentioned they may be.

As a former city manager, I think of the challenges we faced in addressing a multitude of problems. The choices we considered were never easy, but we knew that they were needed to face the problems or suffer the consequences of a bankrupt city. I realize now that God was merciful with me back then when, despite my indifference to His Law, we succeeded in making necessary changes. Yet, despite temporary outward prosperity, success is an illusion if it is not of God. Today, as a repentant Christian, I face challenges in an entirely different manner, striving to place my faith and trust in God.

We contrast the devastation of our cities discussed above with the glorious promise of Isaiah 9:6-7: “For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given: And the government will be upon His shoulder: And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end…”

This is the book and chapter of the Bible that fueled my conversion away from the world because it clearly pictures the future Kingdom of God, and the stunning connection with the New Testament, as mentioned in Luke 2:7-14. This is the story of our God, our Creator, and our soon-coming King and Ruler from the Throne of David in Jerusalem.

Consider an ancient city known for idolatry and opposition to God’s law—Jericho, known as the City of Palms in ancient times. It was situated near the Dead Sea and the West Bank of the Jordan River, and it thrived for a time despite its evil focus. That is until God had enough of the sinfulness and established the region as the land promised for His people. In Deuteronomy 34:1-4, we see the story beginning to unfold: “Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is across from Jericho. And the LORD showed him all the land of Gilead as far as Dan, all Naphtali and the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea, the South, and the plain of the Valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees, as far as Zoar. Then the LORD said to him, ‘This is the land of which I swore to give Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, saying, “I will give it to your descendants.” I have caused you to see with your eyes, but you shall not cross over there.’”

We know what became of Sodom and Gomorrah as a result of their sinfulness, as recorded in Genesis 19. Alternatively, we read about the city of God in Psalm 48:1-3: “Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised In the city of our God, In His holy mountain. Beautiful in elevation, The joy of the whole earth, Is Mount Zion on the sides of the north, The city of the great King. God is in her palaces; He is known as her refuge.”

In Psalm 125:1, we read: “Those who trust in the LORD Are like Mount Zion, Which cannot be moved, but abides forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, So the LORD surrounds His people From this time forth and forever.” Unlike trying to rebuild our cities at this time, regaining the trust of the public and enticing visitors back into a blighted urban core, true Christians can take heart by focusing instead on the coming perfect spiritual city—the New Jerusalem on the new earth. Consider Revelation 21:2-3: “Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.”

As true Christians, we have been called to obedience, but we have also been called to courage. In the past week our region experienced 100 mph winds, threats of wildfire, and the reality of extended periods without electricity and heating. Mankind’s cities, structures and systems are unbelievably fragile as we’ve all experienced. God’s Kingdom however is hopeful, bright, peaceful and eternal. Let’s focus on that!

“For the sake of peace”—for some, this phrase implies that one must always give in, but it also contains an old, yet deeply biblical expression that reminds us that true peace does not come when everyone insists on their rights, but rather, when love and humility are stronger than pride.

Acting “for the sake of peace” means, yielding not out of weakness, but out of inner strength, because one values peace more highly than dispute.

The Bible repeatedly calls us to seek and preserve peace. Romans 12:18 says, “If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.”

This shows that peace often begins with our own attitude. We need to let go, forgive, and remain silent, even when it is difficult. We need to give in, even when it seems unfair or we have already done so many times.

When Peter once asked Jesus, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven” (compare Matthew 18:21-22).

This means nothing less than always, without limitation!

Jesus teaches us that true forgiveness knows no bounds and that true peace can only grow where we are ready to forgive again and again.

But peace does not mean concealing injustice or suppressing the Truth.

In Ezekiel 33:1-9, God speaks of the responsibility of the watchman to warn the people in the face of danger. The watchman who remains silent is complicit in the disaster that occurs. These words remind us that peace does not come from silence about evil, but from the Truth spoken out of love.

Sometimes, God calls us to speak up, to warn, or to have the courage to address injustices—not to condemn, but to preserve and save lives.

This also means acting “for the sake of peace”: speaking the Truth in love so that genuine peace based on justice can arise.

Jesus himself said, “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God” (Matthew 5:9; Authorized Version). Peacemaking is therefore a sign of being a child of God.

Those who seek peace follow the example of Christ, who showed us the way of peace—not by fighting, but by loving, forgiving, and serving.

The peace that God gives is more than the absence of dispute; it is a state of the heart in which God’s love reigns: “…and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus”, as Paul writes in Philippians 4:7.

To live “for the sake of peace” means to consciously seek reconciliation in relationships, in the family, in the church, or at work. It is not always easy, but it is worth trying not to always have the last word, but rather to remain calm. It means to think “more highly of one another than you do of yourselves,” as it says in Philippians 2:3 (Amplified Bible), and in doing so, allowing God’s love to be manifested.

Sometimes, this also means giving in more often than one would like, and yet finding peace in it because one knows that God guides our hearts and that love always remains the stronger force.

Jesus Himself paid the highest price “for the sake of peace.” He gave up His divine right, became human, served, and died so that “our peace was upon Him” (Isaiah 53:5).

This divine peace is the foundation on which we can build our lives.

Thus, God calls us to be peacemakers in word and deed, in love and patience. “For the sake of peace”—for us, this is not a sign of weakness, but an expression of divine strength rooted in love and bearing fruit in peace.

(Initial Translation: Daniel Blasinger)

It is human nature to justify our actions. For example, one might choose to tell a so-called white lie when asked about their opinion. If telling the Truth might invoke conflict, masking the Truth to prevent conflict might seem like the best thing to do. Human nature will push us to believe that God won’t mind a little sin if it is for the purpose of doing what we think is good.

However, those who rely only on their human judgment to evaluate between right and wrong and choose to do what is contrary to what God commands are deceived. They might think that God will understand their circumstances and permit a minor indiscretion. Certainly, He will consider the situation and allow an exception to His rules, right?

Wrong.

As hard as it might be to accept, God’s Laws do not make room for exceptions. White lies are one simple example. But this principle extends to other seemingly harmless actions as well. Consider the high standard that Jesus Christ described when He explained how sin begins in the heart. Even though the Ten Commandments condemn murder, Jesus explained that even being angry with one’s brother without a cause can bring one into judgment (compare Matthew 5:21-22). He also explained that a man who looks upon another woman with lust or a desire to commit adultery with her commits sin, even if the actual physical act never takes place (compare Matthew 5:27-28).

With a human perspective, it can be tempting to believe that our good intentions that manifest as sinful behavior would be acceptable by God, but this is simply not true.

In fact, if we have an attitude of knowingly committing sin in defiance of God’s commandments because we think those sins are no big deal, we put ourselves in a very dangerous position. If we sin willfully with full knowledge of the Truth, this is known as committing the unpardonable sin. “For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries” (Hebrews 10:26-27). It does not matter if that sin is big or small, because it is all sin. Even an unrepented white lie spoken willfully to deceive is enough to result in this terrible condemnation.

“For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. For He who said, ‘Do not commit adultery,’ also said, ‘Do not murder.’ Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law” (James 2:10-11).

Considering how there is such a high standard to be without sin is sobering. We all have failed in our attempts to obey God, even though we try. The point is to continue learning from our mistakes and correct our paths, not to continue making mistakes willfully, thinking that our sins are no big deal to God. When we have an attitude of repentance, we can continue claiming the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ to offer us forgiveness. If we are willing to turn away from sin, Jesus Christ is willing to forgive us. But if we are so full of pride that we believe our sins don’t matter, there is no sacrifice that remains to forgive us.

We cannot take God’s commandments lightly. If we sin willfully, thinking that God won’t mind, we are mistaken, and gravely so. Fortunately, as long as we take God seriously, continue to love the Truth, and repent from our sins when we discover them, we will receive forgiveness which will save us.

Recently, on November 28, a Q&A written by Mr. Norbert Link was published on our website, eternalgod.org. The second question, “What do we read in general about true thankfulness to God for His physical blessings, even in difficult times, and how can Thanksgiving Day contribute to this attitude of thankfulness?” led me to the following reflection: “What do we really know about genuine gratitude for God – precisely for the peace He wants to give us, especially in difficult times?”

Currently, we are all living in a deeply stressful and depressing time, in which political decisions often show that citizens are being restricted by ongoing new regulations. At the same time, people around the world are feeling increasingly disappointed by a lack of transparency, dubious priorities and enormous spending on ideological projects. In addition, international decisions are leading to people being drawn into conflicts that are causing a high number of human casualties.

We are also seeing a significant change in society, with some people feeling that politicians are supporting certain social groups whose activities are having a major impact on public debate. One example is Antifa, a term used to describe anti-fascist radical left-wing groups that regularly call for demonstrations against right-wing extremism or authoritarian political developments.

There is also discussion about the role of political peace initiatives that show how military buildup, nuclear deterrence, or a return to mandatory military service are being promoted. For many, the idea of trying to create peace through military strength is frightening—like trying to dry up a river by pouring more water into it.

In my personal circle, I see every day how deep peoples’ dissatisfaction has become. You can not only feel it, but you can also hear it almost daily in every sentence that alternates between worry and exhaustion.

Many people carry fears within them that are reinforced by discussions and negative headlines in the media. There are fears of a new, second pandemic due to a mysterious “disease X,” as well as fears of a major blackout, a widespread power failure that could paralyze entire cities, as recently happened in Spain. Added to this is the uncertainty surrounding digitalization, surveillance, and changes to the monetary system. Issues such as the “surveilled citizen,” a digital euro, or a possible “social credit system” are suddenly much more prominent.

There are also concerns about geopolitical tensions and the grim scenarios that are circulating, from an allegedly imminent war with Russia in 2029 to global changes that are being discussed under slogans such as “Great Reset.”

Then there are many other events that we can glean from our weekly Current Events. We could mention the recent civil war-like riots on November 29, 2025, in Giessen, Germany, where many left-wingers violently demonstrated against a new AfD youth organization.

Moreover, we may have our own personal burdens and the struggles of everyday life, which demand a lot from us and keep us constantly on the move.

When we consider all these impressions that are reaching us now – what we see, hear, and in some cases experience ourselves – a quiet, oppressive feeling may remain, because the problems addressed here are very real and by no means trivial—and they are indeed a legitimate cause for concern. Do all these developments affect our inner peace and quality of life, which we strive for?

All these scenarios, as terrible as they are, must not rob us of our inner peace and the quality of life we long for. Rather, we see them as signs of the times and therefore know that Christ will return to earth very soon and judge all injustice!

Especially now, in such difficult times, we should have genuine gratitude toward God, especially for the peace He wants to give us.

Isaiah 26:3-4 tells us: “You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You. Trust in the LORD forever, For in YAH, the LORD, is everlasting strength.”

David wrote in Psalm 29:11: “The LORD will give strength to His people; The LORD will bless His people with peace.”

Christ said: “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27).

Christ also gives us courage, for His peace will sustain us even in the midst of difficult times, saying, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

Paul also reminds us again and again how important it is to be thankful for this peace that Christ gives us: “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).

He concludes the 12th chapter of the letter to the Hebrews with these words: “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. For our God is a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:28-29).

If we always trust in God, He will give us His peace, which provides us with peace of mind, tranquility, strength, and courage, even in difficult times. Gratitude opens our hearts to His peace, and so God’s Word reminds us repeatedly of what will truly endure: His peace, which is stronger than anything that can shake us.

Initial Translation: Daniel Blasinger

Some of us like to do jigsaw puzzles as a form of relaxation. They come in different sizes, the average adult ones being around one thousand pieces. On the outside of the box is usually a picture of how the finished puzzle should look.

So my wife Tine and I sometimes do these puzzles and diligently seek out all the pieces and analyze where each piece goes, comparing it with the overall picture.

But just imagine if there was no overall picture available. It would not be impossible to put the puzzle together, but it would be much more difficult.

Now consider if the pieces of two puzzles were mixed, with no picture, or even more than two. It would become nearly impossible to complete the task. Then, if some pieces that did not belong to any of the puzzles were also thrown in for good measure, at this point or previously, many would give up.

So you say, what does this have to do with the Church?

Well, this was the position Mr. Armstrong found himself in when God first called him—when he started to come into an understanding of the Truth.

He started off as biblically illiterate in his thirties, till his wife challenged him on the Sabbath question. This made him mad because he was sure the Bible teaches Sunday observance. All the churches teach it, so it must be right and the Bible must teach it.

He was so upset with his wife that he considered divorce. He could not accept such a crackpot idea.

But he accepted the challenge and studied for six months, and the more he studied, the more he realized he was wrong and his wife was right. That’s really tough for a man.

This is something like the analogy I described earlier, with all these puzzles mixed together with no overall picture and with some false pieces included. In fact, at that time, most of the pieces were false. So it was humanly impossible for Mr. Armstrong to do what he did—to gradually get the overall big picture from all the bits available, true and false. He did not have a picture to go by. He had to have God’s help and guidance.

We would not be able to see the big picture if God had not inspired Mr. Armstrong to find out what the big picture was. And all of us individually needed God’s help to see it, because before we were called and our minds opened, none of this made sense to us.

How many of us tried to teach our relatives or friends God’s Truth? They thought we were strange—even crackpots, like Mr. Armstrong thought his wife was.

Let’s turn to Isaiah 28, verses 9 and 10. “‘Whom will He teach knowledge? And whom will He make to understand the message?…’” This shows us that God has to enable us to understand His message. Continuing: “‘…Those just weaned from milk? Those just drawn from the breasts? For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, Line upon line, line upon line. Here a little, there a little.’”

This is gradually putting the jigsaw puzzle together, bit by bit till finally, a picture starts to emerge.

Once Mr. Armstrong proved the Truth of the Sabbath, he began to search for other pieces of the puzzle. He checked out the Seventh-day-Adventists and the Seventh-day-Baptists, then he began to realize that the Church of God (Seventh Day) had more of the Truth than the other groups. So he associated with them for a time. They had a lot of the pieces of the puzzle, but as Mr. Armstrong continued to study, he also began to learn from other sources. He found still more pieces of the puzzle.

He was not a trained scholar; he didn’t have much formal education. He could not read the Greek or Hebrew texts of the Bible, but he did find a lot of pieces of the puzzle by reading books other men had written. These other men had certain pieces of the puzzle, a piece here and a piece there, but they were unable to put the whole puzzle together.

So he was collecting all the pieces, and he had to pick out which pieces fitted the true picture.

One of the books he read was by Alexander Hislop, “The Two Babylons”, and that book makes it plain where professing Christianity got a lot of its practices and beliefs. Hislop knew who the great harlot church was, and yet he was a minister in one of the daughter churches. He was a minister in a Presbyterian Sunday-keeping church, and he remained in that position. Mr. Armstrong received many pieces from his book.

Another man was J. H. Allen. He wrote the book “Judah’s Sceptre and Joseph’s Birthright.” This book is similar to “The United States and Britain in Prophecy,” written by Mr. Armstrong. Mr. Allen was a Methodist minister. He had discovered some very important pieces of the puzzle, but he never saw the big picture. Like so many others who had a part of the Truth, he kept trying to fit the pieces into the wrong picture.

There was another man, E. W. Bullinger, and he compiled the “Companion Bible”, which has many valuable notes and appendices in it—some being true and some false. Mr. Armstrong got a lot of information from his work—for example, the events of the six days before Christ’s sacrifice. Mr. Bullinger understood that the crucifixion was on a Wednesday, and many more details. He was an Anglican minister and even though he recognized that the resurrection was not on Sunday, he remained a minister in a Sunday-keeping church. He understood that Christ was born in the autumn, but continued to observe Christmas.

So these three men all had important pieces of the puzzle, but like so many others, whom Mr. Armstrong also learnt from, they kept trying to make the pieces fit into a different picture where they wouldn’t fit. So they didn’t let the Truth that they had change their practices.

When Mr. Armstrong came across a piece of the puzzle, he began to practice it and publish it. It changed his whole life. Looking at Isaiah 28:10-12: “‘For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, Line upon line, line upon line, Here a little, there a little.’ For with stammering lips and another tongue He will speak to this people, To whom He said, ‘This is the rest with which You may cause the weary to rest,’ And, ‘This is the refreshing’; Yet they would not hear.”

When we look up the word “hear” in Strong’s concordance, it means to hear intelligently; it implies to give attention to, obey, etc. It also means to proclaim and publish. Mr. Armstrong did all these things. When he learned new aspects of the Truth, he practiced it, he preached it and published it. That’s why God continued to guide him to discover more and more of the pieces and putting the pieces together until he began to see the big picture. He then made it clear to the rest of us so that we can see that big picture today.

Continuing on in verse 13: “But the word of the LORD was to them, ‘Precept upon precept, precept upon precept, Line upon line, line upon line, Here a little, there a little…’” Now Isaiah is talking about those who would not hear: “…That they might go and fall backward, and be broken, And snared, and caught.” So to those who would not hear, the Truth becomes a trap and a snare. It did not benefit them. They had pieces of the puzzle, but they could not put them together because they did not hear, act or publish them.

So let’s make sure we are among those who hear, and obey what we hear. Then we can see the big picture and understand where the pieces fit, and which pieces are not a part of the big picture.

In our latest StandingWatch program, titled, Killing of Fishermen—Must Illegal Orders Be Obeyed?, we discussed that six Democratic lawmakers urged service members to defy illegal orders and President Trump’s reaction. He called them traitors and described their conduct as seditious behavior at the highest level, advocating their arrest and death.

Subsequently, it was reported that the FBI requested “interviews” with them. A law professor who teaches national-security law described this as “a frivolous investigation meant to suppress speech” (The Wall Street Journal, November 25). Especially, the “investigation” of Senator Mark Kelly, a retired Navy pilot and astronaut, potentially facing a military tribunal to be court-martialed, has been roundly condemned by many observers.

Also, many veterans, highly praised in the past by President Trump, strongly voiced their objection to the entire matter, saying that “calling for an investigation into a well-known principle of service is dangerous, and says more about this administration than it does about Senator Kelly” (The Independent, November 25).

Sadly, these developments only serve as one example of a situation within the USA which is deeply troublesome. The ongoing controversial actions of ICE raids, detentions and deportations of potentially everyone being in the country “illegally,” as defined by the Trump administration, including members of DACA, stand in strong contrast to original representations during the presidential campaign that only dangerous hard-core criminals would be arrested and deported.  

Some of the comments we received on the above-mentioned StandingWatch program and the German AufPostenStehen version, covering the same topic, are telling. One viewer wrote: “An excellent commentary on the current leadership of America and its inevitable downfall as prophesied in the bible. Thanks to God there is at least one Church of God not singing the praises of [Trump]… an iceberg has been hit and all that’s being done is rearranging of the deck chairs. These are dangerous times unfolding before our very eyes.”

Another viewer wrote: “Especially because the man who is [an] astronaut [Senator Mark Kelly] is a war hero [with] 39 years of service and his poor wife [was] shot in [the] head and lived, thank God. He has paid a [huge] price to be an American.”

A German-speaking viewer wrote: “This humanity is a complete madhouse. In Germany, it is a punishable offense to carry out unlawful orders. Such orders must be strictly and absolutely refused without fear of punishment. That’s what I was taught in the German armed forces.”

In fact, this last comment is very remarkable in light of Germany’s dark history, especially during the Nazi era and former East Germany. We know, of course, that terrible times lie ahead for Germany in the not-too-distant future.

In light of Trump’s questionable actions, which are clearly not in line with godly principles, and which will contribute to America’s inevitable downfall, why are we so confident that God will use him to build the Third Temple? (Compare for example our Editorial, dated October 31, 2025, titled, “When Our Critics Become Silent…”). Actually, there is no contradiction, but, in fact, biblical confirmation. We will explain this in detail in a future Q&A.

All of this sounds like bad news, but it isn’t. These events, and many more, must occur before Christ can return. But these days will be shortened and He WILL return soon to end the madness of this current civilization and to usher in the beautiful world tomorrow. This is the good news or gospel of the rule of the Kingdom of God here on earth which must be and is “preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14). And for THAT, we can be truly thankful.

The Bible is perfect, incapable of being wrong, the unchanging Word of God, and therefore, it cannot be altered or improved upon by human beings. This is what the phrase “the Bible is no amendment” signifies. The principles and contents of the Bible are from a perfect God and are not subject to human error or the need for correction; it does not need to “change to the times” or adapt to changing societal views.  If something appears to be an “error” or out of step with modern thinking, the flaw is in the human perspective, not the biblical text itself. People, therefore, should change to follow God’s Word, not the other way around.

Unfortunately, this is not the case. We are surrounded by a society that thinks it has all the answers, believes it is correct in its own mindset, and considers what it believes to be the right way.  We see this everywhere; we witness it constantly. Everybody has their own opinion, which they are entitled to, but that doesn’t mean that every opinion that one has is correct.  

This is a dissimilarity with human law since this concept is often contrasted with documents like the U.S. Constitution, which clearly includes an amendment process, acknowledging its human origin and the need for potential changes over time (e.g., the 27 Amendments). In essence, “no amendment” emphasizes the Bible’s authority as a final and complete revelation that is not open to human modification.

Many have their own set of beliefs, being convinced for the most part that what they believe is the Truth.  There are hundreds, if not thousands, of different kinds of “truths” in this world at this time.  There is only one Truth, which is the Bible!  We are familiar with many who believe in their own religious ideas, who don’t believe what we do, who do things completely contrary to what we do.  Can we prove it from the Bible? That should always be the question. 

Others don’t understand what we are doing, and yet they plan on celebrating something unbiblical and pagan, thereby replacing what God commands to keep!  They may think that what we do is strange, but what they do is false, and God warns against those who try to amend His words. “Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him. Do not add to His words, Lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar” (Proverbs 30:5-6).

On average, the Bible is over 1000 pages long and yet that is evidently not enough for many denominations in the world, as they add to the Bible with their own “prophetic” ideas, their own understanding, and at the same time they think it’s too many pages as they take away from the Bible what they consider “irrelevant” claiming what doesn’t apply anymore, since Christ, they think, came to do away with the Law, for example. But again, God makes it clear that we are not to add or take away from His Word and that His commandments are to be kept (Deuteronomy 4:2; 12:32). Christ echoed the same in the New Testament in Matthew 5:17-19, making clear that He did not come to do away with the Law, but to magnify it. 

The Bible concludes with a warning for everyone in Revelation 22:18-19. “For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life [better: Tree of Life], from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.”

Can it be clearer?  We need to continue in the pursuit of perfection.  Despite what many may say about us when we are challenged to compromise our faith and beliefs, we need to stay strong and consistent in what God teaches us through His Word, the Bible. 

God is with us, He knows what’s best, and He expects us to put our faith in Him, without doubt, which is easy to say, hard to do, but not impossible. Let us not take away from what God has instructed us to do, but rather apply what is written in these pages, thereby making sure that we will be counted worthy of the Kingdom of God (2 Thessalonians 1:5).

“A Man for All Seasons” was a movie that was released in the 1960’s, based on the true story about the final years of Sir Thomas More, a 16^th century lawyer, devout Catholic and Lord Chancellor of England who was executed for refusing to support King Henry VIII’s divorce from Catherine of Aragon and his subsequent marriage and to take an Oath of Supremacy, declaring King Henry Supreme Head of the Church of England.

He showed moral standards and refused to buckle under pressure from the King to maintain his integrity even to the point of decapitation. He was willing to die for his convictions, and in the movie, he paid his executioner money before being beheaded, this being a practice in the 16th century.

Regardless of all his noble and high moral standards, there is one man in history who really was “A Man for All Seasons,” and that is the Man Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

To become a Man, He gave up His divinity for a time. He was immortal and eternal. He had power and authority. He was the Son of God. He had created all things under God the Father, both physical as the universe and mankind, and spiritual as angels and everything else existing in the spirit realm [excluding, of course, the Father], including thrones, instruments of music, golden bowls etc., as we can read in Revelation 5:8: “Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders [angelic beings] fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.”

Think about what He gave up! It would be somewhat comparable [even though the comparison is enormously lacking] to a very wealthy man from a rich and prosperous family used to everything imaginable with a life of luxury, to become homeless, begging for food and sleeping on the sidewalk.

He, as a human, was subject to pain, mockery, temptation from Satan, the world and His human desires, and through it all, He never sinned and prevailed with flying colours (Matthew 4:1-11).

You could just see Satan taunting Christ: “Why go through all that suffering and die, when you can have it all now? Just fall down and worship me.”

Christ rebuked him, using Scripture: “Jesus said to him, ‘It is written again, “YOU SHALL NOT TEMPT THE LORD YOUR GOD’” (Matthew 4:7).

He had compassion on the sick, the lame, deaf and blind, and He healed them, even when knowing not all would show appreciation for their healing. Luke 17:11-19 reports the following:

“Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off.   And they lifted up their voices and said, ‘Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!’  So when He saw them, He said to them, ‘Go, show yourselves to the priests.’ And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed.  And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan.

“So Jesus answered and said, ‘Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?’ And He said to him, ‘Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.’”

He never wanted to put the spotlight on Himself, but He gave credit to God. “Then Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner’” (John 5:19).

He was subject to God’s Will even when facing death: “He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, ‘O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will’” (Matthew 26:39).

Nobody on this earth would want to go through the beatings, scourging, punches to the face and mockery Christ would have to face, plus hanging on the cross for six hours and then being pierced with a sword to end His life. He knew ahead of time that all of this would happen to Him. Yet He did all of this for us; so how much do we appreciate His Sacrifice, pain, suffering and death so that we could be saved and become members of the God Family?

We should thank Him for His Sacrifice and service and also thank God the Father as hard as it was for Him to look away from or “forsake” Christ for a moment, when shortly before His death on the cross, He was carrying all the sins of the world, so that God’s Plan could be accomplished and that we would have a true “Man for All Seasons” and a loving compassionate High Priest and Saviour.

Google Maps is a web-based mapping service that is available to most of the world’s population. Through satellite imagery, “It includes real-time traffic conditions, route planning, and 360-degree panoramic street views (Street View). With over a billion monthly users, it is a popular tool for finding locations, getting directions, and exploring the world,” according to AI Overview.

Using Google Maps allows one to find the best route to follow to reach a destination. It even shows where travel may be difficult or impossible and how to avoid the problem.

When it comes to planning our life journey, the Bible establishes the ultimate destination for us and directions for taking the best route. In His preaching, Jesus said this, “‘But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you’” (Matthew 6:33).

As the previous verses reveal, Jesus is teaching us not to worry about what we may face in our day-to-day living, but, through faith, to rely on God.

Jesus revealed the best route to follow, which is to, “‘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).

The “narrow gate” is Jesus Christ and true Christianity, as taught by Him (John 14:6). The gate leading to destruction is the way of this deceived evil age ruled by Satan (1 John 5:19).

There is a feature on Google Maps which allows the user to “recenter” during travel. That is something we can all do regarding our following the Way of God. That can be done through prayer about the very thing that has thrown us off course. We can take time to fast if we don’t feel connected to God. We can stop neglecting God’s guidance by opening our Bible and filling our minds with His words.

Most importantly, don’t quit the journey—God will always provide the best route for us if we stay close to Him.

Every time we address the biblical fact that a Third Temple will be built in Jerusalem prior to Christ’s Return, we are confronted with criticism: “Where in the Bible does it say that?” “There will be no Temple prior to Christ’s Return.” “The reference to a Temple is strictly addressing the Church.” Or, to make matters still worse and pathetic, “Jesus is the Temple, and God the Father will send Him—the Temple—back to Earth.”

The last objection is, of course, totally ridiculous and not even worth the time of discussing. I am only bringing it up to show how spiritually uneducated and ignorant “religious” people can be. It is true, of course, that the Bible does sometimes speak about the Church—or each and every true Christian—as a spiritual Temple. And it is also true that Christ comes back to His Church—His spiritual Temple. But many Scriptures cannot be explained that way and require the existence of a physical Temple before Christ’s Return.

For instance, we read that the man of sin (the false prophet) will be in the Temple of God, claiming to be God (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4). This cannot possibly be referring to the man of sin sitting in God’s true Church—the very thought borders on blasphemy. That is the reason why Herbert W. Armstrong taught dogmatically that this passage mandates the existence of a physical Temple prior to Christ’s Return. We also read that the Millennial Temple in the book of Ezekiel must be cleansed—the reason being that it was polluted through the man of sin and the abominations which will take place in the Temple, as for instance described in the early pages of the book of Ezekiel and in the book of Daniel. For anybody who is willing to open his or her eyes, our literature is filled with proof that a physical Temple MUST be built before Christ CAN come back.

But who is going to build that Third Temple? I have been saying for quite some time that I strongly believe that Donald Trump will have an important role to fulfill in this regard. In fact, I recently said that I believe that Mr. Trump has been placed in power, among other reasons, to fulfill the biblical requirement of helping to build that Temple. I said this already during his first term, and I’m saying this again now. It is true that I strongly felt that events would happen faster—that Mr. Trump would be in the White House again more than four years ago. As it turned out, he was not then, but he is now. I explained at the time why I was four years ahead of my time (as many of the early apostles were and as Mr. Armstrong was as well)—and that I felt strongly that he would be back.

Apart from the fact that I believed (and believe) that the 2020 election was rigged and that Donald Trump should have been the rightful President, I also believed that God delayed the timing as the Church, as a whole, was not ready for the prophesied end-time events (cp. 2 Peter 3:9). Sadly, I don’t believe that the Church, as a whole, is ready now, but God’s patience has limits, and we are told that God will not delay the fulfillment any longer. In fact, God says that He will do a short Work (Romans 9:28) which can be accelerated (2 Peter 3:12). This is not to say that everyone in the Church will participate in the hastening of the Work and of Christ’s coming—some will be counted unworthy to go to the place of safety (even if they still believed in one) or to stand before the Son of Man.

When I mentioned Donald Trump in relation to the Third Temple, criticism ensued… as was expected: “What biblical Scripture do you have backing up this bizarre claim?” Of course, if someone does not believe that a physical Temple must be built, he obviously would not believe that Mr. Trump would have anything to do with such an endeavor. But if we believe in a physical building, how does President Trump come into play? Let’s be logical for a moment.

We are told in the Bible that foreigners (“they that are far off”) will come and build IN the Temple of the LORD (compare Zechariah 6:15, Authorized Version). It is obvious that Israel will not be able to build the Temple on its own; it would need support and protection. This protection can only be provided by the USA—and who would be better equipped and qualified to do so and to engage in such a building process than Donald Trump, who has been undeniably very successful in erecting monumental and significant buildings?

Of course, there is no Scripture which says: Donald Trump will build the Third Temple. Nor has there been a Scripture which says that divided Germany would reunite. But Herbert Armstrong powerfully proclaimed that it would reunite because he understood the entirety of prophecy in this regard, and he was guided by the spirit of prophecy (Revelation 19:10; John 16:13). With that same spirit, he proclaimed that there would be no major war between Russia and America, and that America had won its last war. That spirit of prophecy is with God’s true servants today, and we proclaim as well that America will not win another war and that Russia will not attack America… but also, that a war will break out between Russia, Ukraine and Europe. After all, we read that God will do nothing unless He reveals His plan first to His servants (Amos 3:7).

And we believe that we are guided by that same spirit of prophecy which inspires us to see Mr. Trump’s role in building the Third Temple—provided, he is willing to fulfill this commission—even though this claim might sound strange to some people (compare Habakuk 1:5).

We are by far not the only ones who have seen the significance of Donald Trump being in power in relation to the Third Temple. Israel 365 News wrote on October 24:

“White House correspondent, Jake Turx, asked Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt whether President Donald Trump had ever discussed the prospect of supporting the Temple’s reconstruction in Jerusalem… after noting Trump’s reputation for large-scale building projects and his newly revealed plans for a White House ballroom…

“Leavitt pointedly did not reject the possibility that the president and real-estate tycoon would consider the project, responding, instead, ‘It has not. No it hasn’t. I’m sorry, Jake.’ The exchange was brief, but it immediately recalled one of the most symbolically potent moments of Trump’s first term: the move of the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem in May 2018… Following the embassy move, the Sanhedrin minted a ceremonial coin depicting Trump alongside the Persian King Cyrus, who facilitated the Jewish people’s return from Babylonian exile and rebuilding the Second Temple…”

The press reported in some articles that Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt had said that President Trump will not build the Third Temple. The Jerusalem Post had the following headline: “Leavitt: Donald Trump not rebuilding Jerusalem’s third temple.” This is clearly misleading, as Leavitt did NOT say that.

Also, Benjamin Netanyahu seemed to announce the building of a Third Temple about 7 years ago. You might want to listen again to our StandingWatch program from May 16, 2018, titled “Netanyahu’s Announcement of a Third Temple?” 

Books have been written about the Third Temple and Donald Trump’s involvement. One introduction reads: “Many believe that President Trump is Israel’s next King Cyrus, the facilitator and overseer of the building of the Third Temple and that his influential role in that pursuit is being guided by Hashem (God) Himself, in order to restore to His people the most sacred site of worship. Is a secret plan under development for [the] construction of the Third Temple? And as these plans are increasingly expedited, will Trump succeed in raising this landmark, only to usher in the end of days?”

The blueprint for building the Third Temple exists. Musical instruments, over 60 vessels, and priestly garments like the ephod, breastplate, robe and the high priest’s crown have already been prepared. These are not replicas or models, but authentic vessels, made from gold, copper, silver and wood. Also, the menorah has been made of one piece of pure gold. Even a replica of the ark of the covenant (made of gold and three tons of Egyptian Acacia wood) was painstakingly constructed to exact specifications of the Torah and was displayed for the first time in October of 2024 in Jerusalem. Descendants of the tribe of Levi, known as Levites, are actively being identified and trained for the future Third Temple service, including both the priestly “Kohanim” and other Levites for supportive roles.

Can one really believe that all these preparations have been done without God’s involvement or inspiration?

So, before being accused of proclaiming something bizarre and weird, let’s just patiently wait and see what the future holds. Maybe, our critics will end up very embarrassed and become silent when they will have to realize that true prophecy had been proclaimed to them (cp. Ezekiel 33:33).