This Week In The News
Current Events
by Norbert Link
In this edition, we report on the war between Israel and Iran and national and international reactions; nationwide protests against President Trump and his immigration policies; the controversial military parade in Washington; more and more violence spreading in the USA; and America’s ongoing self-inflicted isolation on the world scene; lawsuits against an AI company for alleged copyright violations; Turkey’s new role in Europe; and Germany’s first-ever Veteran’s Day celebration.
Please view our new StandingWatch program, titled, “The End of the American Empire?”
Throughout this section, we have underlined pertinent statements in the quoted articles, for the convenience and quick overview of the reader.
Editorial
Trusting God Through It All
God gives us all kinds of experiences to enjoy. And sometimes, He gives us experiences that we do not enjoy. We don’t necessarily get to choose what our circumstances are, but we get to choose how we respond. The choices we make in reaction to our circumstances demonstrate the motivations of our heart. It is not only our action, but also our heart which God will judge (compare Jeremiah 11:20). This is why we get to have such a wide array of experiences. God tests us, expecting that we will navigate through our experiences, good and bad, without forsaking Him.
There are many stories in the Bible that review the range of experiences of being human. I am particularly fond of the story of Hannah. It gives us an example showing the unwavering trust in God through the good and the bad circumstances she experienced. She was barren for years, and at the brink of desperation, desiring a child. She pleaded before God to allow her to have a little boy of her own. Then she conceived and became tremendously thankful. To honor God’s generosity and mercy, she gave custody of her boy Samuel to the priest, placing him into the service of God. She proved her faith in the most trying times and then glorified God when He blessed her with the child she pleaded for (compare 1 Samuel 1:1-28).
Continue reading "Trusting God Through It All"Q&A
How can the Church of God fulfill its commission to preach the gospel in all the world as a witness and to warn the nations, including their leaders?
In previous Q&As, we have pointed out THAT God has given His end-time Church—the Body of Christ, consisting of all Christians in whom God’s Spirit dwells—the commission to preach the gospel of the Kingdom of God as a witness unto all nations, which includes the proclamation of a warning message of impending disaster and the possibility of worldwide destruction in a prophesied nuclear war.
Before answering HOW the Church can fulfill that commission, let us quote some excerpts to show THAT it will be accomplished.
We say the following in our Q&A, “What is the Work of God? (Part 3)”:
“But after the death of Paul and the other early apostles, the preaching of the gospel to the world would gradually stop, and so, as we have said many times, for over 1900 years, the gospel was NOT preached to the world, until God began to motivate His church and giving it the strength and opportunities to begin so again. This way, that worldwide proclamation would become the sign of the end—of the return of Jesus Christ. This proclamation would continue during the Great Tribulation as well—including through the preaching of the Two Witnesses. As God’s prophets (Revelation 11:3, 6, 10), they will of course warn the nations and proclaim what will happen—including, what has been written down in the Bible…”
Continue reading "How can the Church of God fulfill its commission to preach the gospel in all the world as a witness and to warn the nations, including their leaders?"