On May 10, 2025, Eric Rank will present the sermonette, titled, “Laodicean” and Dave Harris will present the sermon, titled, “Does the Bible Support Free Speech?”

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.

When Jesus was asked about the sign of His return, He listed a series of events which must happen first. He began by warning against deception, saying that many would come in His name, saying, “I am the Christ,” and will deceive many (Matthew 24:4-5). They would come to say several things: They would admit that Jesus was the Messiah, but they would deceive many by proclaiming a false Jesus (2 Corinthians 11:4) who had come to do away with His Father’s Commandments (Matthew 5:17), including the law against fighting and killing in war. They would also claim that they would be Jesus—as the man of sin will do (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4), sitting in the Temple of God, pretending to be God or Jesus who had allegedly returned in his person. Thirdly, they would also proclaim that they are “the Christ” in the sense of “the Messiah”—the Savior or the Deliverer, as so many have claimed in the past and are claiming today.

Christ repeated His warning later on when offense, betrayal and hatred would run rampant (Matthew 24:10). He told us that then “many false prophets will rise and deceive many” (Matthew 24:11). Many claiming to work for God would deceive many, causing lawlessness to abide and the diminishing of God’s love in His people (verse 12). All of this was to occur when the Gospel of the Kingdom would be preached in all the world, and THEN the end of this present evil society will come (verse 14).

We have undoubtedly reached the beginning of that time period (verses 32-34). There are many political and religious leaders, tyrants and despots today who claim or are being viewed as the Savior of mankind, or at least of their countries over which they rule. There are quite a few who have national ambitions of greatness and expansion, of conquering lands which are not their own. But when we warn about this in our StandingWatch programs, sermons and our literature, we are met, at times, with rejection and outright hatred, and sometimes, this even includes viewers and listeners who claim to be in the Body of Christ. Betrayal to government officials might be next, and undoubtedly, hatred will increase, as Christ proclaimed that we will be hated by all nations for His name’s sake (verse 9). Yes, we will continue to proclaim the message of the Gospel which Christ brought—that none of the political or religious leaders are our Savior, and that only Jesus Christ is the One who will come back to establish God’s Kingdom and Rule here on earth and to bring us peace and make an end to war.

What we are observing now are the beginning of sorrows (verse 8), but we have to endure to the end in order to be saved (verse 13). We have to resist all political and religious propaganda which proclaims a false message, lest we be deceived.

When the beast manifests himself in Europe, most people will follow and even “worship” him (Revelation 13:12) and “his image” (Revelation 19:20); but not those who believe the Truth and recognize him as for what he is (Revelation 13:8). But those who resist will be persecuted and might even be killed (Revelation 13:15) … hatred of their fellow man will have reached a climax.

God’s warning to us is loud and clear: Come out of Babylon with its false religious and political teachers and doctrines (Revelation 18:4); and do not even touch anything what is unclean, and then—only then—will God the Father accept us as His sons and daughters (2 Corinthians 6:17-18).

by Norbert Link

We are bringing you numerous examples raising the frightening and incredible question whether the USA, under the Trump administration, is becoming more and more a dictatorship with little or no regard for the law and the Constitution. We also speak on Trump’s fascination with himself and his attacks on critics who dare to criticize him.

We continue with Germany’s attacks on free speech and expression and America’s response which, although legit, does not fare too well in Germany. Please view our new StandingWatch program, titled, “The AfD Classification and Germany’s Attack on Freedom of Speech.” We address the situation regarding the Russian-Ukrainian war and Putin’s clear intentions; another anti-Trump election in a foreign country, this time in Australia; and speak on demons in the Holy See; the new pope; and JK Rowling’s well-versed condemnation of sex changes.  

Arresting a Judge 

On May 1, the Ron Paul Institute published the following article by Judge Andrew P. Napolitano: 

“Last week the FBI arrested a Wisconsin state judge as she was walking into the courthouse where she works. The feds had alerted the media — but not the judge — to this event, and they arrived and recorded the arrest. The standard and preferred practice when arresting a nonviolent person who is a public official with deep roots in the community is to invite the person to surrender with counsel. Instead, without notice, this judge was stopped on a public street, handcuffed behind her back — a technique reserved for the most dangerous or threatening individuals — and within minutes, the FBI Director himself had posted still photos of this event on his X account. 

“The feds were unhappy at the manner in which a criminal defendant before this judge was permitted to leave her courtroom. By leaving through a nonpublic exit, instead of through the doors where the feds were awaiting him, his departure frustrated the feds who apparently expected the judge to accommodate them. The technical charge against the judge is obstructing the administration of justice. The true charge was failing to aid the feds… That frustration boiled over outside a Wisconsin courthouse last week when the feds did what was surely unthinkable to Justice Scalia… 

“Judge Hannah Dugan was presiding over an arraignment for a non-incarcerated defendant when her court officers told her that the feds were in the courthouse hallway seeking to arrest the defendant in her courtroom, and the feds were growing impatient. When she asked to see their arrest warrant, they had none. Instead of an arrest warrant issued by a judge, as the Fourth Amendment requires, they presented an administrative warrant in which one federal agent authorizes another to arrest a person in a public place. 

“Judge Dugan shares the view of your author that… administrative warrants are blatantly unconstitutional, and she would not recognize it. The purpose of the [14^th] amendment is to ensure that only judges order arrests. When her business with the defendant in her courtroom was completed, she asked him to leave through the exit used by jurors, which was not accessible to the feds. She did not inform the defendant that the feds were looking for him…  A week later, Judge Dugan was arrested for obstruction of justice… if a judge tells a defendant to leave her courtroom from door A and not door B, because behind B are folks with a phony warrant, she cannot be prosecuted.

“This is bigger than Judge Dugan. We are witnessing an unprecedented assault on the separation of powers and the concept of federalism by a White House impatient with the constitutional process and largely indifferent to the role and function of the judiciary… If the feds succeed in intimidating judges and bending them to the presidential will, our liberties will have no protection.”

Alarming developments indeed which are being suppressed, for the most part, in the right-wing media by Trump supporters. Some still claim that the USA could never become a dictatorship. They are clearly wrong.

Trump Blocked in His Fight Against Prestigious Law Firms

The Associated Press wrote on May 2: 

 “A federal judge on Friday blocked a White House executive order triggering an elite law firm, dealing a setback to President Donald Trump’s campaign of retribution against the legal profession. U.S. District [Judge] Beryl Howel said the executive order against the firm of Perkins Coie amounted to ‘unconstitutional retaliation’ as she ordered that it be immediately nullified and that the Trump administration halt any enforcement of it. 

“‘No American President,’ Howell wrote in her 102-page order, ‘has ever before issued executive orders like the one at issue in this lawsuit targeting a prominent law firm with adverse actions to be executed by all Executive branch agencies but, in purpose and effect, this action draws from a playbook as old as Shakespeare, who penned the phrase: “The first thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers.”’ 

“The ruling was [the] most definitive rejection to date of Trump’s spate of similarly worded executive orders against some of the country’s most elite law firms… by targeting perceived adversaries in hopes of extracting concessions from them and bending them to his will. Several of the firms singled out for sanction have either done legal work that Trump has opposed, or currently have or previously had associations with prosecutors who at one point investigated the president…

“The other law firms that have challenged orders against them —WilmerHale, Jenner & Block and Susman Godfrey — have succeeded in at least temporarily blocking the orders. But other major firms have sought to avert orders by preemptively reaching settlements that require them, among other things, to dedicate tens of millions of dollars in free legal services in support of causes the Trump administration says it supports.” 

Something like this is indeed unheard of in a free society. To say that those judges are “rogue” and “Anti-Trump” and should therefore be disregarded misses the point completely. 

Revoking Harvard’s Tax Exempt Status?

CBS News wrote on May 2: 

“President Trump said Friday that his administration will be rescinding Harvard University’s tax-exempt status, further escalating the ongoing feud with the Ivy League school… Mr. Trump did not provide further details about the effort to strip Harvard of its designation as a 501(c)(3) organization… 

“Roughly 2 million organizations have received tax-exempt status from the Internal Revenue Service, including charities like churches, environmental groups and universities. The designation means the groups are exempt from paying federal income taxes and the IRS considers donations to 501(c)(3) organizations to be tax-deductible.   

“Harvard president Alan Garber expressed doubt about the legality of revoking the status. ‘If the government goes through with a plan to revoke our tax exempt status, it would…be highly illegal, unless there is some reasoning that we have not been exposed to that would justify this dramatic move,’ Garber told the Wall Street Journal. Tax-exempt status, he said, enables universities to carry out their missions of education and research… 

“The tax code prohibits executive branch officials from asking an IRS employee to conduct or terminate an audit or investigation into a specific taxpayer…” 

It will be interesting to see on what basis Harvard’s tax-exempt status is supposed to be rescinded.

Trump to End Funding for NPR and PBS 

CNN wrote on May 2: 

“President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday directing the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to end federal funding for America’s two biggest public broadcasters, which have faced a series of attacks from the White House and Republican lawmakers accusing them of biased reporting. The order instructs the CPB’s board to terminate direct funding for National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) to the ‘maximum extent allowed by law and shall decline to provide future funding.’ It also orders the board to take steps to ‘minimize or eliminate’ indirect funding to NPR and PBS. 

“The corporation, however, is a private entity that is supposed to be protected from government interference, including executive orders from the president. The corporation is currently suing Trump because the White House tried to terminate three of its board members earlier this week. ‘CPB is not a federal executive agency subject to the President’s authority,’ the corporation’s CEO, Patricia Harrison, said in a statement. ‘Congress directly authorized and funded CPB to be a private nonprofit corporation wholly independent of the federal government.’ ‘The President’s blatantly unlawful Executive Order, issued in the middle of the night, threatens our ability to serve the American public with educational programming, as we have for the past 50-plus years,’ PBS CEO Paula Kerger said in a statement Friday morning… NPR joined PBS in suggesting it will consider legal action against the administration… 

“When Congress established the corporation in 1967, it specifically tried to insulate public media from political pressure. The law said the corporation is a private entity, not a federal agency, ‘to afford maximum protection from extraneous interference and control,’ and expressly forbids the government from exercising ‘any direction, supervision, or control over educational television or radio broadcasting.’ But Congress could choose to stop funding the corporation…” 

This case needs to be watched further as well. 

Free Speech Under Trump? 

American attorney and author Jacob G. Hornberger wrote the following article for the “Future of Freedom Foundation,” which was reprinted on May 3 by the Ron Paul Institute: 

“After riding a wave of criticism of Democrats for suppressing freedom of speech, President Trump has just put the quietus on Amazon, which had the audacity to contemplate including the price of Trump’s tariffs in its shopping carts. Upon hearing of Amazon’s plan, Trump went ballistic, calling Amazon’s plan a ‘hostile and political act.’ According to an article in Aljazeera, Trump telephoned Amazon founder Jeff Bezos to express his displeasure… Amazon quickly capitulated, announcing that it would not share the tariff information with its buyers… 

“What was wrong with what Amazon was contemplating? Nothing. Nothing at all. Amazon was simply going to inform Amazon buyers of the truth about what Trump’s tariffs were costing them. If that isn’t an exercise of freedom of speech, I don’t know what is.

“But Trump obviously does not want American buyers of goods and services to see how much money his tariffs are costing them… Convinced that Amazon’s plan to disclose the truth about the cost of his tariffs to American consumers was a ‘hostile’ act, Trump… immediately went on the attack… In the process, by striking a harsh and effective blow against the fundamental… right of freedom of speech, Trump was guilty of what he criticized Democrats for doing.” 

This is clearly an attack on free speech in an attempt to hide the truth of the negative effects of Trump’s tariffs from the American taxpayers. Warren Buffett said it’s “a big mistake to slap punitive tariffs on the rest of the world,” adding that trade and tariffs “can be an act of war.” Trump said it’s OK if tariffs lead to a short-term recession. Prices in US stores for necessities and other items are already skyrocketing. 

Amazon Buckled 

Newsmax wrote on May 5: 

“Trump last week contacted Amazon’s Jeff Bezos about a report that the retail giant was planning to list the impact of 145% tariffs on China as it pertained to certain purchases. Trump said Bezos and Amazon acquiesced… Further, Trump asserted that tariffs are not supposed to be passed on to consumers in the first place. ‘What people don’t understand is, and this is a lot, the country eats the tariff. The company eats the tariff. And it’s not passed along at all,’ Trump said. 

“However, some American retailers are warning to buy now with the possibility of rising prices in the future due to tariffs. Lingerie store Bare Necessities offered a ‘pre-tariff sale,’ adding, ‘save up to 30% before prices shift,’ CNBC reported.

“Luggage company Beis warned in a letter to consumers that the ‘tariff situation is a complete dumpster fire, and we’re all getting burned. Here’s the situation: Costs are up, and unfortunately, our prices will have to follow suit,’ according to the report.” 

Of course they will. Clearly, consumers will have to pay higher prices because of the tariffs. 

Fox News reported on May 5: 

“President Donald Trump defended his tariff policy in an interview with NBC News on Sunday, saying that he would reach out to CEOs like Jeff Bezos if he has disagreements over their response to tariffs or other issues.” 

Amazon denied that they had contemplated listing import charges on certain products. This is not believable as Trump himself said that he called Bezos who “took it off immediately.” 

100 Percent Tariffs for Foreign Films?

The Mirror US wrote on May 5: 

“Already reeling from the devastation of recent wildfires, Hollywood is now facing a fresh threat from Donald Trump – a 100 per cent tariff on films made outside the States. The move will come as a major blow to the UK movie industry, which was expected to help rescue American filmmakers following the deadly infernos… 

“Trump announced the proposed levy on his Truth Social platform, declaring foreign-made movies a ‘National Security threat’ and accusing other countries of using taxpayer-funded incentives to lure away American film productions. ‘WE WANT MOVIES MADE IN AMERICA, AGAIN!’ Trump wrote. ‘It is, in addition to everything else, messaging and propaganda!’ 

“…insiders say the move could be catastrophic… ‘We’ve lost soundstages, sets, and entire production schedules to the wildfires. And now we’re being told if we shoot overseas to stay on budget, we’ll be punished? It’s madness.’ 

“The policy, which lacked any detail, will authorise the US Department of Commerce and the US Trade Representative to begin imposing the punitive tariffs, in what Trump called an effort to revive a domestic film industry that he claims is ‘dying a very fast death.’ The US film production has already declined sharply… By contrast, countries like the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand have seen production spending surge… Trump blamed this shift on a ‘concerted effort’ by foreign governments to undermine Hollywood, while offering no evidence. 

“His administration has yet to clarify whether the proposed tariffs would apply to US companies filming abroad, foreign films distributed in the States, or content produced for streaming platforms like Netflix… Complicating matters further, several upcoming blockbusters by American studios… were all filmed overseas and could be caught in the policy crossfire.’

“Trump’s pledge to revive the domestic film industry rings hollow for many in Hollywood, especially given the damage his broader economic policies have already inflicted… Ahead of his inauguration, Trump had appointed actors Jon Voight, Mel Gibson, and Sylvester Stallone as ‘Special Envoys’ tasked with revitalising Hollywood. But insiders say those appointments have amounted to little more than symbolic gestures as the industry faces tangible threats. ‘The wildfires are destroying our homes, and now the president wants to set the rest of our economy on fire,’ said a union rep for film workers in Burbank. ‘It’s hard to imagine a worse time to attack your own industry.’”

Trump’s fascination with ill-conceived and harmful tariffs is really shocking. 

Overriding the US Constitution? 

NBC News wrote on May 4: 

“President Donald Trump argued in an interview with NBC News’ ‘Meet the Press’ that fulfilling his ambitious campaign promise to rapidly carry out mass deportations may take precedence over giving immigrants the right to due process under the Constitution, as required by courts…. ‘I don’t know. I’m not, I’m not a lawyer. I don’t know,’ Trump [said.]… The Constitution’s Fifth Amendment says ‘no person’ shall be ‘deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law’; it does not say that person must be a U.S. citizen… 

“Trump suggested that such a process would slow him down too much. ‘I don’t know… we’d have to have a million or 2 million or 3 million trials,’ he said… ‘I was elected to get them the hell out of here, and the courts are holding me from doing it,’ he added.” 

Trump does not know whether he needs to uphold the constitution? Also, he just announced that he might want to reopen the notorious prison Alcatraz in California. 

Trump as Pope 

The New York Post wrote on May 3: 

“An AI-generated picture of President Trump dressed as the pope is breaking the internet — with some suggesting it’s ‘kind of beautiful,’ while others are bashing it as  ‘sacrilegious.’ The Trumped-up papal image was jokingly shared on the White House’s X account Friday and the president’s Truth Social has since topped tens of millions of views. The image shows Trump holding up his index finger as if about to preach ex cathedra — clad in the traditional bright white Catholic vestments with gold lining… [Trump as] a non-denominational Christian is ineligible to be pope unless he converts to Catholicism…

“But the New York State Catholic Conference and other members of the faith tore into the White House for the ‘offense and sacrilegious’ meme. ‘There is nothing clever or funny about this image, Mr. President,’ the Empire State Catholic Bishops blasted the president… ‘Do not mock us.’ ‘Mr. President…—please cease this offensive and sacrilegious behavior,’ pleaded former Vice President Mike Pence’s speechwriter Joshua Charles. 

“Eric Sammons, a Catholic and the editor-in-chief of Crisis magazine said he wasn’t offended. ‘It’s typical Trump humor, and I’ve learned not to take that too seriously,’ said Sammons. ‘I’m much more worried about how actual occupants of the Chair of St. Peter might demean the office.’… Vance, who is Catholic, defended the meme.  ‘As a general rule, I’m fine with people telling jokes and not fine with people starting stupid wars that kill thousands of my countrymen,’ he wrote on X.”

This did not go well. Note the next articles. 

Trump Playing God? 

Bild Online published the following scathing commentary by Franz Josef Wagner on May 4: 

“Dear Donald Trump, What devil possessed you to publish an AI-generated photo of yourself as Pope?… The most powerful man in the Western world considers himself infallible… He has enough followers in the Oval Office who admire him. When he signs hundreds of decrees with his grotesque signature, he feels omnipotent. He’s playing God. 

“The photo with the Pope’s miter on his head isn’t a photo to laugh at; it’s a photo to be frightened. A man in love with himself, surrounded by admirers. American bishops are now demanding that Trump apologize. A god like Trump will never apologize. We can only pray. Our Father, deliver us from Trump.” 

This reflects more and more German sentiments towards Trump and his government. 

Trump’s Closest Ally Turns on Him 

The Daily Mail wrote on May 2: 

“Firebrand Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene has issued a surprising statement critical of President Donald Trump. The Georgia congresswoman is known for her loyal support of the two-time president and her devout defense of his MAGA policy platform… On Friday, she issued a scathing statement putting distance in between her and the commander-in-chief… ‘I campaigned for no more foreign wars,’ Greene wrote. ‘And now we are supposedly on the verge of going to war with Iran.’… ‘Didn’t we learn our lesson when we went to war in Iraq and killed Saddam Hussein because of ‘weapons of mass destruction?’ Did we ever find any?’ Greene said.

“The Georgian also stressed her distaste for the White House’s recently announced rare Earth minerals deal with Ukraine, noting how the embattled nation has not committed to pay back the U.S. for the billions in aid and arms that have been provided to the Eastern European country. ‘Why on earth would we go over and occupy Ukraine and spend an untold amount of future American taxpayer dollars defending and mining their minerals as well as potentially putting American lives at risk and future war?’ Greene asked. ‘Why don’t we just mine our own rare earth minerals that are tied up on federal lands that the government confiscated years ago?’ she continued.  

“The Trump ally also expressed her displeasure that the COVID-19 vaccines still have FDA approval though the treatment ‘does not stop people from catching COVID.’ Greene also shared that she does not think the White House is doing enough to combat ‘the evil transgender assault against our children.’… The congresswoman also aired her concerns with the pace of election integrity reforms and the ‘rogue judicial system.’” 

Greene won’t remain the only close Trump ally who will be turning against him. Note the next articles. 

Karl Rove Attacks Trump 

The Daily Beast wrote on May 5: 

“In an unvarnished interview on Fox News, [Republican strategist and former White House aide Karl] Rove attacked the president… ‘We elected him for a variety of reasons that were important: inflation, the border, DEI, the military, respect for America,’ Rove said Sunday during an interview with Fox News. ‘[But] things like tweeting out a picture of you as the pope is deeply offensive to a great many people.’… 

“Rove also criticized Trump’s handling of the case of Garcia, the Maryland dad who was mistakenly deported to El Salvador’s notorious CECOT mega-prison. Despite admitting the error, the Trump administration has refused to bring Abrego Garcia home and has claimed he’s a member of the criminal gang MS-13 without providing any evidence in court… Rove warned that the Abrego Garcia case had dragged on for weeks and was eating away at the president’s approval rating on immigration, even as Trump gets strong marks for border security…  ‘That shows discernment of the American people,’ he said. ‘Bring him back and do it the right way, and the American people will give you better credit.’… 

“Rove… warned Trump was ‘in very bad shape’ on the economy… ‘It’s inflation—the president is saying gas is $1.90. I just filled up my tank. It ain’t $1.90,’ he said… [In California, the very low end is above 4 dollars a gallon.] 

“He also blasted the president for his ‘offhand remarks’ on tariffs… in saying the comments sounded like they came straight from the mouth of the cold-hearted miser Ebenezer Scrooge from A Christmas Carol… ‘The ordinary American is like, ‘Wait a minute, I thought you were on my side. I didn’t think you were on the side of saying I need to do with less. You’ve got plenty of money, [but] I’ve got to make mine stretch as far as I can?’” 

Of course, Trump’s response came immediately. Note the next article.

Trump Attacks Conservative Critics 

Newsmax wrote on May 5: 

“President Donald Trump denounced two Fox News commentators… ‘I don’t need to have Karl Rove of FoxNews to tell me what to do. The guy’s a total Loser who’s been wrong about almost everything!” Trump wrote…  Trump also used Truth Social to criticize [FoxNews] host Howard Kurtz… ‘It is time for Howie Kurtz to retire!… The case Howie makes for me is so pathetic that it would be a lot better if he didn’t say anything…’ 

“The Wall Street Journal, which, like Fox News, is part of Rupert Murdoch’s media empire, also was a target of Trump… When a Journal reporter began asking the president a question, Trump asked him whom he was with. ‘Boy, you people treat us so bad. The Wall Street Journal has truly gone to hell. Go ahead, you’re a rotten newspaper,’ Trump said. ‘You hear me what I said? It’s a rotten newspaper.’ After the reporter asked his question concerning peace talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin over the war in Ukraine, Trump said, ‘I wouldn’t tell The Wall Street Journal because I’d be wasting my time.’” 

The Wall Street Journal is one of the most respected and established conservative newspapers in the Nation. 

Marco Rubio and JD Vance Blast Germany 

Newsweek wrote on May 2: 

“US. Secretary of State Marco Rubio tore into Germany on Friday after its domestic intelligence service designated the far-right Alternative for Germany party (AfD) as an extreme group.   Germany’s decision to label AfD as a ‘proven right-wing extremist endeavor’ makes it easier for the Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), Germany’s spy agency, to conduct some types of surveillance of the group… 

“The AfD denies that it is an extremist party and has said its platform, which calls for mass deportations, criticizes Islam, and emphasizes nationalism and traditional Christian values, reflects the views of the German electorate… 

“‘Germany just gave its spy agency new powers to surveil the opposition. That’s not democracy—it’s tyranny in disguise,’ Rubio wrote on X… ‘What is truly extremist is not the popular AfD—which took second in the recent election—but rather the establishment’s deadly open border immigration policies that the AfD opposes,’ he wrote. ‘Germany should reverse course.’… 

“The AfD… has been backed by several Trump administration officials, including Vice President JD Vance and billionaire CEO Elon Musk…” 

Politico added on May 2: 

“… this is the first time in modern German history that a party with nationwide representation on the federal level has been classified as extremist… President Donald Trump and his inner circle have been largely supportive of the AfD. Its co-leader, Alice Weidel, was… invited to attend Trump’s inauguration.” 

The Hill wrote on May 2: 

“Vance, who met with AfD’s leader Alice Weidel in February ahead of the country’s elections, said the entity is the ‘most popular party in Germany, and by far the most representative of East Germany. Now the bureaucrats try to destroy it.’ 

“‘The West tore down the Berlin Wall together. And it has been rebuilt—not by the Soviets or the Russians, but by the German establishment,’ the vice president wrote Friday on X.” 

Rubio and Vance are not wrong with their remarks. But considering the present state of affairs in the USA, they are not well received in Germany. 

Is Rubio on an Anti-German Course? 

Die Welt wrote on May 4: 

“Not only is the US already an unpredictable and therefore difficult partner, the obsession with Germany in the Trump camp is growing and has now also engulfed Rubio, someone who was actually considered a traditional foreign policy expert…

“He skillfully portrayed himself as an iron defender of Trump’s policies with targeted TV appearances. He even threw his own principles overboard. Previously known as a Russia hawk, he refrained from criticizing the president when he humiliated his Ukrainian guest, Volodymyr Zelensky, in the Oval Office and unilaterally increased pressure on Kyiv. Instead, he jumped into the breach for Trump. 

“Rubio also defended his tightened migration policy. As a senator, he spoke out in favor of protecting refugees from the Maduro regime in Venezuela. These days, he wants nothing to do with that. This has elevated him to Trump’s inner circle. 

“This context gives his attack on Germany increased weight. Now, he’s following Vance and Musk’s course and forming a united front against Berlin in the White House. Merz and Wadephul’s first trips to the US are thus facing difficult prospects.”

It will be interesting to see whether Merz will really stand up to Trump, as he said he would . 

Germany Upholding Democracy? 

BBC wrote on May 2: 

“Germany’s Foreign Office has defended a decision to classify the Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party as right-wing extremist, after sharp criticism from the White House… In an unusual move, the foreign office directly replied to Rubio on X, writing: ‘We have learnt from our history that right-wing extremism needs to be stopped.’ The intelligence agency that made the classification found AfD’s ‘prevailing understanding of people based on ethnicity and descent’ goes against Germany’s ‘free democratic order’… The agency, Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz (BfV), had already classed the AfD as right-wing extremist in three eastern states where its popularity is highest. Now, that designation has been extended to the entire party. 

“The AfD ‘aims to exclude certain population groups from equal participation in society’, it said in a statement. The agency said specifically that the party did not consider citizens ‘from predominantly Muslim countries’ as equal members of the German people.

“Joint party leaders Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla said the decision was ‘clearly politically motivated’ and a ‘severe blow to German democracy’. Beatrix von Storch, the party’s deputy parliamentary leader, told the BBC’s Newshour programme that the designation was ‘the way an authoritarian state, a dictatorship, would treat their parties’. 

“The new classification gives authorities greater powers to monitor the AfD using tactics like phone interception and undercover agents…” 

Germany’s “explanation” is unconvincing. Note the following articles. 

Merz Under Pressure 

The Guardian wrote on May 2: 

“… the move puts the incoming conservative-led government of Friedrich Merz under great pressure, as well as [Federal Minister of the Inferior and Community Nancy] Faeser’s Social Democrat colleagues, who will be the junior partners in the new coalition that gets to work next Tuesday. [Faeser will be out by then.]

“On the back of the decision, Merz will now be responsible – on top of the myriad other challenges in his in-tray – for deciding whether and how to ban the AfD, a decision that will involve the most precarious of political tightrope walks.

“Migration, Ukraine, Trump and an ailing economy are among the burgeoning issues that he will also have to tackle with urgency. The growing mood of dissatisfaction over these and other issues, exacerbated by the six months of political deadlock that followed the premature collapse of the previous government – which induced an added layer of nationwide ennui – has already caused the AfD to creep up in the polls… The ruling by the BfV is unlikely to put people off supporting the AfD.

“Finding a way to reduce the AfD has been at top of the agenda among all of the political parties since it emerged as a protest force of professors and academics in 2013… The challenge has only grown in importance, as the populists – morphing from anti-euro to anti-migrant over time – have grown their success at the ballot box…

“Merz’s party, the Christian Democratic Union, has been torn over how to deal with the AfD. Merz tacitly cooperated with the party earlier this year – despite insisting he would not – to push migration policies through parliament. And on the local level, his party and the AfD have cooperated on issues such as a ruling that the German flag should be hoisted in schools. 

“Jens Spahn, Merz’s close ally, recently prompted scorn by suggesting the AfD should be treated as a ‘normal opposition party’, arguing that excluding the party from parliamentary procedures only boosted its popularity…” 

The Fight Against the AfD

Breitbart wrote on May 5:

“Germany’s right-wing… Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has launched a lawsuit against the nation’s political police… The deadline for Germany’s political police force… to retract a decision to classify the Alternative for Germany (AfD) as ‘confirmed right-wing extremist’ or else face legal action passed on Monday morning. The AfD… said the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) declined to respond to their legal letter and so they were launching a lawsuit to challenge the decision in court. 

“The AfD had called the BfV classification ‘manifestly unlawful’ and said they’d filed for proceedings and for an urgent motion at the Cologne administrative court, the city where the BfV is based…  Crucially, the BfV classification means it can spy on the party, its politicians, and its members without restriction. Further, with this step, the discussion has progressed to banning Germany’s second most popular elected party altogether, all in the name of protecting democracy. Views are split on this, however…

“This timing, it is alleged, is not a matter of coincidence, with a claim aired by Germany’s Bild newspaper today that the old left-wing government rushed through the order to classify the AfD as extremist as one of their final acts before losing power. The new Interior Minister, Alexander Dobrindt, who is being sworn in on Tuesday, believed, per that report, the BfV decision wasn’t even properly reviewed before being promulgated, and that once he is in office this week, he intends to have it reviewed…

“While the AfD may not hope for much from Dobrindt’s review of the document by Interior Ministry experts, he at least… has said the bar for banning a party in Germany is high, and the AfD does not meet the standard because ‘[an] aggressive and militant nature’ is not present as a defining characteristic of the party, reports Die Welt. He said using lawfare to persecute the party would likely be counterproductive…

“Refuting this view, among others, is German politician Michel Friedman, who took to Die Welt on Monday to accuse anyone who still votes for AfD of making themselves an ‘accomplice’ who ‘must be held accountable’ for supporting ‘an anti-democratic party’.” 

Julien Michel Friedman is a controversial German author, former CDU politician and talk show host. From 2000 to 2003 Friedman was vice president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, and president of the European Jewish Congress from 2001 to 2003. From 1998 to 2003 he had his own show on German television.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban posted this on X on May 3: “What the hell is going on in Germany? You can count on us… Alice Weidel!” 

Attack on Freedom of Expression

Julian Reichert [former Bild Editor-in-Chief] wrote in Nius on May 5: 

“Nothing publicly known about AfD statements even remotely borders on (violent) anti-constitutionalism; much of it is frustrated colloquial German, as expressed by millions of people. Everything publicly known is clearly protected by freedom of expression. The real scandal here is that an intelligence agency is collecting countless statements and compiling them into a secret dossier that clearly fall under the fundamental right to freedom of expression… 

“What we are experiencing is the greatest attack on freedom of expression ever undertaken by a federal government. Anyone who participates in this would themselves be a case for the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution in a functioning system… You can strongly reject the choice of words (or not), but if this is supposed to be a case for the intelligence agency, we will soon have informants at the bars of this country again. What’s happening right now is a national crisis, a serious civil rights crisis. The state wants to end freedom of expression as it has existed for 75 years.”

Presently On Hold

Deutsche Welle wrote on May 8:

“The German domestic intelligence agency BfV has said it will not publicly refer to the AfD as a ‘confirmed right-wing extremist movement’ until a Cologne court rules on a bid by the AfD for an injunction against using the term. ‘The measures associated with the classification will also be suspended, ‘Reuters reported…

“The decision made by the BfV means it can avoid a potential court ruling prohibiting it from using the extremist label while the AfD’s injunction bid is litigated. This is likely to avoid giving the AfD politicians the opportunity to say they had forced the agency to retract its classification had such a ruling come from the court.

“The injunction is separate from the AfD’s appeal against the BfV’s decision, which will likely take a lot longer.”

Merz Elected Chancellor in Second Round of Voting

Deutsche Welle wrote on May 6: 

“German conservative leader Friedrich Merz has been elected chancellor in a second round of voting after a dramatic day in Germany’s lower house of parliament, the Bundestag. A total of 325 lawmakers voted in favor of Merz this time around, bringing him over the necessary 316 threshold. 

“Earlier, the 69-year-old became the first presumptive chancellor to fail in the first round of voting, a unique event in Germany. With 310 yes votes, he was six votes short of a chancellor majority. He becomes Germany’s tenth postwar chancellor and the Christian Democrats’ sixth holder of the post.” 

Merz Criticizes USA 

Focus wrote on May 7:

“Merz criticized the voices within the US government that supported the AfD in the federal election campaign and recently criticized the party’s classification as right-wing extremist by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution. These were ‘absurd observations about the Federal Republic of Germany,’ Merz said. 

“‘I did not interfere in the American election campaign and take sides unilaterally for one side or the other.’ He therefore encouraged the American government to let domestic politics in Germany be domestic politics.” 

No Peace in Sight 

The Sun wrote on May 2 

“THE US has announced it will no longer act as the mediator to negotiate a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine after Vladimir Putin refused to accept a full ceasefire. The State Department said the country is changing ‘the methodology of how we contribute’ to the talks and will no longer ‘fly around the world at the drop of a hat’ for meetings. 

“The shift comes just hours after Trump’s deputy JD Vance said the war in Ukraine is unlikely to end ‘any time soon’. He added: ‘It is going to be up to the Russians and Ukrainians now that each side knows what the other’s terms for peace are. It’s going to be up to them to come to an agreement and stop this brutal, brutal conflict.’… 

“The shift comes just two days after the US and Ukraine signed a historic minerals deal… The US also drafted a seven-point plan, which it hoped would draw a path to peace between Ukraine and Russia. However, the plan was rejected by Zelensky as it involved the US formally recognising Russian sovereignty over Crimea. Trump is said to be growing ‘increasingly frustrated’ with both Putin and Zelensky in his attempts to bring the Ukraine war to a close… Moscow dashed hopes of a peace deal by repeating demands that Ukraine must surrender and disarm…” 

Europe Rejects Trump Proposal 

Breitbart wrote on May 2: 

“The European Union’s high representative for foreign and security policy Kaja Kallas — almost the bloc’s Foreign Minister, except the budding super-state hasn’t quite got one yet — says the Union will never accept Russian occupation of any Ukrainian land, nor any loosening of sanctions on Russia… 

“The paper [Financial Times] paraphrased that she had said: ‘no EU country would accept recognition of Crimea as Russian, an element of the US proposal that is a major red line for Kyiv’, and directly quoting: ‘I can’t see that we are accepting these kind of things… we have said this over and over again… Crimea is Ukraine. 

Russia Blasts USA 

The New York Post wrote on May 1: 

“The Kremlin on Thursday blasted President Trump’s historic mineral rights deal with Ukraine… sarcastically praising the US leader for making a deal with a nation that will soon ‘disappear.’ ‘Trump has finally pressured the Kyiv regime to pay for US aid with mineral resources,’ Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev [considered Russian President Vladimir Putin’s right-hand man] said on Telegram. ‘Now, the country that is about to disappear will have to use its national wealth to pay for military supplies.’

“Unlike military aid packages under the Biden administration, Ukraine would pay the United States for these weapons — benefiting both Kyiv’s defense and the US defense industry without the use of American taxpayer dollars. The deal holds that Washington and Kyiv will split all profits from licenses for new oil, gas and minerals mining in Ukraine in a mutual fund. While Kyiv will  contribute to the fund largely through mineral profits, the US has the option to contribute to the fund by letting Ukraine purchase weapons. Still, there are no requirements that the US must allow Ukraine to purchase weapons as part of the arrangement.” 

The Mineral Deal 

Deutsche Welle wrote on May 1: 

“Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko has said Ukraine would retain full ownership of all its mineral resources in the agreement with the United States… Svyrydenko… said the fund would be jointly managed by both countries, with Svyrydenko writing on X:  ‘It is the Ukrainian state that determines what and where to extract.’ 

“Meanwhile, Trump said on Wednesday evening on NewsNation that the deal, ‘in theory,’ means the US will get more from Ukraine than it contributed. ‘I wanted to be protected,’ he said, adding that he didn’t want to look ‘foolish; by not getting money back for US aid to Ukraine… 

“The Ukrainian parliament will still have to ratify the agreement before it can come into force.” 

Just a Matter of Time 

ntv wrote on May 4: 

“Despite his war of aggression against Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin believes in reconciliation with his neighbors. ‘It seems to me that this is inevitable, despite the tragedy we are currently experiencing,’ said the Kremlin chief… on the 25th anniversary of his first presidency. ‘It’s a matter of time,’ Putin said… He [had] called the Ukrainians themselves part of the Russian people.” 

Some have questioned whether Putin wants to indeed restore the Soviet Union’s former “glory” by restoring Russia as an imperial power. Putin said on several occasions, at least as early as 2005 in his annual state of the nation address, that the collapse of the Soviet empire “was the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the century”. He added: “As for the Russian people, it became a genuine tragedy. Tens of millions of our fellow citizens and countrymen found themselves beyond the fringes of Russian territory.” 

They should also remember Putin’s speech in June of 2022 in which he compared himself with Peter the Great. He said: 

“Peter the Great waged the Great Northern War for 21 years… On the face of it, he was at war with Sweden taking something away from it… He was not taking away anything, he was returning. This is how it was… When he founded the new capital, none of the European countries recognized this territory as part of Russia; everyone recognized it as part of Sweden… However, from time immemorial, the Slavs lived there along with the Finno-Ugric peoples, and this territory was under Russia’s control. The same is true of the western direction, Narva and his first campaigns. Why would he go there? He was returning and reinforcing, that is what he was doing… Clearly, it fell to our lot to return and reinforce as well…” 

US to Stop Bombing Houthis 

Politico wrote on May 6:

“The United States will stop strikes against Yemen’s Houthi group, President Donald Trump announced Tuesday, after a nearly-two-month bombing campaign. Trump… said the halt would start immediately. The Houthis approached the administration on Monday night indicating ‘they want to stop the fighting,’ he said. The military has struck at least 800 targets in Yemen and killed hundreds of Houthis since March, according to U.S. Central Command. 

“Trump framed the move as a handshake agreement to end the Pentagon’s bombing campaign in exchange for the Houthis no longer attacking American ships. It’s not a deal,’ he said. ‘They said, “Please don’t bomb us anymore and we’re not going to attack your ships.’”… But the arrangement is unlikely to calm tensions in the region if it’s limited to protecting American ships. Israel escalated strikes against the Houthis on Monday night…” 

The Houthis said that they would continue their fight in support of Gaza. The Jerusalem Post reported that Netanyahu was not informed about Trump’s announcement ahead of time. 

India at War With Pakistan 

The U.S. Sun wrote on May 7: 

“NUCLEAR war could break out “at any time” if India continues strikes, Pakistan’s defence chief has warned as his country teeters on the brink of a conflict with India. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif gave the stark warning in an interview with Pakistani TV channel Geo News as tensions between the two nuclear powers continue to reach boiling point… 

“Pakistan’s Prime Minister earlier blamed India for igniting an “inferno” in the region after bombing his country overnight and has now authorised his troops to fire missiles back…” 

First Canada, Now Australia 

The Wall Street Journal wrote on May 3: 

“Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was returned to power in an election Saturday, the latest left leaning leader to achieve a comeback victory as President Trump roils global markets and upends international affairs… The election is the latest snapshot of how voters are reacting to a shifting world order as President Trump targets countries with tariffs, pivots towards Russia and uses harsh rhetoric about Washington’s traditional allies. Polls show voters in Australia, Canada, and the U.K. view Washington more unfavorably since Trump took office. 

“Earlier this week, Canadians gave the left-leaning Liberal Party a fourth term in office, even though the party was trailing badly in the polls at the start of the year. Canadians embraced the tough-talking approach of Prime Minister Mark Carney, a former central banker, while shying away from the conservative candidate, Pierre Poilievre, who was viewed as being too similar to Trump.  

“A similar dynamic has played out in Australia… Dutton, a former police officer and defense minister, seesawed between embracing policies with a Trump-like flair and distancing himself from Trump-style rhetoric. He backtracked or clarified proposals to end working from home and slash the government workforce, two initiatives that have been supported by Trump in the U.S…. He also unveiled plans to further boost Australia’s military spending, aligning himself with Trump’s demand that U.S. allies to spend more on their militaries. But the strategy seemed to backfire in a country where Trump is very unpopular. Dutton lost his seat to the Labor candidate… 

“Albanese, though, had to be careful not to position himself as too anti-Trump given that the U.S. is Australia’s main military partner. He will now have to navigate thorny issues including trade talks… He also faces a delicate balancing act with China, which is Australia’s biggest trading partner but has been boosting its military…” 

“The Demons of the Holy See” 

AFP wrote on May 2: 

“Sexual predators, crooked financiers, spies and a spattering of murderers: while the Vatican may appear an earthly garden watched over by its beloved saints, it also has its demons… Today, clerical sexual abuse against minors and nuns is hands down the most serious crime facing the Catholic Church… 

“Ambition and money — even murder — are woven through the Vatican’s dark history. Since its origins 2,000 years ago, the Church of Rome has experienced ‘some truly scandalous periods in terms of morality’, a senior prelate told AFP… They are so numerous that only a few of the most emblematic need be mentioned. 

“In the 10th century Pope John XII is said to have turned the Lateran Palace in Rome into a harem. Five centuries later, the Borgia pope, Alexander VI, organised an orgy for his daughter’s wedding… 

“Fast forward a few centuries later, and money was again at the root of a major scandal over the Banco Ambrosiano-majority owned by the Institute for the Works of Religion (IOR), or the Vatican bank. It collapsed in 1982 amid accusations of money-laundering mafia money while its director, Roberto Calvi, was found hanging that same year from London’s Blackfriars Bridge. A commander of the Swiss Guards, Alois Estermann, also met with an unfortunate fate. In 1998, he and his wife were shot dead in their Vatican flat by one of his men, who then committed suicide…. 

“Whatever their nature, whatever their era, the depravities of past popes and their Curia collided with the ‘demanding’ moral teachings of the Church — with the result of ‘displacing’ some of them… Those consequences are sometimes drastic. Reformer Martin Luther, whose denounced the Church as ‘Babylon’ with its sale of indulgences, initiated the schism with Rome that began the Protestant Reformation.” 

Francis’ Final Miracle? 

The Daily Mail added on May 3: 

“Trump has posted an AI picture of himself as the Pope… The Republican, who is not Catholic, took to Truth Social to post the image, which shows him wearing a white papal hat, also referred to as a miter, while a large crucifix dangles from his neck. Trump had previously joked with reporters how he wouldn’t be against succeeding the late Catholic leader, adding: ‘I’d like to be Pope. That would be my number one choice.’ … Trump’s post has been met with outrage online with many branding the move as ‘a great disrespect’, urging the US President to remove the post immediately. … 

“During the Pontiff’s funeral, Zelensky and Trump spoke face to face for the first time since their disastrous White House clash earlier this year… The outcome was dubbed Pope Francis’ ‘final miracle’…  ‘It was also moving to see what they are now calling ‘Pope Francis’s miracle’ with Trump and Zelensky meeting, there’s so many things that happened today – it was just overwhelming,’ Professor Father Francesco Giordano told Sky News…   

“It comes as the cardinals of the Catholic Church held their ninth in a series of near-daily meetings at the Vatican ahead of the election of a new pope today. The closed-door ‘general congregations’ allow them to discuss the challenges the new pontiff will face before they are locked into the Sistine Chapel on Wednesday for the vote. Walking through crowds of pilgrims and journalists for the morning meeting, the so-called ‘Princes of the Church‘ gave little away – not even speculating how long the conclave would last… 

“On Wednesday, 133 of them will enter the Sistine Chapel and not leave until they have – after a series of secret ballots – given a two-thirds majority to Francis’ successor.”

Of course, this has nothing to do with a “miracle” caused by the dead pope. 

The New American Pope

Focus wrote on May 8:

“The American Robert Prevost has been elected [in the fourth round of voting] as the new Pope… He will be called Pope Leo XIV.”

Prevost is also a Peruvian citizen and lived for years in Peru, first as a missionary and then as an archbishop. He is the first American pope. He is described as a progressive on many social issues, but conservative on church doctrine; he opposes ordaining women as deacons, for example. Overall, many view him as a centrist.

JK Rowling Speaks Out… Again! 

Daily Mail wrote on May 4:

“[Harry Potter author] JK Rowling has posted an essay about signatories ‘motivated by fear’ after Harry Potter stars signed a pro-trans open letter [with over 2000 signatures, disagreeing with the UK Supreme Court’s ruling that under the Equality Act, ‘woman’ is defined by biological sex and that ‘the concept of sex is binary, a person is either a woman or a man’. The signatories state that ‘We believe the ruling undermines the lived reality and threatens the safety of trans, non-binary, and intersex people living in the UK.’] 

“Rowling took to social media this weekend to state that ‘nobody sane believes, or has ever believed, that humans can change sex, or that binary sex isn’t a material fact… 

“’I often wonder whether the signatories of such letters have to quieten their consciences before publicly boosting a movement intent on removing women’s and girls’ rights… and campaigns for the continued sterilisation of vulnerable and troubled kids…” 

Acknowledgement and Disclaimer:

These Current Events are compiled and commented on by Norbert Link. We gratefully acknowledge the many contributions of news articles from our readership. The publication of articles in this section is not to be viewed as an endorsement or approval as to contents or accuracy of the selected articles, but they are published for the purpose of pointing at worldwide developments in the light of biblical end-time prophecy and godly instruction. Our own comments are provided in italics.

“Pornography” may be difficult to define, and many may not agree on a common definition. When Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart was asked to describe his test for obscenity in 1964, he responded: “I know it when I see it.” In applying this quasi-definition to a motion picture at issue, he concluded that it was not pornographic. This was in 1964. Surely, today’s standards and definitions are even much more liberal.

We will not try to define pornography in this article. Rather, we set forth guidelines which the reader may use to come to conclusions applicable to oneself, based on his or her understanding and conscience.  We use the word pornography (another word might be obscenity) with this introductory precaution in mind.

In this present age, pornography is frighteningly easy to access. With the lightning speed of a whim, people can view pornographic images and videos on computers and phones, dramatically reducing barriers to availability that would have otherwise prevented them from doing so. Hand in hand with greater accessibility, media and entertainment increasingly normalize pornography. The proliferation of pornography and derivations of it are designed to exploit the raw sexual urge of people, especially men. The nature of pornographic content may stimulate physical sensations to the extreme, such that it is common for it to become the source of addiction. Truly, pornography might serve as a quintessential example of decadent worldliness which the Bible warns about.

Since Christians are human beings with physical inclinations like anyone else, they are not immune to the seductive allure of pornography. Yet it is such a taboo topic that even bringing it up as a Christian can be embarrassingly shameful! But the duty of a Christian is to become equipped to overcome carnality, so it is important to directly address the topic of how to handle pornography.

Leaving aside the definition of what makes content pornographic, we can focus on its designed effects. Quite simply, it is designed to elicit sexual arousal through voyeuristic fantasy using images of a provocative nature, most commonly with naked people engaged in all kinds of sexual activities, not to mention deviations like the abominable practice of bestiality and other perversions. There is nothing inherently wrong about sex and the instinct of arousal that accompanies it. God made man and woman as sexual beings. But he designed this aspect of our physical nature for married men and women to enjoy in a healthy way. Pornography, through its elicitation of sexual fantasy, is designed to stimulate imagination and ideas in the viewer that are definitively not anchored in what it takes to build a healthy, loving relationship in the way God intended.

To view pornography is to have a relationship with it. But this is not the kind of sexual relationship that God designed. God made man and woman to develop love for one another, become married, and create a family of their own. (We understand, of course, that in this day and age not every couple can create a family with children, for numerous reasons. In other cases, God may not even intend for a person to get married.) God designed marriage to nurture a healthy kind of sexual relationship, which involves developing an intimate relationship between a man and a woman, including on a spiritual level. “Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge” (Hebrews 13:4). From this passage, we understand that there is a right way and a wrong way to treat sex.

The model of the right way to treat sex is in a married relationship as God designed, and the wrong ways are the sexually immoral and cheap counterfeits for it. Like fornication and adultery mentioned in the passage above, pornography is a cheap counterfeit. It may set false expectations through its fantastical imagery that could damage a healthy sexual relationship with a partner in marriage. Whereas a healthy marriage relationship involves developing a deep understanding of one another, consuming pornography and engaging in other types of sexual immorality such as fornication, stimulates arousal while skipping over all the hard work that makes a marriage relationship so rewarding. Pornography teaches wrong lessons about what it takes to develop an intimate relationship. To apply those lessons learned through the examples of pornography in real life will only result in failure, disappointment, or worse.

We write about the healthy kind of sexual relationship between a man and woman in our free booklet, “God’s Teachings on Sexual Relationships.”

“While it may be unfashionable, we take the Word of God seriously and unashamedly in spite of the mainly secular society in which we live. We read in Genesis 2:18, 20–23 that God provided a wife, Eve, for Adam. Verse 24 is critical: ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh,’ and this is the biblical example at the dawn of civilization. One man and one woman and no other variation is mentioned nor acceptable, and in Genesis 1:28 they were told to ‘Be fruitful and multiply,’ and that is supposed to happen only when two people of the opposite sex are united in marriage.

“There is one aspect of marriage that seems to be rarely, if ever, discussed.

“In Genesis 2:24 we read: ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.’ We might ask why the Bible teaches that a man is to leave his parents in order to cleave to his wife? What is meant by this? Does this also mean, by extension, that the wife is to leave her parents as well, in order to cleave to her husband?

“The Bible is very explicit, for important reasons, to enjoin the newly married couple to live separately from their parents. In addition to this instruction in Genesis 2:24, we read later, in Matthew 19:5, that Jesus Christ quotes this very Scripture with approval, to explain and to uphold the sanctity of the marriage relationship.

“Commentaries agree that this command is meant to be taken and obeyed quite literally. A reason for this command is given in the Ryrie Study Bible, as follows, ‘Jesus cites the purpose of God in creation that husband and wife should be one flesh—the oneness of kinship or fellowship with the body as a medium, causing marriage to be the deepest physical and spiritual unity.’”

From this explanation of how God designed marriage, we understand what true intimacy consists of. Pornography, as well as fornication and adultery, corrupt this model set by God.

Another way that pornography can be dangerous is in the stimulation of lust. The images of pornography are designed to arouse a lustful desire, which can be overwhelming in their allure. We understand, of course, that lustful desire can be aroused in many different ways, and it may be different for particular individuals. Consider what the Bible says about playing with a similar type of strong lust and its effects. “For the commandment is a lamp, And the law a light; Reproofs of instruction are the way of life, To keep you from the evil woman, From the flattering tongue of a seductress. Do not lust after her beauty in your heart, Nor let her allure you with her eyelids. For by means of a harlot A man is reduced to a crust of bread; And an adulteress will prey upon his precious life. Can a man take fire to his bosom, And his clothes not be burned? Can one walk on hot coals, And his feet not be seared? So is he who goes in to his neighbor’s wife;  Whoever touches her shall not be innocent” (Proverbs 6:23-29). This passage is about allowing oneself to become seduced away from a healthy sexual relationship, and instead inviting sexual lust and temptation to take control. What is the result? To become metaphorically burned and seared through the experience! Pornography carries the same danger. Images may sear into the mind of the viewer and burn into his or her consciousness, reinforcing the wrong ideas about what a healthy, godly sexual relationship consists of.

We’re reminded that physical lust is something that Christians are to overcome. “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.   For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.” (1 John 2:15-17). Of the many examples of what fulfills the lust of the eyes, pornography is among the most apt. To fall prey to sexual temptation brings one full force into carnal indulgence. Carnal lust is something to overcome as a Christian. As mentioned in the passage above, it is not of God. We know that Satan is the god of this world, and he uses all kinds of wrong sexual influences to tempt us. Paul tells us in Ephesians 6 to fight against those influences.

Being convinced of the dangers of pornography, what can one do to escape them? The Bible gives us simple instructions with actions expressed in extreme terms to drive home the point that decisive action is necessary. Christ tells us: “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell”  (Matthew 5:27-30). This instruction from Jesus Christ is about looking lustfully at a woman desiring to have a sexual relationship with her, but the lesson is something that we can easily apply to the dangers of pornography. Such images may stimulate lust for someone else, even if only in the imagination. In this example, Jesus equates this kind of lust to the sin of adultery. The prescription He offers is to physically separate oneself from the source of sin, figuratively plucking out the eye and cutting off the hand. Jesus does not instruct us to literally mutilate ourselves, but the lesson is clear. We are to decisively act, physically removing ourselves from the stimulus of sin and any sinful environment.

We emphasize this point of taking decisive action to flee sexual immorality in our free booklet, “God’s Teachings on Sexual Relationships.”

“Let us look now at God’s teaching in the Bible on this subject, which is what should concern us the most.

“1 Corinthians 6:18 (in the Authorized Version), we read ‘Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body.’

“The New King James Bible renders ‘sexual immorality’ correctly as ‘fornication.’ This word clearly includes sexual activities before and outside the confines of marriage.

“The instruction is to ‘flee fornication and wrong sexual activity,’ but so many ignore or do not even know about this instruction. This is the problem when God’s Word is ignored or not considered relevant today, and where there is antipathy toward doing what God commands us to do, which is for our benefit and is always in our best interests. However, man thinks that he knows better than God and makes up his own rules (or lack of them) to facilitate a ‘just do it’ attitude.

“There was obviously a problem in the Corinthian Church with wrong sexual activity, including fornication (compare 1 Corinthians 6:9; 2 Corinthians 12:21). Here the Bible warns us that fornicators and other sexually immoral individuals will not inherit the Kingdom of God, and so it is an activity that must be avoided by those who are called and chosen by God. God defines His standards and what He requires of His people, which is very different than the liberal, promiscuous approach that today’s societies adopt.”

Pornography is a powerful force in this age. Many even become addicted by its strong arousal and ease of access. It can lead to fornication or other sexually immoral behavior. It is dangerous in that it is designed to corrupt the perfect model of a healthy sexual relationship between a married couple, which God intended. Overcoming the danger of pornography’s temptation is possible, however. By calling upon the strength of Christ to resist its allure and flee from its presence, one can avoid falling prey to the damage it does.

Lead Writer: Eric Rank

compiled by Dave Harris

“The AfD Classification and Germany’s Attack on Freedom of Speech,” is the title of a new StandingWatch program, presented by Evangelist Norbert Link. Here is the summary:

Germany’s classification of the AfD as a “right-wing extremist party” by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution has been sharply criticized by the US government. Many voices in Germany and Austria are also criticizing the decision, calling it a political maneuver, an attack on freedom of expression, and a serious state crisis of civil rights. This puts Chancellor Friedrich Merz under pressure. The AfD can only benefit from all of this, especially given the weak coalition of the CDU/CSU and the SPD.

“Die AfD Bewertung und Deutschlands Angriff auf die Meinungsfreiheit,” is the title of a new AufPostenStehen program, presented by Norbert Link. This German program covers the same topics as described above.

“Sodom and Gomorrah” is the latest video in our Bible Story Series on YouTube.

“Süßer Geruch oder übler Gestank – was von beiden?” is the title of this Sabbath’s German sermon, presented by Norbert Link. Title in English: “Sweet Aroma or Foul Odor—Which?”

“Kleider machen Leute,” last Sabbath’s German sermonette presented by Dominik Kaltenegger, is now posted. Title in English: “Clothes Make the Man.”

“Family Rules— Ein Leben in Wahrheit und Liebe,” last Sabbath’s German sermon presented by Christoph Sperzel, is now posted. Title in English: “Family Rules— A Life of Truth and Love.”

“What Is the Prayer of Faith,” last Sabbath’s sermonette presented by Dave Harris, is now posted. Here is the summary:

Christians, like Jesus Christ and because of Him, are able to pray with faith. Do we really believe that God hears us?

“Priorities,” last Sabbath’s sermon presented by Eric Rank, is now posted. Here is the summary:

What’s important to you? Are your actions consistent with your priorities? It is our responsibility as Christians to continually evaluate our commitment to living a righteous and fulfilling life, placing the highest priority on developing our love for God. When we discover the inevitable shortcomings and waste in our lives, it is an opportunity for us to revise our priorities and adjust our commitments.

On May 3, 2025, Dave Harris will present the sermonette, titled, “What Is the Prayer of Faith?” and Eric Rank will present the sermon, titled, “Priorities.”

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.

It seems that Eve didn’t understand or believe the difference or the consequences between what was true and what wasn’t true. God warned Adam and Eve that disobedience to Him would result in their death. Satan, however, deceived Eve with a lie, saying, “‘You will not surely die…’” (Genesis 3:4).

Reading the account about how easily both Adam and Eve sinned should cause us to reflect on ourselves when we face Satan’s deception. Add to that the fact that Satan has deceived the whole world and continues to do so (1 John 5:19; Revelation 12:9).

Christians have been called to overcome the deception of Satan, but he still relentlessly seeks to deceive us (1 Peter 5:8). We would be mistaken to think that we can’t be deceived. The Apostle Paul confessed his own struggle in this regard, saying: “O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin” (Romans 7:24-25).

The Apostle James addressed overcoming temptation and the repercussions of falling for deception:

“Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am tempted by God’; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren” (James 1:12-16).

As human beings, we can’t overcome sin on our own. Just as quoted above about Paul, we need the help of Jesus Christ, Who was tempted but Who never sinned. Satan sought to deceive Jesus by challenging Him with lies, but Jesus overcame him with the Truth and with His commitment to obey God (Matthew 4:1-11). Through God’s Holy Spirit, Christians have help to defeat Satan’s deception:

“Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:14-16).

Deception is powerful, and it can destroy our faith and trust in God. Yet, Jesus gives us the key to overcome the lies of Satan and his rule over this world. That is to know and choose the Truth (John 8:32). Paul adds this instruction for us:

“Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it” (1 Corinthians 10:12-13).

Let’s not make it easy for Satan to deceive us. Rather, we must grow stronger and stronger in our obedience to Jesus Christ and the Father so that we may be found worthy of our calling to salvation in the coming Kingdom of God.

by Norbert Link

We report on President Trump’s ill-conceived peace plan for the Ukrainian-Russian war which has no chance of success; speak on Pope Francis and his funeral; America’s inhumane immigration policy; and Trump’s failing approval rate in the USA.

Please view our new StandingWatch program with the title, “Trump’s Peace Plan—A Failure!”

We continue with the elections in Canada, Germany’s militarization; and conclude with Germany’s new ambitious rising star…controversial former Health Minister Jens Spahn; and the chaos in Spain.

Please view our new StandingWatch program with the title, “Trump’s Peace Plan—A Failure!”

Throughout this section, we have underlined pertinent statements in the quoted articles, for the convenience and quick overview of the reader.

Trump’s Appeasement Policy

Daily Mail wrote on April 24:

“It’s 11 years since I watched Russian troops stripped of military insignia seize Ukrainian army bases in Crimea, while their president, Vladimir Putin, publicly denied that any of his forces had crossed the border… Following the first annexation of European terrain since the Second World War, the 2.3 million Crimean citizens of Ukraine faced a terrible choice: flee their homes or submit to Russian servitude…

“By showing itself to be an unreliable ally, Washington not only leaves Nato seriously undermined but offers encouragement to China’s grotesque dictatorship in its determination to seize democratic Taiwan… Putin feels emboldened by Trump’s stance, especially given the US failure to approve fresh military aid for Ukraine.

“Britain, like the rest of Europe, can be under no illusions. The world has become more dangerous. Democracy is under threat. We can no longer rely on the US… Trump attempts to force an unjust peace on Ukraine...”

Especially Europe realizes that they cannot rely on the USA and they conclude that they must build up their own powerful and independent war machine.

“Trump’s Folly”

The Sun wrote on April 24:

“Despite his threats and ultimatums, Donald Trump surely knows that walking away from Ukraine would seriously weaken America’s global standing. It could also be as politically damaging as Joe Biden’s withdrawal from Afghanistan.

“The President would never allow Russia to seize Alaska. So why does he expect Ukrainians to give up huge swathes of land that they have lost tens of thousands of lives bravely defending? Including Crimea which allows Russia to maintain an iron grip on the region. And all without any promise of a US security guarantee or NATO protection?… Meanwhile, where is the pressure on Putin, the aggressor in this war…?

“Currently, it sends an unthinkable message to rogue dictators.  That America allows murderous invaders to win.”

Friend of a Murderer

On April 24, Bild Online published the following commentary by Franz Josef Wagner:

“The sky over Kyiv flickers reddish under the blows of Russian bombs… They are the fingerprints of a murderer. Trump wants to make peace with a murderer. You can’t make peace with a murderer… Trump must look at the pictures from Kyiv… They are all evidence of Putin’s character. You want to make peace with him. What will become of Ukraine then? A slave state… President Trump, don’t become a friend of a murderer.”

Empty Threats to a Dictator

The New York Post wrote on April 24:

“Remember when Joe Biden was facing off against Vladimir Putin? Questioned about the Russian leader’s threats, old Joe memorably said: ‘Don’t.’… On another occasion, a year into the war, Biden got really tough: ‘I don’t have time,’ he warned Putin..

“But today, President Trump continued Biden’s approach. His reaction to one of the biggest missile attacks in the past year was to tell Vladimir Putin, ‘STOP.’ As if Putin is listening.”

Russia’s “Concession”

Deutsche Welle wrote on April 25:

“The US has proposed a deal between Russia and Ukraine, in which the front would be frozen where it is, meaning Ukraine would cede 20% of its country. US President Trump said Russia had made a major concession by not seeking to conquer all of Ukraine.”

Why No Peace in Ukraine-Russia War?

The Sun wrote on April 25:

“EVERYONE says they want peace, so why is the war still raging in Ukraine? The short answer is simple: Peace means very different things to very different people. They have different goals and different motives. 

“Putin wants total conquest. And he wants to be remembered as a modern Tsar who restored Russia’s imperial greatness.

“Ukraine wants to survive, as a sovereign independent nation.

“Europe wants a chastened Russia and peace that lasts beyond six months.

“Trump just wants a deal — any deal at any price — with minerals thrown in for good measure. He wants to claim the glory and perhaps a Nobel Peace Prize for sorting out the carnage…

“The American position is clear from the terrible deal they want Kyiv to accept. Their… plan would freeze the war on the current front lines and force Ukraine to surrender almost all of its occupied territories — some 44,000 square miles — with almost nothing in return… Russia would hand back small pockets of territory… Moscow would also give up its ambitions to capture the… provinces that its troops have been unable to take by force. But crucially, for Ukraine, there are no security guarantees.

“That means there is nothing to stop Russia catching its breath, rearming and invading again a few months or years later. Does that sound unlikely? It is precisely what has happened already. Moscow seized Crimea and parts of Donbas in 2014. Peace deals known as Minsk I and Minsk II were signed in 2014 and 2015 respectively. But they both lacked guarantees… The world watched in horror — and in disbelief — as Moscow spouted brazen lies that they had no plans to invade. The rest, we could say, is history. More than a million troops have been killed and maimed since Putin ordered his full-scale invasion, as have tens of thousands of civilians. Some 20,000 Ukrainian children have been forcibly deported to Russia…

“But if the deal was not bad enough already, the crowning insult to Ukraine is that America would legally recognise Russia’s ownership of Crimea… Russia’s invasion of Crimea in 2014 was the precursor to the war they began in 2023. Legally, Crimea is unambiguously Ukrainian. It has been part of Ukraine since 1991 when the country gained its independence from the USSR.

But Russia claims it is theirs since Catherine the Great seized it from the Ottomon Empire in 1783…

“The American plan rewards Russian warmongering… Everyone says they want peace but Trump is the leader who has made it a priority… He deserves to be applauded for trying to end the war. That is a truly noble aim. But what he needs to realise is that how the war ends matters. Just like with his New York real estate, there are good deals and there are bad deals.”

Trump’s Interview: Give Up Crimea!

Time Magazine wrote on April 25:

“President Donald Trump sat down for an interview with TIME at the White House on April 22. Over the course of the interview, Trump discussed a wide range of issues.”

We are bringing you relevant experts regarding his comments on Ukraine, Greenland, Canada and Israel: 

“You said you would end the war in Ukraine on Day One.

“Well, I said that figuratively, and I said that as an exaggeration, because to make a point, and you know, it gets, of course, by the fake news [unintelligible]. Obviously, people know that when I said that, it was said in jest, but it was also said that it will be ended….

“Should Ukraine give up any hope of ever joining NATO?

“I don’t think they’ll ever be able to join NATO… that’s I think what caused the war to start was when they started talking about joining NATO. If that weren’t brought up, there would have been a much better chance that it wouldn’t have started. 

“Should Crimea go to the Russians? Should they get to keep Crimea? 

“Well, Crimea went to the Russians. It was handed to them by Barack Hussein Obama, and not by me. With that being said, will they be able to get it back? They’ve had their Russians. They’ve had their submarines there for long before any period that we’re talking about, for many years. The people speak largely Russian in Crimea…

“Would it be acceptable to you in a deal if Crimea and the four other regions that Russia has taken from Ukraine would be folded into Russia under a final accommodation?

“…Crimea will stay with Russia. And Zelensky understands that, and everybody understands that it’s been with them for a long time…

“You’ve talked about acquiring Greenland, taking control of  the Panama Canal, making Canada the 51st state. Maybe you’re trolling a little bit on that one…

“Actually, no, I’m not. 

“Well, do you want to grow the American empire?

“Well, it depends as an empire, it wasn’t, these are not things that we had before, so I’d view it a little bit differently if we had the right opportunity. Yeah, I think Greenland would be very well off if they I think it’s important for us for national security and even international security… But I’m really not trolling. Canada is an interesting case. We lose $200 to $250 billion a year supporting Canada… We’re taking care of their military. We’re taking care of every aspect of their lives, and we don’t need them to make cars for us. In fact, we don’t want them to make cars for us. We want to make our own cars. We don’t need their lumber. We don’t need their energy. We don’t need anything from Canada. And I say the only way this thing really works is for Canada to become a state. 

“You reportedly stopped Israel from attacking Iran’s nuclear sites.  

“… I didn’t stop them. But I didn’t make it comfortable for them, because I think we can make a deal without the attack. I hope we can. It’s possible we’ll have to attack because Iran will not have a nuclear weapon… I didn’t say no. Ultimately I was going to leave that choice to them, but I said I would much prefer a deal than bombs being dropped. 

“Are you worried Netanyahu will drag you into a war? 

“No… By the way, he may go into a war. But we’re not getting dragged in. 

The U.S. will stay out of it if Israel goes into it? 

“No, I didn’t say that. You asked if he’d drag me in, like I’d go in unwillingly. No, I may go in very willingly if we can’t get a deal. If we don’t make a deal, I’ll be leading the pack.”

Realistically, as we point out below, even Putin does not want to accept Trump’s peace plan, even though he would get everything he wants—for the time being—but Ukraine and Europe would not accept it. Conversely, Europe has now proposed a peace plan which Russia and the USA will clearly not accept. Under that plan, Ukraine would continue to attempt to become part of the EU; it would be recompensed with Russian frozen assets for the damage caused by Russia; Ukraine would receive security guarantees also from the USA; and no territorial commitments would be made towards Russia until a lasting peace agreement has been entered into.

Crimea Belongs to Ukraine

Daily Mail wrote on April 25:

“Ukraine has rejected ceding ground to Moscow, and says it will not accept Russian control of Crimea… recognizing occupied Ukrainian territory as Russian is a red line for his country.”

Deutsche Welle added on April 25: 

“Zelenskyy reiterated that Crimea ‘belongs’ to Ukraine, saying his ‘position [remains] unchanged.’… ‘only the Ukrainian people have the right to decide which territories are Ukrainian. The constitution of Ukraine says that all the temporarily occupied territories… belong to Ukraine, to the Ukrainian people,’ Zelenskyy told reporters in Kyiv.”

When in Rome…

The Associated Press wrote on April 26:

“Trump said Saturday that he doubts… Putin wants to end his war in Ukraine, expressing new skepticism that a peace deal can be reached soon… ‘There was no reason for Putin to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns, over the last few days,’ Trump said in a social media post as he flew back to the United States after attending Pope Francis’ funeral at the Vatican, where he met briefly with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy… It makes me think that maybe he doesn’t want to stop the war, he’s just tapping me along, and has to be dealt with differently, through “Banking” or “Secondary Sanctions?” Too many people are dying!!!’ Trump wrote.”

Trump also wrote this on “Truth Social”:

“No matter what deal I make with respect to Russia/Ukraine, no matter how good it is, even if it’s the greatest deal ever made, The Failing New York Times will speak BADLY of it. (They) wrote that Ukraine should get back territory, including, I suppose, Crimea, and other ridiculous requests, in order to stop the killing that is worse than anything since World War II… it was Obama who made it possible for Russia to steal Crimea from Ukraine without even a shot being fired…”

Since Trump admits that Putin stole Crimea from Ukraine, why should he keep it? Why is the request to return these occupied territories to Ukraine a ridiculous request? How can the deal proposed by Trump possibly be characterized as a “good deal”? It is by far not only the New York Times which rejects Trump’s peace plan.

German Defense Minister Slams Trump’s Plan For Ukraine Peace

MSN wrote on April 28:

“Boris Pistorius, the German defence minister, expressed his concern over Donald Trump’s proposals regarding Ukraine. The SPD politician stated that the suggestions of the American president concerning handing over parts of Ukrainian territory to Russia are too far-reaching. ‘Ukraine on its own could have got a year ago what was included in that (Trump) proposal. It is akin to a capitulation,’ Pistorius said on ARD television.

“Pistorius assured that Germany will continue its military support for Ukraine, even if the United States decides to halt it. ‘If Ukraine falls, if Putin wins this war by taking Ukraine or a large part of it, it will be a maximum threat to NATO territory and neighbouring countries such as Moldova and Georgia,’ the minister warned.” 

Trump stated after his return from Rome that he thinks Zelensky will agree to giving Crimea to Russia. Zelensky repeated his position AFTER his talk with Trump that Crimea would not be given to Russia.

Tanks for Ukraine on Hold

abc.net.au reported on April 28:

“A fleet of retired tanks the Albanese government pledged to Ukraine last year remains stuck in Australia, with defence figures in part blaming resistance from the United States for their delayed transfer… after US President Donald Trump placed a temporary freeze on military assistance to the war-torn nation…

“… the process is facing further uncertainty because formal permission that must be given by the US before the M1A1 vehicles can be handed over to another nation has not yet been granted… There is also the concern that with a possible peace deal looming it would be embarrassing to have the tanks on board ships in the middle of the ocean.”

No Progress in Peace Negotiations – Just the Opposite!

The New York Post wrote on April 28:

“Russia shamelessly demanded that the US lift its sanctions and that Kyiv be ‘demilitarized’ and recognize that 20% of Ukraine belongs to the Vladimir Putin-led nation as it refused President Trump’s push for peace just days after his envoy returned to Moscow for yet another round of talks. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov insisted Monday that Russia will accept nothing less than total victory over Ukraine after Trump’s Special Envoy Steve Witkoff made no progress in ending the country’s three-year war when he met with Putin Friday… Lavrov rattled off a list of Ukrainian red-line items — and mentioned no willingness to make even the smallest concessions, such as the US-proposed return of a small, occupied portion of Kharkiv.

“Lavrov said ‘the international recognition of Crimea, Sevastopol, (Donetsk), (Luhansk), Kherson and Zapor(i)zh(ia) regions as part of Russia’ is an ‘imperative,’ insisting that not just the world — but also Kyiv itself — recognize 20% of Ukraine as sovereign Russian territory… That alone is a nonstarter. While Kyiv has shown a willingness to freeze the fighting lines where they are and acknowledge that Russia technically controls the occupied regions, its constitution outlaws the recognition of its land as belonging to any other nation.

“Since Witkoff began speaking with Russia roughly two months ago, Moscow has only upped its demands. For example, its desire to annex Ukraine’s Kherson and Zaporizhia oblasts was never part of Putin’s original goals of the war when his forces launched the full-scale invasion in 2021… George Barros of the Institute for the Study of War [said:] ‘the Kremlin is rejecting Trump’s proposals and articulating goals that require the war to go on or for Ukraine to surrender things for no reason. The only thing it is willing to negotiate are the terms of US capitulation and Ukrainian surrender.’ To that end, Lavrov also called for the West — including the US — to begin ‘lifting sanctions, withdrawing lawsuits and cancelling arrest warrants, as well as returning Russian assets subjected to the so-called freeze in the West.’

“The foreign minister also said Russia would not begin talks with Ukraine until Kyiv makes yet another change to its constitution—disavowing its citizens’ wishes to one day join NATO… Though Trump has grown increasingly frustrated with Russia for its continued bombardment of Ukraine as he tries to reach a peace deal, the president has so far taken no punitive steps to attempt to force Moscow to back down from its untenable demands.”

Russia will not make any concessions. Trump’s naïve peace deal was dead from the outset. Please view our new StandingWatch program with the title, “Trump’s Peace Plan—A Failure!”

The Worst Pope in History?

The Ron Paul Institute and Newsmax published on April 24 and April 25 an article by Judge Andrew P. Napolitano:

“Catholics believe that he is the Vicar of Christ on earth. But Francis may have been the worst pope in history. He watered down Church teachings on marriage, sexuality and confession. He declined to judge right from wrong.

“He forbade the Mass that every canonized saint… attended and participated in since 1564. He has even claimed that all religions are equal and welcomed in the eyes of God — contrary to 2,000 years of express Church teaching. This is heresy.

“… He even questioned the concept of sin…”

Please view our StandingWatch program, “The Pope Is Dead… Now What?” 

Why Trump Attended Pope’s Funeral 

Daily Mail wrote on April 25:

“The president… told reporters on Air Force One he was attending the service partially because he won Catholic voters in the 2024 election. Trump won Catholics by more than 120,000 votes when he faced former Vice President Kamala Harris. 

“Trump himself identifies as a ‘non-denominational Christian.’ First lady Melania Trump is Catholic. The Trumps met Pope Francis during a visit to the Vatican in 2017 during the president’s first term. At the time, Melania… brought a pair of rosary beads for the pontiff to bless. She is the first Catholic first lady in the White House since Jacqueline Kennedy….

“President Trump and Pope Francis also had their differences. In 2015, Trump said Francis was too political, and the pontiff later suggested Trump wasn’t Christian over his ‘build a wall’ rhetoric.

Trump, responded that ‘for a religious leader to question a person’s faith is disgraceful.’”

Firing Powell?

The Editorial Board of the Wall Street Journal wrote on April 21, 2025: 

“If the White House wanted a test of how firing Jerome Powell would go over in the markets, it succeeded on Monday. U.S. stocks and the dollar plunged while yields on long-term Treasurys climbed after President Trump renewed his attacks on the Federal Reserve Chairman…

“Mr. Trump is furious that Mr. Powell has said publicly that tariffs will likely lead to higher inflation and slower growth… Markets fear Mr. Trump really might fire Mr. Powell, not that it would do the President any good… Mr. Trump can’t fire the regional Fed bank presidents on the committee, and all 12 voting members of the FOMC seem to agree with the Fed’s recent policy moves. A Powell replacement would also have a harder time establishing credibility with markets…

“Mr. Trump thinks he can bully everyone into submission… Markets know tariffs are taxes, and taxes are anti-growth. The Trump tariffs are the biggest economic policy mistake in decades, and extending the 2017 tax reform and deregulation may not compensate for all the damage…”

Subsequently, Trump bowed to pressure and stated that he would not fire Powell, and that such a suggestion was fake news. Really?

America’s Inhumane Immigration Policy 

The Guardian published the following article on April 24 about America’s detention camps, eerily reminiscent of Germany’s Nazi concentration camps in their early stages:

“The Texas-based legal non-profit Raices said it was aware of at least 100 families held at Karnes since early March, after the Trump administration restarted the practice known as ‘family detention’ – locking up children along with their parents. Those detained include families who had recently crossed into the US, as well as those swept up in cities across the country. Among the youngest detainees was a one-year-old child…

“Jade (13) and her family had fled a surge of violence in Colombia in 2022, and had managed to make a good life for themselves in Mississippi. But things changed this year as the Trump administration ramped up its immigration crackdown. Jade was afraid to go to school, worried that immigration agents could come find her there, or take her parents while she was away. Jason and Gabriela had trouble finding work – employers had become squeamish about hiring workers without a legal status… So they decided to leave (to go to Canada)… 

“At first, they encountered Canadian border agents and tried to explain they were seeking asylum. But those agents told them they’d be ineligible, and turned them over to US border officials… Agents handcuffed [Jason] and Gabriela, and drove them to Plattsburgh, New York and then Buffalo… [and then] sent [them] via commercial flight to Texas… 

“Jade was too young to remember the violence her family had left behind in Colombia, but Jason and Gabriela’s minds constantly flashed back to the threats and extortion they had faced… 

“[American] Officials had confiscated all their things, and the family was given second-hand clothes and towels to use. They were able to buy minutes to make phone calls, but it was expensive…

“Relief finally came when they were able to connect with lawyers from Raices, who have been working with several families held at the detention center. Jade, Jason and Gabriela were finally released on 25 March – after about three weeks in detention – and their lawyers are now helping them seek legal status to remain in the US… ‘The bottom line is that these individuals have final deportation orders from federal judges,’ said McLaughlin of the DHS. ‘This administration is not going to ignore the rule of law.’ Raices said that assertion is ‘objectively untrue’. Immigration judges are not the same as federal judges. And as a result of Donald Trump’s asylum ban at the southern border, ‘many families have not even appeared in front of immigration judges’, said Faisal Al-Juburi of Raices…

“The facility, which is run by the private prison company CoreCivic, is not a licensed childcare facility and thus a violation of the protections afforded children under the Flores Settlement Agreement, a decades-old consent decree that requires the government to hold children in the least restrictive setting and release them as quickly as possible… The Trump administration isn’t the first to detain families. For decades, Democratic and Republican administrations have held immigrant families in specialized facilities – and the practice has elicited widespread criticism from pediatricians and mental health experts, and lawsuits from human rights groups…

“The Bush administration had wanted to ramp up immigrant detention, and promoted family detention as an alternative to separating families and sending children to shelters while their parents were detained… In 2014, as families and unaccompanied children began increasingly arriving at the US southern border, the Obama administration contracted with private prison companies to open the Karnes and Dilley facilities, and the US family detention program grew to its largest since the internment of Japanese Americans in the 1940s… 

“Though the Biden administration stopped detaining families in 2021 – opting instead to track immigrant families via electronic monitoring and regular check-in appointments – it left in place most of the infrastructure to restart the practice. And earlier this year, the Trump administration did just that… Karnes, operated by the private contractor Geo Group, is more like a traditional adult prison… Families are allowed to be together during the day, but at night, mothers and children sleep together while fathers sleep in separate dorms. The South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, meanwhile, is more akin to an ‘internment camp’… Before it was a detention center, it was a migrant labor camp. But in the end, both centers are, ‘essentially, jails.’ 

“… Many of the families in detention now have been apprehended by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (Ice) officials in cities and towns across the US. Some were picked up at traffic stops, and others were arrested despite complying with orders to check in regularly with Ice…

“Now that she is back in Mississippi, Jade said… ‘I just told one friend, a good friend, and he said he wouldn’t tell anyone else.’ She doesn’t know how to explain to them what happened to her family, or how uncertain their lives still are. It’s not like she knows how much longer they’ll get to stay in Mississippi. It could take months or longer for lawyers to work out their immigration case. In the meantime, they remain afraid of being swept up in the administration’s immigration crackdown once again….” 

Trump’s administration has been assuring us that they would only go after illegal hardcore criminals. This is clearly not true. When you read about personal experiences like this, you get a better picture of how inhumane America’s immigration system is. 

Trump’s Fight With the Judges 

The left-wing New Republic (TNR) wrote on April 28: 

“The Trump administration is open to arresting Supreme Court judges, as White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told it on Monday morning. ‘You guys arrested a Milwaukee County Circuit judge for allegedly helping illegal immigrants get away,’ Fox News’s Peter Doocy asked Leavitt. ‘As you guys look at other judges, would you ever arrest somebody higher up on the judicial food chain, like a federal judge or even a Supreme Court justice?’ 

“‘…let’s be clear about what this judge did: She obstructed federal law enforcement who were looking for an illegal alien in her courthouse. She showed that illegal alien the door to evade law enforcement officials. That is a clear-cut case of obstruction,’ Leavitt replied. ‘And so anyone who is breaking the law or obstructing federal law enforcement officials from doing their jobs is putting theirselvses [sic] at risk of being prosecuted, absolutely.’ 

“The Department of Justice on Friday arrested Milwaukee Judge Hannah Dugan, on charges of obstruction after she allegedly ‘intentionally misdirected federal agents away’ from Eduardo Flores Ruiz, an undocumented immigrant. He was later arrested outside the courthouse. 

“The Trump administration is showing open and direct hostility toward the judicial branch, identifying any judge who dares to defy them as an ‘activist judge.’ The arrest of Judge Dugan, the numerous court orders ignored by the administration, the eight immigration judges who have now been fired or put on leave, and now, Leavitt’s alarming answer are all clear indications that Trump has no plans to reel back his abuse of executive power.” 

This fight between the Trump Administration and the court system will continue and become worse.

Trump’s (Dis-)Approval Rate

Express wrote on April 25:

“By the end of April, it will have been 100 days since Trump took office for his second term. During that time the world has witnessed unprecedented political and economic decisions over the past 100 days have sent stock markets plunging and governments everywhere rushing to react.

“Pew Research Center conducted the poll between April 7 – 13 and the only 40 per cent of young US adults approve of Trump’s latest plans while an overwhelming 59 per cent disapprove. Fox News also conducted a poll which showed Trump’s approval ratings with 44 per cent and disapproval of 55 per cent. That’s the lowest Fox has registered since the last six presidents at this point in their term… 

“It is also lower than the approval of Joe Biden (54 percent), Barack Obama (62 percent), and George W. Bush (63 percent) at the 100-day mark in their presidencies, and is down 5 points from Trump’s 49 percent approval in March.” 

Chaotic and Scary 

The New York Post wrote on April 25: 

“More than half of voters described President Trump’s second term in office as ‘chaotic’ and ‘scary’ in a new poll released Friday… 66% of registered US voters felt the term ‘chaotic’ described Trump’s second stint in the White House well, while 59% thought ‘scary’ was apt.

“Nearly half of Republican voters (47%) agreed that the president’s first three months back in power have been ‘chaotic,’ as did 75% of Independents… Only 35% approve of Trump’s handling of the Ukraine-Russia war, while 31% approve of the case involving Abrego Garcia. The president’s net approval rating was -21 points on both issues… Overall, 42% approved of Trump’s job in the Oval Office so far, while 54% disapproved.” 

Trump Blasts Sinking Poll Numbers 

The New York Post wrote on April 28: 

“President Trump on Monday blasted ‘unheard of’ polls showing low approval ratings on the eve of his 100th day in office — calling on the ‘fake news’ outlets behind them to be investigated for election fraud. The commander-in-chief took aim at the recent New York Times and ABC/Washington Post surveys that indicate sinking support, declaring that ‘they suffer from Trump Derangement Syndrome… These people should be investigated for ELECTION FRAUD, and add in the FoxNews Pollster while you’re at it… They are Negative Criminals who apologize to their subscribers and readers after I WIN ELECTIONS BIG, much bigger than their polls showed I would win, loose [sic] a lot of credibility, and then go on cheating and lying for the next cycle, only worse,’ he seethed in the post… ‘THEY ARE SICK,’ he added…” 

Mediaite wrote on April 28: 

“Legendary GOP operative and Fox News contributor Karl Rove declared that President Donald Trump is in ‘very bad shape’ during a scathing segment over the weekend. Rove’s comments came after host Paul Gigot, editor of The Wall Street Journal‘s editorial page, observed that a new Fox News poll demonstrated that only 38% of Americans approve of Trump’s job performance on the economy and even fewer approve of his handling of inflation and tariffs and asked Rove to weigh in.” 

When something negative is reported about Trump, he blames that on fake news. After a while, that won’t be credible anymore for most people. His threat to investigate these “negative criminals” is not being received well. 

Axios wrote on April 29: 

“A majority of Americans say President Trump is a ‘dangerous dictator’ who poses a threat to democracy and believe he’s overstepped his authority… The wide-ranging poll released Tuesday, on Trump’s 100th day in office, is the latest sign of him losing support for his immigration and economic policies — the two issues that largely fueled his election… 

“Only four in 10 Americans expressed favorable views of Trump after his first 100 days in office, according to the survey by the nonpartisan Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI). And 52% agreed with the provocative statement that Trump ‘is a dangerous dictator whose power should be limited before he destroys American democracy,’ the survey said. That question provided a big warning sign for Trump: Most independents (56%) agreed that Trump is a ‘dangerous dictator,’ suggesting that middle-of-the-road voters who helped put him back in office are abandoning him… Two-thirds of Americans oppose new tariffs, or taxes, on imported goods from other countries.” 

Prosecutors Charge Vancouver Man For Attack on Filipino Festival 

Reuters wrote on April 28: 

“Canadian prosecutors have charged a 30-year-old Vancouver resident with murder for killing at least 11 people aged between 5 and 65 and injuring dozens after he rammed an SUV through a crowd at a Filipino community festival in the western Canadian city, police said on Sunday… More than 12 hours after the incident, police still did not have a motive for the attack at the festival, which took place without a dedicated police presence or heavy vehicle barriers…

“The festival, celebrated especially in the central Philippines, honors Datu Lapu-Lapu, a Filipino chieftain who defeated Spanish forces led by Ferdinand Magellan in the Battle of Mactan in 1521… The government of British Columbia officially recognized April 27 as Lapu-Lapu Day in 2023, acknowledging the cultural contributions of the Filipino-Canadian community, one of the largest immigrant groups in the province. The centerpiece of the festival is a multi-block street party featuring Filipino food and traditions, live performances and cultural displays.” 

Why were the police not better prepared for these kinds of events? This seems to be a colossal failure in many Western countries, including Germany where a similar event had taken place around Christmas time.  It has been stated that the man had previous mental health issues. The demonic influence should be clear. 

Canadians Humiliate Trump

The Mirror wrote on April 29:

“Donald Trump, the self-proclaimed titan of global deal-making and nationalist bravado, just got humiliated by the very country he loves to insult – Canada. With the election of Mark Carney as Prime Minister, the Canucks delivered a roaring rebuke not only to the US leader but to the hideous version of America he represents – arrogant, unstable, and dangerously delusional. Let’s be honest, this wasn’t just a Canadian election. It was a referendum on Trumpism and, by extension, the States.

“Canadians, America’s closest and most loyal ally, have had enough. Enough of the trade wars. Enough of being branded the ‘51st state.’ Enough of being treated like a doormat for Trump’s latest tantrum. What happened at the ballot box was less a Liberal Party recovery and more an international gut punch to a discredited figurehead. 

“Trump triggered this backlash himself. He kicked off a pointless trade war against Canada, wanting tariffs on steel, aluminum, and dairy… He smeared a peaceful, democratic neighbour as weak and subordinate, then expected diplomatic loyalty in return. He misread Canada completely…

“Canadians responded the only way a proud, sovereign nation could by using their votes to send a message so loud it echoed across the border. Former Bank of England governor Carney… inherited a Liberal Party floundering after Justin Trudeau’s missteps, down by more than 25 points and transformed it into a platform for national defiance.

“He stood up to Trump’s bullying and drew a line in the snow – Canada will not be anyone’s puppet. This rejection is far bigger than one man or one election. It marks a sobering turning point in the world’s relationship with the States. For decades, America was admired as the leader of the free world – a beacon of democracy, stability, and reason. Under Trump, it has become a punchline. An unstable, angry, nation-baiting circus that shouts about freedom while eroding it at home and abusing it abroad.

“The world is watching, and it is moving on. Nations like Canada are no longer looking to Washington for leadership. They’re building new alliances, strengthening regional partnerships, and investing in self-reliance to insulate themselves from the chaos of modern America. This is Trumpism’s true legacy – a smaller, meaner, more isolated States. The message from Canada couldn’t be clearer; if America wants to act like a belligerent, fading empire, it will be treated like one. Trump may still swagger at his rallies and scream about greatness, but his lies stop cold at the border. 

“Carney’s victory wasn’t just a political win. It was a polite, precise, and utterly devastating rejection of everything Trump – and, increasingly, America – stands for. And that rejection is only the beginning...” 

Sobering words, and prophetic indeed. Trump does not see that way, of course. In an interview with The Atlantic, which was published on April 28, he said:  “The first time, I had two things to do ‒ run the country and survive; I had all these crooked guys… And the second time, I run the country and the world.” 

But he is not running the world. And if he is not careful, he might not be running the USA for much longer, either, as his latest poll numbers may suggest. 

Germany’s Militarization

News.az quoted “prominent German political scientist and former advisor to the German government Alexander Rahr” on April 24: 

“Germany’s government currently has three key objectives in the area of militarization. First, it seeks to preserve the European security architecture established after the Cold War and, under no circumstances, allow Ukraine to return to Russia’s sphere of influence or be absorbed by it. Second, Germany aims to build its own European army and military-industrial complex—largely to reduce dependence on the United States, which may eventually withdraw from NATO. This also serves as preparation for a potential military confrontation with ‘imperial’ Russia. Third, militarization of the economy is viewed as a tool to reignite economic growth across the European Union… 

“Although only about 60% of the population supports militarization, Berlin is prepared to invest in it as a way to strengthen its leadership role in Europe. Most other EU countries lack such capacity—either because they are burdened by debt or do not see themselves as military leaders… There are certainly risks to democracy. Militarization of the economy, industry, and education can affect civil liberties. However, the German government is using the image of ‘aggressive Russia’ to tighten control over society and instill discipline in the population. This strategy may work: the generation that remembers the horrors of World War II is gone, and young Germans today are less afraid of war. In fact, many increasingly believe that Europe’s liberal values are worth defending by force… 

“European bureaucrats in Brussels are working to consolidate all EU governments around the goal of confronting ‘imperial Russia.’ Russia should prepare for the reality that most European countries will support a policy of military containment… Russia will never accept being surrounded by Western military bases and infrastructure. The West, in turn, will never recognize Russia’s right to a sphere of influence. This is a fundamental dividing line—one that, unfortunately, cannot be overcome through diplomacy.” 

Jens Spahn Wants to Become Chancellor 

Capital and Der Stern wrote on April 24: 

“Jens Spahn is to become the new leader of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group in the Bundestag. Friedrich Merz is making a risky decision – and ignoring warnings… The former health minister just has to be elected. 

“Merz thus places Spahn at the central hub of the coalition. The parliamentary group leader organizes cooperation with the coalition partner, defends the chancellor in parliament, and organizes majorities and funding for government policy. In other words: Friedrich Merz is now dependent on Jens Spahn – more than anyone else. He needs his unconditional loyalty. ‘Of all people!’ groan some in the party. 

“There were and are doubts within the CDU about Jens Spahn’s loyalty. Influential CDU figures warned Friedrich Merz about Spahn until recently. He said he played too often on his own account, changing his political form depending on the mood… Spahn’s relationship with the SPD is also considered strained… Spahn is not trusted… 

“But perhaps Merz couldn’t get past him at all… In the coalition negotiations, the 44-year-old appeared in almost all important negotiating groups. He drew red lines, sometimes even towards the boss. ‘That’s not possible, Friedrich!’ Spahn is said to have retorted to Merz in a large gathering. It demonstrates his utmost self-confidence – and gives a foreshadowing of the future…

“Some in the party fear that with the election of the parliamentary group leader, the question of Friedrich Merz’s successor could arise sooner than the chancellor-designate would like. And not in four years… his own people and long-time associates believe he’s capable of it. This also explicitly includes those who long for a quick end to the CDU/CSU coalition and have long been eyeing the AfD… If the coalition fails, then I’m out. That’s what Merz recently said. Jens Spahn made clear… what he wants: to become chancellor. He will soon come a long way toward achieving this goal.” 

Der Tagesspiegel wrote on April 25: 

“Spahn wants to become Chancellor… with whomever.” 

Der Freitag wrote on April 25: 

“Germany’s most dangerous politician? Jens Spahn is making the AfD capable of forming alliances… Jens Spahn… has long been speaking the language of the far-right. The firewall to the AfD is shaky.” 

Chaos in Spain 

The Sun wrote on April 29: 

“Panic-stricken shoppers across Spain and even Portugal are clearing supermarket shelves and leaving grocery stores empty amid chaos… Roads… were left snarled up with traffic as lights and signals went blank… Some hospitals cancelled all surgeries for Monday amid fears for patient safety in the region’s most severe blackout for years… Spain’s train service came to a complete stop, leaving huge crowds stranded at stations, and Madrid’s underground network was evacuated… Air traffic was slashed to ‘half capacity’ as flights were cancelled from a number of airports – with Lisbon cancelling all arrivals for hours… 

“Portugal’s national grid operator, REN, said it believes a ‘rare atmospheric event’ could be behind the outage… Many had raised fears that a ‘Russian cyberattack’ is behind the chaos, following previous similar plots against Europe… An outage of this scale is extremely rare and has caused mayhem for millions, including Brits on their holidays.” 

No Power in Spain, Portugal and Parts of France 

SKY News wrote on April 28: 

“We rarely think about how essential and reliable electricity grids are until they fail. Now, millions of people across Spain, Portugal and parts of France are likely thinking of little else… Much of Spain and Portugal’s electricity transmission system collapsed in seconds, including major cities Lisbon, Madrid, Barcelona and Seville. It’s likely the outage will surpass Europe’s largest blackout to date, when 56 million people in Italy and Switzerland lost power for up to 12 hours in 2023… 

“Portugal’s grid operator has blamed a ‘rare atmospheric phenomenon’ that caused ‘anomalous oscillations’ in high voltage power lines in Spain… But it’s unlikely whatever caused the outage was a single, localised event.  

“A major power line going down can cause a large outage (as it did in 2021 when an interconnector between France and Spain failed, leaving a million people without power for a few hours in 2021). But it’s unlikely to cause a system-wide failure of the kind we’re seeing now…” 

If it can happen in Spain, Portugal or France, it can happen everywhere. 

Acknowledgement and Disclaimer:

These Current Events are compiled and commented on by Norbert Link. We gratefully acknowledge the many contributions of news articles from our readership. The publication of articles in this section is not to be viewed as an endorsement or approval as to contents or accuracy of the selected articles, but they are published for the purpose of pointing at worldwide developments in the light of biblical end-time prophecy and godly instruction. Our own comments are provided in italics.

There are two interesting additions God made to His Law that did not originally appear in it. These additions were made because questions were asked about particular situations that occurred that the Law, at that time, did not cover. While they were not a part of the oral law, the principle is similar to that mentioned in Deuteronomy 17:8-11. In these cases, the people with the questions went to Moses and Aaron to ask for a decision on the matters. Moses then went to God for the judgement which was then incorporated into the written Law.

The first of these is mentioned in Numbers 9:6-11. “Now there were certain men who were defiled by a human corpse, so that they could not keep the Passover on that day; and they came before Moses and Aaron that day. And those men said to him, ‘We became defiled by a human corpse. Why are we kept from presenting the offering of the LORD at its appointed time among the children of Israel?’ And Moses said to them, ‘Stand still, that I may hear what the LORD will command concerning you.’ Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Speak to the children of Israel, saying: “If anyone of you or your posterity is unclean because of a corpse, or is far away on a journey, he may still keep the LORD’s Passover. On the fourteenth day of the second month, at twilight, they may keep it. They shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.”

The second of these additions is in Numbers 27:1-8 and Numbers 36:1-12. Again, this was not a part of the oral law but was similar in principle to the oral law as mentioned in Deuteronomy 17:8-11, in that the questioners went to the Levitical priesthood (Eleazar, since by this time Aaron had died) and the judge (Moses) to seek a determination. Of course, in these two cases the determinations became a part of the commandments, statutes and judgements in the written Law.

God intended that the inheritance of a family would be transferred from father to son down through the ages. But in Numbers 27:1-8, a problem arose because a father had no sons but only five daughters. How was the inheritance to be transferred in this case? Numbers 27:1-8, “Then came the daughters of Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, from the families of Manasseh the son of Joseph; and these werethe names of his daughters; Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. And they stood before Moses, before Eleazar the priest, and before the leaders and all the congregation, by the doorway of the tabernacle of meeting, saying: ‘Our father died in the wilderness; but he was not in the company of those who gathered together against the LORD, in company with Korah, but he died in his own sin; and he had no sons. Why should the name of our father be removed from among his family because he had no son? Give us a possession among our father’s brothers.’ So Moses brought their case before the LORD. And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: ‘The daughters of Zelophehad speak what is right; you shall surely give them a possession of inheritance among their father’s brothers, and cause the inheritance of their father to pass to them. And you shall speak to the children of Israel, saying: “If a man dies and has no son, then you shall cause his inheritance to pass to his daughter.”’” In effect, God was making a new law that was not in the written Law until this question arose some forty years after the Law was originally given. This new oral law became part of the written Law.

However, this was not the end of the matter. A later question arose that if the daughter who received the inheritance married into a different family or tribe, she would take the inheritance with her, transferring it to another family or tribe. In this case, Moses was inspired to extend what God had commanded previously, thus extending this particular law. We read this in Numbers 36:1-12, “Now the chief fathers of the families of the children of Gilead the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, of the families of the sons of Joseph, came near and spoke before Moses and before the leaders, the chief fathers of the children of Israel. And they said: ‘The LORD commanded my lord Moses to give the land as an inheritance by lot to the children of Israel, and my lord was commanded by the LORD to give the inheritance of our brother Zelophehad to his daughters. Now if they are married to any of the sons of the other tribes of the children of Israel, then their inheritance will be taken from the inheritance of our fathers, and it will be added to the inheritance of the tribe into which they marry; so it will be taken from the lot of our inheritance. And when the Jubilee of the children of Israel comes, then their inheritance will be added to the inheritance of the tribe into which they marry; so their inheritance will be taken away from the inheritance of the tribe of our fathers.’ Then Moses commanded the children of Israel according to the word of the LORD, saying: ‘What the tribe of the sons of Joseph speaks is right. This is what the LORD commands concerning the daughters of Zelophehad, saying, “Let them marry whom they think best, but they may marry only within the family of their father’s tribe. So the inheritance of the children of Israel shall not change hands from tribe to tribe, for every one of the children of Israel shall keep the inheritance of the tribe of his fathers. And every daughter who possesses an inheritance in any tribe of the children of Israel shall be the wife of one of the family of her father’s tribe, so that the children of Israel each may possess the inheritance of his fathers. Thus no inheritance shall change hands from one tribe to another, but every tribe of the children of Israel shall keep its own inheritance.’ Just as the LORD commanded Moses, so did the daughters of Zelophehad; for Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Noah, the daughters of Zelophehad, were married to the sons of their father’s brothers. They were married into the families of the children of Manasseh the son of Joseph, and their inheritance remained in the tribe of their father’s family.”

It will be noted that the Levitical priests and the judge were assigned by God to make the determinations in Deuteronomy 17. This is confirmed in Malachi 2:4-7. “‘Then you shall know that I have sent this commandment to you, That My covenant with Levi may continue,’ Says the LORD of hosts. ‘My covenant was with him, one of life and peace, And I gave them to him that he might fear Me; So he feared Me And was reverent before My name. The law of truth was in his mouth, And injustice was not found on his lips. He walked with Me in peace and equity, And turned many away from iniquity. For the lips of a priest should keep knowledge, And people should seek the law from his mouth; For he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts.’”

In Christ’s day, many of the oral law determinations were made by the Pharisees who had become considered by the people to be experts in the law rather than the priests. They were not sons of Aaron but were laymen. The priests, who were supposed to be scribes and should have been making the determinations, had become corrupt. It is stated in Ezekiel 44:15 that this will be corrected and the priests shall once again stand before God. “‘But the priests, the Levites, the sons of Zadok, who kept charge of My sanctuary when the children of Israel went astray from Me, they shall come near to Me to minister to Me; and they shall stand before Me to offer to Me the fat and the blood,’ say the Lord GOD.” Ezekiel 44:23-24 reminds us that these priests were to make the determinations as mentioned in Leviticus 17. “And they shall teach My people the difference between the holy and the unholy, and cause them to discern between the unclean and clean. In controversy they shall stand as judges, and judge it according to My judgements. They shall keep My laws and My statutes in all My appointed meetings, and they shall hallow My Sabbaths.”

Again, in Christ’s day, some of the more complicated cases were handled by the Sanhedrin which did include priests, but the majority of its members were Pharisees because they were considered to be the experts in the law. But Christ Himself reminds us in Matthew 23:1-3, “Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples, saying: ‘The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do.’” While the Pharisees had placed themselves in Moses’ seat, which was not God’s desire, Jesus still told the people to listen to them in order to maintain an organized society. The decisions they made from Moses’ seat were for the whole of society, not just for one particular sect or group, provided they were in conformity with God’s Law.

Many times, they were not, and in those cases, Christ did not expect the people to follow them. They had to obey God rather than man, as Peter stated, refusing to follow their directives. For instance, the Pharisees kept the Passover one day too late. The Sadducees however, kept it on the right day, and so did Jesus and the disciples, of course. The Sadducees were in charge of the temple, and the Passover lamb was to be killed at the beginning of the 14^th of Nisan, at twilight, between the two evenings, not at the end as to how the Pharisees did it… and most Jews still keep it wrongly today, in keeping the Passover and the Night to Be Much Observed on the same evening/night.

There are some examples of the third category of oral law. Amos 8:4-6 is interesting in that a binding requirement had been added that God did not require. “Hear this, you who swallow up the needy, And make the poor of the land fail, Saying: ‘When will the New Moon be past, That we may sell grain? And the Sabbath, That we may trade wheat? Making the ephah small and the shekel large, Falsifying the scales by deceit, That we may buy the poor for silver, And the needy for a pair of sandals—Even sell the bad wheat?’”

Except for the Feast of Trumpets, God nowhere decreed that the people must refrain from work on the days of the new moons. We have no idea when they began this practice, but it appears to be common practice at this time. This was something that they were keeping as a part of the oral law. It was preventing them from conducting business and cheating on the new moons as well as the Sabbaths. This addition also required determining when the Sabbath and new moons ended. In Jesus’s day, the Pharisees considered the Sabbath was ended when you could see two stars. This, of course, is an unnecessary extension of the Sabbath, introduced to put a fence around it; an extra burden that God did not require. God only required the Sabbath to be kept until sunset.

In Nehemiah 10:29, the people agreed to live by the laws of God. “…these joined with their brethren, their nobles, and entered into a curse and an oath to walk in God’s Law, which was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the LORD our Lord, and His ordinances and His statutes.” The actual implementation of a new oral law is stated in Nehemiah 10:32-33. “Also we made ordinances for ourselves, to exact from ourselves yearly one-third of a shekel for the service of the house of our God: for the showbread, for the regular grain offering, for the regular burnt offering for the Sabbaths, the New Moons, and the set feasts; for the holy things, for the sin offerings to make atonement for Israel, and all the work of the house of our God.” This was a new oral law that was added and was intended to be binding on the people for as long as the temple was standing. This was not talking about a tithe; this was talking about a yearly assessment fixed at a particular level by their own will, which they then bound upon themselves.

We read in Matthew 17:24-27 that this law was still in force. It was now called a temple tax. Christ had no objection to paying this as it would avoid giving offence and was not in any way against God’s Law. “When they had come to Capernaum, those who received the temple tax came to Peter and said, ‘Does your Teacher not pay the temple tax?’ He said, ‘Yes.’ And when he had come into the house, Jesus anticipated him, saying, ‘What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take customs or taxes, from their sons or from strangers?’ Peter said to him, ‘From strangers.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Then the sons are free. Nevertheless, lest we offend them, go to the sea, cast in a hook, and take the fish that comes up first. And when you have opened its mouth, you will find a piece of money; take that and give it to them for Me and you.’”

So, we can see there were three types of oral law, the first being extra instructions needed to correctly obey the written Law. These instructions would be handed down from the priests in position of authority to those who were expected to take their place in due time. The second type of oral law concerned how to handle situations that were not included in the written Law but had similarities, and the examples in the written Law could be expanded to handle these situations. In some cases, especially the more complicated ones, a determination may have needed to be made by the priests and judges. The third type concerned new oral laws that were made binding on the people and their descendants due to a specific need at a particular time, and this was to carry on into the future—again, assuming they were in harmony with God’s intent, purpose and will. Otherwise, they were not binding on the people.

If God had included all these oral laws in the written Law, the Bible would have become such a large volume or volumes that it would lose practicality. This is remarked upon in John 21:25, “And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen.” Instead of every possible situation being commented on in the Bible, God left it up to those in authority to make the necessary decisions based on the principles of what was already in the written Law.

There is actually one additional aspect that could be included in the oral law and that is regarding God’s calendar. From the Bible itself, it is not possible to know which day is the Sabbath or when the years and months begin. But these determinations have been handed down through the years by the leaders of the Jews. As we can read in Romans 3:1-2, “What advantage then has the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision? Much in every way! Chiefly because to them were committed the oracles of God.”

We have the Old Testament today because the Jews have preserved it over the millennia. But we also have God’s calendar which defines the years, months and Sabbaths due to the Jewish leaders passing on this information from father to son orally again over the millennia, for our instruction today.

So, the oral law is not just something invented by the Pharisees after the close of the Old Testament period, but was necessary to know how to obey God with greater understanding, beginning at the time of the Exodus. Actually, let us look at Genesis 7:2, “You shall take with you seven each of every clean animal, a male and his female; two each of animals that are unclean, a male and his female.” The question arises; how did Noah know which animals were clean and which were unclean? Unlike us, he did not have access to Leviticus 11 or Deuteronomy 14. It might have been revealed by God at the time of the creation and passed down through the generations between Adam and Noah, or it might have been revealed to Noah directly. But we notice that all sacrifices between Abel and Moses were of clean animals, which showed that the patriarchs knew of these oral laws.

Since Abel sacrificed a clean animal, we can assume that God had revealed the law of clean and unclean animals at that time. The same is true of the law of tithing since both Abram and Jacob tithed, Abram to Melchizedek, Genesis 14:20, and Jacob promised to tithe to God, Genesis 28:22. This, of course, was long before the time of Moses when the laws were written down. So the knowledge of these laws would demonstrate that oral laws were in existence well before Moses.

In conclusion, the oral law was a set of instructions additional to the written Law that were necessary to enable the written Law to be carried out correctly and consistently. It was also a method for determining how to apply the principles of the written Law to situations that were similar to, but not identical to, what was described in the written Law. The oral law also contained new laws which were found to be necessary for situations that had not been mentioned previously and were voluntarily accepted by the people. Although, of course, they had to be within the spiritual intent of God’s Law.

The oral law began at, or before, the time of Moses, and additions were made up until at least the end of the Old Testament period. Jesus accepted some of it but rejected those parts that had been added but were against the spiritual intent of God’s commandments.

Lead Writer: Paul Niehoff (Australia)

compiled by Dave Harris

“Trump’s Peace Plan—A Failure!” is the title of a new StandingWatch program, presented by Evangelist Norbert Link. Here is the summary:

WHY is Trump’s peace plan for the Russian-Ukrainian war a complete failure? WHY was it doomed from the start? And WHY should this have been obvious to all involved if only they had understood and heeded biblical prophecies? And regardless of the Bible, WHY should the failure of the peace plan have been recognized if more weight had been given to recent history and the statements of those involved?

“Trumps Friedensplan—ein Misserfolg!” is the title of a new AufPostenStehen program, presented by Norbert Link. This German program covers the same topic as described above.

“Die Freiheit der Wahl,” last Sabbath’s German sermonette presented by Daniel Blasinger, is now posted. Title in English: ““The Freedom of Choice.”

“Trügerische Intrigen und ihr verborgenes Konstrukt,” last Sabbath’s German sermon by Thilo Hanstein, is now posted. Title in English: “Deceptive schemes and Their Hidden Construction.”

“Fall Before Spring,” last Sabbath’s first split sermon presented by Michael Link, is now posted. Here is the summary:

What should we do when we experience moments of failure, and what lessons can we learn from the examples of those who have risen from adversity?

“Sweet Aroma or Foul Odor–Which?” last Sabbath’s second split sermon presented by Norbert Link, is now posted. Here is the summary:

The Bible distinguishes between sacrifices with sweet-smelling aromas and sacrifices with foul odor. When God looks at you, which category would you belong to?

“Abraham and Ishmael” is the latest video in our Bible Story Series on YouTube.

On April 26, 2025, Michael Link will present the first split sermon, titled, “Fall Before Spring” and Norbert Link will present the second split sermon, titled, “Sweet Aroma or Foul Odor–Which?”

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.

In 1901, Guillermo Marconi sent the first wireless telegraphy message from his base at Poldhu on the Cornish Coast in the UK, to a station at Newfoundland in North America. To say the message was short and sweet was an understatement. Marconi received the single letter, S, sent by Morse telegraphy. The age of transatlantic wireless communication had begun, and like all new technologies, the opportunity for misuse had also commenced. The friction between the still new telephonic technology, and space telegraphy was robust throughout the mid-1800’s, with luminaries of the age arguing the superiority of each.

The development of both telephone and telegraph led to strange attempts to use the devices to communicate with those who have died. This unusual interest was stimulated in part by the odd noise on the wires, or wireless that resulted from electromagnetic signals that some during that era mistook for conversations and signals from beyond the veil of the living. Nonsense, of course, yet rather than seeking God, people of the day devoted their time and money to such evil and demonic pursuits.

Interestingly, the common, and internationally agreed-upon telegraphic signal for crisis or emergency was three dots, followed by three longer dashes, and then three dots once again. These dots and dashes translated into what we came to know as SOS—which was designated around the globe as: Save Our Souls. This was the standard for emergency signals from the 1912 Titanic tragedy, all the way to 1999 when a new global maritime signal convention was put in place.

Many nominal Christians waste time on the search for signals and signs from God. Like the sounds on the telegraph system, people see the hand of God in many strange things. As true Christians however, we have the penultimate sign and promise that we can rely on as we consider Luke 2:12: “And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.” These simple words are reinforced in Isaiah 9:6: “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.”

These words in the Gospel according to Luke and the Book of Isaiah are familiar to many, but for true Christians, they evoke emotion and confidence in God’s promise of a boundless future and the coming Kingdom of God. In these verses, God made it clear that He loves us and sent His Son to be our Savior. This should result in our having great confidence that God will fulfill His promises and cause each of us to reciprocate with our obedience and faithfulness.

There is a popular post circulating on social media that pictures three young women enjoying coffee together at an outdoor cafe. The post makes the ridiculous suggestion that if you squint at the photo, you will see the face of Jesus Christ in the space between girls. People from various religions and backgrounds around the world have posted as to how moved they were by this. This sort of foolishness is just what Satan would like to have us focus on and become distracted by. God has no need for ridiculous signs, and this sort of thing is tantamount to idol worship.

In the Old Testament, as God was leading Moses and the Israelites out of captivity, he worked through Moses to care for His people and had chosen Moses to deliver them from the Egyptians. No further signs or signals were necessary, though the people eventually chose evil and sin by turning to symbols and idols to comfort them in the wilderness.

Imagine being a disciple during Christ’s ministry on earth. To walk beside the Son of God each day, and to witness miracles. Still, in the case of the apostle Thomas, he sought one more sign that this indeed was the risen Christ standing before him.

Although we do not see God directly in our daily lives, if He has called us, we can be certain that He is there, even when, or perhaps especially when the situation we may be in is tough.Consider Isaiah 41:10: “Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”

We know that He is there with us because He tells us so in Scripture. We can read many instances in the Bible that begin as follows: This shall be a sign to you. In the case of Jeremiah 44, we read of God’s anger towards those Jews living in Egypt who were worshiping idols and other false Gods. God makes it crystal clear that there is a penalty for such behavior and disobedience to His commandments. He tells His people that their calamity shall be a sign to them of His righteous anger towards them.

Notice the account of this in Jeremiah 44:29: “And this shall be a sign to you, says the LORD, ‘that I will punish you in this place, that you may know that My words will surely stand against you for adversity.”Now, we can also signal our intentions to God. Consider Psalm 119:105: “Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.”This Scripture illustrates a true Christian’s belief that God’s Word should be the light in our lives. However, the best way to affirm this is to obey Him. The Greek word for obey translates to hearing under authority, or, to listen attentively, and to heed. As Jesus Christ said to His apostles in John 14:15: “If you love Me, keep My commandments.”

So let those of us in God’s true Church focus on sending clear signals to God the Father and His Son, by praying, greeting them each morning and each night, and by obeying and repenting when we fail. God assures us that if we do this, we can have a place in His coming Kingdom.

by Norbert Link

We report on the death of Pope Francis; President Trump’s fight with foreign tourists and the court system; Trump’s peace plans for the war between Russia and Ukraine; lost weapons in Afghanistan; and Italy’s Giorgia Meloni’s visit to Washington.

We speak on Turkey’s hostility against Israel; and address Germany’s coming new government and its botched coalition agreement; as well as interesting German personalities, including Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg and Jens Spahn.

Please view our new StandingWatch program, titled, “The Pope Is Dead… Now What?”

Throughout this section, we have underlined pertinent statements in the quoted articles, for the convenience and quick overview of the reader.

The Pope Is Dead…

AFP and Barron’s wrote on April 21:

“Pope Francis, who died on Monday aged 88, aroused both fervour and fury within the Church… Here are the main disputes, which set ultra-conservatives within the Catholic Church against the pope. 

“Francis in 2021 signed a decree limiting the use of the Latin Mass, reversing a more flexible edict from 2007 by his predecessor Benedict XVI. The decision provoked incomprehension and anger among part of the clergy and Catholics attached to the so-called ‘Tridentine’ Mass — which is conducted entirely in Latin with the priest facing the altar, like the congregation. Some went so far as to accuse him of preventing them from practicing their faith.

“Pope Francis attracted the wrath of several cardinals, the red-hatted prelates who are supposedly his closest collaborators, but also next in command in the hierarchy of the Church. In 2017, Francis spoke out against unnamed ‘traitors’ who were holding back his institutional reforms. The bad blood was aired in public in 2023, when an Italian journalist named then-recently deceased Australian Cardinal George Pell as the author of an anonymous note attacking Francis. In the note, Pell — previously a close advisor to Francis — described the papacy as a ‘disaster in many respects’ and slammed ‘serious failures’ of diplomacy, particularly regarding the Ukraine war.

“The same year, German Cardinal Gerhard Mueller, former prefect of the powerful Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, published a book in which he railed against Francis’s governance.

He denounced an influential ‘coterie’ around Francis, and criticised the pope’s ‘doctrinal confusion’.

“Francis had a particularly conflictual relationship with Georg Gaenswein, private secretary to his predecessor Benedict XVI. After Benedict’s death in 2022, Gaenswein said Francis had ‘broken’ the retired pope’s heart by limiting the use of the Latin Mass. Francis hit back, saying he regretted that Benedict’s death had been ‘instrumentalized’ by ‘people without ethics, who act for partisan ends’.

“In a rare move in 2023, Francis ousted US Bishop Joseph Strickland, one of his fiercest enemies, who had accused the pope of being lax on abortion and too open towards homosexuals and divorcees. In 2024, it was the turn of ultra-conservative Italian bishop Carlo Maria Vigano, who accused Francis of ‘heresy’ and ‘tyrannical’ behaviour. Vigano, a former ambassador of the Holy See to the United States, was excommunicated — expelled outright — for rejecting the authority of Francis, head of the world’s nearly 1.4 billion Catholics.

“In 2023, the Vatican published a document which paved the way for blessings for same-sex couples, provoking an outcry in the conservative Catholic world, particularly in Africa and the United States. The wave of criticism forced the Vatican to make a ‘clarification’ to defend itself from any doctrinal error, while acknowledging it may be ‘imprudent’ to apply it in certain countries. ‘In their opposition to blessings for same-sex couples, the African bishops are criticising what they call European moral decadence or European Catholicism. They include the pope in that,’ Francois Mabille, director of the Geopolitical Observatory of Religion, told AFP in February 2025.

“The Argentine also irritated far-right Catholics with his calls for migrants to be given welcome in the Old Continent, with some warning Europe could lose its Christian identity.”

He also spoke against Trump’s immigration policy and especially the American-Mexican border, and he seemingly advocated open borders, while at the same time closed access for most immigrants to the Vatican State. He also locked down Vatican City during the coronavirus crisis. “His greatest test came in 2018 when he botched a notorious case of clergy sexual abuse in Chile, and the scandal that festered under his predecessors erupted anew” (The Associated Press, April 21).

He died on “Easter Monday,” apparently of a stroke. It will be interesting to see whether the liberals (referred to in the press as the “reform-oriented group”) or the conservatives (the “traditionalists”) win in electing the new pope by about 120 cardinals. The shenanigans behind the scenes were portrayed quite remarkably in the recent award-winning movie, “Conclave.”  Of course, many critics have attacked and rejected the movie. However, the movie might even be harmless in comparison to what really might be going on behind closed doors. Ultimately, the candidate will emerge who is supposed to enhance the development of biblical prophecy. 

Francis’ Anti-Israel Legacy 

Israel 365 News wrote on April 21: 

“[According to] Cardinal Kevin Farrell, ‘… we commend the soul of Pope Francis to the infinite merciful love of the One and Triune God’… Francis was the first pope from the Society of Jesus (the Jesuit Order), the first from the Americas and the Southern Hemisphere, and the first pope born or raised outside Europe since the 8th-century Syrian pope Gregory III. Following Pope Benedict XVI’s resignation on 28 February 2013, a papal conclave elected Bergoglio as his successor on 13 March.

“The pope frequently omitted Judaism when discussing other religions. This was clearly expressed in 2021 when Francis became the first pope to visit Iraq. While there, he hosted an inter-religious prayer service at a ziggurat. The structure is an ancient Mesopotamian site built in the 21st century BCE, built on the purported site of the city of Ur, the birthplace of Biblical Abraham. The prayer event was named ‘Prayer for the sons and daughters of Abraham.’  No Jews were invited to the event… 

“In 2019, Francis and Mohammed VI, King of Morocco, signed a statement about Jerusalem, referring to Israel’s capital as Al-Quds Acharif, the Arabic name for Jerusalem… 

“Pope Francis’ anti-Israel/pro-Palestinian agenda has led him into bizarre theological territory that diverges from traditional Catholicism…

“Pope Francis called for an investigation into claims that Israel is carrying out a ‘genocide’ in Gaza… The Vatican supports a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians that would establish an unprecedented militarized Palestinian state inside Israel’s borders that has been ethnically cleansed of Jews, with its capital in an exclusively Muslim Jerusalem… In 2015, just a few days after the Vatican officially recognized the Palestinian state, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas was granted an audience in the Apostolic Palace. After the meeting, Francis gave Abbas a special medallion, representing the angel of peace ‘destroying the bad spirit of war.’ The Pope explained to Abbas that the gift was appropriate since ‘you are an angel of peace.’”

It will be interesting to see whether Pope Francis’ distorted ideas will be adopted or rejected by the new pope.

The Prophecy of the Popes

Daily Mail wrote on April 21, 2025:

“The 12th-century ‘Prophecy of the Popes’ — reportedly uncovered in the Vatican’s secret archives — claims to predict the identity of Francis’ successor and even foretells the return of Christ.

“The document [starts] with Celestine II in 1143 and [ends] with ‘Peter the Roman’ in 2027… Fanning the flames is the eerie fact that there are currently nine frontrunners to succeed Pope Francis — and three of them are named Peter. 

“The renewed interest has also reignited fears about one of the prophecy’s more chilling predictions: that Judgment Day is near… According to the final entry surrounding Peter the Roman, the ‘last pope’ will preside over the Church during a time of great turmoil, culminating in the destruction of Rome and the end of the papacy. ‘In the final persecution of the Holy Roman Church there will reign Peter the Roman, who will feed his flock amid many tribulations, after which the seven-hilled city will be destroyed and the dreadful Judge will judge the people. The End,’ the last passage of the book reads…

“Although some scholars have claimed the text is a 16th century forgery, Malachy allegedly wrote Prophecy of the Popes in 1139 after receiving a vision during a visit to Rome…”

If the text is not a forgery, but legit, it would have been written under demonic influence, which can be seen, amongst other things, by the wording “dreadful Judge,” in appliance to Jesus.  We know, of course, that Christ could not possibly come back in 2027; and we also know that demons, even though they may know future events, are lying spirits; so one never knows when they lie or when they tell the truth.

Europe Mainly Catholic

Breitbart wrote on April 21: 

“Much of Europe has, historically, been Catholic and remains officially so… In Paris, the bells of the recently restored Notre Dame rung out 88 times for the Pope’s 88 years of age, and the Eiffel Tower will not be illuminated this evening. In churches throughout Catholic Austria, bells will ring simultaneously for ten minutes this afternoon and football matches planned for today across Italy are cancelled in mourning…

“In a statement Catholic-faith politician Prime Minister of Italy Giorgia Meloni said: ‘Pope Francis has returned to the Father’s house… We bid farewell to the Holy Father with hearts full of sorrow, but we know that he is now in the peace of the Lord.’…

“In the United Kingdom Buckingham Palace published a statement from King Charles III [stating] ‘our heavy hearts have been somewhat eased’ by knowing the Pope was able to celebrate Easter before his passing…’”

There is not much difference between the (unbiblical) faith and practices of the Catholic Church and of the Church of England.

Trump’s Fight With (German) Tourists Continues

Newsweek wrote on April 21:

“Two German teenage girls were detained and deported from the United States after arriving in Hawaii without a hotel reservation. The case highlights how minor oversights can trigger severe immigration enforcement under President Donald Trump’s aggressive border policies.

“International travelers face increased scrutiny under the Trump administration’s stringent immigration policies. This case exemplifies how minor oversights can lead to severe consequences, raising concerns about the treatment of tourists and the potential detrimental effect on international travel to the U.S…

“Maria Lepère and Charlotte Pohl, both recent high school graduates from Rostock, Germany, embarked on a world tour, visiting countries like Thailand and New Zealand… Their journey took an unexpected turn when they arrived in Hawaii without pre-booked accommodations. Immigration officials, suspecting potential unauthorized work intentions due to the lack of hotel reservations, detained them. They arrived in Honolulu on March 18, planning to spend five weeks exploring the islands before continuing to California and then Costa Rica following their graduation. The duo spent several days in a detention facility before being deported, despite holding valid travel documents (through ESTA) and having no prior infractions…

“The teens said they were questioned for several hours at Honolulu Airport before allegedly being subjected to full-body scans and strip searches… They were then dressed in green prison uniforms and placed in a holding cell alongside long-term detainees, some reportedly facing serious criminal charges…

“This incident is not isolated, as reports indicate a rise in detentions of European tourists under the current U.S. administration, including the recent detention of three German nationals by border authorities under Trump’s watch. Meanwhile, Germany has issued travel advisories warning its citizens about the threat of deportation under Trump’s rule. The Foreign Ministry said that neither approval through the U.S. ESTA system nor a U.S. visa means people will be granted entry every time.

“The German Foreign Office is monitoring the situation and may engage in diplomatic discussions with U.S. counterparts to address the treatment of German nationals. Travelers are urged to meticulously plan their trips, including securing accommodations in advance, to mitigate the risk of detention or deportation.”

This is SO crazy and SO alarming!!!

The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Rules Against Trump

The Hill wrote on April 17:

“The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday declined to lift a judge’s order that the Trump administration ‘facilitate’ the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia…  The 4th Circuit declined to put Xinis’s ruling on hold just one day after the administration filed the appeal, a swift order that came without waiting for Abrego Garcia’s lawyers to file their response… ‘we shall not micromanage the efforts of a fine district judge attempting to implement the Supreme Court’s recent decision,’ U.S. Circuit Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson wrote for the unanimous three-judge panel…

“‘The government is asserting a right to stash away residents of this country in foreign prisons without the semblance of due process that is the foundation of our constitutional order,’ he continued. ‘Further, it claims in essence that because it has rid itself of custody that there is nothing that can be done. This should be shocking not only to judges, but to the intuitive sense of liberty that Americans far removed from courthouses still hold dear.’

“Wilkinson, an appointee of former President Reagan, was joined on the panel by U.S. Circuit Judge Robert King, who is an appointee of former President Clinton, and U.S. Circuit Judge Stephanie Thacker, who is an appointee of former President Obama.” 

The Alien Enemies Act of 1798

npr wrote on April 19:

“The act has only been invoked three previous times in U.S. history, most recently during World War II to hold Japanese-American civilians in internment camps. The Trump administration contended it gave them power to swiftly remove immigrants they identified as members of the gang, regardless of their immigration status…” 

What does the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 actually say? Here is the wording: 

“Whenever there is a declared war between the United States and any foreign nation or government, or any invasion or predatory incursion is perpetrated, attempted, or threatened against the territory of the United States by any foreign nation or government, and the President makes public proclamation of the event, all natives, citizens, denizens, or subjects of the hostile nation or government, being of the age of fourteen years and upward, who shall be within the United States and not actually naturalized, shall be liable to be apprehended, restrained, secured, and removed as alien enemies. 

“The President is authorized in any such event, by his proclamation thereof, or other public act, to direct the conduct to be observed on the part of the United States, toward the aliens who become so liable; the manner and degree of the restraint to which they shall be subject and in what cases, and upon what security their residence shall be permitted, and to provide for the removal of those who, not being permitted to reside within the United States, refuse or neglect to depart therefrom; and to establish any other regulations which are found necessary in the premises and for the public safety.” 

Clash Between Trump and the Courts

npr wrote on April 21: 

“In the early hours of Saturday, the U.S. Supreme Court seemed to signal it is losing its patience with the Trump administration. On April 7, the high court clearly said that if the government intends to deport a foreign-born resident, it must notify the individual ‘within a reasonable period of time’ so that the individual has the ability to challenge the removal in court prior to deportation. In the nearly two weeks that followed, however, the Trump administration dragged its feet, avoiding meaningful compliance with the court’s order. Then late Friday afternoon, on Good Friday, the court had a new deportation case on its docket, one that suggested the Trump administration was violating the terms of the earlier order. Racing to the Supreme Court, lawyers for the ACLU told the court that dozens of Venezuelan detainees were about to be deported. They said that the men were notified, in papers written in English, which they didn’t understand, that they were eligible to be deported under the Alien Enemies Act. And, the ACLU said, the men were being loaded on to buses that presumably were going to take them to the airport for deportation. 

“This time the high court acted swiftly, releasing a one-paragraph order so quickly that the court did not even wait for the two dissenters to file their opinion explaining their disagreement. That was not the only extraordinary feature of the court’s order. Although couched in legal terms, the order reeked of mistrust for the government. ‘The government is directed not to remove any member of the putative class [of detainees] from the United States until further order of this court,’ the justices said.

“The court went on to note that the detainees’ case is pending before the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, and that pending the outcome in that most conservative court, the solicitor general ‘is invited to file a response’ to the still pending application for review by this court ‘as soon as possible.’ In other words, the court was saying to the administration, whether you win in the Fifth Circuit or not, this isn’t over yet…

“Today, with many Republicans terrified of crossing Trump, it is not clear that Donald Trump could do anything to lose his GOP support in Congress. But in a clash with the Supreme Court, he could lose a lot. So too could the court, because it has few tools to actually make a president do something. And if a president succeeds in defying the court, the whole system of government, and of checks and balances, would be in peril. So, are we in a constitutional crisis?…

“But at some point in the not too distant future, the high court may have to confront the president head on… Chief Justice John Roberts, at his confirmation hearing 20 years ago, opined that ‘judges have to have the courage to make the unpopular decisions when they have to,’ including striking down as unconstitutional acts of the executive. ‘That is the judicial oath,’ he said. But he likely never imagined a president as insistently recalcitrant as Trump.”

Trump’s Attack Becomes More Desperate 

Newsmax wrote on April 20:

“President Donald Trump called the opposition [to his immigration procedures, especially in regard to Garcia] ‘despicable,’ ‘un-American,’ and premised on a ‘blatant and dangerous lie.’… ‘Those lying to the American People on behalf of violent criminals have to be held responsible by the Agencies and the Courts.’… 

“Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., criticized Trump and his administration Sunday for talking about sending American citizen criminals to foreign prisons. Kennedy was asked… if he thought the law allowed sending U.S. citizens who were criminals to foreign prisons. ‘No, Ma’am. Nor does it, nor should it, nor should it be considered appropriate or moral. We have our own laws,’ he said. ‘We shouldn’t send prisoners to foreign countries in my judgment.’

“Trump has said he wants to deport some violent criminals who are U.S. citizens to Salvadoran prisons, a move experts said would violate U.S. law.”

Trump’s lack of support for some of his actions seems to bother him very much. 

Supreme Court to Weigh In on Trump’s Plans to Restrict Birthright Citizenship 

USA Today wrote on April 17: 

“The Supreme Court on Thursday said it would weigh in on the Trump administration’s request that it be allowed to broadly enforce its new restrictions on birthright citizenship while the policy is being litigated. The court said it will hear oral arguments on May 15. 

“The [14^th] amendment states that all ‘persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside.’ The Trump administration maintains that right was intended to help formerly enslaved people after the Emancipation Proclamation and doesn’t cover children of people who entered the country without proper authorization… 

“Twenty Republican attorneys general backed Trump’s Supreme Court appeal, as did gun rights groups. Attorneys for immigrant rights groups… said Trump’s order violates the plain text of the Constitution, common law history, Supreme Court precedent and more than a century of consistent practice.” 

Losing Faith in the USA 

npr wrote on April 21: 

For decades, the U.S. financial system has been regarded as one of the most stable and powerful in the world. Now, there are fears that something unprecedented may be happening as a result of President Trump’s tariffs: Investors everywhere may be losing their faith in the United States… 

“Stocks, U.S. government bonds, and the dollar are all taking a hit at the same time…” 

US Weapons Left Behind in Afghanistan 

BBC News wrote on April 17: 

“Half a million weapons obtained by the Taliban in Afghanistan have been lost, sold or smuggled to militant groups… with the UN believing that some have fallen into the hands of al-Qaeda affiliates. 

“The Taliban took control of around one million weapons and pieces of military equipment – which had mostly been funded by the US… As the Taliban advanced through Afghanistan in 2021, many Afghan soldiers surrendered or fled, abandoning their weapons and vehicles. Some equipment was simply left behind by US forces… 

“This is very much a political issue, and US President Donald Trump has repeatedly said that he will reclaim weapons from Afghanistan. He said that $85bn (£66bn) of advanced weaponry was left there. ‘Afghanistan is one of the biggest sellers of military equipment in the world, you know why? They’re selling the equipment that we left,’ Trump said during his first cabinet meeting of the new administration. ‘I want to look into this. If we need to pay them, that’s fine, but we want our military equipment back.’… 

“Whether Trump will take any action remains to be seen, but, in the meantime, concerns about the spread of weapons in the region and access by militant groups remain unresolved.” 

Meloni in Washington 

Die Welt wrote on April 18: 

“Donald Trump… has alarmed the European Union. And prompted it to undertake previously unthinkable efforts. The EU is now supposed to become a serious global political force… Germany, France, Poland, and Great Britain as the driving forces of a post-Carolingian Europe – this quartet gives hope. But that’s not enough. Because at least one important state is missing from the new alliance: Italy. The country has been almost written off north of the Alps… But that’s unfair. And short-sighted. 

“Unfair because it ignorantly disregards Italy’s historical significance for the formation of Europe. And because Italy was an important founding nation of the European unification process. The contemptuous treatment of Italy is short-sighted because the largest EU state on the Mediterranean coast plays a significant role in the EU’s migration policy.” 

“Italy is needed. Like Donald Trump, Giorgia Meloni is also a nationalist. This is one of the reasons why they are close. Meloni, who wants to play a prominent European role, has been striving to mediate between the EU and the US since Trump’s election as US president… 

“When she was received by the US president at the White House on Thursday evening as the first European head of government, she vigorously countered Trump’s disparaging remarks about President Volodymyr Zelensky with her conviction that Ukraine still deserves Western support. She did, however, agree with Trump in her disdain for all things woke and, like Trump, sees migration as a warning sign for the West.

“The meeting with Trump has not (yet) produced any tangible results. There was a lot of smiling and laughing. But Giorgia Meloni seems wise enough not to allow herself to be expelled from the EU community, even by a fiercely flattering Trump.” 

Italy is indeed an indispensable part of Europe. Not so Great Britain.

Trump’s Peace Proposals

Bild Online published an analysis by Bild deputy editor Paul Ronzheimer on April 24:

“Above all, there is one feeling that characterizes political Kyiv these days: disbelief. The behavior of US President Trump, his threats and insults against the Ukrainian President Zelenskyy – we had almost become accustomed to all of this. But for a long time, no one wanted to believe that Trump really seemed willing to give Russian President Vladimir Putin everything he wanted. But after Trump’s peace plan was confirmed, everything changed…

“It has long been clear to Ukraine: They cannot rely on the US. The other question is: Can Ukraine rely on Europe?…

“Trump has repeatedly announced that he no longer wants to deliver. He wants the deal now. Come what may… It’s not just about the recognition of Crimea, but also about the regions Russia is fighting over in the east and south…

“In fact, that’s Zelensky’s problem: He not only has to negotiate with the US and Russia, but also achieve a result that would be acceptable to the Ukrainian people. Putin, on the other hand, is making maximum demands because he assumes that time is on his side. The calculation: The US will withdraw, stop delivering – and Europe cannot provide what Ukraine needs. The result would be a situation that is even worse for Ukraine than it already is. An absolute dilemma…”

Ultimately, Russia and Ukraine will unite.

Boris Johnson Explodes at Donald Trump

Express wrote on April 24:

“The former Prime Minister has raged against Washington over the treatment of Ukraine in peace proposals… claiming they reward Vladimir Putin in five key ways… Mr Johnson wrote: ‘Putin indiscriminately butchers more Ukrainian civilians, killing and injuring 100 in Kyiv including children. And what is his reward under the latest peace proposals?’

“The former Conservative leader then listed the five ‘rewards’ he believed President Putin was getting from the current US deal.

“He wrote: ‘1, The right to keep sovereign Ukrainian territory he has taken by violence and in breach of international law, 2, The right to control Ukraine’s destiny by forbidding Nato membership, 3, The lifting of sanctions against Russia, 4, An economic partnership with America, 5, The chance to rebuild his armed forces for the next attack in a few short years’ time.’

“Mr Johnson, 60, added: ‘As for Ukraine – what do they get after three years of heroic resistance against a brutal and unprovoked invasion? What is their reward for the appalling sacrifices they have made – for the sake, as they have endlessly been told, of freedom and democracy around the world? Apart from the right to share their natural resources with the United States they get nothing. What is there in this deal that can realistically stop a third Russian invasion? Nothing…’

“It comes as President Trump launched an extraordinary attack on the Ukrainian wartime leader after the latter said Ukraine was not prepared to recognise Russian control of the Crimea, a part of Ukraine annexed by the Kremlin in 2014…”Subsequently, in response to Russia’s attack on Ukraine on Thursday, Trump wrote: “I am not happy with the Russian strikes on KYIV. Not necessary, and very bad timing. Vladimir, STOP! 5000 soldiers a week are dying. Let’s get the Peace Deal DONE!”

Turkey Greatest Danger to Israel 

The Atlantic wrote on April 19: 

“Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, its would-be sultan, dismantles the country’s secular democracy… While Erdoğan consolidates power at home and prepares to project it abroad, he has set the stage for a clash with Israel. Indeed, Turkey has quickly emerged as perhaps the greatest danger to the Jewish state in the Middle East, escalating the threat of a conflict he won’t be able to avoid… 

“Erdoğan’s grand designs appear to include establishing himself as the Muslim world’s principal champion of anti-Zionism. The president has routinely hosted Hamas leaders for official visits and has referred to the architects of the October 7 attack as a ‘liberation group.’…  In turning against Israel and in favor of Hamas, Erdoğan is riding a wave of anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism that has been rising in Turkey since at least the 1980s, especially on the secular left… 

“The Turkish president has intensified a long-held desire in his country to gain greater distance from the United States and NATO…” 

Merz’s Coalition Deal: ‘Betrayal’ of Germany? 

The Week (UK) wrote on April 20: 

“When the incoming chancellor, Friedrich Merz, won the election in February,  he promised to be bold and brave: to tighten our borders, unshackle our low-growth economy, bolster our defences, and wean us off our dependence on the United States. Last week… the CDU leader unveiled his coalition deal with the SPD – and it was full of the same tired old policies: no military conscription; no social and tax reform; no major migration measures… With war raging in Europe, the far-right on the rise, and the US intent on destroying the global economic order, we need our leaders to be courageous. Instead, we have a ‘coalition of the timid.’… 

“It had barely begun, but the honeymoon is definitely over for Merz… His approval ratings have plunged ten points since the election. The world needs Germany’s new leader to succeed… The stakes are incredibly high… With liberalism, freedom and democracy under threat, it’s a time for ‘giants’ – yet sadly we have no Helmut Kohl, no Gerhard Schröder, no Merkel. All of them have experience of governing during international crises. Our incoming chancellor and his coalition partners do not…” 

Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg Suddenly in Favor of Conscription 

ZDF Heute wrote on April 18: 

“[Former Defense Minister] Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg… spoke out… in favor of reintroducing conscription: ‘I was a supporter of conscription and I still am today, if it is properly implemented. We can and should return to that point…’ As Defense Minister, he was responsible for the suspension of conscription in 2011… ‘We were faced with the decision: Can we still fulfill our alliance obligations (…) or can we afford a non-functional conscription?’ 

“We were dealing with a conscription period of ‘only six months’. In six months, you barely learn to distinguish a combine harvester from a tank. At that time, we only recruited 16 percent of young men. We had to fear that conscription would be completely abolished by the Federal Constitutional Court… At the same time, there is a… need to bring a Bundeswehr that has been run down for decades to a level (…) that allows it to act in some form both in the European context and in a tense NATO context…'” 

Spahn on the Rise 

Bild Online wrote on April 20: 

“BILD reported that Merz wants to appoint former Health Minister Jens Spahn as parliamentary group leader. Only the final go-ahead from CSU leader Markus Söder (58) is still missing. According to BILD information, the appointment could officially be made as early as the end of April at the CDU party conference. Or shortly before Merz’s swearing-in as Chancellor on May 6th… 

“The Spahn appointment is causing a stir in the party and parliamentary group – and it is also causing resentment among some… Critics cite the debate Spahn sparked about how to deal with the AfD as an example. He believes: It needs to become more normal… Added to this is the fear of many in the parliamentary group about Spahn’s past as Corona Health Minister, and long-simmering scandals surrounding mask deals… 

“Conservative CSU MPs, who appreciate Spahn’s course on migration policy, for example, are not the only ones satisfied with Spahn’s solution at the parliamentary group’s leadership. According to BILD, a ‘young group’ in the parliamentary group supports Spahn… Merz has already decided on Spahn, as BILD reported. The SPD, but especially the Greens, are barraging criticism of the appointment. The soon-to-be opposition party is targeting Spahn…” 

Die Welt wrote on April 15:

“Jens Spahn (CDU) has sharply criticized the charter flights planned by the outgoing federal government for people from Afghanistan to Germany. ‘I find this fundamentally wrong and presumptuous,’ said Spahn… The caretaker government ‘doesn’t even have a majority in parliament,’ complained the CDU politician. ‘Our coalition agreement states very clearly: The reception programs should end…’ 

“The CDU and SPD agree ‘that these flights must be stopped… We don’t want any more flights from Afghanistan to Germany, but rather fly criminals and threats back to Afghanistan,’ Spahn emphasized.” 

Acknowledgement and Disclaimer:

These Current Events are compiled and commented on by Norbert Link. We gratefully acknowledge the many contributions of news articles from our readership. The publication of articles in this section is not to be viewed as an endorsement or approval as to contents or accuracy of the selected articles, but they are published for the purpose of pointing at worldwide developments in the light of biblical end-time prophecy and godly instruction. Our own comments are provided in italics.

What is the “Oral Law?” When we read of Jesus’s interactions with the Pharisees, we find that they had many laws and procedures that were not mentioned directly in the Law that God inspired Moses to write down. So, did the Pharisees or their predecessors create these, what could be termed oral law, sometime after the close of the Old Testament period?

Actually, the oral law was first mentioned directly in the book of Deuteronomy, and the necessity for oral law arises in the book of Exodus, and it may well be referred to in the book of Genesis, as will be mentioned later. So, what is the oral law, and why was it necessary, and when were parts of it created? In actual fact, there are three basic categories of oral law, each with a different purpose.

What we mean by the term oral law can be described loosely as additions to the written Law, sometimes called the Torah, which are needed if one is to carry out specific commanded activities in the way God intended. In other words, for some of the specific commands that God gave to His people, you could not possibly carry them out as God intended, based on what is written in the text. You have a need for additional instruction if you are to correctly carry out the specific commands in the fashion and manner in which God intended. This is one category of these additions to the written Law.

The second category contains additions to the written Law which are expansions on the intent of specific laws, which enable men to apply that intent to situations, or cases, not specifically mentioned in the text. In this second case, there are specific laws governing a particular type of situation. Then you come up with a situation which is of the same general type but is not specifically addressed, so you look for the intent behind the first judgement, to discern the principle and then you apply that same principle in the new situation which is not specifically mentioned in the text. The reasoning is that God would want the same intent followed in all situations in cases that are of the same category.

Then there is the third category of the oral law. This consists of additions to the written Law which are voluntarily assumed obligations, which then became binding on the people. Category three involves things that the people of their own free will have bound themselves to observe or to do. They were never specifically commanded by God. But the leaders and the people voluntarily assumed the responsibility for doing these things, and thereafter their descendants were bound to continue observing them in the same fashion.

An example of the first category is in Exodus 29:38-42, “Now this is what you shall offer on the altar: two lambs of the first year, day by day continually. One lamb you shall offer in the morning, and the other lamb you shall offer at twilight. With one lamb shall be one-tenth of an ephah of flour mixed with one-fourth of a hin of pressed oil, and one-fourth of a hin of wine as a drink offering. And the other lamb you shall offer at twilight; and you shall offer it with the grain offering and the drink offering, as in the morning, for a sweet aroma, an offering made by fire to the LORD. This shall be a continual burnt offering throughout your generations at the door of the tabernacle of meeting before the LORD, where I will meet you to speak with you.”

A number of questions arise from this instruction. We know the age of the lambs, and Numbers 28:3 states that the lambs were to be without blemish. Numbers 28:4 states that when we read twilight in Exodus 29, we read evening in Numbers 28, however they are both translated from the same two Hebrew words.  Actually, Young’s literal translation and two other literal translations correctly translate these two words as “between the evenings”; that is between sunset and nightfall. The New King James Bible also says in the margin that “twilight” literally means, “between the two evenings.” The first question to be asked is; who provides the lambs? Are they raised by Levites, or do some local farmers sell them to the priests? Or do volunteers offer them? Does it matter if they are male or a female?

The next question is; who sacrifices them? Is it only the high priest or any priest? And next; were they sacrificed as a whole or in parts? And does it matter what time of day these burnt offerings are made? Morning could be between sunrise and noon and evening might be between noon and sunset. The term evening, as distinguished from twilight, is believed by some to mean late afternoon, but still, how late? However, when literally translated as “between the evenings”, as mentioned above, this strongly indicates the correct time for the offering was just after sunset. When considering these questions, we must remember that the answers are important to God. And He must have informed Aaron through Moses, or Aaron personally, how He wanted these procedures to be carried out.

When we compare this with the instructions regarding the burnt offering in Leviticus 1:10-13, we find that, in this case, the sheep had to be male and cut into various pieces, parts of it washed, and it was to be laid on the altar by the priests, Aaron’s sons, and burnt. If the burnt offering was a bull, according to Leviticus 1:6, the one bringing the offering had to skin the animal. Even the place where the animal was to be killed and what to do with its blood was specified.

Other sacrifices had different requirements for how they were to be carried out. For example, in Leviticus 5:6 we read regarding a trespass offering, “…and he shall bring his trespass offering to the LORD for his sin which he has committed, a female from the flock, a lamb or a kid of the goats as a sin offering. So the priest shall make atonement for him concerning his sin.”

Further detailed instructions were given for this offering depending on the financial situation of the one bringing it. Actually, for all the sacrifices, God gave very specific instructions as to how they were to be carried out. So we would expect the morning and evening sacrifices to also have more specific instructions than we read in the text. 

We must always remember the example of Nadab and Abihu who did something God had not required. In Leviticus 10:1-2, “Then Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it, put incense on it, and offered profane fire before the LORD, which he had not commanded them. So fire went out from the LORD and devoured them, and they died before the LORD.” Here God shows us that He considers obedience of His laws important especially when carried out by the priests, as we read in Leviticus 10:3. “And Moses said to Aaron, ‘This is what the LORD spoke, saying: “By those who come near Me I must be regarded as holy; And before all the people I must be glorified.”’”

Therefore, for the morning and evening sacrifices to be offered in a consistent manner, more instructions were needed, and these would have to have been passed down from the older priests to the younger ones following, learning from them. These instructions would form a part of the oral law.

Another example of the necessity for oral law is found in Deuteronomy 24:1-4. “When a man takes a wife and marries her, and it happens that she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some uncleanness in her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce, puts it in her hand, and sends her out of his house, when she has departed from his house, and goes and becomes another man’s wife, if the latter husband detests her and writes her a certificate of divorce, puts it in her hand, and sends her out of his house, or if the latter husband dies who took her as his wife, then the former husband who divorced her must not take her back to be his wife after she has been defiled; for that is an abomination before the LORD, and you shall not bring sin on the land which the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance.”

This Law was given in the fortieth year of the wanderings of the children of Israel in the wilderness, just before they were about to enter the Promised Land. And as a functioning society, divorces would have taken place. So, as we read the instruction, what questions arise? The most obvious one, and most important, is what is defined as uncleanness.

In Matthew 1:19, we see the example of Joseph, the husband of Mary, of what he intended to do when Mary was found to be pregnant.  “Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly.” He assumed she had committed adultery and that would be considered to be uncleanness.

What else could constitute uncleanness?  Anything that they thought was uncleanness, or were there some specified categories?

This became quite a matter of dispute in the days of Jesus. At this time, there were two schools of Pharisees, Shammai and Hillel. There is some debate over which of the two schools was more liberal than the other, especially regarding matrimonial law, but the more liberal one allowed more reasons for divorce. However, Jesus made clear what God’s Will regarding marriage and divorce was.

You may remember that some of the Pharisees came to Him to ask for what cause could a man put away his wife? Could it be for just any reason that they might think of? Matthew 19:3-9, “The Pharisees also came to Him, testing Him, and saying to Him, ‘Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?’ And He answered and said to them, ‘Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning “made them male and female,” and said, “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh”? So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.’ They said to Him, ‘Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?’ He said to them, ‘Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery.’”

It was a very prominent issue in His day and that’s why they brought it to Him. They weren’t seriously seeking enlightenment. They said this is such a hot issue, with such strong feelings about it, that no matter what He said, it was going to offend people. So, in the days of Moses, what constituted uncleanness had to be defined if it included more than sexual immorality, and not just for any reason, as mentioned in Matthew 19. Also, what does she do with this certificate of divorce? Does she use it to prove that she is legally able to remarry, or is it stored in an official registry with the Levites? Does it have a set format and does the reason for the divorce have to be stated?

The second category of oral law consists of situations that arise that are not mentioned directly in the written law but have similarities. Where questions arose in this type of situation, the people were to go to the priests as is mentioned in Deuteronomy 17:8-11: “If a matter arises which is too hard for you to judge, between degrees of guilt for bloodshed, between one judgement or another, or between one punishment or another, matters of controversy within your gates, then you shall arise and go up to the place which the LORD your God chooses. And you shall come to the priests, the Levites, and to the judge there in those days, and inquire of them; they shall pronounce upon you the sentence of judgement. You shall do according to the sentence which they pronounce upon you in that place which the LORD chooses. And you shall be careful to do according to all that they order you. According to the sentence of the law in which they instruct you, according to the judgement which they tell you, you shall do; you shall not turn aside to the right hand or the left from the sentence which they pronounce upon you.”

A typical example of such a situation could be the instance of a master cutting off his slave’s finger. Would that entitle the slave to receive freedom from slavery? The law specifically states in Exodus 21:26-27, “If a man strikes the eye of his male or female servant, and destroys it, he shall let him go free for the sake of his eye. And if he knocks out the tooth of his male or female servant, he shall let him go free for the sake of his tooth.” This has no mention of a finger, so a judgement has to be made if there is a dispute in the matter. It can be seen from Deuteronomy 17:11, that the priests would instruct the people in these matters so they would know how to judge similar matters in the future.

However, we must remember today that the principle of the oral law still exists in the practice of binding and loosing. The leadership of the ministry today still has the responsibility to make decisions regarding certain practices within the spirit and intent of God’s Law that are not in the written Law.

There is a Law that forbids taking certain items as security for a debt. Deuteronomy 24:6 states, “No man shall take the lower or upper millstone in pledge, for he takes one’s living in pledge.” So, what about a stove used for cooking? Or even some other essential item? Would this also be counted as one’s living? Again, a decision needed to be made about this question.

Now it is interesting, and this has nothing to do with the Biblical period, but in the 18^th century, in the closed Jewish ghettos in Eastern Europe, a question made its way to the Rabbis. Can a man who has lent money to a certain family demand that the wife’s pearls be held as a pledge? Why pearls, you might ask? Because in that closed community, the pearls were the highest and most important part of her adornment. And every man would try to give his wife more than any other kind of jewelry, a quality string of pearls. And she usually would wear them, especially on the Sabbath, as a means of adorning herself to show her delight in the Sabbath. If she suddenly appeared one Sabbath without the pearls, there would be an obvious statement made without having to say it in so many words, that her family was so poor that she had to pawn her pearls. It would be a significant blow to the prestige and status, and the way the family was regarded in the community. So, it was ruled that the man could keep the pearls during the week, but had to return them to her by Friday afternoon for her to wear on the Sabbath, so no one else would know, to avoid embarrassment.

This has similarities to the principle in the Bible, which is mentioned about the man’s garments. Exodus 22:26-27, “If you ever take your neighbor’s garment as a pledge, you shall return it to him before the sun goes down. For that is his only covering, it is his garment for his skin. What will he sleep in? And it will be that when he cries to Me, I will hear, for I am gracious.” This shows that you must give it back to him before nightfall because he needs it at night to cover himself. That was the same rationale that was applied to the pearls. They were applying oral law to situations that were never even dreamt of in the Biblical legislation, to keep the spirit and intent as they understood it.

Jeremiah 17:21-22 would need some determination. “Thus says the LORD: ‘Take heed to yourselves, and bear no burden on the Sabbath day, nor bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem; nor carry a burden out of your houses on the Sabbath day, nor do any work, but hallow the Sabbath day, as I commanded your fathers.’” The obvious question here is, what constitutes a burden? In Christ’s day, the Pharisees considered any amount of food heavier than a dried fig to be a burden. That was contained in their oral law. Actually, carrying was only one of their thirty-nine activities that were prohibited on the Sabbath. Of course, these thirty-nine activities were broken down into many sub-activities to help the people understand what physical activities would be a cause of breaking the Sabbath commandment. 

We have to understand here that most of their oral law was unbiblical. In Matthew 23, Christ condemns the Scribes and Pharisees because of the additional burdens they placed on the people that God did not require. So we cannot judge our behavior today by their oral law. Regarding the Sabbath, it was wrong, as Christ explains. That also goes for eating without “washed” hands (see below) or for Corban or treating Samaritans as dogs and unclean, or refusing to speak with a woman in public.

Mark 7:6-9 describes what Christ taught about the commandments of men. “He answered and said to them, ‘Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: “This people honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.” For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men—the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do.’ He said to them, ‘All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition.’”

(To Be Continued)

Lead Writer: Paul Niehoff (Australia)

compiled by Dave Harris

“The Pope Is Dead… Now What?” is the title of a new StandingWatch program, presented by Evangelist Norbert Link. Here is the summary:

Pope Francis aroused much anger and fury within the Catholic Church, dividing the Church between the “reform-oriented group” and the “traditionalists.” This program addresses the main disputes and wonders what position the next pope will adopt. We also address a prophecy about popes that gives us food for thought. Will the next pope be the last?

“Der Papst ist tot… was nun?” is the title of a new AufPostenStehen program, presented by Norbert Link. This German program covers the same topics as described above.

“Unentdeckte Sünde – Der Grund für unsere anhaltenden Probleme?” the Offertory for the Last Day of Unleavened Bread presented by Robert Macher, is now posted. Title in English: “Undiscovered Sin – The Reason For Our Ongoing Problems?”

A new Member Letter (April 2025) has been posted and mailed to our subscribers. Pastor Dave Harris draws a contrast with nominal Christianity and those who have the assurance of being true Christians, adding that we must stay strong and not let down.

“Abraham’s Calling” is the latest video in our Bible Story Series on YouTube.

“The Gift God Really Wants,” the Offertory for the Last Day of Unleavened Bread presented by Kalon Mitchell, is now posted.

“Who Are the Two Witnesses?” the sermon for the Last Day of Unleavened Bread presented by Norbert Link, is now posted. Here is the summary:

What does the Bible tell us about the Two Witnesses? Are they Moses and Elijah? Will they possibly be raised from the dead to fulfill their roles as the Two Witnesses? Or are they angels? What about Enoch or John the Baptist? How should we understand the miracles which the Two Witnesses will perform? What will the Two Witnesses preach? When will their resurrection from the dead take place?

On April 19, 2025 (Last Day of Unleavened Bread), Kalon Mitchell will present the Offertory, titled, “The Gift God Really Wants,” and Norbert Link will present the sermon, titled, “Who Are the Two Witnesses?”

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.

When you receive this editorial, the Feast of Unleavened Bread will be drawing to a close. These days picture for us the necessity to be on the lookout for sin and to deal with it before it grows in our lives.

As we have gone through this week and have eaten unleavened bread the entire week, it shows that we want to continue to have a relationship with Christ and we want to avoid sin as sin adversely affects our relationship with God. There is a question that we should ask ourselves as we move out of this period of time: What have we done this week to help ourselves overcome our individual sins or sinful proclivities? What is going to be different for us as we move forward into the coming weeks?

We can use this beginning of the Spring Holy Days to help us springboard into further action!

We have heard in many messages the need to change and grow. It is up to us individually, however, to move forward with our conversion. The Bible makes it clear that coming to conversion is not a one-time event, but a lifelong journey. It is the beginning of transformation, not the conclusion. When we become baptized, we step into a new life that is meant to grow, deepen, and mature. As Paul exhorted the Thessalonians, we are to “abound more and more” (1 Thessalonians 4:1). But how exactly can we move forward in our conversion in practical and Spiritual ways?

David was also concerned with this very concept.

In Psalm 139:23-24, he said: “Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting.”

We are so good at self-deception and reasoning that it can be easy to get caught up in doing the wrong things and not see exactly what we need to be seeing, which is why David writes here his need for God to show him and lead him in the right ways!

As we move towards God’s next Holy Day (Pentecost), we should be mindful of continuing to move forward. Here are a few Biblical steps that show how we can grow and use these Feasts of God to their Fullest extent:

1.     Stay Rooted in the Word

1 Peter 2:2 reminds us: “as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby.”

The Word of God is our primary source of nourishment. It reshapes our thinking, reveals God’s character, and instructs us in righteousness. Regular reading, studying, and meditating on Scripture is essential if we want to keep moving forward.

2.        Be Devoted to Prayer

Paul urges us in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 to “pray without ceasing.”

Prayer isn’t merely about presenting our needs; it’s about building a relationship. In prayer, we align our hearts with God’s, receive His peace, and gain spiritual insight. As we grow in our prayer life, our faith deepens, and our awareness of God’s presence will become more constant.

3.        Put Off the Old Self, Put On the New Self

Ephesians 4:22-24 teaches: “…that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.”

Conversion involves continual repentance. It means turning away from old habits and attitudes and actively embracing a life that reflects Christ.

4.        Walk in the Spirit

Paul writes in Galatians 5:25: “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.”

The Holy Spirit is our guide in this journey. It convicts, empowers, and leads us toward Christlikeness. Moving forward in conversion requires sensitivity and a willingness to follow His lead daily.

5.        Stay Connected to the Body of Christ

Proverbs 27:17 says: “As iron sharpens iron, So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.”

Community is crucial. The Church provides encouragement, correction, support, and discipleship. Being in regular fellowship with other believers helps us stay grounded and growing.

6.        Embrace Trials as Growth-Opportunities

James 1:2-4 encourages us: “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”

God uses hardship to shape us, to expose weak spots, and to strengthen our character. Moving forward sometimes happens most powerfully in the furnace of difficulty.

7.        Keep Your Eyes on Christ

Hebrews 12:2 tells us that we must be “looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Conversion is not just behavior management; it’s about transformation through proximity to Christ. As we behold Him, we become more like Him.

Conversion is a process of growing in grace, deepening in faith, and becoming more like Jesus. It is not a stagnant state, but a living journey. We move forward in our conversion not only by striving harder, but also, and more importantly, by staying closer to Christ, relying on His Spirit, anchoring ourselves in the Word, and walking in fellowship with others. Let us press on into the fullness of the life God has promised.

by Norbert Link

We report on President Trump’s good wishes for Easter and Passover and show some interesting similarities; analyze the ongoing trade war between the USA and China; the devastating consequences of Trump’s tariffs for the US economy and US customers; and Trump’s inconsistent and confusing messages and directives pertaining to alleged exemptions. We also address investors’ shrinking confidence in the US Dollar.

We speak on new developments in regard to the Russia-Ukraine war—none of them good—America’s alleged intentions pertaining to the Panama Canal; and the Trump administration’s fight with the Associated Press; lawyers and the court system, especially in regard to immigration.

We speak on Robert F. Kennedy Jr’s proclaimed changed opinions on vaccinations; and PETA’s response to new directives regarding animal tests.

We address the frightening unparalleled alienation between the USA and Europe; and we conclude with distressing developments in Germany, especially in regard to censorship and attacks on freedom of expression. Please view our new StandingWatch program, titled, “Europe For War and Against Freedom?”

Throughout this section, we have underlined pertinent statements in the quoted articles, for the convenience and quick overview of the reader.

Happy Easter From Donald Trump

Newsmax wrote on April 13:

“President Donald Trump hails ‘Holy Week, 2025’ with a message celebrating Jesus’ resurrection and salvation of sins… ‘Beginning with Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday and culminating in the Paschal Triduum, which begins on Holy Thursday with the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, followed by Good Friday, and reaching its pinnacle in the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday night… we acknowledge that the glory of Easter Sunday cannot come without the sacrifice Jesus Christ made on the cross… On Easter morning, the stone is rolled away, the tomb is empty, and light prevails over darkness — signaling that death does not have the final word.

“This Holy Week, my Administration renews its promise to defend the Christian faith in our schools, military, workplaces, hospitals, and halls of government. We will never waver in safeguarding the right to religious liberty, upholding the dignity of life, and protecting God in our public square… This week, we pray for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon our beloved Nation. We pray that America will remain a beacon of faith, hope, and freedom for the entire world, and we pray to achieve a future that reflects the truth, beauty, and goodness of Christ’s eternal kingdom in Heaven….”

This shows how deeply false Christianity is rooted in the USA, from the very top down. Christ kept the Passover—not the “Lord’s Supper”—on Tuesday evening; He was crucified on Wednesday—not Friday—and He was resurrected Saturday evening before sunset; not Sunday morning. Christ will establish His Kingdom on earth, and He will rule on earth, and we will rule under Him on earth, not in heaven.

Happy Passover From Donald Trump

Breitbart wrote on April 12:

“President Donald Trump issued a Passover message to Jewish families in the United States and to people in Israel, telling them to ‘have a blessed’ Passover holiday. In a video posted to X by the White House account, Trump explained that the story of Exodus ‘is a reminder not only of the enduring strength of the Jewish people,’ but that it also served as an important reminder to put faith ‘in Almighty God no matter what the circumstance’ is…

“‘To all the Jewish families gathering with friends and loved ones this week, have a blessed Passover and may God continue to watch over the Jewish people, the State of Israel, and the United States of America.’”

This year, Passover was held Friday evening, after sunset. The Jews kept it one day too late, on Saturday evening. The story of Exodus does not relate just to the Jews, but to the entire nation of Israel, consisting of twelve tribes—the Jews derived from Judah and are just one tribe of Israel. Many Jews are indeed living in the State of Israel, and many modern descendants of the ancient House of Israel can be found today in the USA. Hence, Trump’s wish that God may watch over the Jewish people, the State of Israel and the USA is quite remarkable from that perspective.

US-China Trade War Escalates

The Associated Press wrote on April 11:

“China announced countermeasures by raising tariffs on U.S. goods from 84% to 125% starting Saturday… Trump’s universal tariffs on China total 145%. When Trump announced Wednesday that China faced 125% tariffs, he did not include a 20% tariff on China tied to its role in fentanyl production… Beijing last week suspended sorghum, poultry and bonemeal imports from some American companies, and put more export controls on rare earth minerals, critical for various technologies…

“Given the size of the two economies, experts fear global economic turmoil…”

The New York Post wrote on April 11:

“US stocks fell on Friday as China struck back at President Trump’s latest tariff with a total 125% tax — further escalating trade tensions between the two nations.”

Can Trump Win the Trade War With China? 

The Telegraph wrote on April 11:

“China has just shown it can defeat America in a trade war. Donald Trump has almost certainly started a battle he cannot win. Free trade is a win-win, so the escalating tariff war between the US and China will be a lose-lose for both parties. Nonetheless, China is more likely to come out on top…

“For a start, the official data suggest that China’s economy grew by about 5 per cent last year. The true figure may well be lower, but a sharp drop in trade with the US alone is unlikely to tip China into recession. Moreover, there are several ways in which Beijing could limit the damage.

“One is simply to reroute more exports to the US via third countries. The US will of course be alert to this and attempt to tighten up the ‘rules of origin’ which determine the tax due on each shipment. But it will be almost impossible to enforce a regime with so many different rates on different goods coming from different countries.

“Beijing could also refocus on selling to other markets. Officials in the EU have already raised concern about the prospect of a flood of cheap imports, as Asian producers divert goods that can no longer sell in the US…

“China’s public debt is relatively low – a little above 60 per cent of GDP – and there is plenty of room for it to rise further. China’s inflation is also relatively low. Consumer prices actually fell by 0.1 per cent year-on-year in March…

“The flipside of China’s huge trade surplus is that US businesses and consumers have come to rely on relatively cheap manufactured goods from China, as well as the rest of Asia. These supplies cannot easily be replaced. Indeed, it would be practically impossible to replicate Asia’s low-cost manufacturing model in Ohio, even if this were desirable. Basic economics tells us that the US will always run deficits in goods with countries such as China, and Vietnam…

“The scope for US fiscal and monetary policy to offset a trade shock is more limited too, partly because the public finances are in an even worse state. Some hope that the new tariffs might raise as much as US$700 billion a year for the US Treasury. But this assumes that these tariffs will do little harm to trade, to the wider economy, or to revenues from other taxes. In reality, most of the economic burden of higher US tariffs will be borne by US taxpayers.

“Another flipside of the large US trade deficits is that other countries have accumulated large holdings of US assets. In particular, China is the second largest foreign holder of Treasury securities, after Japan… The upshot is that President Trump has started a war that he almost certainly cannot win…”

The Daily Beast added on April 11:

“China has announced it will tax U.S. products at 125 percent but it won’t go any higher… ‘Given that American goods are no longer marketable in China under the current tariff rates, if the U.S. further raises tariffs on Chinese exports, China will disregard such measures,’ the Ministry of Finance said in a statement.

“The Commerce Ministry said in a separate statement that the numbers no longer had any ‘economic significance’ and were just a ‘tool of bullying and coercion’ that had turned the U.S. into a ‘joke.’… Although it has ruled out new tit-for-tat tariffs, China has taken other measure to strike at U.S. interests. On Wednesday, it cautioned citizens not to travel to the U.S. and warned Chinese students not to study in ‘certain U.S. states,’ according to Bloomberg. On Thursday, it limited the number of U.S. films that can play in Chinese theaters.”

Huge Trump Tariff U-Turn Will Exempt iPhones and Laptops

The Daily Mail reported on April 12:

“President Donald Trump has spared iPhone, laptops and other electronics from his brutal China tariffs in [a] surprise move. The moves gives the likes of Apple and Samsung a major win while Americans dodge massive price hikes. The list of spared items includes smartphones, laptop computers, hard drives, memory chips, and processors – all tech essentials that are rarely made in the United States. [Also, solar cells, memory cards and flat-panel TV displays have all been exempted.]

“Experts say it would take years to ramp up domestic production, if it happens at all. More than 80 percent of all Apple products are made in China — including a staggering 80 percent of iPads and over half of all Mac computers… In the days following Trump’s tariff announcement, Apple saw $640 billion wiped from its market value. But it is not clear if the tariff timeout is permanent…

“Analysts warn that relocating iPhone production to the U.S. would be a monumental task, both logistically and financially. Bank of America Securities analyst Wamsi Mohan estimates that producing the iPhone 16 Pro Max domestically could increase its price by 91 percent, pushing it from $1,199 to approximately $2,300. Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives suggests the cost could soar even higher, potentially reaching $3,500 per unit. 

“In response to the escalating tariffs, Apple has taken swift action to mitigate potential disruptions. The company chartered flights to expedite the shipment of approximately 1.5 million iPhones from India to the U.S., aiming to preempt the impact of the tariffs.”

Do Trump and his administration really know what they are doing? It appears not. Note the next article:

No Exemptions for Electronics

On April 13, The Daily Mail introduced an article with the following headline: “Trump says there will be NO tariff exemptions in dramatic reversal that’ll hit Americans hard.”

The article continued:

“The post on Sunday came after Trump appeared to spare electronics like iPhones and laptops momentarily from his sweeping tariffs, but the prospect of an exemption was short lived. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick clarified on Sunday those products will be part of the tariffs that are still to come…” 

Trump even said that he did not exempt electronics like iPhones or laptops. This is clearly false. On Monday, April 14, he said he is considering a short-term tariff exemption for auto companies. This is getting more and more ridiculous.

Worse Than a Recession

Daily Mail wrote on April 14:

“A hedge fund manager who predicted the 2008 financial crisis warned that a fate even more dire than another recession may be on the horizon… Ray Dalio, the billionaire founder of the world’s largest hedge fund Bridgewater Associates, has expressed deep concern over the American economy in light of Donald Trump’s tariff decisions sending the stock market into a frenzy…. Dalio has spoken extensively on the possibility of America’s economic demise, pointing out that there are other risk factors than the foreign tariffs situation.

“He wrote: ‘Don’t get me wrong, while these tariff announcements are very important developments and we all know that President Trump caused them… [People] are also mostly overlooking the vastly more important forces that are driving just about everything, including the tariffs.’

“One of the key dilemmas he discussed is that ‘monetary/economic order is breaking down‘ because America is in an extreme amount of debt. ‘Also, it should be obvious that the US government debt level and the rate at which the government debt is being added to is unsustainable,’ he asserted.”

Tariff Surcharge

Fox Business wrote on April 12:

“American consumers are noticing a new line on their shopping receipts — a tariff surcharge. The surcharges have been popping up across several industries, impacting nearly everything from prices of clothing to automobile manufacturing.

“Some companies are charging flat fees, while others charge a percentage of the total cost of a given purchase…” 

Investor Confidence Shaken in US Dollar

Business Insider wrote on April 11:

“The euro is increasingly gaining strength against the US dollar. At the end of the week, it rose to $1.13, its highest level in three years… Donald Trump is risking the dollar’s role as the world’s reserve currency, says Deutsche Bank. The euro is becoming an alternative. The consequences would be dramatic. With Trump’s election victory, the US dollar initially appreciated… Economists even expected the euro to fall to parity with the dollar for the first time in ten years, i.e., to one dollar for one euro.

“But… when Trump announced his major tariff package on almost all products and almost all countries in the world at the beginning of April, the mood changed… The dollar lost value. When Trump suddenly suspended most tariffs for 90 days, stocks recovered some of their losses. But the dollar continued to lose value, even faster… This is due to a loss of confidence. The reason is less doubt about the strength of the US economy, but rather about the reliability of US policy and institutions… The globally respected foreign exchange experts at Deutsche Bank Research in London have been warning for days of a dramatic and, above all, lasting dollar crisis…

“On the other hand, Germany’s recent decisions to increase spending on defense and infrastructure have been highly acclaimed internationally and received a very positive response… The euro is increasingly seen as a genuine alternative to the US dollar…

“If the dollar loses its function as a safe haven, this would have enormous consequences for the US’s financial viability. The world’s largest economy has a unique situation: The US is the only country in the world that can afford a gigantic double deficit in both its national budget and its foreign trade. The reason is the exceptional position of the dollar. It ensures that the US receives a steady flow of the new capital it needs…

“The more the dollar loses this role, the smaller the budget deficit the US can still afford without becoming unbalanced… The US’s double deficit [requires] sustained financing from foreign investors. For the US, it will therefore be crucial how foreign investors assess the reliability and risks in the US…

“Statements such as the US claims to ownership of Greenland have already contributed to the destabilization of the dollar…”

We have proclaimed for decades that ultimately, the Euro will become the strongest currency in the world. 

US Economy to Lose Billions as Foreign Tourists Stay Away 

Economic Times wrote on April 14:

“The US economy is set to lose billions of dollars in revenue in 2025 from a pullback in foreign tourism and boycotts of American products, adding to a growing list of headwinds keeping recession risk elevated. Arrivals of non-citizens to the US by plane dropped almost 10% in March from a year earlier… Goldman Sachs Group Inc. estimates in a worst-case scenario, the hit this year from reduced travel and boycotts could total 0.3% of gross domestic product, which would amount to almost $90 billion.

“… many potential visitors are now rethinking their vacation plans amid increased hostility at the border, rising geopolitical frictions and global economic uncertainty… stories of harsh detentions at US airports, ensnaring travelers from countries like France and Germany, started making headlines. Canadians, meanwhile – the largest group of foreign tourists in the US – are choosing to stay put as Trump ramps up attacks on the country’s economy and sovereignty… Canadian flight reservations to the US are down 70% through September versus the same period last year…” 

US Tariffs Stifle German and European Economy

t-online wrote on April 15:

“The US government’s tariff policy caused economic expectations among German financial experts to collapse in April. The ZEW research institute’s sentiment barometer fell by 65.6 points compared to the previous month, to minus 14.0 points… It is the sharpest decline in expectations since the start of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine in 2022….

“‘The erratic upheaval in US trade policy is causing expectations for Germany to collapse,’ commented ZEW President Achim Wambach…. ‘[It] has led to a massive increase in global uncertainty.’… ‘The US tariffs will become a heavy burden for the German economy,’ commented Thomas Gitzel, Chief Economist at VP Bank…. In the eurozone as a whole, expectations also collapsed. They fell by 58.3 points to minus 18.5 points. The assessment of the economic situation worsened by 5.7 points to minus 50.9 points.”

Germany’s and Europe’s anger with the US is growing… 

Misunderstanding Regarding Ukraine Comments?

The Times reported on April 12 on X:

“EXCLUSIVE: President Trump’s envoy to Ukraine [Keith Kellog] has said the country could be partitioned ‘almost like Berlin after World War Two’ as part of a peace deal.”

Kellog responded on X:

“The Times article misrepresents what I said. I was speaking of a post-cease fire resiliency force in support of Ukraine’s sovereignty. In discussions of partitioning, I was referencing areas or zones of responsibility for an allied force (without US troops). I was NOT referring to a partitioning of Ukraine.”

It still sounds like partition.

News on the Russia-Ukraine War

Focus wrote on April 14:

“In a meeting with El Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, Trump told reporters on Monday that ‘three people are responsible’ for the ‘millions of deaths’ in Ukraine, adding: ‘Let’s say (Russian President Vladimir) Putin is number one, but let’s say (former US President Joe) Biden, who had no idea what the hell he was doing, is number two, and Zelensky is number three.’ Trump also again falsely accused Zelensky of starting Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. ‘When you start a war, you gotta know that you can win the war, right? You don’t start a war with someone who’s 20 times your size and then hope people give you some missiles’…

“The potential next German Chancellor, Friedrich Merz (CDU), has provoked sharp criticism in Moscow with comments about the possible destruction of the Russian bridge to the annexed Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea. ‘Think twice, Nazi!’ wrote the deputy head of the Russian National Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, on the X platform. The former president was responding to Merz’s comments on the ARD program ‘Caren Miosga.’ In them, the CDU leader not only remained open to the delivery of the Taurus cruise missile to Ukraine. He also stated that the destruction of the Crimean bridge could benefit Ukraine.”

As for the alleged peace talks between Putin and Trump, everything seems to have come to a standstill.

Preparing For the Third Temple

Israel 365 News wrote on April 15:

“Every year before Passover, the Temple movements organize a full-dress practice of the Passover offering, which usually includes an actual lamb slaughtering. The practice is intended to work out any practical details involved in the Temple ritual and to raise awareness of the need to revive the Temple service. A lamb was slaughtered in advance and its proper use in the Temple service was demonstrated.

“This year, the reenactment included, for the first time, musical accompaniment by a corps of Levites. Young Kohanim (Jews descended from Aaron the High Priest) played a prominent role in the reenactment as part of their training for the Third Temple… the police have been increasingly supportive of the reenactment.” 

U.S. Troops to Deploy Near Panama Canal

Tico Times wrote on April 11:

“U.S. troops will be allowed to deploy in areas adjacent to the Panama Canal, according to an agreement signed between the two nations—a significant concession to President Donald Trump, who has been determined to regain control of the strategic interoceanic waterway. The Panamanian government insists these are not military bases…

“Since returning to power in January, Trump has threatened to ‘reclaim’ the maritime route built by the United States, arguing it is under ‘Chinese influence.’ ‘We’re taking back the canal. China has had too much influence (…) together with Panama, we’re kicking them out, sir,’ Hegseth told Trump on Thursday in Washington, briefing him on the agreement and the results of his visit. The three-year agreement, which can be extended, stipulates that the facilities remain the property of the Panamanian state and will be used jointly by the security forces of both countries.

“While visiting Lima on Thursday, Panama’s President José Raúl Mulino stated he rejected the Pentagon’s attempts to include terms like ‘permanent military presence,’ ‘military bases,’ and ‘territorial concessions’ in the agreement. ‘That is simply unacceptable,’ Mulino said, noting that he sent back ‘four versions’ of the agreement drafted by the U.S. Department of Defense for this reason.

“… Amid the tensions, Mulino’s government revealed that the United States removed a phrase recognizing Panama’s ‘inalienable sovereignty over the canal’ from the English version of a joint statement. On Thursday, Panama requested Washington revise the statement to include it…”

This fight is far from over. But the USA won’t take back the Panama Canal.

White House vs. Associated Press

The New York Post wrote on April 8:

“A federal judge ruled Tuesday the White House has to allow the Associated Press to take part in presidential pool coverage, including restoring access to Air Force One and other areas where only certain journalists are allowed to enter to speak to President Trump. DC US District Judge Trevor McFadden— nominated to the federal bench by Trump in 2017 — promptly stayed his own order for five days, giving the administration until Sunday to appeal to a higher court before the ruling takes effect.

“The White House implemented the ban after the AP refused to use the term ‘Gulf of America’ in its coverage after the president renamed the Gulf of Mexico upon taking office Jan. 20… But the court ruled Tuesday that although the White House is not mandated to provide access to every event, it does have the responsibility to allow journalists the same access as similar outlets — even if they disagree with their views…

“Trump’s administration isn’t the first to face accusations of discriminating against outlets based on their content. The Biden White House… [banned] The Post for seven months straight — following bombshell reporting… detailing his involvement in his son and brother’s foreign business relationships. Biden aides at times claimed there was simply no space available — while leaving up to two dozen press seats empty.”  

The Associated Press wrote on April 9:

“The government filed a notice of appeal early Wednesday afternoon on behalf of the three officials sued by the AP — White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, White House chief of staff Susan Wiles and deputy chief of staff Taylor Budowich. The one-page notice of appeal gave no other details.”

Discrimination everywhere… As of Monday, April 14, AP was still barred… in violation of the court order.

Trump’s Censorship

Fox News reported on April 16:

“The Associated Press and Reuters released sharply critical statements of the Trump White House this week in response to news that it was cutting traditional wire service slots in the rotating pool. ‘We are deeply disappointed that the administration has chosen to restrict the access of all wire services, whose fast and accurate White House coverage informs billions of people every single day, rather than reinstate The Associated Press to the wire pool,’ AP spokesperson Lauren Easton said, according to reports. ‘The wire services represent thousands of news organizations across the U.S. and the world over,’ Easton added. ‘Our coverage is used by local newspapers and television stations in all 50 states to inform their communities. The administration’s actions continue to disregard the fundamental American freedom to speak without government control or retaliation. This is a grave disservice to the American people.’

“Wire services are outlets like the AP, Reuters and Agence France-Presse that provide news reports to news outlet subscribers. It is common to see AP and other wire service stories reprinted in other publications… In its report about the decision, the AP said it was ‘the latest attempt by the new administration to control coverage of its activities.’ 

“Reuters was also harshly critical of the change. ‘Reuters news coverage reaches billions of people each day, mostly through the thousands of news organizations around the world that subscribe to Reuters services. It is essential to democracy that the public have access to independent, impartial and accurate news about their government. Any steps by the U.S. government to limit access to the President threatens that principle, both for the public and the world’s media,’ a spokesperson told Fox News Digital on Wednesday…

“‘We deeply regret the decision to remove that permanent level of scrutiny and accountability,’ Bloomberg editor-in-chief John Micklethwait said, according to The New York Times…”

Lawyers to Be Intimidated

Detroit Free Press wrote on April 7:

“A lawyer’s spring break trip to the Dominican Republic with his family ended on a troubling note at Detroit Metro Airport on Sunday: He was detained by federal agents, questioned about his clients, and asked to give up his cellphone, he says. But Dearborn attorney Amir Makled [an American citizen], who is representing a pro-Palestinian demonstrator who was arrested at the University of Michigan last year, stood his ground. He didn’t give up his phone…

“What followed was a 90-minute, back-and-forth verbal tussle between Makled and two federal agents, who, he said, ultimately released him without taking his phone, but looked at his contacts list instead. For the 38-year-old civil rights and criminal defense attorney, it was a daunting experience that he says highlights a troubling phenomenon that’s occurring across the United States: Lawyers are getting targeted for handling issues the administration of President Donald Trump disagrees with.

“Makled’s airport experience comes in the wake of a memo that President Donald Trump issued to the U.S. Justice Department last month, in which he directed the agency to seek sanctions against attorneys, alleging they are helping fuel ‘rampant fraud and meritless claims’ in the immigration system.” 

The Justice Department was clearly weaponized under Biden… now it seems to be weaponized under Trump.

“Immigration Judge: US Can Deport Pro-Palestinian Columbia Student Khalil”

Reuters reported on April 11:

“A U.S. immigration judge in Louisiana ruled on Friday that President Donald Trump’s administration can proceed with its deportation case against Columbia University graduate student and Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, who was arrested in New York City last month…

“Khalil, a prominent figure in the pro-Palestinian student protest movement that has roiled Columbia’s New York City campus, was born in a Palestinian refugee camp in Syria, holds Algerian citizenship and became a U.S. lawful permanent resident last year. Khalil’s wife, Noor Abdalla, is a U.S. citizen.

“Secretary of State Marco Rubio determined last month that Khalil should be removed because his presence in the United States has ‘potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences,’ citing a 1952 law called the Immigration and Nationality Act. Khalil and his lawyers have said the Trump administration was targeting him for speech that is protected under the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment including the right to criticize American foreign policy…

“Rubio wrote that Khalil should be removed for his role in ‘antisemitic protests and disruptive activities, which fosters a hostile environment for Jewish students in the United States.’ Rubio’s letter did not accuse Khalil of breaking any laws, but he said that the State Department can revoke the legal status of immigrants even when their beliefs, associations or statements are ‘otherwise lawful.’ 

“Baher Azmy, the legal director of the Center for Constitutional Rights and one of Khalil’s attorneys, told a press briefing on Thursday that Rubio’s letter ‘is a sort of tacky, Soviet-style diktat that’s equal parts empty and chilling.’ Khalil has said criticism of the U.S. government’s support of Israel’s military occupation of Palestinian territories is being wrongly conflated with antisemitism…

“The American immigration court system is run and its judges are appointed by the U.S. Justice Department, separate from the government’s judicial branch.”

Politico added on April 12:

“Immigration Judge Jamee E. Comans said at the conclusion of a hearing in Jena that the government’s contention that Khalil’s presence in the United States posed ‘potentially serious foreign policy consequences’ was enough to satisfy requirements for his deportation.

“Comans said the government had ‘established by clear and convincing evidence that he is removable.’ Lawyers for Khalil are expected to appeal… Federal judges in New York and New Jersey have ordered the government not to deport Khalil while his case plays out in court.”

One can most certainly agree with the outcome of the case in removing a non-American citizen who supports Hamas and preaches hatred against Jews. What is troublesome is the rationale that the Justice Department can, in its discretion, revoke the legal status of any lawful immigrant, including green card holders, even when their beliefs, associations or statements are “otherwise lawful.”

Arrests at Churches and Schools

The Associated Press wrote on April 11:

“A federal judge on Friday sided with the Trump administration in allowing immigration agents to conduct enforcement operations at houses of worship…

“In February, a federal judge in Maryland ruled against the Trump administration in a similar case brought by a coalition of Quakers and other religious groups. U.S. District Judge Theodore Chang’s order in that case was limited to those plaintiffs. A judge in Colorado sided with the administration in another lawsuit over the reversal of a similar policy that had limited immigration arrests at schools.”

The prospect of immigration agents invading churches and schools to carry out arrests is frightening. Only imagine federal agents storming into classrooms during school hours or churches during worship services to arrest immigrants in attendance. Terrible pictures of Germany’s dark past come to mind.

Supreme Court: Garcia Must Be Returned from El Salvador Prison

The Associated Press wrote on April 10:

“The Supreme Court on Thursday said the Trump administration must work to bring back a Maryland man who was mistakenly deported to prison in El Salvador, rejecting the administration’s emergency appeal… U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis had ordered Abrego Garcia, now being held in a notorious Salvadoran prison, returned to the United States by midnight Monday. ‘The order properly requires the Government to “facilitate” Abrego Garcia’s release from custody in El Salvador and to ensure that his case is handled as it would have been had he not been improperly sent to El Salvador,’ the court said [unanimously] in an unsigned order with no noted dissents… 

“In Thursday’s case, Chief Justice John Roberts had already pushed back Xinis’ deadline. The justices also said that her order must now be clarified to make sure it doesn’t intrude into executive branch power over foreign affairs, since Abrego Garcia is being held abroad. The court said the Trump administration should also be prepared to share what steps it has taken to try to get him back — and what more it could potentially do…” 

The case was sent back to U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis. Notice what happened next.

Justice Department Keeps Stonewalling 

Politico wrote on April 11:

“An exasperated federal judge commanded the Trump administration Friday to begin providing ‘daily updates’ on whether it is doing anything to comply with her order to return a Maryland man — illegally deported to El Salvador last month — back to the United States. U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis scolded the administration for refusing to provide even ‘basic’ details about Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s location, despite her demand for an update by Friday morning… 

“‘I’m asking a very simple question. Where is he?’ Xinis asked Justice Department attorneys at a court hearing. ‘I do not have that information,’ replied Deputy Assistant Attorney General Drew Ensign. The administration’s stonewalling, which Xinis described as ‘extremely troubling,’ raised the specter that it is defying the order that the judge issued last week and that the Supreme Court largely upheld on Thursday…

“The Trump administration has acknowledged that immigration officials wrongly deported Abrego Garcia to El Salvador on March 15, in violation of a 2019 immigration court order that barred his deportation to that country because of a credible fear of persecution by a local gang. He was taken with other deportees to a notorious anti-terrorism prison in El Salvador.”

In the meantime, Trump said the USA will abide by the Supreme Court’s order. But this did not last long (note next article).The government represented that Garcia is still in El Salvador’s prison but it is up to El Salvador whether or not they will release him. This is such a mess… all caused unnecessarily by overzealous federal officials and the subsequent stonewalling by the Justice Department.

Professor Laurence Tribe Warns!

Breitbart wrote on April 16:

“Left-wing commentator and Harvard Law professor emeritus Laurence Tribe [said] Tuesday: ‘… I have been in school for 50 years studying the constitution, teaching about it. It doesn’t enforce itself. It takes human beings… to take it seriously…’

“He added, ‘It’s not just immigrants, they’re important, but it’s all of us. If the United States government can do what Trump claims and that is just grab people off the street, make claims about them that you never present to a judge, whisk them away to a prison colony in El Salvador, a place notorious for torturing people, for getting them to perform slave labor, if that can happen to Kilmar Abrego Garcia it can happen to anybody… Very few people are standing up…’”

Tribe is very correct in this. He also helped the Worldwide Church of God under Herbert W. Armstrong when it was unlawfully and unconstitutionally invaded and illegally taken over by the Attorney General of the State of California in 1979. 

Garcia has been referred to as an illegal alien; a member of the MS-13 gang; a convicted criminal and a terrorist. None of these accusations are correct or supported by the evidence. Garcia has never been convicted of any crime. There is no credible evidence that he was a member of the MS-13 gang or a terrorist. He was legally allowed to be in the U.S. because a federal immigration judge granted him a legal protective order in 2019 to prevent his removal to El Salvador. Though he entered the U.S. illegally as a teen, the immigration judge’s ruling in late 2019 allowed him to stay in the country legally. However, all these questions should have been decided by the court; not by the government which, in violation of the 2019 protective order, just took him and deported him to El Salvador.

Bad and Deeply Distressing Show of Trump and Bukele 

Daily Mail wrote on April 14: 

“President Donald Trump welcomed El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele to the White House. (Bukele describes himself as the “world’s coolest dictator.”) Trump and… Bukele… defended keeping [Garcia] in a notorious megaprison after the Supreme Court ordered his return to the U.S. Bukele argued he couldn’t return… Garcia… who was mistakenly deported along with dozens of other migrants on March 15, to America… Trump indicated he was open to sending Americans convicted of violent crimes to the notorious El Salvadorian megaprison…”

This is getting worse and worse… 

The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Rules Against Trump

The Hill wrote on April 17:

“The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday declined to lift a judge’s order that the Trump administration ‘facilitate’ the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia…  The 4th Circuit declined to put Xinis’s ruling on hold just one day after the administration filed the appeal, a swift order that came without waiting for Abrego Garcia’s lawyers to file their response… ‘we shall not micromanage the efforts of a fine district judge attempting to implement the Supreme Court’s recent decision,’ U.S. Circuit Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson wrote for the unanimous three-judge panel…

“‘The government is asserting a right to stash away residents of this country in foreign prisons without the semblance of due process that is the foundation of our constitutional order,’ he continued. ‘Further, it claims in essence that because it has rid itself of custody that there is nothing that can be done. This should be shocking not only to judges, but to the intuitive sense of liberty that Americans far removed from courthouses still hold dear.’

“Wilkinson, an appointee of former President Reagan, was joined on the panel by U.S. Circuit Judge Robert King, who is an appointee of former President Clinton, and U.S. Circuit Judge Stephanie Thacker, who is an appointee of former President Obama.” 

This seems to be the correct decision, under the circumstances.

Kennedy Backpedals

CNN wrote on April 12:

“Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. this week made his strongest endorsement yet of the measles vaccine amid an ongoing outbreak that has killed three and infected more than 600 people across the US. But his recent push for people to get vaccinated for measles stands in stark contrast to Kennedy’s years of work against measles vaccines, including suing the state of New York for its vaccine mandates, and making numerous claims that the shot is dangerous and unnecessary.

“Kennedy’s comments on X last Sunday that the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, ‘is the most effective way to prevent the spread of measles’ set off vaccine critics who saw the statement as a betrayal of the health secretary’s longtime views on vaccine safety…. Kennedy followed up this Thursday with a Fox News interview, where he told host Martha MacCallum that it is ‘very hard to tell’ whether measles deaths this year could have been averted with vaccinations.”

What double talk! Is there anyone left in the political arena whom you can believe?

PETA Thanks Trump

Breitbart wrote on April 14:

“Animal rights nonprofit group PETA is praising the Trump administration for its work to end animal testing within the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)… FDA Commissioner Martin A. Makary said drug manufacturers have performed ‘additional animal testing of drugs’ for which they already have had human data ‘for too long.’…

“PETA, which has blasted health officials such as Dr. Anthony Fauci for past animal testing, released a positive statement in response… ‘All animal use, including failed vaccine and other testing on monkeys at the federally-funded primate centers, must end… PETA thanks the Trump administration for modernizing the FDA and helping spare tens of thousands of animals each year from being killed in expensive and archaic laboratory tests,’ the group wrote.”

This is good news that those cruel and inhumane animal “experiments” are to be stopped… hopefully very soon.  

Articles set forth below show German and European perspectives which we may or may not share, but they reflect an unparalleled development of hostility between the USA and the EU and especially Germany, which has been prophesied to occur in these last days.

A Person Is Either a Man or a Woman

npr wrote on April 16:

“Britain’s Supreme Court has ruled that the legal definition of a woman is someone born biologically female. Wednesday’s ruling is the culmination of a long-running legal battle that began in Scotland in 2018. But it has big implications for transgender people across the United Kingdom — at a time when similar legal challenges are underway in the United States after President Trump banned transgender people from military service.

“The court’s five judges issued an 88-page judgment. In it, they say the “concept of sex is binary, a person is either a woman or a man.”

BBC News added on April 16:

“Harry Potter author JK Rowling posted on social media: ‘It took three extraordinary, tenacious Scottish women with an army behind them to get this case heard by the Supreme Court and, in winning, they’ve protected the rights of women and girls across the UK.’” 

Many years and huge legal costs could have been avoided if they had only read Genesis 2:21-25. Ignoring God’s Word was a very expensive and time-consuming exercise where the answer was there all the time in Genesis, chapter 2.

Enemies Everywhere

Focus wrote on April 12:

“We [Germans] are now enemies of the American people. Rapists. Looters. Criminals. That’s what Donald Trump called us on ‘Liberation Day’…

“The president has the Europeans in particular in his sights. Of all those who rip off the American people, they are the worst. Sneaky, devious, and never at a loss for an excuse when confronted. Tariffs are not enough to hold them accountable for the injustice they have suffered.

“On Monday, Trump demanded reparations. For every VW, every BMW, and every Mercedes that rolls on American roads, compensation must be paid… ‘There will be no talks as long as they don’t pay us a lot of money on an annual basis, for the present, but also for the past.’

“If you declare the whole world an enemy, you only have enemies everywhere. That’s inevitable….

“If I were an American, I would be a bit quieter on my next visit to Europe. My advice: whisper when ordering in a restaurant. And in a hotel, pretend you got the address wrong. Or adopt an accent that makes you look British. If there is a need, an Australian will work too…

“The USA dominates the entertainment industry, the oil industry, and the financial industry. In the tech world, its dominance is so overwhelming that practically no cell phone or computer can function without its help. Of the 25 most valuable companies in the world, 23 are from the United States. But on US television, Trump’s Homeland Security Advisor Stephen Miller is declaring, with a voice trembling with indignation, that not a single American car can be seen on German roads.

“American steaks are supposedly nowhere to be found because American meat is ‘beautiful’ and European meat is ‘weak’… This insight comes from the new Secretary of Commerce, Howard Lutnick. I have no idea when the man was last in Germany. I’d be happy to invite Lutnick to inspect the meat counter at Simmel, the Edeka supermarket around the corner from me. US prime beef can be found there in almost every degree of maturity and cut: Tomahawk, T-bone, or ribeye…

“160 million US citizens have invested their money in the stock market. A friend from Washington told me on the phone that the past few days had cost him $50,000. He’s not alone in his loss…

“It’s going to be lonely. Bookings from Canada have plummeted by 70 percent. Others will also consider whether they want to take the risk of traveling to the US. You don’t know if you’ll even get in – or out again... The only people here who are bravely supporting Trump are the people of the AfD. The AfD still believes Trump is one of their own…”

“The US President Detests the Europeans”

ntv wrote on April 12:

“Three members of the European Parliament traveled to Washington to save transatlantic relations: Bernd Lange, Chairman of the Trade Committee, David McAllister, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, and Brando Benifei, Chairman of the parliamentary delegation to the US. There, they spoke with high-ranking Republicans to explore how they could still convince US President Donald Trump to cooperate with the Europeans – especially on economic policy.

“A difficult undertaking, given that Trump had repeatedly expressed his disgust with Brussels… ‘Trump hates the EU and its institutions. That’s clear. During my visit to Washington, it became clear: Republicans also hate the European Union,’ says Lange. 

“Not ideal conditions for an amicable agreement. Trump would much rather negotiate with individual European states… ‘But if the 27 EU member states stand together, then we are 450 million compared to 330 million Americans,’ says McAllister…

“No matter how emotionally driven Trump’s actions may be, the EU should never make the mistake of allowing itself to be intimidated by him, as Trump sees this as weakness, says Lange… McAllister agrees: ‘Trump is only impressed by those who show strength and also appear confident.’…”

Tesla a Flop?

t-online wrote on April 12:

“Even in the Republican-dominated US state of Montana, Tesla seems to be met with nothing but hostility: As former Defense Minister Karl Theodor zu Guttenberg… reported, he was repeatedly heckled during his test drive of the Cybertruck… The former CSU politician and current lobbyist attributes these reactions to the unpopularity of Tesla CEO Elon Musk… The driving experience in the Cybertruck does not seem to have compensated Guttenberg for this experience: The vehicle itself is an ‘unbelievably hideous pickup monster.’

“This image problem is also reflected in the company’s business figures. Tesla recorded a 13 percent decline in sales in the first quarter of 2025 compared to the same period last year… The latest Tesla model is also increasingly being criticized. The Cybertruck is said to be struggling with significant quality issues. By the end of February, only around 46,100 vehicles were produced – significantly less than the original annual target of 250,000 units. Forbes magazine calls the model the biggest flop in the auto industry in decades.”

“Poor Germany: ‘Coalition Agreement Is Friedrich Merz’s Capitulation Document.'”

The Austrian magazine Report 24 wrote on April 12:

“The coalition agreement reads in places like a left-wing election platform for a surveillance state – from mandatory digital ID and electronic patient records to a ‘ban on lying’ and the automated transfer of data from online platforms to law enforcement agencies, everything that enables total control and persecution of citizens is represented. Meanwhile, all of the Union’s relevant election promises have been scrapped… The AfD views the agreement as a capitulation document. Initial polls show it is now the strongest party in Germany.

“Below you can read the statement by the chairmen of the AfD parliamentary group in the German Bundestag, Alice Weidel, and Tino Chrupalla:

“‘This coalition agreement is Friedrich Merz’s capitulation document. The paper bears throughout the hallmarks of the election loser, the SPD, peppered with nods to the Greens, who will always be at the table in this cabinet.

“‘It is a “business as usual” document that offers no solutions to the major future issues facing our country. There is no departure in sight from the electric car-based planned economy that is ruining our key industry. Energy remains expensive because nuclear energy and cheap gas remain taboo topics. 

“‘Apart from platitudes and announcements, nothing of the boastfully promised “migration turnaround” can be found in the paper… The coalition partners praise themselves for not raising taxes. But they promised tax cuts… But when it comes to debts at the expense of our children and grandchildren, they summon the defeated Bundestag and amend the Basic Law…”

What the AfD is stating here is, sadly, not far off.

Attack on Germany’s “Freedom of Expression” 

Focus wrote on April 12: 

“Journalist David Bendels was sentenced to probation for distributing a distorted image of Nancy Faeser on X… Faeser [currently still the lame-duck Federal Minister of the Interior] had posed with a sign reading ‘We remember’ on the occasion of a memorial day. Bendels, in turn, had replaced the lettering with ‘I hate freedom of expression.’ The court thus considered the offense of defamation under Section 188, Paragraph 2 of the Criminal Code [defaming politicians] to have been fulfilled.

“However, this cannot be said, says FOCUS columnist Jan Fleischhauer. Faeser ‘disregarded press freedom in Germany like no other,’ he said… After all, she tried to ‘shut down a right-wing magazine that didn’t suit her.’ Even during the coronavirus pandemic, as Minister of the Constitution, she had a questionable attitude toward the right to demonstrate. ‘She recommended to citizens they could just stay at home. Why do we even have to take to the streets for these lateral thinker (“Querdenker”) demonstrations? Demonstrating at home would be nice too…’ 

“The fact that the public prosecutor’s office took action in this case at all was due to Faeser’s insistence. ‘In the end, that means: She will go down in history as the Federal Minister of the Interior who took government-critical images on X more seriously than the marches of hardcore anti-Semites on German streets shouting ‘Death to Israel.’ Strangely, she didn’t take action.”

“‘…if satirical images are considered hate and incitement…then freedom of expression is in jeopardy.'” 

It surely is. 

Focus wrote on April 11: 

“Was someone smoking something under their robe? That, at least, would be an explanation… Unfortunately, it’s not a slip-up. In Germany, cases are increasing in which judges and public prosecutors demonstrate an astonishing, indeed astonishingly disturbed, attitude toward freedom of expression.”

Unbelievable Verdict Against an Anti-Coronavirus Protester

Report 24 wrote on April 15: 

“… on the evening of May 1, 2021, a group of around 50 people [gathered] in Tuttlingen… Their goal: to protest against the excessive coronavirus measures. Dressed in black, some with white makeup on their faces, carrying torches and some with flags, the group moved… toward the city center. But… the police [obstructed] their way because the gathering had not been registered… The woman, now 59, had also participated in the demonstration…

“The Tuttlingen District Court had already sentenced her to eight months’ probation. But she rejected the verdict and appealed. She was charged with disturbing the peace, violating the ban on assembly and wearing masks, and carrying a ‘weapon’—a torch. The Rottweil Regional Court has now re-set the sentence: a €7,500 Fine… The verdict is final.

“The verdict shows that the judiciary takes tough action, even years later, when rules are broken – especially when the ‘perpetrators’ are government critics. But given the realization that the measures were excessive and in some cases unconstitutional, the punishment could only further fuel anger against the state. Citizens are demanding an investigation – instead, they are receiving such verdicts. On social media, users are expressing incomprehension.

“It cannot be ruled out that [in] Germany, people will soon end up in prison again because of their political views, even if their statements have nothing to do with incitement. Harsh criticism of the government can nowadays be considered lèse majesté [offense against the dignity of a ruling head of state] … and punished…”

Germany again on the way towards a dictatorship?  

Acknowledgement and Disclaimer:

These Current Events are compiled and commented on by Norbert Link. We gratefully acknowledge the many contributions of news articles from our readership. The publication of articles in this section is not to be viewed as an endorsement or approval as to contents or accuracy of the selected articles, but they are published for the purpose of pointing at worldwide developments in the light of biblical end-time prophecy and godly instruction. Our own comments are provided in italics.

In part 1 of this Q&A, we discussed the fact that many religions believe that each person has an immortal soul.   Orthodox Christianity, in general, has the same understanding.   But is it true? 

In our booklet “The Theory of Evolution – A Fairy Tale for Adults,” the Spirit in Man is discussed and below are a few selected highlights taken from pages 19-26.   This shows that the Spirit in Man is not the soul.  

“Herbert W. Armstrong… published his findings in a book entitled, ‘The Incredible Human Potential.’ This is what he wrote on pages 74 and 75, ‘Animals are equipped with brain and instinct. But they do not have power to understand and choose moral and spiritual values or to develop perfect spiritual character. Animals have brain, but no intellect—instinct, but no ability to develop holy and Godly character. And that pictures the transcendental DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ANIMAL BRAIN AND HUMAN MIND.

“‘What then can account for the vast difference? Science cannot adequately answer. Some scientists, in the field of research, conclude that, of necessity, there has to be some non-physical component in human brain that does not exist in animal brain….’

“Mr. Armstrong then explains that, according to the Bible, each human being has a non-physical component in his brain, called ‘the spirit in man.’ On page 81 of his book, he points out, ‘[T]his spirit is not the man—only something in the man… This spirit cannot see, hear, or think. The man sees, hears and thinks through his physical brain and the five senses of seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling and feeling. The spirit in man imparts the power of physical intellect to the physical brain, thus forming human mind.

“‘This spirit acts, among other things, as a computer, adding to the brain the psychic and intellectual power. Knowledge received in the brain through the eye, ear and the senses is immediately “programmed’ into the spirit computer. This “computer” gives the brain instant recall of whatever portion of millions of bits of knowledge may be needed in the reasoning process. That is to say that memory is recorded in the human spirit, whether or not it is also recorded in the “gray matter” of the brain. This human spirit also adds to man a spiritual and moral faculty not possessed by animals.’

“Most people know nothing about the existence of the spirit in man—even many religious people—lay persons and theologians alike. When they read passages in the Bible describing the spirit in man, they assume the Bible is talking about the soul. But the soul is not a non-physical component of the human being. The soul, according to the Bible, is totally physical. The Bible does not teach the concept of an immortal soul. Rather, we read in Ezekiel 18:4, ‘The soul who sins shall die.’ The word ‘soul’ in the Bible refers to the living body of both man and animals. In Revelation 16:3, we read that every living soul—both men and beasts—died in the sea. The soul does NOT distinguish man from animals. Rather, the spirit in man is THE distinguishing factor between man and animals. It explains man’s superiority over the animals and totally disproves the concept of evolution. 

“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.’

“Jesus Christ Himself, at the time of His death, cried out to the Father to receive His spirit. What exactly did He say? Let’s read in Luke 23:46, ‘And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, “Father, into Your hands I commit My Spirit.” Having said this, He breathed His last.’ When He died, His human spirit returned to God, as we read in Ecclesiastes. 

“Understand though, that when a man dies and his spirit returns to God, that spirit does not continue to live consciously, apart from the body. Rather, God ‘stores’ it, so to speak, in heaven, until He unites it at the time of the resurrection of man with a new spiritual or physical body. The concept that man’s soul is immortal is as wrong as the concept that man’s spirit continues to live consciously after death. Rather, the body—or soul—dies, and the spirit of man returns to God to await a resurrection.

“Note Ecclesiastes 9:4-6, ‘But for him who is joined to all the living there is hope… For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing…Also their love, their hatred, and their envy have now perished…’ And verse 10, ‘Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might, for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going.’ In other words, there is no conscious activity after a person dies. The spirit does not continue in the realm of consciousness.

“Jesus Christ also made it clear that dead people do not continue to live on. Rather, the dead will have to be brought back to life through a resurrection from the dead. In Matthew 22:31-32, He asked the Sadducees, since they did not believe in the resurrection, ‘But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying, I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.’ If the dead persons of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob had somehow continued to live consciously after their death, including a conscious existence of their spirit that had returned to God, then Christ’s words to the Sadducees would have been without sense.

“WHY does God give each human being a spirit? The spirit in man records all the human characteristics of the person, as well as his or her outward appearance. At the time of the resurrection, the spirit of the dead person is combined with a new body of the dead person. This means, all the experiences and memories and ideas of the former life are back in the resurrected individual, and the resurrected person will also look the same way he or she did in their former life.

“When a person dies, his body returns to dust. But the spirit of man in him has recorded the appearance of the person, the personality, the personal attributes, and God gives the spirit of that person back into the newly created physical body. 

“Just as the Bible teaches a resurrection to physical life, so it also teaches a resurrection to spiritual life. Those who died after having been counted worthy to enter the Kingdom of God at the time of Christ’s second coming, will have part in a spiritual resurrection, as the Apostle Paul explains in 1 Corinthians 15:35-38, 42-44, ‘But someone will say, “How are the dead raised up? And with what body do they come?” Foolish one, what you sow is not made alive unless it dies. And what you sow, you do not sow that body that shall be… But God gives… a body as He pleases… So also is the [spiritual] resurrection from the dead [to spiritual life]: The body is sown in corruption [flesh and blood], it is raised in incorruption…It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.’ But as with a resurrection to physical life, the resurrection to spiritual life will also incorporate the spirit that was in man and that recorded the person’s characteristics.

“So we see that it is the spirit in man that explains the vast differences in self-awareness, intellect and intelligence between man and animals.”

What you have just read is something that so many simply don’t understand.  Because so many believe in an immortal soul that has to go somewhere when the body dies, Bible verses are interpreted in a way that allows this belief.   As we saw in the previous instalment, many religions are convicted of this and even in mainstream Christianity, it is the prevailing view with the good going to Heaven at death and the evil unbelievers going to Hell being accepted as Biblical Truth, when it isn’t.   And once such error is accepted, then further errors creep in, which is why it is so vital to have the correct understanding that we don’t have an immortal soul.

In part 1 of this Q&A, we mentioned that one writer opined that “the present Heaven is not our final destination, it’s a wonderful place, and it’s understandable that those who have had loved ones die in Christ wonder what life is like for them there. Based on the Bible’s teaching, we know several things: the present Heaven is a real (and possibly physical) place. Those who love Jesus and trust Him for their salvation will be with Him there, together with all who have died in Christ. We will be awake and cognizant.” 

We had explained that this is most certainly not the prevailing view in orthodox Christianity which holds that the good remain forever in Heaven as their final destination. But this writer even thinks that “The Present Heaven May Be a Physical Place.”  He also wrote that “A fundamental article of the Christian faith is that the resurrected Christ now dwells in Heaven. We are told that His resurrected body on Earth was physical and that this same, physical Jesus ascended to Heaven, from where He will one day return to Earth. It seems indisputable, then, to say that there is at least one physical body in the present Heaven. If Christ’s body in the intermediate Heaven has physical properties, it stands to reason that others in Heaven could have physical forms as well, even if only temporary ones.”

To add to the confusion even more, he writes: “Given the consistent physical descriptions of the intermediate Heaven and those who dwell there, it seems possible—though this is certainly debatable—that between our earthly lives and our bodily resurrection God may grant us some temporary physical form that will allow us to function as human beings while in that unnatural state ‘between bodies’ awaiting our bodily resurrection. If so, that would account for the repeated depictions of people now in Heaven occupying physical space, wearing clothes and crowns, carrying branches, and having body parts (for example, Lazarus’s finger in Luke 16:24).”  

As mentioned previously, we address the question about Lazarus and the rich man in our booklet “Do We Have an Immortal Soul?” on pages 31-32: 

The opinion of the writer, as quoted above, is wrong for many reasons. One, there are no physical bodies in heaven, and there never will be. Two, nobody went to heaven except for Jesus Christ, but not in a physical body, but as a Spirit being. 

We said in one of our Q&As: “God also created the third heaven with all its spiritual components, including His throne, His temple, the heavenly Jerusalem, and the heavenly garden or Paradise, because we read that the Father created everything there is through Jesus Christ (John 1:1-3)—the visible and the invisible (Colossians 1:16). We understand, of course, that both the Father and Jesus Christ have always existed; Christ was not created (Hebrews 7:3). So it was the God Family who created everything.”   In view of this information, how could anyone even think that heaven could be physical?

Another disagreement we would have with the concept of going to heaven and that it might even be physical etc, we write in our booklet “Why This Confusion About Life After Death” on pages 8-9 under the heading “Man Can Reach Two Heavens But Not the Third Heaven Where God Dwells” the following:

“As Lewis Brown explains in ‘This Believing World’: ‘In very early times that idea flourished not alone among the Babylonians and Egyptians, but also among the barbaric tribes in and around Greece… these mysteries [came] down from Thrace or across the sea from Egypt and Asia Minor… they declared that for every man, no matter how poor or vicious, there was a place in heaven. All one had to do was to be ‘initiated’ into the secrets of the cult.’

“The Hebrews did not believe that we go to Heaven when we die. Neither did the early Christians. But in time, the concept developed within the Roman Catholic Church that one will be saved and go to Heaven when one has been baptized into the church, including as a little baby. 

“The Bible does not teach this. Much confusion exists because many do not understand that the Bible speaks of more than one heaven. 

“When the Bible speaks of ‘heaven,’ it may refer to any one of three different locations. The first heaven is the atmosphere, surrounding the earth, where birds can fly and clouds move (Genesis 1:20; 27:28). The second heaven is the universe, with all its galaxies, suns, stars and planets (Psalm 8:3). 

“It is possible for man to reach these two heavens—at least, to a limited extent. But man cannot reach the Third Heaven, where God dwells—where His angels live and where His throne is located. It is spiritual, not physical. Physical beings cannot enter it—except in a vision—and we won’t go there after our death, either. 

“According to the biblical testimony, the only Being who entered the Third Heaven after death was Jesus Christ. Others saw the Third Heaven in a vision—such as Daniel (Daniel 7:9), Paul (2 Corinthians 12:2), Stephen (Acts 7:56) or John (Revelation 4:2), but they did not enter the Third Heaven in bodily form, or as spirit beings. 

“Christ said in John 3:13 that no human being—except He Himself—has entered the Third Heaven. The German Luther Bible from 1964 wrote: ‘And no one goes to Heaven except for the One who came down from Heaven, namely the Son of Man…’ (‚Und niemand fährt gen Himmel, denn der vom Himmel herniedergekommen ist, nämlich des Menschen Sohn…‘). 

“Most translations render the passage as, ‘No one has ascended up to heaven…’, but even then, it is at least clear that no one before Christ ever went to the Third Heaven. This means that contrary to popular belief, Elijah and Enoch did NOT enter God’s Third Heaven.”

In Time Magazine in December 2019, author N.T. Wright wrote the following:

“Indeed, for most modern Christians, the idea of ‘going to heaven when you die’ is not simply one belief among others, but the one that seems to give a point to it all.

“But the people who believed in that kind of ‘heaven’ when the New Testament was written were not the early Christians.  They were the ‘Middle Platonists’ — people like Plutarch (a younger contemporary of St Paul who was a philosopher, biographer, essayist and pagan priest in Delphi). To understand what the first followers of Jesus believed about what happens after death, we need to read the New Testament in its own world — the world of Jewish hope, of Roman imperialism and of Greek thought.

“Israel’s scriptures had long promised that God would come back in person to dwell with his people for ever. The early Christians picked this up: ‘The Word became flesh,’ declares John [1:14], ‘and dwelt in our midst.’ The word for ‘dwelt’ means, literally, ‘tabernacled,’ ‘pitched his tent’ — alluding to the wilderness ‘tabernacle’ in the time of Moses and the Temple built by Solomon. Studying the New Testament historically, in its own world (as opposed to squashing and chopping it to fit with our own expectations), shows that the first Christians believed not that they would ‘go to heaven when they died,’ but that, in Jesus, God had come to live with them.

“That was the lens through which they saw the hope of the world. The book of Revelation ends, not with souls going up to heaven, but with the New Jerusalem coming down to earth, so that ‘the dwelling of God is with humans.’”

There is so much confusion in all of this mainstream “understanding” and over many years we have covered all of these issues in our literature and in sermons, where the Bible is clear. In brief, the answer is that if the understanding about the spirit in man was accepted, no one would need to be in heaven, a temporary waiting place, purgatory or any other variation of such an erroneous belief.  And understanding that we do NOT have an immortal soul is basic Truth and understanding right from the Word of God.  If we did have an immortal soul, we couldn’t be destroyed,  and if the “going to hell at death” reasoning was correct, then those going there would be there for eternity which is neither correct nor would it be the act of a loving God.

The correct knowledge about the immortal soul is vital to our understanding about God, His plan of salvation and His love for all His creation.  Incorrect knowledge will lead to further misunderstandings as we have seen in these Q&As.

Material available for further study:

Our booklets pertinent to what has been discussed in these two Q&A’s are:

The Theory of Evolution – A Fairy Tale for Adults?

Do We Have an Immortal Soul?

And in our 79-page-booklet “Why This Confusion About Life After Death,” we cover many topics, a few of which are:

Man Does Not Have an Immortal Soul Which Goes to Heaven

Man Will Not Be Judged at the Moment of His Death

Man Is a Soul Not Has a Soul

Mary, and Everyone Else Who Has Died, Are Still in the Grave

Limbo and Purgatory Are Not Biblical Concepts

Indulgences

The False Concept of Hell

An Ever-Burning Hell-fire; After Death, Is Unbiblical

The Dead Know Nothing

The Spirit in Man

Most People Have No Knowledge About the Existence of the Spirit in Man

and much more, which can be accessed online via this link: https://www.eternalgod.org/why-this-confusion-about-life-after-death/

Lead Writer: Brian Gale (United Kingdom)

compiled by Dave Harris

“Europe For War and Against Freedom?” is the title of a new StandingWatch program, presented by Evangelist Norbert Link. Here is the summary:

In this program, we cover deeply disturbing attacks on liberties and freedoms in Europe, especially in France and Germany, as well as Europe’s “lust for war” and the question whether the euro is becoming an alternative to the US Dollar.

“Europa für Krieg und gegen Freiheit?” is the title of a new AufPostenStehen program, presented by Norbert Link. The German program covers the same topics as described above.

“Wer sind die zwei Zeugen?” is the title of this Sabbath’s new German sermon, presented by Norbert Link. Title in English: “Who Are the Two Witnesses?”

“The Tower of Babel” is the latest video in our Bible Story Series on YouTube.

“Babylon Berlin,” last Sabbath’s second German split sermon, presented by Manuel Mueller, is now posted. Title in English: “Babylon Berlin.”

“Gottbewusstsein—Erwache aus dem geistigen Schlaf,” last Sabbath’s first German split sermon, presented by Mario Danisch, is now posted. Title in English: “God Consciousness—Awaken from Spiritual Sleep.”

“Einzigartig,” the German Offertory presented on the First Day of Unleavened Bread by Cristian Popescu, is now posted. Title in English: “Unique.”

“Gegen die Welt,” the German sermon presented on the First Day of Unleavened Bread by

Michael Link, is now posted. Title in English: “Against the World.”

“God’s Rubies,” last Sabbath’s sermonette presented by Frank Bruno, is now posted. Here is the summary:

Rubies as gemstones have been prized by kings and craftsmen for many years. Various Scriptures place value on qualities such as wisdom and integrity above that of these gemstones. As true Christians, we will consider how we can be refined by our faith in the Father and Jesus Christ, as rubies are refined by heat and pressure.

“Do We Really Need to Keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread?” last Sabbath’s sermon presented by Brian Gale, is now posted. Here is the summary:

The annual festivals pictured events of historic importance to ancient Israel, and today to the true Christian. Recall that when God revealed His weekly Sabbath to the Israelites, it was a sign and a memorial so they would remember that He is the Creator and that they were His people.  And God also gave them the annual festivals for His Church showing the plan of God in eventually delivering the entire world from sin.

“Generosity,” the Offertory presented on the First Day of Unleavened Bread by Eric Rank, is now posted. Here is the summary:

The Feast of Unleavened Bread is a commanded Holy Day when God instructs His people to appear with an offering. The offering we give reflects our gratitude and love for God. As we give, we should consider what it reveals about our heart. When done well, our act of giving will delight God and bring us joy as well. Giving from the abundance of our heart pleases God tremendously.

“The Catastrophe of SIN,” the sermon presented on the First Day of Unleavened Bread by Dave Harris, is now posted. Here is the summary:

We hear warnings about nuclear war in which it is possible to decimate the population of cities, nations and even this planet. Yet, an even more deadly action is sin, because it always incurs the death penalty. How can mankind escape this tragic end!

2025 SPRING HOLY DAYS:

Passover: April 12 (observed evening before)

Days of Unleavened Bread: April 13-19 (first and last days are Holy Days with live Services being broadcast).