The Antidote / So Great a Salvation!

On January 15, 2022, Eric Rank will present the sermonette, titled, “The Antidote,” and Dave Harris will present the sermon, titled, “So Great a Salvation!”

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.

Update 1004

Comments on News and Prophecy—January 8, 2022 / Who Is Your Father?

On January 8, 2022, Norbert Link will present “Comments on News and Prophecy—January 8, 2022”, and Kalon Mitchell will present the sermon, titled, “Who Is Your Father?”

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.

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Calculating Profit

by Eric Rank

The calculation of profit is an easy one. Simply subtract costs from total revenue to tabulate the margin of profit. When considering any kind of endeavor, counting the costs to evaluate whether it is worth the investment is essential. We don’t want to waste our resources on pursuits that will not bring us the kind of return that we seek. But the question is, what is the unit of measure that we use to calculate our profit?

Pharmaceutical companies are raking in record profits for the year — calculated in units of money. For example, prior to the Covid 19 pandemic, Moderna was a relatively small pharmaceutical company, typically making about $100 million in annual revenue. By way of contrast, their 2021 profits are projected to be $10 billion. This makes their profits one hundred times larger than their average revenue before the pandemic. Undoubtedly a financial success story, at least on the face of it. But this is only true if we consider the financial costs. When considering the collateral damage done to the percentage of people who have physically suffered or even died as a result of taking their vaccine, the costs are much more material. One wonders how God calculates the profits of pharmaceutical companies when considering the cost of unnecessary harm done to people desperately seeking safety. I doubt the numbers would be very impressive.

To some, an endeavor that appears to waste money or time might in fact produce value that is meaningful to us individually. Volunteering time or donating money are examples of giving away valuable resources that may not appear at first to bring in a profit by the same measure. The profit of those activities may be inherent in the joy of helping others. What appears to be a fruitless dedication of time and money can yield great returns when the unit of measure is not so material. As Christians, we ought to understand this clearly, as we are admonished to seek our treasure in heaven (compare Matthew 6:20). We also understand, of course, that giving to others with the right motivation will result in physical as well as spiritual blessings (Luke 6:38; Malachi 3:10; compare also Mark 10:29-30)

God wants us to profit, but only in the right way. “Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, The Holy One of Israel: ‘I am the LORD your God, Who teaches you to profit, Who leads you by the way you should go. Oh, that you had heeded My commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, And your righteousness like the waves of the sea’” (Isaiah 48:17-18). Our methods and measures for achieving a profit must be guided by God. We are to make our investment with a spiritual return as our motivation, knowing that He will hold us accountable in our time of judgment. In whatever way we choose to invest the resources that God bestows upon us, the targeted product must not compromise with His commandments. He is the one who teaches us to profit through obedience, measured by the fruit of the Spirit that we are able to produce (compare the above with Galatians 5:22-25).

When we become baptized into the Family of God, we are given a measure of the Holy Spirit. It is not something that we can feel in any physical way, but it has the power to produce immense positive change in our lives. However, the power of God the Father and Jesus Christ will only work within us when we put it to use. If we choose to continue in our worldly ways, seeking a material profit by worldly measures, we will quite ironically become unprofitable (compare Matthew 25:30, Luke 17:10). Not only does God want us to be profitable with our lives, we have a responsibility and duty that we MUST be profitable. This, of course, according to our spiritual growth.

The measure of our profitability lies in the way that invests our resources spiritually. The proverbial “good life” is not identified by luxury. Rather, if we want to live the good life, we dedicate our resources to obedience, loving the way of life that God commands, with joy. Love for Him and our fellow man lead us into the kind of profits that are most valuable in the long run. If our costs are the sacrifices that we make to leave the desires of this world behind, and our revenue is spiritual fruit, then our profit is the reward promised by God to those who remain diligent in their commitment to the Work (compare Matthew 16:27).

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by Norbert Link

We begin reporting on the ongoing desire—especially by Germany and France—to create a sovereign “United States of Europe,” which will turn out to be anything but democratic; speak on the 20th anniversary of the euro;  and report on Austria’s frightening dictatorship which is being compared with developments prior to World War II, as well as frightening developments in Germany and France. In this context, please view our new StandingWatch program, titled, “The Pandemic of the Unvaccinated”We also speak on the danger of the Ethiopian war for Europe and China’s hoarding of the world’s grain.

We point out dangers TikTok poses for our children; the make-believe insanity in Switzerland; and an area where Putin has it right.

We address the second phone call between Putin and Biden, which accomplished little, and the ongoing threats Russia is launching against Europe and NATO, especially focusing thereby on Ukraine, Sweden and Finland. We also report on the violent turmoil in Kazakhstan, one of Russia’s allies.

We continue with the leading cause of death [which is not COVID 19 by a long shot]; Dr. Fauci’s “clarification” of former lies; the United States of America’s division as never before in the recent past; and the last two years of America’s terrible dictatorship; as well as other deeply disturbing developments pertaining to governmental restrictions and mandates to the coronavirus pandemic in Canada and the USA; and we address the historic wildfires in Colorado.

We speak on spectacular UFO sightings and Israel’s possible intention to attack Iran with or without Biden’s support; and the growing desire to build the biblically prophesied third temple which opens up interesting questions regarding the fate of the Al Aqsa mosque. We also address the growing friction between American Jews and the State of Israel.

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

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Germany and France for a more “Sovereign” Europe

Breitbart wrote on January 1, 2022:

“Annalena Baerbock, the foreign minister of Germany’s new left-led coalition government, has pledged that her country will support France in making ‘a more sovereign Europe’ — that is, one with more power over its member-states’ national governments. The declaration comes as France assumes the European Union’s rotating presidency for the next six months. ‘Our French friends can count on our support from the first to the last day to lay the right foundations within the EU: for a sustainable economic recovery, in the fight against the climate crisis, in digitization and for a more sovereign Europe in the world,’ Baerbock said…

“The German minister went on to say… that Germany and France as ‘the closest friends at the heart of Europe, bear a particular responsibility for a united European Union, capable of acting and oriented towards the future’.

“France’s President Emmanuel Macron has already promised that the nation will aim to increase the power of Europe on the world stage during its presidency of the bloc, which kicks off on January 1st… As France begins its presidency of the EU, Germany will begin its presidency of the G7 on the same date, with Berlin to host a summit of the seven nations in June…

“The [German] coalition — led by Chancellor Olaf Scholz — has declared that it will push for a so-called ‘United States of Europe’ during its lifespan. In the document outlining the government’s goals, the three coalition members commit to ‘lead developments to a European federal state’, with the document noting the move is Germany’s ‘special responsibility’ as the EU’s ‘largest member-state’…

“Germany has even been accused of using the EU to create a ‘Fourth Reich’, with Polish deputy prime minister Jarosław Kaczyński making comparisons between the bloc and the Holy Roman Empire. The French government has also repeatedly backed the call for stronger European ties, with one government source even saying that Macron was willing to surrender its seat on the UN Security Council to the bloc in exchange for the establishment of an European Army.”

Comments by readers to this article are telling:

“Makes it easy for another Hitler or Stalin leader to appear… Germany still trying to create its own army & take over Europe… the next three years will be perilous indeed, as there will be no one in the White House calling out Brussels and its policies… The Reconstitution of the Roman Empire continues…”

20 Years of the Euro

The Local wrote on January 1:

The euro on Saturday marked 20 years since people began to use the single European currency… European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen called the euro ‘a true symbol for the strength of Europe’…

“Euro banknotes and coins came into circulation in 12 countries on January 1, 2002, greeted by a mix of enthusiasm and scepticism from citizens who had to trade in their Deutsche marks, French francs, pesetas and liras. The euro is now used by 340 million people in 19 nations, from Ireland to Germany to Slovakia. Bulgaria, Croatia and Romania are next in line to join the eurozone…

“While the dollar still reigns supreme across the globe, the euro is now the world’s second most-used currency… Von der Leyen, in a video statement, said: ‘We are the biggest player in the world trade and nearly half of this trade takes place in euros.’”

We have emphasized time and time again that the euro is here to stay, as it is the glue which holds European member states together.

Austria Reliving its Past Dictatorship?

Breitbart wrote on December 31:

“On Thursday, Austria’s National Council decided to extend the lockdown for the unvaccinated until at least January 10th… The new measures are the fourth amendment to Austria’s COVID-19 Protective Measures Ordinance and were passed in parliament by the ruling Austrian People’s Party (OeVP), their coalition partners the Greens, as well as the Social Democrats (SPOe)… the new amendment states that private New Year gatherings must not exceed ten people. A curfew for all restaurants has also been set for 10 p.m.

“The EU member-state has also decided that any vaccine certificates that involved a single dose inoculation will expire on January 3rd. Those who took a one-dose vaccine will be required to take a booster shot for their health passport to remain valid.

Unvaccinated individuals in Austria have been under a general lockdown since late November, which ultimately included fully vaccinated residents as well — but the government lifted restrictions for the vaccinated earlier this month. The new amendment is just the latest time the lockdown for the unvaccinated has been extended by the government, which will meet on January 10th to possibly extend the lockdown yet again. The new year will also see Austria make the vaccine mandatory for all citizens. Those who do not comply could face large fines as well as possible prison time beginning in February.”

Comments to this article are telling:

“… everybody in my family who took the vaccines are sick ! The ones of us who didn`t take the shots are working very hard to take care of them, that`s the facts around this family…  the actual science actually says that the ‘vaccinated’ are at greater risk of catching and getting ill from Omicron than the unvaccinated… The mind boggles at the stupidity of these silly restrictions… Same here. Vaccinated daughters got the virus, non-vaccinated parents didn’t…. I know of several families where everyone is vaccinated and everyone is now sick. Unvaxxed…. no one sick… I got horribly ill from the second Moderna vaccine I will not be taking the booster!… Austria, original home of the Nazi menace, has truly returned to its roots…. It makes one wonder if the spirit of the 1930s ever really died in Austria….

Imagine, a lockdown over a bad cold. Now we know why Hitler was able to march in and take Austria over without firing a shot…. Austrians learned NOTHING from history…”

It appears that most Austrians did NOT learn from their history. However, the anger of a vocal minority against governmental restrictions grows in parts of Austria and Germany. Dictatorial reactions of the governments can be expected.

 The Western Standard wrote on January 2:

Close to 350,000 people took to the streets in Vienna, Austria this weekend to protest some of the most Draconian COVID-19 restrictions in the world. Austria was the first country to announce mandatory vaccinations for all citizens 14-years-old and up. This week it was announced the mandate comes into effect February 1 and will cost the unvaccinated up to 3,600 euros… every three months.”

Breitbart wrote on January 4:

“A number of protests have taken place in Germany, with estimates putting the number of anti-lockdown protesters attending events at over 100,000 in total nationwide… 50,000 turned out in Baden-Wuertemberg, ‘tens of thousands’ in Saxony, and 17,000 in Thuringia.  While a number of protests took place in the country with the permission of relative authorities, others went ahead despite non-compliance, with thousands attending so-called ‘unannounced’ rallies despite being threatened with fines by police. Monday night ‘strolls’ have a history in Germany reaching back to the Communist era where protesting could be a dangerous occupation…

“While protests in a number of regions last night remained relatively peaceful… others did experience some levels of violence… East German members of the ruling Free Democratic Party (FDP) have expressed a desire for security authorities to clamp down on violent protesters. A strategy paper by the group’s eastern head, Hagen Reinhold, has called for better coordination between security authorities in dealing with internet bubbles and chats that he claims are used to mobilise people… Reinhold calls out Telegram in particular as a potential source of problems, the encrypted messaging service having already drawn much institutional ire in Germany over recent months.

“German authorities have already launched legal proceedings against the app last month over claims that it did not abide by laws requiring social media to police the actions of users on the platform. ‘Should Telegram fail to react to the European and German legal situation, our security policy will increasingly begin in the chat groups in the future,’ wrote the FDP politician in the paper.”

The more some Germans object to the restrictions, the more the government will respond, especially when it can be alleged that demonstrators, even if it is just a handful, become “violent.” Such problematic governmental reactions will not only be directed at the actual perpetrators, but also at the organizers of demonstrations.

Macron Attacks the Unvaccinated

BBC News wrote on January 5:

 “French President Emmanuel Macron has been accused of using divisive, vulgar language after he used a slang term to say he wanted to make life difficult for unvaccinated people. ‘I really want to p… them off, and we’ll carry on doing this – to the end,’ he told Le Parisien newspaper…. ‘So we need to tell them, from 15 January, you will no longer be able to go to the restaurant. You will no longer be able to go for a coffee, you will no longer be able to go to the theatre. You will no longer be able to go to the cinema.’…

“The airwaves in France are shrill this morning with the sound of angry politicians. From left and right, moderate and extreme, opponents are outbidding each other in condemnation…”

The Sun added on January 5:

“FUMING Emmanuel Macron has vowed to ‘p**s off’ France’s unvaccinated population as he branded them ‘non-citizens’ in a furious outburst… He insisted he would not ‘vaccinate by force’ the minority who had not had a dose, but instead persuade them to get jabbed by ‘limiting as much as possible their access to activities in social life’.”

These terrible tactics by governmental officials have become common in other countries as well. Later on in this section, we report on awful accusations against the unvaccinated in Canada and the USA.

Ethiopian War Danger to Europe

Market Research Telecast wrote on December 31:

“Brussels fears that the armed conflict in Ethiopia will degenerate in 2022 and cause a humanitarian catastrophe and a migration crisis of historic proportions. Community sources warn of the risk that the war will destabilize the entire Horn of Africa, an area where more than 200 million people live and already undergoes the stress of gigantic internal population displacements…

“Brussels fears that the Ethiopian conflict will… end up dragging other countries in the area such as Sudan, South Sudan or Somalia, in addition to Eritrea, already clearly involved. Community sources point out that the outbreak of the area would cause ‘a migratory exodus of historical proportions comparable to that of the breakup of Yugoslavia.’ That dismemberment from 1991 caused population movements that affected more than three million people and almost one million sought refuge in the countries of the European Union…

“Europe was overwhelmed despite the fact that the former Yugoslavia had only 23 million inhabitants. But Ethiopia, the epicenter of the conflict in the Horn of Africa, is a giant of 112 million people. And it is surrounded by countries like Sudan (45 million), South Sudan (16 million) or Somalia (16 million), which already suffer enormous internal tensions… although the geographical distance from the EU is much greater than in the case of Yugoslavia, Brussels considers it likely that part of the migratory flows will move to the old continent through, above all, Libya. ‘Ethiopia is experiencing one of the bloodiest wars that are being fought at the moment on the planet,’ say community sources. And they show their concern for the peaceful subsistence of the area ‘even when the war ends.’ The conflict, according to data from the European Commission, has already caused the displacement of more than two million people and thousands have sought refuge in Sudan…

This could lead to much hostility between Europe and Ethiopia.

China Hoards over Half of World’s Grain

Nikkei Asia wrote on December 23:

“Less than 20% of the world’s population has managed to stockpile more than half of the globe’s maize and other grains, leading to steep price increases across the planet and dropping more countries into famine. The hoarding is taking place in China…

“According to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, China is expected to have 69% of the globe’s maize reserves in the first half of crop year 2022, 60% of its rice and 51% of its wheat.”

TikTok Danger to our Children

Daily Mail wrote on December 26:

“Campaigners have accused TikTok of helping children to be ‘brainwashed’ by hosting viral social-media videos that promote changing sex as ‘cool’. Material posted by transgender influencers on the social networking service – in which they provide advice on transitioning and accessing hormone therapies – has been seen by millions of young viewers. Some parents are concerned the involvement of TikTok, which became the UK’s most downloaded app last year, is fuelling a ‘social contagion’ of pressure on impressionable youngsters and the rise in teenagers who are identifying as trans…

“TikTok signed a partnership earlier this year with Stonewall, the controversial lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights charity, to promote this material.

“One popular transgender TikTok influencer, Bella Fitzpatrick, raised £20,000 from followers in less than three months to fund private gender-reassignment surgery. The 19-year-old has 700,000 followers and explains the process of transitioning, including her experience of bypassing NHS waiting lists.

“Another is Alex Consani, 18, who has more than 680,000 followers. She went viral five years ago when, aged 12, Cosmopolitan magazine featured her life as a trans model. One of her videos, seen 2.3 million times, tells followers they are ‘one oestrogen pill away from a glow up’. A ‘glow up’ is a mental, physical and emotional transformation for the better.

“A channel featuring influencer Jaison Jowett shows the process of transitioning and carrying out reassignment surgery. One video includes the caption ‘Heal with me after top surgery!’ – a reference to a reconstructive chest operation. Another video begins with the words ‘I used to be a good Christian kid’ before showing the transformation to a ‘trans, gay atheist who loves tattoos and chaos’….

“A spokesman for TikTok said: ‘We are honoured that the LGBTQ+ community has embraced TikTok from our very early days, as a platform for self-expression, education, community-building and joy.’ A spokesman for Stonewall said: ‘Our content allows young LGBTQ+ people to know that they are not alone in their experiences.’”

Tik Tok is owned by “Beijing-based technology company ByteDance, founded by the Chinese billionaire entrepreneur, Zhang Yiming. The 38-year-old was named one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people in 2019, who described him as ‘the top entrepreneur in the world’” (The Sun, dated December 18, 2021).

US President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order announcing that he would ban US businesses and citizens from doing business with or downloading TikTok… The move came after the Trump administration aired concerns about user data being shared with Chinese authorities, a claim that ByteDance denied. However, the ban did not come into effect after a US District Judge ruled to temporarily halt the ban on TikTok downloads… It seems unlikely that Biden will take as drastic actions as Trump did when it comes to China’s tech giants, while he will still be concerned about data security” (Focus, November 20, 2020).

We should note that Trump’s and Biden’s concerns were and are strictly based on data security, not on their questionable and dangerous contents.

Make Believe Insanity in Switzerland

International Family News wrote on December 30:

“Switzerland has now joined a host of nations that allows a person to change gender identity by merely declaring so. Starting January 1, 2022, proof of undergoing hormone therapy or having had ‘sex-reassignment’ surgery, or a declaration from a doctor attesting to a person suffering from gender dysphoria, are not required. Now all one must do to legally change one’s gender is go to a civil registry office and fill out a simple form. It is just that easy.

“Allowing mere beliefno matter how objectively wrong it may be–to determine legal reality is a pathway leading to societal chaos. How this snowball will end can be glimpsed in Mexico, where the state Supreme Court recently ruled that a person’s belief about his age trumps the actual age of that person. With this decision, pedophilia could end as a crime if an adult in good faith believes he is a child. A minor could be allowed to purchase alcohol or visit a strip club if he or she in good faith believes they are twenty-one. With this ‘make believe’ movement gathering steam, a person could soon be able to legally change his race and ethnicity by merely declaring so; and people would be incentivized to do this because of all the quotas and set-asides reserved for minorities. Indeed, what is to stop a person from lying on his resume when applying for jobs, government grants, and colleges if he actually believes that he had the experiences listed on it? Living in a world turned upside where fiction is truth and truth is fiction is where this snowball stops….”

This is indeed insane, but one can see where these ungodly movements are heading…

Where Putin Is Right

IFN wrote on December 24:

“Russian President Vladimir Putin has many flaws and reasons to be disliked. He illegally occupied and annexed the Crimea. He is supporting a civil war in Ukraine. He jails and may even poison political opponents. He repeatedly makes threats against the West. Yet, in one area he should be admired—in thinking clearly about woke cancel culture and the radical transgender agenda…

“In regard to the radical transgender agenda that holds that any biological man can become a woman just by saying so and vice versa, Putin made several common-sense remarks; remarks that all of humanity unanimously agreed with until the last few decades in the West. ‘If someone believes that males and females are the same thing, well, let them believe that, but let’s think about common sense,’ Putin stated. Regarding allowing biological men to compete against biological women in sports, Putin declared: ‘Say, for example, males say they are females and compete in weightlifting competitions [as happened in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics]. This renders the entire area of women’s sports meaningless. I believe that the traditional approach is correct: a male is a male, a female is a female. Mother is mother and father is father.’…

“Putin then discussed the insanity of placing biological men identifying as women with biological women prisoners…

“After hearing Putin’s remarks, you have to ask yourself: Why is Putin, flawed in so many ways, the only current Western world leader courageously confronting the ‘virus’ of cancel culture and the lie that a biological man can become a woman just by saying so? Why are so many officials in the West afraid to defend objective reality and common sense?…”

Of course, Putin is totally correct in this regard, but one must not overlook that he is viciously opposing everyone who does not conform to his ideas, whatever they may be.

Second Putin-Biden Phone Call

Daily Mail wrote on December 31:

“Tensions between Russia and the West have… reached new highs over Ukraine. Putin discussed the soaring tensions in a phone call with US President Joe Biden on Thursday.

“Biden reaffirmed the U.S. threat of new sanctions against Russia in case of an escalation or invasion, to which Putin responded with a warning of his own that such a U.S. move could lead to a complete rupture of ties between the nations.”

It was reported that the call “ended without clarity about Mr. Putin’s intention.”

Russia Warns Finland and Sweden

EU Today wrote on December 29:

“Moscow has warned Finland and Sweden against joining Nato amid rising tensions between Russia and the western military alliance. Maria Zakharova, the Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman, accused the alliance of trying to pull the two countries into its orbit…

 Finland and Sweden both pursued a policy of neutrality throughout the Cold War and neither country has ever formally applied to join Nato. However, Sweden, which increased its defence budget after Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, introduced legislation last year that would allow it to join Nato in the future if it decided it was in its interests. Swedish troops have held joint military exercises with Nato.

“Finland has also said that it could apply for Nato membership in the future…

‘Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg visited the two countries in October and praised their willingness to work with the alliance amid Russia’s aggressive posturing.’”

Turmoil in Kazakhstan

The Guardian wrote on January 5:

“Kazakhstan’s president has appealed to a Moscow-led security bloc to help regain control amid protests sparked by fuel price rises, after demonstrators took over government buildings and reportedly stormed the airport in Almaty, the country’s commercial capital and largest city.

“In a televised address late on Wednesday, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said he had turned to the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) – a military alliance of Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan – after what he described as ‘attacks’ by foreign-trained terrorist gangs…

“Earlier in the day, there were violent clashes between police and demonstrators in the city and the mayor’s office was set on fire…

“Tokayev accepted the resignation of the government on Wednesday morning and introduced a state of emergency… to the entire country… The protests began in the west of the country at the weekend, after a sharp rise in fuel prices, but have spread quickly and taken Kazakhstan’s authorities and international observers by surprise… on Wednesday, the internet went down across much of Kazakhstan…

“Images of police being overpowered by protesters are likely to cause alarm in the Kremlin, as another country neighbouring Russia succumbs to political unrest. Kazakhstan is part of an economic union with Russia and the two countries share a long border. ‘We hope for the earliest possible normalisation of the situation in the country, with which Russia is linked by relations of strategic partnership and alliance through fraternal, human contacts,’ the Russian foreign ministry said [and that] it was important no foreign countries interfered in Kazakhstan.

“Tokayev spoke to the Belarusian president, Alexander Lukashenko, who crushed a huge uprising with brutal force in 2019. Before calling Tokayev, Lukashenko spoke to Putin…

“Kazakhstan has never held an election judged as free and fair by international observers…”

The West is anxiously observing these developments, wondering what Putin might do.

Russia Sends Troops to Kazakhstan

Reuters reported on January 6:

“Fresh violence erupted in Kazakhstan’s main city on Thursday after Russia rushed in paratroopers to put down a countrywide uprising in one of Moscow’s closest former Soviet allies…. The Russian deployment was a gamble by the Kremlin that rapid military force could secure its interests in the oil and uranium-producing Central Asian nation, by swiftly putting down the worst violence in Kazakhstan’s 30 years of independence….

 “Moscow did not disclose how many troops it was sending, and it was not possible to determine if any were involved in Thursday’s unrest…. The swift arrival of Russian troops demonstrated the Kremlin’s willingness to safeguard its influence in the ex-Soviet Union with force… The West has so far mainly limited its response to calls for calm.”

Abortion Leading Cause of Death

Breitbart wrote on December 31:

“As of noon on December 31, 2021, there were 42.6 million abortions performed in the course of the year… while 8.2 million people died from cancer, 5 million from smoking, 1.7 million of HIV/AIDS, 1.3 million from traffic fatalities, and 1 million from suicide.

“Totaling all the deaths in the world from causes other than abortion reveals a figure of 58.7 million, meaning that abortions accounted for just over 42 percent of all human deaths in 2021. By comparison, worldwide deaths from coronavirus in 2021 totaled around 3.5 million, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).”

We dare to say that the number of deaths from corona is highly exaggerated. Note the next article.

Fauci “Clarifies” Prior Lies

Townhall wrote on December 31:

“Chief White House medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci finally acknowledged an important point about Covid-19 case numbers in hospitalized children… ‘many of them are hospitalized with Covid as opposed to because of Covid,’ Fauci admitted… ‘And what we mean by that — if a child goes in the hospital, they automatically get tested for Covid. And they get counted as a Covid-hospitalized individual. When in fact, they may go in for a broken leg or appendicitis or something like that. So, it’s over-counting the number of children who are, quote, ‘hospitalized with Covid,’ as opposed to because of Covid.

“Many pointed out that people were banned from social media channels for making this exact point, which is happening not just for children but adults, too. ‘Fauci acknowledges what others were censored for saying: Many children enter hospitals for reasons unrelated to Covid like broken bones but are registered as Covid hospitalizations simply because they got a + PCR test, thereby inflating the numbers,’ said The Grayzone’s editor Max Blumenthal.”

Still, the FDA just backed Pfizer booster shots for kids ages 2 to 15 (The Week, dated January 3). The money machine must go on…

A Country Divided

npr wrote on January 3:

“One year after the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, Americans are deeply pessimistic about the future of democracy… 64% of Americans believe U.S. democracy is ‘in crisis and at risk of failing.’ That sentiment is felt most acutely by Republicans: Two-thirds of GOP respondents agree with the… claim that ‘voter fraud helped Joe Biden win the 2020 election’… Fewer than half of Republicans say they are willing to accept the results of the 2020 election…

“Nearly two-thirds of poll respondents agree that U.S. democracy is ‘more at risk’ now than it was a year ago. Among Republicans, that number climbs to 4 in 5… “More than half of Democrats say the Jan. 6 assault was an ‘attempted coup or insurrection,’ while Republicans are more likely to describe it as a ‘riot that got out of control.’…”

The New York Post wrote on January 3:

40 percent of Republicans agreed it could sometimes be ‘justified for citizens to take violent action against the government.’ Twenty-three percent of Democrats and 41 percent of Independents also endorsed situational violence. Of those who agree that rising up in arms against the government could be acceptable, 22 percent said it would be justified for invasions of personal liberties, while 15 percent pointed to a military takeover or democratic collapse. Three percent said violence was appropriate if the government did not accept election results…

“The numbers had risen sharply in recent years. In 2015, 23 percent of Americans approved of violence against authorities, researchers said. Five years before that, 16 percent agreed — up from only 13 percent in the mid-90s.

“The same poll found that 92 percent of Democrats thought Trump was largely to blame for the Jan. 6 riot, compared to 27 percent of GOP voters.”

These are dangerous numbers. When so many Americans feel violence is sometimes justified to be used against the government, then it is only a matter of time… To be clear, God condemns the use of violence against governmental officials or governmental institutions. HOW MUCH the nation is divided can also be seen in the next article.

FBI Biden’s Personal Gestapo?

Breitbart wrote on January 4:

“Many U.S. voters think the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is Democrat President Joe Biden’s ‘personal Gestapo,’ according to a Rasmussen poll released Tuesday. ‘Roger Stone, an adviser to former President Donald Trump, has said there is “a group of politicized thugs at the top of the FBI who are using the FBI … as Joe Biden‘s personal Gestapo,”’ the poll report states. ‘Forty-six percent of voters agree with Stone’s assessment, including 29 percent who Strongly Agree. Thirty-eight percent disagree with Stone’s claim, including 25 percent who Strongly Disagree.’

“The results of the poll, which was conducted… on Dec. 29-30, come after the FBI conducted a raid on the home of Project Veritas founder James O’Keefe, looking for information about Ashley Biden’s diary… Voter opinion on whether FBI Director Christopher Wray is influenced by the president has reached a ‘near-complete reversal.’ Now, 50 percent of voters believe Wray is influenced by Biden ‘in his decision making,’ and only 26 percent think he is independent of the administration. Twenty-five percent of those polled are unsure. In May 2017, 53 percent thought the FBI director was independent while 26 percent thought he was beholden to the president. Approval of Wray has also declined since 2020…

Fifty-seven percent of Republicans and 56 percent of unaffiliated voters have an unfavorable view of the FBI compared to 30 percent of Democrats…”

YouTube Worst Censor of All?

Newsmax wrote on January 3:

“Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., says he won’t be posting to YouTube anymore because the video platform site is ‘the worst censor of all.’ ‘Today I begin my exodus from Big Tech, starting with the worst censor of all, YouTube,” Paul said in a statement… Instead, Paul’s team said viewers can see his content on Rumble.com.

“Paul’s YouTube account was suspended for seven days twice in August and September over videos the platform said violated its COVID-19 misinformation policy. In one of the videos, Paul, a staunch critic of Biden administration vaccination policies and of key COVID-19 adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci, posted a video that disputed the effectiveness of wearing masks to limit the spread of the coronavirus. In the video, Paul says: ‘Most of the masks you get over the counter don’t work. They don’t prevent infection.’ Later in the video, he adds, ‘Trying to shape human behavior isn’t the same as following the actual science, which tells us that cloth masks don’t work.’”

The irony is that now, more and more scientists agree that cloth masks do not work. For instance, the Ron Paul Institute wrote on January 2:

Germany’s official government health authority reported last week that 90 plus percent of new Omicron variant cases are among vaccinated individuals, obliterating the long-repeated claim that this is a pandemic of the unvaccinated. Other narratives are also crumbling – former FDA head Scott Gottlieb says cloth masks are useless.”

Trudeau and Biden Malign and Accuse the Unvaccinated

LifeSiteNews wrote on January 3:

“Prime Minister Trudeau maligned Canadians who are opposed to receiving the experimental COVID-19 gene-therapy injections as ‘extremists,’ ‘racists,’ and ‘misogynists’ who deny science. The September interview went viral on social media only late last month and has since attracted strong criticism from politicians and citizens alike… They ‘do not believe in science, who are often misogynists, often racists, too; it is a sect, a small group, but who are taking up space, and here we have to make a choice, as a leader, as a country,’ added Trudeau.

“He made the shocking statement that he is unsure if Canada should even ‘tolerate these people’ while telling the host that the unvaccinated ‘are going to block us’ from getting back to the ‘things we like doing.’ Trudeau’s discriminatory and confusing statements had seemed to have gone unnoticed by Canadian society until December 28, when career politician and federal leader of the pro-freedom People’s Party of Canada, Maxime Bernier, posted the clip to social media while labelling Trudeau a ‘psychopathic fascist.’…

“Despite Trudeau and all of Canada’s provincial leaders supporting vaccine mandates and vaccine passports for access to various parts of Canadian society, coronavirus vaccine trials have never produced evidence that the vaccines stop infection or transmission...

“Trudeau’s assertion that those opposed to vaccination are ‘racist’ is at odds with the fact that many of the most vaccine-hesitant people are members of minority communities who have a strong distrust of government due to mistreatment in past generations. In Canada, indigenous groups like the Six Nations community in Ontario have a vaccination rate of only 46 percent as of mid-December, compared to a rate of over 85 percent for the province’s population as a whole.

“In America, the group to report the highest levels of hesitancy is black Americans, with a whopping 50 percent reporting a distrust in the procedure.

“In addition to cultural hesitancy, there are those too who oppose the shots on scientific or religious grounds…”

Sadly, such mean-spirited and hateful comments, as uttered by Trudeau, can be expected to be made by politicians and leaders in other countries as well. Note the article on France above.

Also, even though less offensive in his words than Trudeau, Biden keeps maligning the “unvaccinated” and holds them responsible for the spread of the Omicron virus, as he did on January 4 in a speech to the nation, even though the facts do not support his claim at all. Incredibly, Biden said this:

“The impact from the rising cases depends on the effect on the person based on whether that person — what their vaccination status is… if you’re vaccinated and boosted, you are highly protected… if you’re unvaccinated, you have some reason to be alarmed.  Many of you will — you know, you’ll experience severe illness, in many cases, if you get COVID-19 if you’re not vaccinated.  Some will die — needlessly die.

The unvaccinated are taking up hospital beds and crowding emergency rooms and intensive care units.  That’s a place that other people will need access to those hospitals… there is no excuse — no excuse for anyone being unvaccinated.  This continues to be a pandemic of the unvaccinated… And for [parents] who still haven’t gotten your kids vaccinated, please get them vaccinated.  Look out for their interests here.  It’s the best way to protect them.

“And for parents with kids too young to be vaccinated, surround your kids with people who are vaccinated.  And make sure you’re masking in public so you don’t get COVID and give it to your kids.”

What absolutely divisive and scientifically false remarks! Fox News, in pointing out the many misrepresentations in Biden’s speech, wrote on January 5:

“But those who have been vaccinated are still getting sick. The U.S. recorded its record number of COVID-19 cases for a single day on Monday, almost doubling the previous record of about 590,000 set just four days earlier. This, despite 73% of the U.S. population being at least partially vaccinated and 62% fully vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control…. the CDC noted on December 20 that it ‘expects that anyone with Omicron infection can spread the virus to others, even if they are vaccinated or don’t have symptoms…’”

The Past Two Years… a Testimony of Autocratic Insanity

Dr. Ron Paul wrote the following in his weekly column in the Ron Paul Institute on January 3:

“… these past two years have been a bad dream. It seems like we fell asleep in early 2020 and woke up in 1984! They said that if we just put on a mask and stayed home for two weeks, we’d be able to return to normal. The two weeks came and went and instead of going back to normal they added more restrictions. These past two years have been a story of moving goalposts and ‘experts’ like Anthony Fauci constantly contradicting themselves…

“The history of these past two years is that the worst ideas have been adopted by force and anyone questioning those ideas has been suppressed by force…

“As my son Rand said on a recent Liberty Report, thousands of people died because Fauci refused to consider the proven effectiveness of natural immunity against Covid. He and his colleagues were determined to deny any outpatient treatments and insisted on vaccines as the only way out. Now, as we see the vaccines performing so poorly versus natural immunity, their whole strategy lies in tatters. Will anyone apologize to the relatives of all those who died?

“When we look back at these two years, hopefully one thing that will be remembered is [that] the institutions of state power… have been exposed as frauds and worse.

“In a recent massively popular Joe Rogan interview with Dr. Robert Malone – inventor of the mRNA technology that is the backbone of the ‘vaccines’ – Malone discusses the disturbing concept of mass formation psychosis, where fear and manipulation are used to drive a society mad in the service of a group of elites with an agenda. We saw it in Germany in the 1930s….”

Judge Blocks Navy Vaccine Mandate

Thomson/Reuters wrote on January 4:

“A federal judge on Monday barred the U.S. Department of Defense from punishing a group of Navy SEALs and other special forces members who refused COVID-19 vaccines on religious grounds.

“U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor, acting in response to a lawsuit filed on behalf of 35 special forces service members, issued a preliminary injunction blocking the Navy and Defense Department from enforcing the mandate. O’Connor, who was appointed to the federal bench in Texas by President George W. Bush, said the Navy had not granted a single religious exemption to the vaccine rule.

“‘The Navy service members in this case seek to vindicate the very freedoms they have sacrificed so much to protect. The COVID-19 pandemic provides the government no license to abrogate those freedoms,’ the judge wrote in a 26-page decision.”

Ultimately, the highly political US Supreme Court will have to decide these issues.

And Now.. Another Variant?

Mashable wrote on January 4:

“The world is still coping with the rapid spread of Omicron and the previously reported Delta variant. As infection rates surge in several countries, yet another COVID-19 variant has been discovered. Scientists in France have detected a new coronavirus variant called ‘IHU’…

“So far, 12 cases have been reported in Marseille with an initial case being linked to travel history in Cameroon… The researchers revealed that the IHU variant is believed to contain 46 mutations (higher than Omicron) which could mean that it’s far more infectious and resistant to vaccinations. Currently, it is too soon to tell if this is the latest variant of concern. The WHO is still investigating the findings.”

Big Pharma will have a lucrative field day to develop a vaccine against that variant. It appears many mutations might occur because of the vaccinations.

How many more booster shots?

CNN wrote on January 4:

“A leading expert who helped create the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19  said Tuesday that giving everyone in the world booster shots multiple times a year is not feasible. ‘We can’t vaccinate the planet every four to six months. It’s not sustainable or affordable,’ Professor Andrew Pollard, the director of the Oxford Vaccine Group and head of the UK’s Committee on Vaccination and Immunization, told The Daily Telegraph in an interview published Tuesday…

“Pollard also said he thought further evidence was needed before offering a fourth Covid-19 shot to people in the UK… Israel has already begun its rollout of a fourth vaccine dose, offering it to all medical workers and people 60 and older as of Monday. And in late December, German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach told public broadcaster ZDF that Germanswill need a fourth vaccination’ against Covid-19.”

What Germany, the UK, the USA, Canada, Australia, Austria, Israel and many other countries need are competent and knowledgeable health experts.

Historic Wildfires in Colorado

Bloomberg wrote on December 31:

“The infernos near Boulder, Colorado, destroyed as many as 1,000 homes, overwhelming firefighters as hurricane-force gusts propelled flames through suburban neighborhoods left tinder dry by months of drought. The blazes dashed erratically from house to house, scorching about 6,000 acres (2,400 hectares) and devouring structures ‘in just a blink of an eye,’ Colorado Governor Jared Polis said… Authorities suspect the grass fires were touched off by power lines that toppled in the 100-mile (161-kilometer) per-hour winds. No deaths have been reported…”

These fires with “historic” winds made it the “most destructive fire in state history.”

“Highly Credible” Unexplained UFO Sightings

The Hill wrote on January 5:

“The Navy has a perplexing mystery on its hands. For several weeks in 2019, unknown objects stalked U.S. warships off the coast of southern California. While the bizarre ‘drone’ encounters remain unsolved, the incidents occurred in an area with a long history of UFO sightings, including two of the most credible encounters on record… The Navy, working with the FBI and Coast Guard, now appears to have ruled out civilian activity or U.S. military operations as plausible explanations for the encounters. This leaves two possibilities, each with extraordinary implications.

Either a foreign adversary is spying on Navy ships around the Channel Islands (which lie just west of Los Angeles and San Diego), or devices of truly unknown origin are operating with impunity around U.S. (and allied) vessels.

“The implications of a foreign power deploying drones to spy on American warships just off the California coast are immense. For starters, this scenario suggests a monumental U.S. counterintelligence failure. Moreover, such a brazen and technically complex intelligence operation amounts to an enormous gamble for a hostile nation. Any shoot-down – as the Navy reportedly attempted – of a foreign surveillance drone so close to U.S. shores would invite sweeping geopolitical repercussions.

“Importantly, if the UFOs that stalked the Navy warships were part of an adversarial intelligence collection effort, the objects’ operators made little effort to conceal their presence. Videos taken aboard one U.S. vessel show the mysterious craft displaying bright and flashing lights. At the same time, Navy radar operators tracked the objects with apparent ease, even expressing surprise as the craft engaged in anomalous maneuvers. In another video, a spherical object… appears to descend slowly into the ocean.

“To be sure, investigators and intelligence analysts must take seriously the possibility that a foreign power is spying on U.S. warships a stone’s throw from two major American cities. But based on what is known publicly about these bizarre incidents, investigators should also consider the long history of UFO sightings around the Channel islands…

“Now, with Congress forcing the government to take the UFO phenomenon seriously for the first time, investigators must consider whether the objects that followed Navy warships are linked to the long history of inexplicable – yet highly credible – encounters in the waters off southern California.”

The author of the article, Marik von Rennenkampff, served as an analyst with the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation, as well as an Obama administration appointee at the U.S. Department of Defense. Of course, a third and most plausible explanation for these UFO sightings is demonic activities to prepare mankind for Armageddon.

Israel Prepared to Attack Iran?

Townhall wrote on December 31:

“The timing of recent rhetoric throughout the Middle East is directly related to renewed nuclear negotiations with Iran. Nobody thinks the Iranians are honest players or can be trusted. But there are world leaders who think that continuing to negotiate… is a goal in and of itself…

“A large part of the problem and Israel’s justified concern is that the western secular world does not understand religious fanaticism

“If Israel really believes that Iran is on the verge of a nuclear breakout, is Israel prepared to act on its own assuming others won’t?… Making such a decision to attack Iran will be a historic Jewish decision, like Prime Minister Begin’s in 1981… Israel’s actions will be based on its understanding of the historic enormity of the decision. The more it does, the fewer restraints there will be, militarily and diplomatically. Unless the U.S. is on board from the outset, it’s likely the U.S. may not be informed until planes are in the air… If the U.S. does not participate in an attack, would it support Israel or vote against it in the event of a UN condemnation?

“Between the probable military backlash and the inevitable international pushback, Israel is between a rock and a hard place… As the Jewish sage Hillel said, ‘If I am not for myself, who will be for me.’ The modern application of that in Israel is, ‘If I am not for myself, who will stop Iran?’”

An Israeli attack on Iran is not unlikely. If it happens, it could lead to terrible consequences for Israel.  

Fate of Al Aqsa

Israel 365 wrote on December 28:

“Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz) has always been an outspoken advocate for Israel but he recently went even further when criticizing the recent UN resolutions concerning Jerusalem and the Temple Mount. In his response, Gosar called on the UN to dismantle the Muslim structures in Jerusalem that were built on the ruins of the Jewish Temple… ‘The Jewish Temple, located in the heart of Jerusalem’s Old City, is holy ground to Jews and it belongs solely to their faith.  I object to any effort to ethnically cleanse the Jewish people from their sole historic claim to this land and temple… It remains an abomination that a mosque was allowed to be built over this temple. The United Nations should be finding ways to dismantle and move that mosque, which is an affront to all religions,’ concluded Congressman Gosar.

“It is interesting to note that Gosar did not specify which Muslim structure on the Temple Mount he felt should be dismantled. The UN resolution specified al-Haram al-Sharif (the noble sanctuary), a term that refers to the Temple Mount and not to a specific structure. The major structures currently on the site are the grey domed Al Aqsa Mosque (the further mosque) and the gold-domed Qubbat a Sakhra (shrine of the rock) that was built on the site of the Holy of Holies in the Jewish Temples.

“Rabbi Hillel Weiss, the spokesman for the Sanhedrin, does not believe that all of the Muslim structures on the Temple Mount needed to be removed. ‘As long as the Muslims agree to live peacefully with the other religions in Israel, there is no reason to remove the Aqsa Mosque,’ Rabbi Weiss said. ‘An entrance can be set up and pathways arranged so that they can, like the Jews and everyone else, remain in the permitted areas. In fact, the current entrance to the Aqsa Mosque fits that description. Al Aqsa is not in the part of the Temple Mount that was used in the Temples. But by calling the entire Temple Mount by the name Al Aqsa, they are laying claim to the entire mountain with the intent of preventing the Jews from returning the Temple service. This has no source in Islam or benefit to the Muslims. It is simply a political lie that was created by the Palestinians and perpetuated by those who hate the Jews.’…”

It would be difficult to imagine that the Muslims would agree to such an “arrangement,” as proposed by Rabbi Weiss.

Friction between American Jews and the State of Israel

The Associated Press wrote on January 2:

“When Israel’s new government took office last June, it indicated it would press ahead on an egalitarian prayer site at Jerusalem’s Western Wall — a sensitive holy site that has emerged as a point of friction between Jews over how prayer is conducted there. But the plan is coming up against the limits of Israel’s fragile government, which is struggling to move forward on the issue due to its own internal divisions. The inaction has disappointed both Israeli groups that promote religious pluralism and their American Jewish allies, who view the issue as an important test of recognition from the Israeli government…

“The Western Wall is considered the holiest site where Jews can pray. Under ultra-Orthodox management, the wall is currently separated between men’s and women’s prayer sections. Under the more liberal Reform and Conservative streams of Judaism, women and men pray together and women are allowed to read from the Torah, which Orthodox Judaism prohibits. Those streams are a minority in Israel but make up the majority of American Jews. Israel’s refusal to recognize these liberal streams has long been a point of tension with American Jews.

“After years of negotiations, Israel approved a plan in 2016 to officially recognize a special prayer area at the Western Wall. The $9 million plan vowed to expand an egalitarian prayer site and make it more hospitable to prayer and religious events held by Jews who don’t follow Orthodox traditions. The deal was welcomed by Jewish American leaders and seen as a significant breakthrough in promoting religious pluralism in Israel, where the ultra-Orthodox authorities govern almost every facet of Jewish life. But then-Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu never implemented the plan due to objections from powerful ultra-Orthodox allies who had initially endorsed it.

“He shelved the plan the following year, leading to strained relations with American Jewish leaders that continued until he left office last year. His tight relationship with President Donald Trump further unsettled the heavily Democratic-leaning Jewish community…

“The new government, led by Prime Minister Naftali Bennett — the child of American immigrants — brought hope that the plan may be revived… But Bennett heads an unwieldy coalition of parties from across the political spectrum — ranging from nationalist parties to dovish liberal ones and even an Islamist faction — that was united behind the goal of ousting Netanyahu and very little else. While the Western Wall plan features in agreements that brought the coalition together, its leaders have generally chosen to sidestep divisive issues that might rattle its stability. Moving ahead with the Western Wall plan could spark an outcry from ultra-Orthodox opposition parties, which in turn could exert pressure on more sympathetic elements of the coalition to oppose the move. And while the government isn’t likely to fall over the Western Wall plan, a public brawl over the issue within government ranks could wear down the already delicate ties that bind the coalition.”

 As predicted from the outset, the Israeli coalition won’t accomplish much. This in turn will alienate American Jews from the state of Israel even further.

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.

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Could you explain 1 Timothy 4:8?

1 Timothy 4:8 is rendered, as follows, in the New King James Bible:

“For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.”

The Authorized Version says: “For bodily exercise profiteth little.”

Commentaries are divided as to the exact meaning of this verse, as is also reflected in the way it is being translated. For example, the Greek states, as explained by some: “… profiteth to (but) a small extent.”

The New American Standard Bible states: “for bodily training is just slightly beneficial.” Weymouth New Testament reads: “Train yourself in godliness. Exercise for the body is not useless, but godliness is useful in every respect.”

The German Luther Bible says: “…does not help much” or “is of little use.” The Menge Bible reads: “… brings only little benefit.”

Barnes Notes on the Bible states: “The apostle does not mean to say that bodily exercise is in itself improper, or that no advantage can be derived from it in the preservation of health.” He also stated that an alternate reading would be: “For bodily exercise profits for a little while,” explaining:

“The Greek will admit of either interpretation [“profits a little” or “for a little while”], and what is here affirmed is true in either sense.”

In comparison to the development of godliness in our lives, physical exercise of any kind only profits a little and only for a little while, while godliness lasts forever and is of so much greater importance.

Some commentaries, such as Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible, even claim that Paul has a particular type of bodily exercise in mind, “not the exercise of the body in the Olympic games, as by running, wrestling, etc., which profited but little, for the obtaining of a corruptible crown at most; though since a word is used here, and in the preceding verse, borrowed from thence, there may be an allusion to it: much less exercise of the body for health or recreation, as riding, walking, playing at any innocent diversion; which profits but for a little time, as the Syriac and Arabic versions read; and the latter renders the phrase ‘bodily recreation’: nor is the exercise of the body in the proper employment of trade and business, to which a man is called, and which profits for the support of life for a little while, intended… but rather mere formal external worship, as opposed to godliness, or spiritual worship.

“‘There ought to be an exercise of the body, or a presenting of that in religious worship before God; there should be an outward attendance on the word and ordinances; but then, without internal godliness, this will be of little advantage: it is indeed showing an outward regard to public worship, and may be a means of keeping persons out of bad company, and from doing evil things; but if this is trusted to, and depended on, it will be of no avail to everlasting life.”

Whatever the case, it is correct to say that in comparison with the acquisition and development of godliness in this life, physical exercise profits just a little, and only for a little while; that is, it must never become more important than the Kingdom of God and His righteousness which we must seek first and foremost.

This also means that physical exercise, and sports in general, must never be intentionally engaged in if they would be harmful for others. This is not to say, however, that competitive sports or exercise must be wrong; it is a question of motivation and intent.

We say this in our Q&A https://www.eternalgod.org/what-kinds-of-sports-games-and-related-activities-are-appropriate-and-inappropriate-for-christians-part-1/

“In 1 Corinthians 9:24-26, Paul draws a spiritual analogy to competition in sports. This passage does not seem to allow for the conclusion that such competition is necessarily wrong. Paul says: ‘Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty…’ David draws another analogy in the book of Psalms, comparing the sun with ‘a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, And rejoices like a strong man to run its race’ (Psalm 19:5)…

“But God does not want us to have an attitude of harming or injuring an opponent, or of wishing that he be injured so that ‘our’ team will get an advantage. When ‘competition’ reaches that destructive level, it is wrong. But to want ‘our’ team to win in a game is not wrong. And ‘our’ team had better make every right effort to win, so that it is deserving of ‘our’ support (Ecclesiastes 9:10). But once a game is finished, we are to go on with life and our responsibilities… Some get so involved in the support of their team that they get all upset and can’t sleep at night if their team has lost. They might even get drunk to ‘forget their pain.’ That, of course, is not indicative of a healthy and Christian attitude.

“Sports can be good entertainment. They can contribute to our health and relaxation. They can be exciting. But they must never take first place in our lives… And even though watching sporting events can be good and clean fun, that should be all. In this world, ‘the race is not to the swift, Nor the battle to the strong… Nor favor to men of skill; But time and chance happen to them all’ (Ecclesiastes 9:11)…”

In addition, we also said this in our Q&A https://www.eternalgod.org/what-kinds-of-sports-games-and-related-activities-are-appropriate-and-inappropriate-for-christians-part-2/ :

“Another sport which is mentioned in the Bible and which was engaged in by godly people is wrestling. We read that Jacob wrestled with God—the second Member of the God Family, Jesus Christ  (Genesis 32:24; Hosea 12:2). After wrestling for a long time, God struck the socket of his hip which became out of joint, causing Jacob to limp for a while. One might conclude that it is therefore appropriate to injure an opponent in sports, but this would be a wrong assessment. In this case it was God—not a man—who acted in such a way in order to teach Jacob a particular lesson.

“The Benson Commentary writes: ‘This was to humble him, and make him sensible of his own weakness, that he might ascribe his victory, not to his own power, but to the grace of God, and might be encouraged to depend on that grace for the deliverance [from Esau] he was so much concerned to obtain. It is probable Jacob felt little or no pain from this hurt, for he did not so much as halt till the struggle was over… If so, it evidenced itself to be a divine touch indeed, wounding and healing at the same time.’

“The Matthew Poole Commentary agrees, stating that this ‘was done that Jacob might see that it was not his own strength, but only God’s grace, which got him this victory, and could give him the deliverance which he hoped for.’

“Another distinction needs to be drawn between those sports and activities which one may be engaged in for the purpose of bodily exercise (including in workout programs) and those which one might want to do for the purpose of learning how…  to fight [in the sense of injuring or even killing] another person.”

If we engage in physical exercise so we can learn how to injure and even kill another human being, then that would be clearly wrong. It would violate God’s law of love even for our enemies. As we said, it is all a matter of motivation and intent. To engage in physical exercise for the purpose of “cherishing” our own bodies, rather than abusing them (Ephesians 5:29), knowing that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit dwelling in us (1 Corinthians 6:19; 3:16-17), is quite different from training our bodies for the purpose of becoming fighting machines to hurt, injure and destroy others.

It is also important to realize that we are not to hate our own bodies (compare again Ephesians 5:29), which would include not purposefully harming it by self-mutilation, smoking, eating unclean meat, taking destructive drugs, and so on.

We say this in our Q&A https://www.eternalgod.org/can-you-elaborate-on-education-today-and-in-gods-kingdom-part-5/

“Sickness and disease occur only when nature’s laws are broken… either by the sick person him- or herself or by conditions caused by men leading to a person getting sick… God designed certain foods for good health. Some things that grow are not designed for food. Some are poison… people [need to be educated] in sanitation, hygiene, required amounts of sleep, pure water, fresh air, sunshine, exercise.”

But we need proper balance. Sometimes, “natural laws” of hygiene, sanitation or enough sleep will have to be broken to accomplish the higher purpose of seeking the Kingdom of God. We read, for instance, that Christ sacrificed sleep to stay up all night in prayer with the Father (Luke 6:12-13). We also read that Jesus and the apostles were beaten for doing the Work of God. They were not so concerned about their physical health and well-being and loved their physical bodies so much that they refused to do the Work.

A striking example for the required proper balance and the right priorities can be found in Philippians 2:25-30, where Paul utters these words of recommendation about his fellow servant Epaphroditus:

“Yet I considered it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker, and fellow soldier, but your messenger and the one who ministered to my need; since he was longing for you all, and was distressed because you had heard that he was sick. For indeed he was sick almost unto death; but God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow. Therefore I sent him the more eagerly, that when you see him again you may rejoice, and I may be less sorrowful. Receive him therefore in the Lord with all gladness, and hold such men in esteem; because for the work of Christ he came close to death, not regarding his life, to supply what was lacking in your service toward me.”

Even though Epaphroditus “violated” in some way “natural laws” governing his health, he did so for the overriding purpose of doing the Work of God. Paul did not criticize or condemn him for this; just to the contrary, he said to hold such men in esteem or high regard. Some commentaries tell us that he “hazarded his life”; “the preservation of which with respect to the work he was about, he did not consult…  but made little account of it, yea, did even despise it in the service of Christ, as the original word doth import” (Matthew Poole’s Commentary). He was willing to live and die for Christ (Luke 12:25).

This attitude of service and obedience towards God’s spiritual law of love toward God and man can also be found in 1 Thessalonians 5:12:

“And we urge you, brethren, to recognize those who labor among you, and are over you in the Lord and admonish you…”

The German Schlachter Bible says: “… they labor to the extent of exhaustion.”

Matthew Poole’s Commentary states that the word “labor” implies, “diligent labour, causing weariness.” Their disregard for their body in those circumstances, including their lack of physical exercise, was not something which had to be regretted or condemned. Rather, Paul recommends those servants of God, who toiled and worked hard, adding in verse 13: “… esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake.”

In our booklet, “Sickness and Healing–What the Bible Tells Us,” we state that “the reasons for sickness and disease are manifold, and they might have nothing to do at all with any ungodly conduct of the sick person.” They may even include proper and godly conduct by a person which, while neglecting physical exercise, which normally profits a little, leads to or even causes his or her physical sickness.

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

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Preaching the Gospel and Feeding the Flock

compiled by Dave Harris

The Pandemic of the Unvaccinated,” is the title of a new StandingWatch program, presented by Evangelist Norbert Link. Here is a summary: 

How do governmental officials all over the world try to deal with those who have not been vaccinated against the corona virus? Of course, there have been lockdowns or severe restrictions of movement and access to facilities; there has been the push for mandatory vaccinations, and there have been arrests of unvaccinated persons who showed their faces in public, but this program will address mainly the verbal abuse by governmental leaders and others which has become more and more common.

“Die Pandemie der Ungeimpften,” is the title of a new AufPostenStehen program, presented in German by Norbert Link and covering the topic described above.

“Richten oder nicht richten?” is the title of this Sabbath’s German sermon, presented by Norbert Link. Title in English: “To Judge or Not to Judge.”

“Wie selbstbewusst sind wir?”is the title of last Sabbath’s German sermonette, presented by Manuel Giermann. Title in English: “How Confident Are We?”

“Lasting Impressions,” the sermonette presented last Sabbath by Michael Link, is now posted. Here is a summary:

How do we present ourselves in any situation or environment we are in?  Do we leave a good first impression and do we also leave a lasting impression?

“To Judge or Not to Judge?,” the sermon presented last Sabbath by Norbert Link, is now posted. Here is a summary:

We are told in God’s Word that we are not to judge others. What does this mean, as we are also told to render righteous judgment? How can we solve this apparent conflict, and how do passages like these apply to jury duty?

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How This Work is Financed

This Update is an official publication by the ministry of the Church of the Eternal God in the United States of America; the Church of God, a Christian Fellowship in Canada; and the Global Church of God in the United Kingdom.

Editorial Team: Norbert Link, Dave Harris, Rene Messier, Brian Gale, Johanna Link, Eric Rank, Michael Link, Anna Link, Kalon Mitchell, Manuela Mitchell, Dawn Thompson

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Comments on News and Prophecy—January 8, 2022 / Who Is Your Father?

On January 8, 2022, Norbert Link will present “Comments on News and Prophecy—January 8, 2022”, and Kalon Mitchell will present the sermon, titled, “Who Is Your Father?”

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.

This Week in the News

Germany and France for a more “Sovereign” Europe

Breitbart wrote on January 1, 2022:

“Annalena Baerbock, the foreign minister of Germany’s new left-led coalition government, has pledged that her country will support France in making ‘a more sovereign Europe’ — that is, one with more power over its member-states’ national governments. The declaration comes as France assumes the European Union’s rotating presidency for the next six months. ‘Our French friends can count on our support from the first to the last day to lay the right foundations within the EU: for a sustainable economic recovery, in the fight against the climate crisis, in digitization and for a more sovereign Europe in the world,’ Baerbock said…

“The German minister went on to say… that Germany and France as ‘the closest friends at the heart of Europe, bear a particular responsibility for a united European Union, capable of acting and oriented towards the future’.

“France’s President Emmanuel Macron has already promised that the nation will aim to increase the power of Europe on the world stage during its presidency of the bloc, which kicks off on January 1st… As France begins its presidency of the EU, Germany will begin its presidency of the G7 on the same date, with Berlin to host a summit of the seven nations in June…

“The [German] coalition — led by Chancellor Olaf Scholz — has declared that it will push for a so-called ‘United States of Europe’ during its lifespan. In the document outlining the government’s goals, the three coalition members commit to ‘lead developments to a European federal state’, with the document noting the move is Germany’s ‘special responsibility’ as the EU’s ‘largest member-state’…

“Germany has even been accused of using the EU to create a ‘Fourth Reich’, with Polish deputy prime minister Jarosław Kaczyński making comparisons between the bloc and the Holy Roman Empire. The French government has also repeatedly backed the call for stronger European ties, with one government source even saying that Macron was willing to surrender its seat on the UN Security Council to the bloc in exchange for the establishment of an European Army.”

Comments by readers to this article are telling:

“Makes it easy for another Hitler or Stalin leader to appear… Germany still trying to create its own army & take over Europe… the next three years will be perilous indeed, as there will be no one in the White House calling out Brussels and its policies… The Reconstitution of the Roman Empire continues…”

20 Years of the Euro

The Local wrote on January 1:

The euro on Saturday marked 20 years since people began to use the single European currency… European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen called the euro ‘a true symbol for the strength of Europe’…

“Euro banknotes and coins came into circulation in 12 countries on January 1, 2002, greeted by a mix of enthusiasm and scepticism from citizens who had to trade in their Deutsche marks, French francs, pesetas and liras. The euro is now used by 340 million people in 19 nations, from Ireland to Germany to Slovakia. Bulgaria, Croatia and Romania are next in line to join the eurozone…

“While the dollar still reigns supreme across the globe, the euro is now the world’s second most-used currency… Von der Leyen, in a video statement, said: ‘We are the biggest player in the world trade and nearly half of this trade takes place in euros.’”

We have emphasized time and time again that the euro is here to stay, as it is the glue which holds European member states together.

Austria Reliving its Past Dictatorship?

Breitbart wrote on December 31:

“On Thursday, Austria’s National Council decided to extend the lockdown for the unvaccinated until at least January 10th… The new measures are the fourth amendment to Austria’s COVID-19 Protective Measures Ordinance and were passed in parliament by the ruling Austrian People’s Party (OeVP), their coalition partners the Greens, as well as the Social Democrats (SPOe)… the new amendment states that private New Year gatherings must not exceed ten people. A curfew for all restaurants has also been set for 10 p.m.

“The EU member-state has also decided that any vaccine certificates that involved a single dose inoculation will expire on January 3rd. Those who took a one-dose vaccine will be required to take a booster shot for their health passport to remain valid.

Unvaccinated individuals in Austria have been under a general lockdown since late November, which ultimately included fully vaccinated residents as well — but the government lifted restrictions for the vaccinated earlier this month. The new amendment is just the latest time the lockdown for the unvaccinated has been extended by the government, which will meet on January 10th to possibly extend the lockdown yet again. The new year will also see Austria make the vaccine mandatory for all citizens. Those who do not comply could face large fines as well as possible prison time beginning in February.”

Comments to this article are telling:

“… everybody in my family who took the vaccines are sick ! The ones of us who didn`t take the shots are working very hard to take care of them, that`s the facts around this family…  the actual science actually says that the ‘vaccinated’ are at greater risk of catching and getting ill from Omicron than the unvaccinated… The mind boggles at the stupidity of these silly restrictions… Same here. Vaccinated daughters got the virus, non-vaccinated parents didn’t…. I know of several families where everyone is vaccinated and everyone is now sick. Unvaxxed…. no one sick… I got horribly ill from the second Moderna vaccine I will not be taking the booster!… Austria, original home of the Nazi menace, has truly returned to its roots…. It makes one wonder if the spirit of the 1930s ever really died in Austria….

Imagine, a lockdown over a bad cold. Now we know why Hitler was able to march in and take Austria over without firing a shot…. Austrians learned NOTHING from history…”

It appears that most Austrians did NOT learn from their history. However, the anger of a vocal minority against governmental restrictions grows in parts of Austria and Germany. Dictatorial reactions of the governments can be expected.

 The Western Standard wrote on January 2:

Close to 350,000 people took to the streets in Vienna, Austria this weekend to protest some of the most Draconian COVID-19 restrictions in the world. Austria was the first country to announce mandatory vaccinations for all citizens 14-years-old and up. This week it was announced the mandate comes into effect February 1 and will cost the unvaccinated up to 3,600 euros… every three months.”

Breitbart wrote on January 4:

“A number of protests have taken place in Germany, with estimates putting the number of anti-lockdown protesters attending events at over 100,000 in total nationwide… 50,000 turned out in Baden-Wuertemberg, ‘tens of thousands’ in Saxony, and 17,000 in Thuringia.  While a number of protests took place in the country with the permission of relative authorities, others went ahead despite non-compliance, with thousands attending so-called ‘unannounced’ rallies despite being threatened with fines by police. Monday night ‘strolls’ have a history in Germany reaching back to the Communist era where protesting could be a dangerous occupation…

“While protests in a number of regions last night remained relatively peaceful… others did experience some levels of violence… East German members of the ruling Free Democratic Party (FDP) have expressed a desire for security authorities to clamp down on violent protesters. A strategy paper by the group’s eastern head, Hagen Reinhold, has called for better coordination between security authorities in dealing with internet bubbles and chats that he claims are used to mobilise people… Reinhold calls out Telegram in particular as a potential source of problems, the encrypted messaging service having already drawn much institutional ire in Germany over recent months.

“German authorities have already launched legal proceedings against the app last month over claims that it did not abide by laws requiring social media to police the actions of users on the platform. ‘Should Telegram fail to react to the European and German legal situation, our security policy will increasingly begin in the chat groups in the future,’ wrote the FDP politician in the paper.”

The more some Germans object to the restrictions, the more the government will respond, especially when it can be alleged that demonstrators, even if it is just a handful, become “violent.” Such problematic governmental reactions will not only be directed at the actual perpetrators, but also at the organizers of demonstrations.

Macron Attacks the Unvaccinated

BBC News wrote on January 5:

 “French President Emmanuel Macron has been accused of using divisive, vulgar language after he used a slang term to say he wanted to make life difficult for unvaccinated people. ‘I really want to p… them off, and we’ll carry on doing this – to the end,’ he told Le Parisien newspaper…. ‘So we need to tell them, from 15 January, you will no longer be able to go to the restaurant. You will no longer be able to go for a coffee, you will no longer be able to go to the theatre. You will no longer be able to go to the cinema.’…

“The airwaves in France are shrill this morning with the sound of angry politicians. From left and right, moderate and extreme, opponents are outbidding each other in condemnation…”

The Sun added on January 5:

“FUMING Emmanuel Macron has vowed to ‘p**s off’ France’s unvaccinated population as he branded them ‘non-citizens’ in a furious outburst… He insisted he would not ‘vaccinate by force’ the minority who had not had a dose, but instead persuade them to get jabbed by ‘limiting as much as possible their access to activities in social life’.”

These terrible tactics by governmental officials have become common in other countries as well. Later on in this section, we report on awful accusations against the unvaccinated in Canada and the USA.

Ethiopian War Danger to Europe

Market Research Telecast wrote on December 31:

“Brussels fears that the armed conflict in Ethiopia will degenerate in 2022 and cause a humanitarian catastrophe and a migration crisis of historic proportions. Community sources warn of the risk that the war will destabilize the entire Horn of Africa, an area where more than 200 million people live and already undergoes the stress of gigantic internal population displacements…

“Brussels fears that the Ethiopian conflict will… end up dragging other countries in the area such as Sudan, South Sudan or Somalia, in addition to Eritrea, already clearly involved. Community sources point out that the outbreak of the area would cause ‘a migratory exodus of historical proportions comparable to that of the breakup of Yugoslavia.’ That dismemberment from 1991 caused population movements that affected more than three million people and almost one million sought refuge in the countries of the European Union…

“Europe was overwhelmed despite the fact that the former Yugoslavia had only 23 million inhabitants. But Ethiopia, the epicenter of the conflict in the Horn of Africa, is a giant of 112 million people. And it is surrounded by countries like Sudan (45 million), South Sudan (16 million) or Somalia (16 million), which already suffer enormous internal tensions… although the geographical distance from the EU is much greater than in the case of Yugoslavia, Brussels considers it likely that part of the migratory flows will move to the old continent through, above all, Libya. ‘Ethiopia is experiencing one of the bloodiest wars that are being fought at the moment on the planet,’ say community sources. And they show their concern for the peaceful subsistence of the area ‘even when the war ends.’ The conflict, according to data from the European Commission, has already caused the displacement of more than two million people and thousands have sought refuge in Sudan…

This could lead to much hostility between Europe and Ethiopia.

China Hoards over Half of World’s Grain

Nikkei Asia wrote on December 23:

“Less than 20% of the world’s population has managed to stockpile more than half of the globe’s maize and other grains, leading to steep price increases across the planet and dropping more countries into famine. The hoarding is taking place in China…

“According to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, China is expected to have 69% of the globe’s maize reserves in the first half of crop year 2022, 60% of its rice and 51% of its wheat.”

TikTok Danger to our Children

Daily Mail wrote on December 26:

“Campaigners have accused TikTok of helping children to be ‘brainwashed’ by hosting viral social-media videos that promote changing sex as ‘cool’. Material posted by transgender influencers on the social networking service – in which they provide advice on transitioning and accessing hormone therapies – has been seen by millions of young viewers. Some parents are concerned the involvement of TikTok, which became the UK’s most downloaded app last year, is fuelling a ‘social contagion’ of pressure on impressionable youngsters and the rise in teenagers who are identifying as trans…

“TikTok signed a partnership earlier this year with Stonewall, the controversial lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights charity, to promote this material.

“One popular transgender TikTok influencer, Bella Fitzpatrick, raised £20,000 from followers in less than three months to fund private gender-reassignment surgery. The 19-year-old has 700,000 followers and explains the process of transitioning, including her experience of bypassing NHS waiting lists.

“Another is Alex Consani, 18, who has more than 680,000 followers. She went viral five years ago when, aged 12, Cosmopolitan magazine featured her life as a trans model. One of her videos, seen 2.3 million times, tells followers they are ‘one oestrogen pill away from a glow up’. A ‘glow up’ is a mental, physical and emotional transformation for the better.

“A channel featuring influencer Jaison Jowett shows the process of transitioning and carrying out reassignment surgery. One video includes the caption ‘Heal with me after top surgery!’ – a reference to a reconstructive chest operation. Another video begins with the words ‘I used to be a good Christian kid’ before showing the transformation to a ‘trans, gay atheist who loves tattoos and chaos’….

“A spokesman for TikTok said: ‘We are honoured that the LGBTQ+ community has embraced TikTok from our very early days, as a platform for self-expression, education, community-building and joy.’ A spokesman for Stonewall said: ‘Our content allows young LGBTQ+ people to know that they are not alone in their experiences.’”

Tik Tok is owned by “Beijing-based technology company ByteDance, founded by the Chinese billionaire entrepreneur, Zhang Yiming. The 38-year-old was named one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people in 2019, who described him as ‘the top entrepreneur in the world’” (The Sun, dated December 18, 2021).

US President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order announcing that he would ban US businesses and citizens from doing business with or downloading TikTok… The move came after the Trump administration aired concerns about user data being shared with Chinese authorities, a claim that ByteDance denied. However, the ban did not come into effect after a US District Judge ruled to temporarily halt the ban on TikTok downloads… It seems unlikely that Biden will take as drastic actions as Trump did when it comes to China’s tech giants, while he will still be concerned about data security” (Focus, November 20, 2020).

We should note that Trump’s and Biden’s concerns were and are strictly based on data security, not on their questionable and dangerous contents.

Make Believe Insanity in Switzerland

International Family News wrote on December 30:

“Switzerland has now joined a host of nations that allows a person to change gender identity by merely declaring so. Starting January 1, 2022, proof of undergoing hormone therapy or having had ‘sex-reassignment’ surgery, or a declaration from a doctor attesting to a person suffering from gender dysphoria, are not required. Now all one must do to legally change one’s gender is go to a civil registry office and fill out a simple form. It is just that easy.

“Allowing mere beliefno matter how objectively wrong it may be–to determine legal reality is a pathway leading to societal chaos. How this snowball will end can be glimpsed in Mexico, where the state Supreme Court recently ruled that a person’s belief about his age trumps the actual age of that person. With this decision, pedophilia could end as a crime if an adult in good faith believes he is a child. A minor could be allowed to purchase alcohol or visit a strip club if he or she in good faith believes they are twenty-one. With this ‘make believe’ movement gathering steam, a person could soon be able to legally change his race and ethnicity by merely declaring so; and people would be incentivized to do this because of all the quotas and set-asides reserved for minorities. Indeed, what is to stop a person from lying on his resume when applying for jobs, government grants, and colleges if he actually believes that he had the experiences listed on it? Living in a world turned upside where fiction is truth and truth is fiction is where this snowball stops….”

This is indeed insane, but one can see where these ungodly movements are heading…

Where Putin Is Right

IFN wrote on December 24:

“Russian President Vladimir Putin has many flaws and reasons to be disliked. He illegally occupied and annexed the Crimea. He is supporting a civil war in Ukraine. He jails and may even poison political opponents. He repeatedly makes threats against the West. Yet, in one area he should be admired—in thinking clearly about woke cancel culture and the radical transgender agenda…

“In regard to the radical transgender agenda that holds that any biological man can become a woman just by saying so and vice versa, Putin made several common-sense remarks; remarks that all of humanity unanimously agreed with until the last few decades in the West. ‘If someone believes that males and females are the same thing, well, let them believe that, but let’s think about common sense,’ Putin stated. Regarding allowing biological men to compete against biological women in sports, Putin declared: ‘Say, for example, males say they are females and compete in weightlifting competitions [as happened in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics]. This renders the entire area of women’s sports meaningless. I believe that the traditional approach is correct: a male is a male, a female is a female. Mother is mother and father is father.’…

“Putin then discussed the insanity of placing biological men identifying as women with biological women prisoners…

“After hearing Putin’s remarks, you have to ask yourself: Why is Putin, flawed in so many ways, the only current Western world leader courageously confronting the ‘virus’ of cancel culture and the lie that a biological man can become a woman just by saying so? Why are so many officials in the West afraid to defend objective reality and common sense?…”

Of course, Putin is totally correct in this regard, but one must not overlook that he is viciously opposing everyone who does not conform to his ideas, whatever they may be.

Second Putin-Biden Phone Call

Daily Mail wrote on December 31:

“Tensions between Russia and the West have… reached new highs over Ukraine. Putin discussed the soaring tensions in a phone call with US President Joe Biden on Thursday.

“Biden reaffirmed the U.S. threat of new sanctions against Russia in case of an escalation or invasion, to which Putin responded with a warning of his own that such a U.S. move could lead to a complete rupture of ties between the nations.”

It was reported that the call “ended without clarity about Mr. Putin’s intention.”

Russia Warns Finland and Sweden

EU Today wrote on December 29:

“Moscow has warned Finland and Sweden against joining Nato amid rising tensions between Russia and the western military alliance. Maria Zakharova, the Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman, accused the alliance of trying to pull the two countries into its orbit…

 Finland and Sweden both pursued a policy of neutrality throughout the Cold War and neither country has ever formally applied to join Nato. However, Sweden, which increased its defence budget after Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, introduced legislation last year that would allow it to join Nato in the future if it decided it was in its interests. Swedish troops have held joint military exercises with Nato.

“Finland has also said that it could apply for Nato membership in the future…

‘Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg visited the two countries in October and praised their willingness to work with the alliance amid Russia’s aggressive posturing.’”

Turmoil in Kazakhstan

The Guardian wrote on January 5:

“Kazakhstan’s president has appealed to a Moscow-led security bloc to help regain control amid protests sparked by fuel price rises, after demonstrators took over government buildings and reportedly stormed the airport in Almaty, the country’s commercial capital and largest city.

“In a televised address late on Wednesday, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said he had turned to the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) – a military alliance of Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan – after what he described as ‘attacks’ by foreign-trained terrorist gangs…

“Earlier in the day, there were violent clashes between police and demonstrators in the city and the mayor’s office was set on fire…

“Tokayev accepted the resignation of the government on Wednesday morning and introduced a state of emergency… to the entire country… The protests began in the west of the country at the weekend, after a sharp rise in fuel prices, but have spread quickly and taken Kazakhstan’s authorities and international observers by surprise… on Wednesday, the internet went down across much of Kazakhstan…

“Images of police being overpowered by protesters are likely to cause alarm in the Kremlin, as another country neighbouring Russia succumbs to political unrest. Kazakhstan is part of an economic union with Russia and the two countries share a long border. ‘We hope for the earliest possible normalisation of the situation in the country, with which Russia is linked by relations of strategic partnership and alliance through fraternal, human contacts,’ the Russian foreign ministry said [and that] it was important no foreign countries interfered in Kazakhstan.

“Tokayev spoke to the Belarusian president, Alexander Lukashenko, who crushed a huge uprising with brutal force in 2019. Before calling Tokayev, Lukashenko spoke to Putin…

“Kazakhstan has never held an election judged as free and fair by international observers…”

The West is anxiously observing these developments, wondering what Putin might do.

Russia Sends Troops to Kazakhstan

Reuters reported on January 6:

“Fresh violence erupted in Kazakhstan’s main city on Thursday after Russia rushed in paratroopers to put down a countrywide uprising in one of Moscow’s closest former Soviet allies…. The Russian deployment was a gamble by the Kremlin that rapid military force could secure its interests in the oil and uranium-producing Central Asian nation, by swiftly putting down the worst violence in Kazakhstan’s 30 years of independence….

 “Moscow did not disclose how many troops it was sending, and it was not possible to determine if any were involved in Thursday’s unrest…. The swift arrival of Russian troops demonstrated the Kremlin’s willingness to safeguard its influence in the ex-Soviet Union with force… The West has so far mainly limited its response to calls for calm.”

Abortion Leading Cause of Death

Breitbart wrote on December 31:

“As of noon on December 31, 2021, there were 42.6 million abortions performed in the course of the year… while 8.2 million people died from cancer, 5 million from smoking, 1.7 million of HIV/AIDS, 1.3 million from traffic fatalities, and 1 million from suicide.

“Totaling all the deaths in the world from causes other than abortion reveals a figure of 58.7 million, meaning that abortions accounted for just over 42 percent of all human deaths in 2021. By comparison, worldwide deaths from coronavirus in 2021 totaled around 3.5 million, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).”

We dare to say that the number of deaths from corona is highly exaggerated. Note the next article.

Fauci “Clarifies” Prior Lies

Townhall wrote on December 31:

“Chief White House medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci finally acknowledged an important point about Covid-19 case numbers in hospitalized children… ‘many of them are hospitalized with Covid as opposed to because of Covid,’ Fauci admitted… ‘And what we mean by that — if a child goes in the hospital, they automatically get tested for Covid. And they get counted as a Covid-hospitalized individual. When in fact, they may go in for a broken leg or appendicitis or something like that. So, it’s over-counting the number of children who are, quote, ‘hospitalized with Covid,’ as opposed to because of Covid.

“Many pointed out that people were banned from social media channels for making this exact point, which is happening not just for children but adults, too. ‘Fauci acknowledges what others were censored for saying: Many children enter hospitals for reasons unrelated to Covid like broken bones but are registered as Covid hospitalizations simply because they got a + PCR test, thereby inflating the numbers,’ said The Grayzone’s editor Max Blumenthal.”

Still, the FDA just backed Pfizer booster shots for kids ages 2 to 15 (The Week, dated January 3). The money machine must go on…

A Country Divided

npr wrote on January 3:

“One year after the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, Americans are deeply pessimistic about the future of democracy… 64% of Americans believe U.S. democracy is ‘in crisis and at risk of failing.’ That sentiment is felt most acutely by Republicans: Two-thirds of GOP respondents agree with the… claim that ‘voter fraud helped Joe Biden win the 2020 election’… Fewer than half of Republicans say they are willing to accept the results of the 2020 election…

“Nearly two-thirds of poll respondents agree that U.S. democracy is ‘more at risk’ now than it was a year ago. Among Republicans, that number climbs to 4 in 5… “More than half of Democrats say the Jan. 6 assault was an ‘attempted coup or insurrection,’ while Republicans are more likely to describe it as a ‘riot that got out of control.’…”

The New York Post wrote on January 3:

40 percent of Republicans agreed it could sometimes be ‘justified for citizens to take violent action against the government.’ Twenty-three percent of Democrats and 41 percent of Independents also endorsed situational violence. Of those who agree that rising up in arms against the government could be acceptable, 22 percent said it would be justified for invasions of personal liberties, while 15 percent pointed to a military takeover or democratic collapse. Three percent said violence was appropriate if the government did not accept election results…

“The numbers had risen sharply in recent years. In 2015, 23 percent of Americans approved of violence against authorities, researchers said. Five years before that, 16 percent agreed — up from only 13 percent in the mid-90s.

“The same poll found that 92 percent of Democrats thought Trump was largely to blame for the Jan. 6 riot, compared to 27 percent of GOP voters.”

These are dangerous numbers. When so many Americans feel violence is sometimes justified to be used against the government, then it is only a matter of time… To be clear, God condemns the use of violence against governmental officials or governmental institutions. HOW MUCH the nation is divided can also be seen in the next article.

FBI Biden’s Personal Gestapo?

Breitbart wrote on January 4:

“Many U.S. voters think the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is Democrat President Joe Biden’s ‘personal Gestapo,’ according to a Rasmussen poll released Tuesday. ‘Roger Stone, an adviser to former President Donald Trump, has said there is “a group of politicized thugs at the top of the FBI who are using the FBI … as Joe Biden‘s personal Gestapo,”’ the poll report states. ‘Forty-six percent of voters agree with Stone’s assessment, including 29 percent who Strongly Agree. Thirty-eight percent disagree with Stone’s claim, including 25 percent who Strongly Disagree.’

“The results of the poll, which was conducted… on Dec. 29-30, come after the FBI conducted a raid on the home of Project Veritas founder James O’Keefe, looking for information about Ashley Biden’s diary… Voter opinion on whether FBI Director Christopher Wray is influenced by the president has reached a ‘near-complete reversal.’ Now, 50 percent of voters believe Wray is influenced by Biden ‘in his decision making,’ and only 26 percent think he is independent of the administration. Twenty-five percent of those polled are unsure. In May 2017, 53 percent thought the FBI director was independent while 26 percent thought he was beholden to the president. Approval of Wray has also declined since 2020…

Fifty-seven percent of Republicans and 56 percent of unaffiliated voters have an unfavorable view of the FBI compared to 30 percent of Democrats…”

YouTube Worst Censor of All?

Newsmax wrote on January 3:

“Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., says he won’t be posting to YouTube anymore because the video platform site is ‘the worst censor of all.’ ‘Today I begin my exodus from Big Tech, starting with the worst censor of all, YouTube,” Paul said in a statement… Instead, Paul’s team said viewers can see his content on Rumble.com.

“Paul’s YouTube account was suspended for seven days twice in August and September over videos the platform said violated its COVID-19 misinformation policy. In one of the videos, Paul, a staunch critic of Biden administration vaccination policies and of key COVID-19 adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci, posted a video that disputed the effectiveness of wearing masks to limit the spread of the coronavirus. In the video, Paul says: ‘Most of the masks you get over the counter don’t work. They don’t prevent infection.’ Later in the video, he adds, ‘Trying to shape human behavior isn’t the same as following the actual science, which tells us that cloth masks don’t work.’”

The irony is that now, more and more scientists agree that cloth masks do not work. For instance, the Ron Paul Institute wrote on January 2:

Germany’s official government health authority reported last week that 90 plus percent of new Omicron variant cases are among vaccinated individuals, obliterating the long-repeated claim that this is a pandemic of the unvaccinated. Other narratives are also crumbling – former FDA head Scott Gottlieb says cloth masks are useless.”

Trudeau and Biden Malign and Accuse the Unvaccinated

LifeSiteNews wrote on January 3:

“Prime Minister Trudeau maligned Canadians who are opposed to receiving the experimental COVID-19 gene-therapy injections as ‘extremists,’ ‘racists,’ and ‘misogynists’ who deny science. The September interview went viral on social media only late last month and has since attracted strong criticism from politicians and citizens alike… They ‘do not believe in science, who are often misogynists, often racists, too; it is a sect, a small group, but who are taking up space, and here we have to make a choice, as a leader, as a country,’ added Trudeau.

“He made the shocking statement that he is unsure if Canada should even ‘tolerate these people’ while telling the host that the unvaccinated ‘are going to block us’ from getting back to the ‘things we like doing.’ Trudeau’s discriminatory and confusing statements had seemed to have gone unnoticed by Canadian society until December 28, when career politician and federal leader of the pro-freedom People’s Party of Canada, Maxime Bernier, posted the clip to social media while labelling Trudeau a ‘psychopathic fascist.’…

“Despite Trudeau and all of Canada’s provincial leaders supporting vaccine mandates and vaccine passports for access to various parts of Canadian society, coronavirus vaccine trials have never produced evidence that the vaccines stop infection or transmission...

“Trudeau’s assertion that those opposed to vaccination are ‘racist’ is at odds with the fact that many of the most vaccine-hesitant people are members of minority communities who have a strong distrust of government due to mistreatment in past generations. In Canada, indigenous groups like the Six Nations community in Ontario have a vaccination rate of only 46 percent as of mid-December, compared to a rate of over 85 percent for the province’s population as a whole.

“In America, the group to report the highest levels of hesitancy is black Americans, with a whopping 50 percent reporting a distrust in the procedure.

“In addition to cultural hesitancy, there are those too who oppose the shots on scientific or religious grounds…”

Sadly, such mean-spirited and hateful comments, as uttered by Trudeau, can be expected to be made by politicians and leaders in other countries as well. Note the article on France above.

Also, even though less offensive in his words than Trudeau, Biden keeps maligning the “unvaccinated” and holds them responsible for the spread of the Omicron virus, as he did on January 4 in a speech to the nation, even though the facts do not support his claim at all. Incredibly, Biden said this:

“The impact from the rising cases depends on the effect on the person based on whether that person — what their vaccination status is… if you’re vaccinated and boosted, you are highly protected… if you’re unvaccinated, you have some reason to be alarmed.  Many of you will — you know, you’ll experience severe illness, in many cases, if you get COVID-19 if you’re not vaccinated.  Some will die — needlessly die.

The unvaccinated are taking up hospital beds and crowding emergency rooms and intensive care units.  That’s a place that other people will need access to those hospitals… there is no excuse — no excuse for anyone being unvaccinated.  This continues to be a pandemic of the unvaccinated… And for [parents] who still haven’t gotten your kids vaccinated, please get them vaccinated.  Look out for their interests here.  It’s the best way to protect them.

“And for parents with kids too young to be vaccinated, surround your kids with people who are vaccinated.  And make sure you’re masking in public so you don’t get COVID and give it to your kids.”

What absolutely divisive and scientifically false remarks! Fox News, in pointing out the many misrepresentations in Biden’s speech, wrote on January 5:

“But those who have been vaccinated are still getting sick. The U.S. recorded its record number of COVID-19 cases for a single day on Monday, almost doubling the previous record of about 590,000 set just four days earlier. This, despite 73% of the U.S. population being at least partially vaccinated and 62% fully vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control…. the CDC noted on December 20 that it ‘expects that anyone with Omicron infection can spread the virus to others, even if they are vaccinated or don’t have symptoms…’”

The Past Two Years… a Testimony of Autocratic Insanity

Dr. Ron Paul wrote the following in his weekly column in the Ron Paul Institute on January 3:

“… these past two years have been a bad dream. It seems like we fell asleep in early 2020 and woke up in 1984! They said that if we just put on a mask and stayed home for two weeks, we’d be able to return to normal. The two weeks came and went and instead of going back to normal they added more restrictions. These past two years have been a story of moving goalposts and ‘experts’ like Anthony Fauci constantly contradicting themselves…

“The history of these past two years is that the worst ideas have been adopted by force and anyone questioning those ideas has been suppressed by force…

“As my son Rand said on a recent Liberty Report, thousands of people died because Fauci refused to consider the proven effectiveness of natural immunity against Covid. He and his colleagues were determined to deny any outpatient treatments and insisted on vaccines as the only way out. Now, as we see the vaccines performing so poorly versus natural immunity, their whole strategy lies in tatters. Will anyone apologize to the relatives of all those who died?

“When we look back at these two years, hopefully one thing that will be remembered is [that] the institutions of state power… have been exposed as frauds and worse.

“In a recent massively popular Joe Rogan interview with Dr. Robert Malone – inventor of the mRNA technology that is the backbone of the ‘vaccines’ – Malone discusses the disturbing concept of mass formation psychosis, where fear and manipulation are used to drive a society mad in the service of a group of elites with an agenda. We saw it in Germany in the 1930s….”

Judge Blocks Navy Vaccine Mandate

Thomson/Reuters wrote on January 4:

“A federal judge on Monday barred the U.S. Department of Defense from punishing a group of Navy SEALs and other special forces members who refused COVID-19 vaccines on religious grounds.

“U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor, acting in response to a lawsuit filed on behalf of 35 special forces service members, issued a preliminary injunction blocking the Navy and Defense Department from enforcing the mandate. O’Connor, who was appointed to the federal bench in Texas by President George W. Bush, said the Navy had not granted a single religious exemption to the vaccine rule.

“‘The Navy service members in this case seek to vindicate the very freedoms they have sacrificed so much to protect. The COVID-19 pandemic provides the government no license to abrogate those freedoms,’ the judge wrote in a 26-page decision.”

Ultimately, the highly political US Supreme Court will have to decide these issues.

And Now.. Another Variant?

Mashable wrote on January 4:

“The world is still coping with the rapid spread of Omicron and the previously reported Delta variant. As infection rates surge in several countries, yet another COVID-19 variant has been discovered. Scientists in France have detected a new coronavirus variant called ‘IHU’…

“So far, 12 cases have been reported in Marseille with an initial case being linked to travel history in Cameroon… The researchers revealed that the IHU variant is believed to contain 46 mutations (higher than Omicron) which could mean that it’s far more infectious and resistant to vaccinations. Currently, it is too soon to tell if this is the latest variant of concern. The WHO is still investigating the findings.”

Big Pharma will have a lucrative field day to develop a vaccine against that variant. It appears many mutations might occur because of the vaccinations.

How many more booster shots?

CNN wrote on January 4:

“A leading expert who helped create the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19  said Tuesday that giving everyone in the world booster shots multiple times a year is not feasible. ‘We can’t vaccinate the planet every four to six months. It’s not sustainable or affordable,’ Professor Andrew Pollard, the director of the Oxford Vaccine Group and head of the UK’s Committee on Vaccination and Immunization, told The Daily Telegraph in an interview published Tuesday…

“Pollard also said he thought further evidence was needed before offering a fourth Covid-19 shot to people in the UK… Israel has already begun its rollout of a fourth vaccine dose, offering it to all medical workers and people 60 and older as of Monday. And in late December, German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach told public broadcaster ZDF that Germanswill need a fourth vaccination’ against Covid-19.”

What Germany, the UK, the USA, Canada, Australia, Austria, Israel and many other countries need are competent and knowledgeable health experts.

Historic Wildfires in Colorado

Bloomberg wrote on December 31:

“The infernos near Boulder, Colorado, destroyed as many as 1,000 homes, overwhelming firefighters as hurricane-force gusts propelled flames through suburban neighborhoods left tinder dry by months of drought. The blazes dashed erratically from house to house, scorching about 6,000 acres (2,400 hectares) and devouring structures ‘in just a blink of an eye,’ Colorado Governor Jared Polis said… Authorities suspect the grass fires were touched off by power lines that toppled in the 100-mile (161-kilometer) per-hour winds. No deaths have been reported…”

These fires with “historic” winds made it the “most destructive fire in state history.”

“Highly Credible” Unexplained UFO Sightings

The Hill wrote on January 5:

“The Navy has a perplexing mystery on its hands. For several weeks in 2019, unknown objects stalked U.S. warships off the coast of southern California. While the bizarre ‘drone’ encounters remain unsolved, the incidents occurred in an area with a long history of UFO sightings, including two of the most credible encounters on record… The Navy, working with the FBI and Coast Guard, now appears to have ruled out civilian activity or U.S. military operations as plausible explanations for the encounters. This leaves two possibilities, each with extraordinary implications.

Either a foreign adversary is spying on Navy ships around the Channel Islands (which lie just west of Los Angeles and San Diego), or devices of truly unknown origin are operating with impunity around U.S. (and allied) vessels.

“The implications of a foreign power deploying drones to spy on American warships just off the California coast are immense. For starters, this scenario suggests a monumental U.S. counterintelligence failure. Moreover, such a brazen and technically complex intelligence operation amounts to an enormous gamble for a hostile nation. Any shoot-down – as the Navy reportedly attempted – of a foreign surveillance drone so close to U.S. shores would invite sweeping geopolitical repercussions.

“Importantly, if the UFOs that stalked the Navy warships were part of an adversarial intelligence collection effort, the objects’ operators made little effort to conceal their presence. Videos taken aboard one U.S. vessel show the mysterious craft displaying bright and flashing lights. At the same time, Navy radar operators tracked the objects with apparent ease, even expressing surprise as the craft engaged in anomalous maneuvers. In another video, a spherical object… appears to descend slowly into the ocean.

“To be sure, investigators and intelligence analysts must take seriously the possibility that a foreign power is spying on U.S. warships a stone’s throw from two major American cities. But based on what is known publicly about these bizarre incidents, investigators should also consider the long history of UFO sightings around the Channel islands…

“Now, with Congress forcing the government to take the UFO phenomenon seriously for the first time, investigators must consider whether the objects that followed Navy warships are linked to the long history of inexplicable – yet highly credible – encounters in the waters off southern California.”

The author of the article, Marik von Rennenkampff, served as an analyst with the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation, as well as an Obama administration appointee at the U.S. Department of Defense. Of course, a third and most plausible explanation for these UFO sightings is demonic activities to prepare mankind for Armageddon.

Israel Prepared to Attack Iran?

Townhall wrote on December 31:

“The timing of recent rhetoric throughout the Middle East is directly related to renewed nuclear negotiations with Iran. Nobody thinks the Iranians are honest players or can be trusted. But there are world leaders who think that continuing to negotiate… is a goal in and of itself…

“A large part of the problem and Israel’s justified concern is that the western secular world does not understand religious fanaticism

“If Israel really believes that Iran is on the verge of a nuclear breakout, is Israel prepared to act on its own assuming others won’t?… Making such a decision to attack Iran will be a historic Jewish decision, like Prime Minister Begin’s in 1981… Israel’s actions will be based on its understanding of the historic enormity of the decision. The more it does, the fewer restraints there will be, militarily and diplomatically. Unless the U.S. is on board from the outset, it’s likely the U.S. may not be informed until planes are in the air… If the U.S. does not participate in an attack, would it support Israel or vote against it in the event of a UN condemnation?

“Between the probable military backlash and the inevitable international pushback, Israel is between a rock and a hard place… As the Jewish sage Hillel said, ‘If I am not for myself, who will be for me.’ The modern application of that in Israel is, ‘If I am not for myself, who will stop Iran?’”

An Israeli attack on Iran is not unlikely. If it happens, it could lead to terrible consequences for Israel.  

Fate of Al Aqsa

Israel 365 wrote on December 28:

“Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz) has always been an outspoken advocate for Israel but he recently went even further when criticizing the recent UN resolutions concerning Jerusalem and the Temple Mount. In his response, Gosar called on the UN to dismantle the Muslim structures in Jerusalem that were built on the ruins of the Jewish Temple… ‘The Jewish Temple, located in the heart of Jerusalem’s Old City, is holy ground to Jews and it belongs solely to their faith.  I object to any effort to ethnically cleanse the Jewish people from their sole historic claim to this land and temple… It remains an abomination that a mosque was allowed to be built over this temple. The United Nations should be finding ways to dismantle and move that mosque, which is an affront to all religions,’ concluded Congressman Gosar.

“It is interesting to note that Gosar did not specify which Muslim structure on the Temple Mount he felt should be dismantled. The UN resolution specified al-Haram al-Sharif (the noble sanctuary), a term that refers to the Temple Mount and not to a specific structure. The major structures currently on the site are the grey domed Al Aqsa Mosque (the further mosque) and the gold-domed Qubbat a Sakhra (shrine of the rock) that was built on the site of the Holy of Holies in the Jewish Temples.

“Rabbi Hillel Weiss, the spokesman for the Sanhedrin, does not believe that all of the Muslim structures on the Temple Mount needed to be removed. ‘As long as the Muslims agree to live peacefully with the other religions in Israel, there is no reason to remove the Aqsa Mosque,’ Rabbi Weiss said. ‘An entrance can be set up and pathways arranged so that they can, like the Jews and everyone else, remain in the permitted areas. In fact, the current entrance to the Aqsa Mosque fits that description. Al Aqsa is not in the part of the Temple Mount that was used in the Temples. But by calling the entire Temple Mount by the name Al Aqsa, they are laying claim to the entire mountain with the intent of preventing the Jews from returning the Temple service. This has no source in Islam or benefit to the Muslims. It is simply a political lie that was created by the Palestinians and perpetuated by those who hate the Jews.’…”

It would be difficult to imagine that the Muslims would agree to such an “arrangement,” as proposed by Rabbi Weiss.

Friction between American Jews and the State of Israel

The Associated Press wrote on January 2:

“When Israel’s new government took office last June, it indicated it would press ahead on an egalitarian prayer site at Jerusalem’s Western Wall — a sensitive holy site that has emerged as a point of friction between Jews over how prayer is conducted there. But the plan is coming up against the limits of Israel’s fragile government, which is struggling to move forward on the issue due to its own internal divisions. The inaction has disappointed both Israeli groups that promote religious pluralism and their American Jewish allies, who view the issue as an important test of recognition from the Israeli government…

“The Western Wall is considered the holiest site where Jews can pray. Under ultra-Orthodox management, the wall is currently separated between men’s and women’s prayer sections. Under the more liberal Reform and Conservative streams of Judaism, women and men pray together and women are allowed to read from the Torah, which Orthodox Judaism prohibits. Those streams are a minority in Israel but make up the majority of American Jews. Israel’s refusal to recognize these liberal streams has long been a point of tension with American Jews.

“After years of negotiations, Israel approved a plan in 2016 to officially recognize a special prayer area at the Western Wall. The $9 million plan vowed to expand an egalitarian prayer site and make it more hospitable to prayer and religious events held by Jews who don’t follow Orthodox traditions. The deal was welcomed by Jewish American leaders and seen as a significant breakthrough in promoting religious pluralism in Israel, where the ultra-Orthodox authorities govern almost every facet of Jewish life. But then-Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu never implemented the plan due to objections from powerful ultra-Orthodox allies who had initially endorsed it.

“He shelved the plan the following year, leading to strained relations with American Jewish leaders that continued until he left office last year. His tight relationship with President Donald Trump further unsettled the heavily Democratic-leaning Jewish community…

“The new government, led by Prime Minister Naftali Bennett — the child of American immigrants — brought hope that the plan may be revived… But Bennett heads an unwieldy coalition of parties from across the political spectrum — ranging from nationalist parties to dovish liberal ones and even an Islamist faction — that was united behind the goal of ousting Netanyahu and very little else. While the Western Wall plan features in agreements that brought the coalition together, its leaders have generally chosen to sidestep divisive issues that might rattle its stability. Moving ahead with the Western Wall plan could spark an outcry from ultra-Orthodox opposition parties, which in turn could exert pressure on more sympathetic elements of the coalition to oppose the move. And while the government isn’t likely to fall over the Western Wall plan, a public brawl over the issue within government ranks could wear down the already delicate ties that bind the coalition.”

 As predicted from the outset, the Israeli coalition won’t accomplish much. This in turn will alienate American Jews from the state of Israel even further.

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.

Update 1003

Lasting Impressions / To Judge or Not to Judge?

On January 1, 2022, Michael Link will present the sermonette, titled, “Lasting Impressions,” and Norbert Link will present the sermon, titled, “To Judge or Not to Judge?”

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.

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Self-Restraint

by Dave Harris

Over the past year, powerful images of social bedlam and mayhem have often dominated the news. What is now being called an “insurrection” is the description of what took place in Washington, D.C., on January 6, 2021, as crowds of people turned into a mob of anarchists.

People were injured and people died!

That sad episode hardly begins to represent the breakdown of civil order that is occurring all around us and all over the world. People are now being randomly assaulted, stabbed or even shot in circumstances where safety was taken for granted. Here is how God prophetically describes our time:

“‘By swearing and lying, Killing and stealing and committing adultery, They break all restraint, With bloodshed upon bloodshed’” (Hosea 4:2).

Jesus Christ never allowed Himself to become entangled in the chaos of this world, although He was constantly surrounded by it and even eventually became its victim. His overpowering self-restraint in all that He faced serves as our example—especially, as times grow even more dire.

Our challenge to practice self-restraint in all that we think, say or do, will not be easy. To live as Christians, we need help:

“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).

Our “help” is found in following the lead of Jesus, and it involves thinking as He thinks. The Apostle Paul puts it this way:

“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ…” (2 Corinthians 10:3-5).

Paul adds:

“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things” (Philippians 4:8).

Regarding what we should say:

“‘“These are the things you shall do: Speak each man the truth to his neighbor; Give judgment in your gates for truth, justice, and peace; Let none of you think evil in your heart against your neighbor; And do not love a false oath. For all these are things that I hate,” Says the LORD’” (Zechariah 8:16-17).

Jesus taught the kind of self-restraint we should practice regarding what we do:

“‘Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves’” (Matthew 10:16).

Indeed, we do live, as Paul writes, “…in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom [we] shine as lights in the world” (Philippians 2:15).

As mentioned, the past year has been a time of unrestrained violence, and it will, as we have been warned by God, grow to become the very worst trouble ever experienced or that ever will be again. Against this backdrop, God’s Church will continue to proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God—even as we remain separate from the destructive path of those who continue to choose violence and who continue to break all restraint.

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by Norbert Link

We begin with alarming warning signs regarding the worldwide threats to democracy and of “conquest by authoritarian forces, either through military invasion or subversion from within”; speaking especially of China and Russia in this context; publish a grim review of events in 2021 showing the decline of democracy in the USA; address the perceived “need” of many Europeans to establish their own army to deal with overseas crises to avoid having to deal with them “on their own soil”; and report on Poland’s fear of Germany’s ambition to establish a “Fourth Reich.” We also quote a British article to the effect that the UK and Europe are destined to “remain the best of enemies.”

Please view in this context our new StandingWatch program, titled, “2022 in Prophecy.”

We speak on a faux pas (?) of Kamala Harris and Dr. Fauci’s methods of intimidation and coercion; and point out Donald Trump’s controversial and, as some view it, hypocritical stance on vaccination which might cost him the votes of many conservatives, unless he changes his position. We also address the historically bad approval ratings of US Presidents after their first year in office, focusing especially on Biden, Clinton, Obama and Trump.

We address another terrible tragedy regarding the killing of an innocent victim through a police officer in Los Angeles; speak on events in or pertaining to Israel, including an airstrike on Syria and the outbreak of the bird flu; terrible privacy intrusions through Canada’s federal government; and close with a demonically-inspired example of mankind’s waste of energy, time and resources in trying to deal with “extraterrestrial aliens.”

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

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Democracy in Peril Worldwide

Breitbart wrote on December 24:

“Several of the world’s free nations will greet the year 2022 under the immediate threat of conquest by authoritarian forces, either through military invasion or subversion from within.

“The best-known example is Taiwan, an outpost of free-market democracy under the perpetual threat of conquest by the hideous tyrants of China… Last week, the Taiwanese Defense Ministry said it fears China could turn large-scale military exercises near Taiwan into a full-scale surprise attack, while simultaneously deploying naval forces to keep allies like the United States and Japan from coming to Taiwan’s assistance. Chinese officials and state media are increasingly belligerent about threatening to attack any military that attempts to defend Taiwan, including the U.S. military…

“Seizing Taiwan may appeal to Chinese leaders as a bold move that would destroy the credibility of the United States and Europe, frightening other Asian powers into China’s orbit because they can no longer rely on Western security guarantees. The death of democracy in Taiwan could threaten its survival in South Korea, Japan, the Philippines, and elsewhere…

“And then again, democracy could conceivably topple in Taiwan without a military invasion. China invested considerable effort in subverting Taiwanese democracy and nourishing pro-Beijing opposition parties…

“Also living under the threat of invasion from the authoritarians next door is Ukraine. Russia now has over 90,000 troops massed along the Ukrainian border and Ukrainian intelligence believes they could invade by the end of January 2022… Relentless Russian propaganda portrays the Ukrainian government as an illegitimate puppet of foreign interests….

“In South America, there are troubling signs of anti-democratic leftist dictatorships on the rise. The odious regime of Nicolás Maduro appears securely in control of Venezuela, having vanquished a pro-democracy movement even as the national economy comes crashing down in socialist flames. International observers are nervously hoping the new leftist president of Chile, Gabriel Boric, does not follow in Maduro’s footsteps…

“Authoritarian powers like China and Iran are increasing their influence in Latin America, posing both a strategic challenge to the United States and an ideological threat to democracy…

“Democracy in other parts of the developing world is threatened by a string of military coups. The most horrific example is obviously Afghanistan, where the Taliban insurgency swept away the elected civilian government in a matter of days while the Biden administration fumbled through a disastrous withdrawal of American troops. Thanks to Biden’s reckless abandonment of American military equipment and weapons, the Taliban is now the best-armed junta in the world, with plenty of munitions to spare for sale to other anti-democratic forces.

“In Myanmar and Sudan, military juntas seized power… These juntas have survived intense pressure from human rights activists, democratic governments, and the United Nations.

“Libya, transformed into a gruesome wasteland of warlords and jihadis by Biden’s Democrat predecessor Barack Obama and his Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, is still struggling to hold a nationwide democratic election. Ten years after Obama’s invasion, Libya perpetually teeters on the edge of either disintegrating completely or becoming a military dictatorship…

“2022 will dawn with democracy in peril – not just from the vicious struggle to redefine it being waged across the Western world, but from numerous fragile democracies on the brink of external invasion or authoritarian revolution. 2021 was the year that saw freedom and autonomy die in Hong Kong. Representative government is on the chopping block in far too many other places.”

This analysis is, sadly, very real and true. Dictatorships will increase. There will be more and more wars and rumors of wars, as well as famines, pestilences and earthquakes in various places, indicating the “beginning of sorrows” (Matthew 24:6-8).

Close to Civil War

The Washington Post wrote on December 17:

“Barbara F. Walter, a political science professor at the University of California at San Diego, serves on a CIA advisory panel called the Political Instability Task Force that monitors countries around the world and predicts which of them are most at risk of deteriorating into violence…

“Her bottom line: ‘We are closer to civil war than any of us would like to believe… No one wants to believe that their beloved democracy is in decline, or headed toward war,’ she writes. But, ‘if you were an analyst in a foreign country looking at events in America — the same way you’d look at events in Ukraine or the Ivory Coast or Venezuela — you would go down a checklist, assessing each of the conditions that make civil war likely. And what you would find is that the United States, a democracy founded more than two centuries ago, has entered very dangerous territory.’…

“Walter writes that the United States is now an ‘anocracy,’ somewhere between a democracy and an autocratic state….”

Of course, as can be expected from the Washington Post, this decline of US democracy is blamed on Trump, without mentioning the ongoing autocratic dictatorial measures imposed by the Biden Administration.

2021 in Review

The Rutherford Institute wrote on December 27:

“A simmering pot of political tensions boiled over on January 6, 2021, when protesters stormed the Capitol… It took no time at all for the nation’s capital to be placed under a military lockdown, online speech forums restricted… The subsequent  military occupation of the nation’s capital by 25,000 troops as part of the so-called ‘peaceful’ transfer of power from one administration to the next was little more than martial law disguised as national security

“On any given day, the average American going about his daily business was monitored, surveilled, spied on and tracked in more than 20 different ways, by both government and corporate eyes and ears… In response to the events of Jan. 6, the tech giants meted out their own version of social justice by way of digital tyranny and corporate censorship… ‘Domestic terrorism’ became the new poster child for expanding the government’s powers at the expense of civil liberties…  the ramifications… are so far-reaching as to render almost every American an extremist in word, deed, thought or by association.

“Political correctness gave way to a more insidious form of group think and mob rule which, coupled with government and corporate censors and a cancel culture determined not to offend ‘certain’ viewpoints, was all too willing to eradicate views that do not conform. Critical race theory also moved to the forefront of the culture wars…

“Government agents routinely violated the Fourth Amendment at will [by invading homes] under the pretext of public health and safety…

“Caught in the crosshairs of a showdown between the rights of the individual and the so-called ‘emergency’ state, concerns about COVID-19 mandates and bodily integrity remained part of a much larger debate over the ongoing power struggle between the citizenry and the government over our property ‘interest’ in our bodies. This debate over bodily integrity covered broad territory, ranging from abortion and forced vaccinations to biometric surveillance and basic healthcare…

“What started out as an apparent effort to prevent a novel coronavirus from sickening the nation (and the world) became yet another means by which world governments (including our own) expanded their powers, abused their authority, and further oppressed their constituents.

The national debt exceeded $29 trillion. Meanwhile, the government continued to spend taxpayer money it didn’t have on programs it couldn’t afford; businesses shuttered for lack of customers, resources and employees; and consumers continued to encounter global supply chain shortages (and skyrocketing prices) on everything from computer chips and cars to construction materials…

Owing in large part to the government’s deep-seated and, in many cases, top-secret alliances with foreign nations and global corporations, the US entered into a new world order—a global world order—made up of international government agencies and corporations. Fascism became a global menace…

“Every crisis—manufactured or otherwise—since the nation’s early beginnings has become a make-work opportunity for the government to expand its reach and its power at taxpayer expense while limiting our freedoms at every turn: The Great Depression. The World Wars. The 9/11 terror attacks. The COVID-19 pandemic. Indeed, the government’s (mis)management of various states of emergency in the past 20 years from 9/11 to COVID-19 has spawned a massive security-industrial complex the likes of which have never been seen before….

There may have been a new guy [Biden] in charge this year, but for the most part, nothing changed. The nation remained politically polarized, controlled by forces beyond the purview of the average American, and rapidly moving the nation away from its freedom foundation. Over the past year, due in part to the COVID-19 pandemic, Americans found themselves repeatedly subjected to egregious civil liberties violations, invasive surveillance, martial law, lockdowns, political correctness, erosions of free speech, strip searches, police shootings of unarmed citizens, government spying, the criminalization of lawful activities, warmongering, etc….”

Sadly, this synopsis does point out convincingly our decline in democracy, freedom and liberties.

More on Russia and Ukraine

The Week wrote on December 22:

“Before this week, I’d never heard of Dmitri Alperovitch or Silverado Policy Accelerator, the nonprofit think tank for which he is co-founder and chair. But Alperovitch is on my radar now, thanks to a viral tweet thread about Russia’s intentions in Ukraine that is at once smart, highly informed, and chilling.

“Alperovitch’s core assertion is simple: The Kremlin has already ‘made a decision to invade Ukraine later this winter.’ The evidence he marshals in defense of this claim is overwhelming. Alperovitch points to Russia’s massive troop deployment to the Ukraine border, increased acts of cyber intrusion into Ukraine, the issuing of diplomatic ultimatums and public demands that would be extremely difficult to walk back, and several other recent moves on Russia’s part.

“He then pivots to listing the reasons he thinks Russian President Vladimir Putin has decided on this bellicose course of action. These range from internal conflicts within Ukraine that threaten Russian interests to longstanding concerns about NATO expansion into Russia’s near abroad [sic], which the Kremlin considers a serious danger, to the waning effectiveness of economic sanctions from the West as a deterrent. All of it builds to a prediction: Putin ‘is unlikely to invade western Ukraine but can relatively easily split the country in half along the Dnieper [River] and establish a permanent buffer zone between Europe and Russia, as well as a land bridge to Crimea.’

“Since we’re making predictions, I’ll propose my own: If Alperovitch is right and Putin launches an invasion of Ukraine, the United States and NATO will raise rhetorical hell about it from Washington and Brussels, but they will do nothing to stop it militarily. And that, as Alperovitch points out, ‘would put a permanent end to all talk of Ukraine, Georgia, Belarus, or any Central Asian states of ever joining NATO.’

“… a Russian invasion of Ukraine would propel the United States and the world into an era of geopolitical risk unlike any we’ve seen in several decades. And if Alperovitch is correct, that era may be poised to begin in a matter of weeks.”

Deutsche Welle reported on December 26:

“Russia announced on Saturday that 10,000 troops had finished month-long military drills near Ukraine and would be returning to their permanent bases.”

Whether this is even true and whether, if true, this is only another ploy by Putin to calm the West a little while secretly planning an invasion will have to be seen. In any event, the Bible prophesies that Russia and Ukraine will “unite” in some way and ultimately fight against a mighty European power bloc .

Russia’s Ambitions in the Balkans

Foreign Affairs wrote on December 27:

“This year marks the 30th anniversary of the beginning of the Yugoslav wars, Europe’s bloodiest conflict since World War II…. Now Russian President Vladimir Putin is seizing his opportunity and using the former Yugoslav states as the next battlefield to weaken NATO and the European Union.

“Russia’s goal in the Balkans is to ramp up tensions so that it can position itself as the sole regional mediator and security guarantor. It simultaneously aims to demonstrate that neither NATO, the EU, nor their members are credible partners for any of the Balkan countries. As Moscow also continues its military buildup near the Ukrainian border, its influence campaign in the Balkans serves as another theater to challenge the West.

“Russia’s efforts have been helped immeasurably by the EU’s weak response. Despite the many years and billions of euros spent preparing the Balkans for EU integration, the effort has stalled. Western Europe was asleep at the wheel the last time war broke out in the Balkans—the stakes are too high for it to ignore the region this time around.”

Europeans “Need” for their  Army

Arab News wrote on December 24:

“The EU is once again at a crossroads that requires bold decisions, in the face of severe cracks from within and relentless external challenges…

“One of the recurring ideas that surfaces among European leaders… is the establishment [of] an independent military force [and] that in international affairs it is no longer enough to concentrate on economic and soft power while relying for hard power on NATO, as that organization does not necessarily provide the answers to an increasingly polarized and conflictual international arena…

“The messy withdrawal of Western forces from Afghanistan in August has sent a clear message to EU strategists that it is necessary to lead from the front whenever European interests and values do not coincide with those of friends and foes alike….

“One of the EU’s more immediately pressing vulnerabilities was exposed by the deliberate mayhem instigated by Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko, an ally of President Putin, in orchestrating border crossings by refugees who had been residing in his country into Poland, Lithuania and Latvia. This was retaliation for sanctions imposed on Belarus for its brutal crackdown on opposition activists protesting against Lukashenko’s highly questionable electoral victory last year. The EU’s lack of capacity to adequately respond to this type of cynical, hybrid act of aggression was revealing — and this at a time when Russia has been deploying its troops close to its border with Ukraine in a menacing fashion that leaves little room for doubt about Moscow’s true intentions…

“Ursula von der Leyen, the current European Commission president and a former German defense minister, is one high-profile proponent of the idea of an EU military force. In her State of the Union address in September she emphasized the need to reflect on how the mission in Afghanistan had ended so abruptly, in what was a coded criticism of the US and NATO… For her, it is about recognizing that Europe’s geopolitical vulnerabilities demand that it must itself be prepared to help deal with overseas crises, otherwise it will end up having to deal with such crises on its own soil…”

Ultimately, both will happen, but first, a European army will be established soon at the time when we observe the unification of ten European core nations, including, in all likelihood, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Poland, France, Italy, Spain and others.  

Germany’s Fourth Reich?

The Guardian wrote on December 24:

“The head of Poland’s ruling party, Jarosław Kaczyński, has said Germany is trying to turn the EU into a federal ‘German fourth reich’… the head of the Law and Justice party (PiS) said some countries ‘are not enthusiastic at the prospect of a German fourth reich being built on the basis of the EU’…  Kaczyński is also a deputy prime minister. He added that the European court of justice was being used as an ‘instrument’ for federalist ideas.

“… The EU this week said it was launching legal action against Poland for ignoring EU law and undermining judicial independence. Poland has accused the bloc of ‘bureaucratic centralism’.

“During a visit to Warsaw by the new German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, this month, the prime minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, said the current Berlin government’s support for EU federalism was ‘utopian and therefore dangerous.’”

Whatever expressions are being used, current developments and biblical prophecy show that Germany and a leader of German or Austrian descent will indeed lead a united Europe under ten nations or groups of nations, and this emerging power bloc will by no means be democratic and freedom-loving. The paradox is that in all likelihood, Poland will be part of that authoritarian and dictatorial beast power.

Kurz Becoming a Global Strategist?

Bloomberg wrote on December30:

“Billionaire Peter Thiel’s investment firm is tapping former Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz to become a global strategist. Kurz, who resigned under a cloud of controversy in October and remains under investigation for corruption, is set to start his new role at Thiel Capital LLC in the first three months of 2022, he told the Heute newspaper.

“The appointment comes amid multiple criminal probes into Kurz and his inner circle over allegations that he used taxpayer money to plant fabricated public-opinion polls in newspapers to help build his career. He completely withdrew from politics earlier this month, setting off another change in power. Kurz has denied wrongdoing.

“Kurz long cultivated connections to Thiel, a conservative power broker. The German-born venture capitalist — one of the first investors in Meta Platforms Inc.’s Facebook — has supported Republican candidates in the U.S. and endorsed Donald Trump. Kurz, 35, is looking to move beyond a blitz career in politics that made him the youngest head of government in Europe. He was touted as a pioneer of populist conservative politics on the continent before his downfall.”

“UK and the EU Set to Remain Best of Enemies”

The Guardian wrote on December 25:

“The year 2021 has been marked by a remarkable level of petulance in the UK-EU relationship. The unfortunate reality is that 2022 doesn’t offer much hope of redemption.

“France will hold the rolling presidency of the EU for the first six months, during which Emmanuel Macron will have an election campaign to fight and win against the centre and far-right. Boris Johnson is on his uppers, with a large and vocal wing of the Conservative party frothing over Covid restrictions and a lack of Brexit dividend.

“It is quite hard to imagine a less favourable context for relations to be patched up and mature conversations to be had… New German chancellor Olaf Scholz attended his first EU summit just a week ago, but it is yet to be seen whether a date with the British prime minister is even in the diary…”

The relationship between the UK and continental Europe will not improve.

Kamala Harris: Our Democracy Biggest Threat to National Security

The New York Post wrote on December 25:

“During the interview on CBS News ‘Face the Nation,’ host Margaret Brennan asked her about the one national security threat that keeps her up at night worrying. ​‘​Frankly, one of them is our democracy. There is,​ I think, no question in the minds of people who are foreign policy experts that the year 2021 is not the year 2000​,’ she said…

“Later in the interview, she clarified her earlier comment, saying there is a need to ‘fight for the integrity of our democracy.’”

In light of the desired move of the Biden Administration to replace our democracy with a dictatorship—something which Trump admittedly would also have liked to do—note that Christ said this: “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34).

The article continued:

“Harris also refused to take any responsibility for the debacle surrounding the US military pullout from Afghanistan in August, instead blaming the Trump administration for inking an agreement with the Taliban…”

She said this: ““I strongly believe that had we broken that agreement, we would be talking about the war in Afghanistan and American troops in Afghanistan, and we’re not talking about that. I don’t regret that…”

No, but we are talking about the unprotected tens of thousands of people whom Biden had left behind, not to mention valuable and sophisticated American equipment and armory,  and the terrible atrocities of the Taliban being committed to the women of Afghanistan. Kamala Harris seems to be living in a dream world… and it‘s a dangerous one.

Fauci’s Method of Coercion

Fox News wrote on December 27:

“Fauci said that taking masks off while on an airplane is ‘not something we should even be considering.’… ‘A vaccine requirement for a person getting on the plane is just another level of getting people to have a mechanism that would spur them to get vaccinated; namely, you can’t get on a plane unless you’re vaccinated, which is just another one of the ways of getting requirements, whatever that might be,’ Fauci said. ‘So I mean, anything that could get people more vaccinated would be welcome…”

He is continuing to show his true colors, but many Americans are sound asleep, without recognizing the real danger of his ideas.

Trump’s Push for Vaccines

The Washington Post wrote on December 23:

“In August, Trump called extra vaccine doses a ‘moneymaking operation,’ and in September he said that he ‘probably’ would not get a booster. He also did not make public that he had received his first two doses during his presidency. But this week he became a vocal advocate for the shots — while maintaining an opposition to vaccine mandates.

“On Sunday, during an event with former Fox News host Bill O’Reilly, Trump revealed to a crowd of supporters that he had gotten a booster shot. He was immediately booed, but the former president told his supporters to knock it off. ‘Don’t, don’t, don’t, don’t,’ Trump scolded, waving his hand dismissively. ‘If you don’t want to take it, you shouldn’t be forced to take it — no mandates,’ Trump said. ‘But take credit, because we saved tens of millions of lives.’

“Then, during an interview published Wednesday by the Daily Wire, Trump told conservative commentator Candace Owens that the coronavirus vaccines are ‘one of the greatest achievements of mankind.’ Owens tried to cast doubt on this, saying that ‘more people have died’ since the vaccines became available and calling their efficacy into question. Trump interrupted her. ‘Oh no, the vaccines work,’ Trump told her. ‘The ones who get very sick and go to the hospital are the ones that don’t take the vaccine. But it’s still their choice. And if you take the vaccine, you’re protected.’

“He told Owens he takes credit for the ‘incredible speed’ with which the vaccines were developed, and he said that ‘people aren’t dying when they take the vaccine.’

“On Monday, O’Reilly said during an interview with NewsNation that the reason Trump had not discussed his booster status before was that he was afraid of alienating his anti-vaccine supporters. O’Reilly said he reassured Trump of his pro-vaccine views ahead of the event, telling him that the fact that vaccines were developed during his presidency should be part of his pitch to voters

“Trump, however, told Fox News on Tuesday evening that it is tough for him to be ‘overly critical’ of Biden after the president praised his administration for the vaccines’ rollout. Earlier that day, Biden credited Trump with spurring the development of the vaccines, a day after the former president revealed he had gotten a booster… ‘I think he did something very good,’ Trump added. ‘It has to be a process of healing in this country, and that will help a lot.’…

“Still, the former president’s promotion of the shots puts him at odds with a large portion of his base. The widest divide in vaccination rates in the United States is between Democrats and Republicans. Polling from the Kaiser Family Foundation has found that, for every unvaccinated Democrat or Democratic-leaning independent, there are about three unvaccinated Republicans or Republican-leaning independents. Even among those who have already been vaccinated, Republicans are less likely to say they will get a booster…”

Many of Trump’s comments about the effectiveness of “his” vaccines, as underlined in the article above, are demonstrably false or misleading. O’Reilly, no stranger to controversy, also reported that Trump was hurt by the disapproval from the crowd regarding his vaccination push, but that he consoled and encouraged Trump to continue his pitch to voters (compare the Daily Beast, dated December 21). O’Reilly also said that Trump will “definitely run in 2024.” O’ Reilly, who was fired in April of 2017 from Fox News for alleged sexual harassment and other inappropriate behavior, may turn out to be one of Trump’s extremely bad counselors [as Dr. Fauci had turned out to be]. Many wrote on Breitbart that they had supported Trump in the past, but now, they have had it with him.

In any event, it makes no difference as to who is leading the USA, as the prophesied downfall of the USA is inevitable. This is because of the abominable sins of the nation, from the top down, while there is absolutely no sign of sincere and deep repentance of the people and their leaders.

Far Right against Trump

Mediaite wrote on December 26:

“Far-right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones lit into former President Donald Trump on Saturday for his recent statements supporting the Covid-19 vaccinations.

“‘This is an emergency Christmas Day warning to President Trump,’ Jones said… ‘You are either completely ignorant about the so-called vaccine gene therapy you helped ram through with Operation Warp Speed, or you are the most evil man who has ever lived to push this toxic poison on the public and to attack your constituents when they simply try to save their lives and the lives of others… What you told Candace Owens is nothing but a raft of dirty lies,’ Jones added…

“Trump has angered many on the far-right with his recent comments on the vaccines…”

Trump can’t afford to lose the votes of the “far right.”

Hypocrisy of Trump Hotels

The Week wrote on December 24:

“The Trump Grill, located inside Trump Tower in New York City, refused to allow a group of vaccine mandate protesters to eat at the restaurant on Thursday after they failed to provide proof of vaccination…

“While Trump has come around on promoting the COVID-19 vaccines, he’s maintained that ‘there can’t be mandates and all those things.’ As he further put it to Fox News this week, ‘The mandate will destroy people’s lives — it destroys people’s lives, just as the vaccine saves people.’

“Trump Hotels, however, says on its website that its Manhattan location requires proof of vaccination ‘in accordance with the most recent local government mandate.’”

The Sun added on December 25:

“‘We came to Trump Tower because we thought Donald Trump was supposed to be for America, he said he’s against vaccine mandates,’ one unmasked protester said. ‘I thought as a man, who’s for America, he would stand up, pay a $1,000 fine, and let us eat freely – you know the man’s a billionaire, he can afford a $1,000 fine. It would make him look good. But instead, he’s had his people not serve us and it just exposed him as a fraud,’ the anti-vaxxer said. ‘All talk but no action.’…

“‘Prove to us that we are a threat,’ one protester said to the cop, while another said: ‘The burden of proof is on them because they are assuming that we are a threat because we don’t have a vaccine. Well, prove to me that we are a threat.’ The cop explained that Trump Grill didn’t have to prove anything to the protesters.”

So, it appears that the restaurant even called the police. However one views it, Trump’s position in this matter, which is viewed by some of his supporters as clearly hypocritical, becomes more and more controversial and problematic for him.

Biden’s Approval Rating Really Bad… but not as Bad as Trump’s was

Fox News wrote on December 27:

“Biden’s approval rating hovered in the low to mid 50s during his first six months in the White House. But the president’s numbers started sagging in August… There is a slight uptick in some of the most recent surveys. Biden stood at 47% approval and 51% disapproval in the latest FOX Business poll, 48%-52% in the most recent CNN survey and slightly back above water at 48%-46% in a Reuters/Ipsos poll. But his average heading into the end of his first year in the White House is nothing to brag about.

“The approval rating is a key indicator of a president’s political strength nationwide and… [it] has also long been a much-watched indicator ahead of the midterm elections, and Biden’s flagging numbers could spell major trouble for the Democrats as they try to hold on to their razor-thin majorities in the House and Senate in the 2022 elections…

“Biden’s numbers lag behind recent predecessors at this point in their presidencies. Former President George W. Bush stood at 84%-12% [sic] in late December 2001, with his numbers skyrocketing as the country rallied around the government in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton stood at 50%-45% and 54%-40%, respectively, at the end of their first years in office. The only recent president whose poll numbers were worse than Biden’s at this point during a White House tenure was Donald Trump, who stood at 39%-56% as 2017 was coming to a close.

“The Democrats suffered disastrous midterm elections in 1994 under Clinton and in 2010 under Obama, but both Democratic presidents rebounded and won reelection two years later. House Republicans were shellacked in the 2018 midterms during Trump’s presidency, losing their eight-year-long majority in the chamber…”

Police Officers too Quick to Fire?

The LA Times Newsletter reported on December 27:

“… the Los Angeles Police Department killed a 14-year-old girl at a Burlington clothing store in North Hollywood last week, only a few days before Christmas… The teenager was in a fitting room with her mother trying on dresses for a quinceañera…  Officers were responding to a report of an assault with a deadly weapon at the store. When they arrived, authorities encountered a man they said was assaulting someone, and they opened fire, according to the LAPD. It was not immediately clear what prompted the officers to shoot.

“The man was taken into custody and died at the scene, a spokesperson for the department said. When officers fired their weapons, their gunfire penetrated a wall, which killed the girl in the dressing room. Authorities said that they found a metal cable next to the suspect whom officers were confronting, but that no gun was recovered.

“The case has caused an uproar, with many citing the shooting as the latest example of officers being too quick to draw and fire their weapons…”

In the Millennium, such tragedies won’t occur, as there will not be any police officers with weapons shooting at people…

Canada’s Privacy Intrusion

The New York Post wrote on December 25:

“Canada’s federal government admitted to secretly surveilling its population’s movements during the COVID-19 lockdown by tracking 33 million phones… Canada’s entire population totals 38 million

“‘Evidence is coming in from many sources, from countries around the world, that what was seen as a huge surveillance surge — post 9/11 — is now completely upstaged by pandemic surveillance,’ David Lyon [said], author of ‘Pandemic Surveillance’ and the former director of the Surveillance Studies Centre at Queen’s University in Ontario…

It can indeed be assumed that the governments of other “democratic” countries engage in the same kind of abominable “Orwellian” conduct.

Israeli Airstrike Sets Port in Syria Ablaze

The Guardian wrote on December 28:

“An Israeli airstrike hit Syria’s Latakia port before dawn on Tuesday, sparking a fire that lit up the Mediterranean seafront in the second such attack on the cargo hub this month, Syrian state media reported. Since the outbreak of Syria’s civil war in 2011, Israel has routinely carried out airstrikes on its neighbour, mostly targeting Syrian government troops as well as allied Iran-backed forces and Hezbollah fighters. But it is only the second time it has hit Latakia port, in the heartland of President Bashar al-Assad’s minority Alawite community…

“Pictures released by Sana showed firefighters hosing stacks of blazing containers that lit up the night sky… the British-based war monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said the cargo was ‘arms and munitions’ that had detonated in ‘powerful explosions that were felt across the city of Latakia and its suburbs’… The Syrian government’s other major ally [in addition to Iran], Russia, operates a naval base in the port of Tartus, 53 miles (85km) to the south.

“So far this year, Israel has targeted Syria nearly 30 times, killing 130 people including five civilians and 125 loyalist fighters… On 7 December it carried out a strike targeting an Iranian arms shipment in Latakia, its first on the port since the start of the civil war… According to a report by the Israeli army, it hit about 50 targets in Syria in 2020.

“In the deadliest operation since the strikes began, Israel killed 57 government troops and allied fighters in eastern Syria in January this year. The Israeli military has defended the strikes as a necessary measure to prevent its arch-foe Iran from gaining a foothold on its doorstep… In a shadow war, Israel has targeted suspected Iranian military facilities in Syria and mounted a sabotage campaign against Iran’s nuclear programme.

Iran has been a key supporter of the Syrian government in the decade-old conflict. It finances, arms and commands a number of Syrian and foreign militia groups fighting alongside the regular armed forces, chief among them Lebanon’s powerful Hezbollah. The conflict in Syria has killed nearly 500,000 people since it started in 2011 with the brutal repression of peaceful demonstrations.”

The violent controversy between Israel and Iran will continue….

Bird Flu in Israel

The Times of Israel wrote on December 27:

“Prime Minister Naftali Bennett met with security officials on Monday to discuss an epidemic of bird flu that has killed vast numbers of wild and domestic fowl in Israel in recent days… The Agriculture Ministry is culling hundreds of thousands of birds [mainly chickens and turkeys], in an attempt to stem the spread of the disease in animals and ‘prevent the infection of the human population,’ the statement said…

“Environmental Protection Minister Tamar Zandberg called the outbreak ‘the worst blow to wildlife in the country’s history.’”

Israel 365 added on December 27:

“On Sunday, avian experts from the Nature and Parks Authority counted some 5,000 cranes at the Hula Lake Reserve in the Jezreel Valley in the north of Israel that had died from an outbreak of the  H5N1 virus, known as the avian flu. Another 250 dead cranes were seen in the Hula Valley outside of the reserve, and a further 30 were documented elsewhere, mainly in the Jezreel Valley. “

More Nonsense—Contacting Aliens

Newsmax wrote on December 26:

“NASA is reportedly hiring two dozen theologians to take part in a program at Princeton University to assess how humans will react if alien life is found on other planets, and how that would impact ideas about creation and God.

“In 2008, the Vatican’s chief astronomer said there is no conflict between believing in God and in the possibility of ‘extraterrestrial brothers’ perhaps more evolved than humans…

“Jose Gabriel Funes, who heads the Vatican Observatory… told the Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano in an interview last week… ‘How can we exclude that life has developed elsewhere,’… explaining the large number of galaxies with their own planets made this possible.”

Of course, if one believes in the ungodly and blasphemous fairy tale of evolution, then everything seems to be possible. But all of this keeps the false notion in place that there are aliens on other planets, not realizing that UFO “sightings” do not prove the existence of extraterrestrial aliens, but they could be fraudulent; simply natural phenomena; or, most likely, part of Satan’s attempts to deceive mankind in preparation for his fight against the returning “alien” Jesus Christ. Note the next article.

The Guardian wrote on December 26:

“From mysterious discs over Slemish Mountain in County Antrim to strange images spotted on CCTV, unexplained sightings increased in Northern Ireland again last year.

UFO sighting reports… include unidentified flying objects (UFOs); aerial phenomena; unidentified aerial phenomena; lights in the sky; and aliens and extraterrestrials.

“Nick Pope, who used to investigate reports of UFO sightings for the Ministry of Defence (MoD), said… he believed the true number of sightings was much higher.”

We can expect that more and more of these “sightings,” “encounters” and “experiences” will be reported as we are nearing the time of the Great Tribulation and Christ’s Second Coming. Compare  Luke 21:11.

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.

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What does it mean to “esteem others better than himself”?

These words are quoted from Philippians 2:3, in the Authorized Version, but we must read the entire context to understand what Paul is saying.

The entire passage, beginning with verse 2 and ending with verse 8, reads in the Authorized Version:

“Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.”

What does the word “esteem” convey? It can be defined as, “to think valuable. If you are esteemed, then people think you’re a valuable person to have around, and have a lot of respect for you.” It has also been defined as “to regard highly or favorably; regard with respect or admiration and with a certain value.”

The word “better” can be defined as “of a more excellent or effective type or quality”. To be better than others means, to be more skilled or adapt as well as being superior.

“Esteeming others better than oneself” would mean, then, that the other person is being perceived as more valuable, more skilled, and more capable.

Inasmuch as the entire passage in Philippians 2:2-8 draws a comparison between ourselves and the mind of Christ, the translation “esteem others better than himself,” as applying to Christ, could be problematic and misunderstood.

Note how other translations are rendering this verse, and many understand the phrase “lowliness of mind” as “in humility”:

The Literal Emphasis Translation states:  “Do nothing according to rivalrous self-interest and not according to empty conceit, but rather in humble perspective, supposing one another superior to themselves.”

The New International Version reads:  “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves.”

The Berean Study Bible says: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or empty pride, but in humility consider others more important than yourselves.”

The Interlinear Literal Translation renders the phrase as, “… nothing according to contention or vainglory, but in humility one another esteeming above themselves, not the things of themselves each consider, but also the things of others each.” Another Interlinear rendition states: “surpassing themselves.”

As far as could be ascertained, virtually all German translations, including all Luther Bible renditions, the Elberfelder Bible, the Schlachter Bible and the Menge Bible, render the words in Philippians 2:3  as “higher” [“höher”] and “humility” (“Demut”) (“in Demut achte einer den andern höher als sich selbst”).

Also, the Latin Vulgata renders the phrase in that way (“sed in humilitate superiores sibi invicem arbitrantes”–“superiores” meaning “higher” or “superior.”)

Most Spanish Bibles, including Reina Valera, translate the phrase as “higher” or “superior” (“como superiores a él mismo”) or “more important” (“más importante”).

French Bibles say „above“ or „beyond“ (“étant au-dessus de vous-mêmes”), or „higher“ or „superior“(“supérieurs”) or “more important” (“plus importants que vous memes”).

In the Greek, the word which is translated as “better” in the Authorized Version is “huperecho” and means, according to Young’s Analytical Concordance to the Bible, “to be above, higher.”

It is used in the Authorized Version in Romans 13:1 (“higher”); 1 Peter 2:13 (“supreme”); Philippians 3:8 [“hyperechon”] (“excellency”) and in Philippians 4:7 (“passeth”; “surpassing” in the New King James Bible, in the sense of being “higher”).

And so, we explain in our free booklet, Paul’s Letter to the Philippians – How to Understand It, that this phrase, as written in the Greek, actually describes the attitude of humility, considering others and their needs as more important or more significant than our own selfish ambitions.

We state the following in our booklet:

“Paul is pointing out that selfish ambition and conceit are in opposition to love…  God’s way of love and life is a way of give, whereas our human carnal way of life is a way of get. Selfish ambition, which is caused by pride, is detrimental to love and unity. Rather, we need to develop an attitude of lowliness of mind, or humility, and this attribute enables us to look at others as being better or more important than ourselves. The Jamieson, Fausset and Brown commentary explains: ‘… “esteeming each other superior to yourselves.”’… When we do that, then we are not looking at what is seemingly ‘best’ or most advantageous for us, but we also concentrate on what is helpful for others.

“This is the kind of mindset that Jesus Christ had, and we as followers of Christ must develop the same attitude and outlook…

“Gill’s Exposition to the Entire Bible makes the following comments…:

“‘Let this mind be in you,’…. The Arabic version renders it, ‘let that humility be perceived in you’. The apostle proposes Christ as the great pattern and exemplar [example] of humility… ‘which also was in Christ Jesus.’”

This is in fact the correct understanding. The entire context in Philippians 2:2-8 shows the great humility of Christ who was willing to suffer and die for us so that we could live.

We continue with quoting from our booklet:

“In order to develop an attitude of love and humility for others, we must be willing to sacrifice our own preferences. Jesus Christ proved beyond a shadow of any doubt His love for us, in that He was willing to give up His godly attributes, become a man, and live and die in the flesh. This act of love for us was necessary in order for Him to pay the penalty for our sin, so that we, condemned to death, could obtain forgiveness and live, and inherit eternal life in the Family of God, a life of peace, love and complete harmony with God and each other.

“Christ was in the form of God before He became a human being. He was equal with God the Father, insofar as His nature was concerned. But He did not consider it robbery to be equal with Him; that is, He did not want to selfishly grasp and maintain that status for His own good. He was willing to give it up for the good of others… “

We also point out in our booklet that the phrase that He “made Himself of no reputation” should be translated as “He emptied Himself,” in the sense that He emptied Himself of His divinity and became a human being.  We said this:

“We read in Philippians 2:6–7, in the Revised Standard Version: ‘[Jesus Christ]… though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped (better: retained), but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men…’… The New Jerusalem Bible leaves no doubt in its translation as to what Jesus became: ‘… he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, becoming as human beings are; and being in every way like a human being…’ The Bible is very clear that Christ emptied Himself of existing as a Spirit being, and He emptied Himself of the glory that He had before the world was (compare John 17:5). He BECAME a human being (compare 1 John 4:1–3)….”

This is what it means to have the mind of Christ and to treat others and their needs as more important than ourselves and our own needs. We say this in our booklet: “Christ was God Eternal, who BECAME man, so that man COULD ultimately become God! Christ was tempted, He suffered, and He died as a man (Hebrews 12:1–4), so that human beings could become ‘gods’—members of the God Family, unable to die (Luke 20:35–36; John 3:36; 10:28; compare also John 10:34–35).”

No human being could do what Christ did, but it is His mindset which we must emulate. This mindset can also be seen in Paul (Romans 9:1-5) and in Moses (Exodus 32:32-33). 

In general, we read in Matthew 18:4 about the little child which humbles itself. The German Menge Bible states that the phrase „humbles itself“ („ erniedrigt“) can be understood as “to place oneself humbly under others” (“demütig unter andere stellt”).

Luke 14:11 adds that “whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” Also see Luke 18:9-14.

There are many biblical examples where human beings humbled themselves towards others, or gave preference to them, treating them as superior or more important, even when this would not have been necessary from a human standpoint.

We find an interesting example, even in a merely physical matter, in the relationship between Abraham (Abram) and Lot, in Genesis 13:2-13:

“Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold… Lot also, who went with Abram, had flocks and herds and tents… Now the land was not able to support them, that they might dwell together, for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together. And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock. The Canaanites and the Perizzites then dwelt in the land. So Abram said to Lot, ‘Please let there be no strife between you and me, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen; for we are brethren. Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me. If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or, if you go to the right, then I will go to the left.’

“And Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere (before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah) like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt as you go toward Zoar. Then Lot chose for himself all the plain of Jordan, and Lot journeyed east. And they separated from each other. Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain and pitched his tent even as far as Sodom. But the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinful against the LORD.”

Abraham let Lot choose what land he wanted, even though it would have been Abraham’s prerogative because God’s promises were directed at Abraham, not Lot. And as it turned out, Lot’s choice was very poor, but due, in part, to Abraham’s humility, God blessed him greatly with extraordinary promises (verses 14-17). We also recall that God the Father highly exalted and blessed His Son Jesus Christ for His willingness to become a Man and suffer and die for us (compare Philippians 2:9-11).

We also read that the Apostle Paul became everything to everyone to gain a few. He said in 1 Corinthians 9:19-22: “For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more; and to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might win those who are under the law; to those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law; to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.”

Paul made clear that he was not disobedient to the Law of God, but that he did not cause unnecessary offense, because it was his goal to save some. This included giving up certain personal preferences if that would have prevented him from achieving his goal. The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges comments: “… by the operation of a wide reaching sympathy, which enabled him, without compromising his own convictions, to approach all men from their most accessible side.”

Paul also said in 1 Corinthians 10:33: “… just as I please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.” In 2 Timothy 2:10, he explains what the reason for his selfless conduct was: “Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.”

Paul admonished us to follow his example, by having the same motivation of love which he had: “Let no one seek his own, but each one the other’s well-being” (1 Corinthians 10:24).

Matthew Poole’s Commentary states:

“It is the duty of every one who is a disciple of Christ, not merely to look at his own pleasure or profit, but the profit and advantage of others.”

Barnes’ Notes on the Bible adds:

“The injunction… is applicable to all Christians… It does not mean that a man is not in any instance to regard his own welfare, happiness, or salvation; it does not mean that a man owes no duty to himself or family; or that he should neglect all these to advance the welfare of others; but the precept means, that… when a man’s example would have a great influence, he should be guided in his conduct, not by a reference to his own ease, comfort or gratification, but by a reference to the purity and salvation of others. And the observance of this simple rule would make a prodigious change in the church and the world.”

We are not to hate ourselves, but we are to love others as ourselves, with their interests in mind as well.

We can see then that Paul had Christ’s mind. Christ said that he who wants to be great must be a servant (Matthew 23:11). Christ did not come to be served but to serve (Luke 22:27). He considered those whom He served “superior” or “more important” than Himself. He was willing to humble himself in order to exalt or help others. Even at His return, we read that He will serve others by preparing a meal for them (Luke 12:37).

John the Baptist followed Christ’s example, not willing to consider it robbery to be of great reputation—Christ called him one of the great human beings (Matthew 11:11)—but he was willing to make himself of no reputation (compare again Christ’s example in Philippians 2:6-7), as he had the goal and purpose of Christ as the Savior of mankind in mind. He was willing to decrease so that Christ could increase (John 3:30).

Paul’s admonition in Philippians 2:3 applies to husbands and wives as well, who are to submit to one another in the fear of God (Ephesians 5:21). We say the following in our free booklet, Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians—How to Understand It” 

“Even though it is the foremost responsibility for the wife to submit to her husband as to the Lord (verse 22; Colossians 3:18)—that is, submitting to him when his requests are in conformity with Christ’s teachings and not contrary to the will of God (compare Albert Barnes’ Note on the Bible)—so the husband is to love his wife as Christ loves the Church (Ephesians 5:25).

“And still, Paul introduces this section in verse 21 with the admonition to submit one to another in the fear of the Lord. Even though the husband is the head of the wife (1 Corinthians 11:3), as Christ is the head of the husband, he is not to act selfishly and pursue just his own interests. Rather, he has to have the mind of Christ, and if he does, then he will also look out for and submit to the interests of his wife—as his wife will to the interests of her husband (Philippians 2:5, 4).

“When a husband loves his wife in that way—as Christ loves the Church and gave Himself for it—then it will be easier for the wife to submit to her loving husband. Christ is the Savior of the Church (Ephesians 5:23), sanctifying and cleansing it to present it spotless (Ephesians 5:26–27). It is that kind of love that a husband ought to have for his wife. As Christ has the welfare of the Church in mind, so should the Christian husband look after the welfare of his wife.”

This command is not limited to the husband-wife relationship. Rather, we read in 1 Peter 5:5: “Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for ‘God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.’”

Younger and older people are to submit to one another, which means, parents should look at the interests and needs of their children and, in that sense, treat them in certain circumstances as more important than their own desires and preferences. When we do this, we will be greatly rewarded by God, as, in the ultimate sense, our humility towards others reflects our humility towards God. Verse 6 says: “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time…”

Jacob did not have, at first, the mind of Christ when he deceived his father Isaac to receive or “get” his blessing, but he later learned the bitter lesson that when selfish interests, ambitions and conceit rule us, it will backfire (As Jacob deceived Isaac one time to get his blessing, so he was deceived by his uncle Laban when he gave him Leah rather than Rachel as his wife, and when he deceived and changed Jacob’s wages “ten times”, Genesis 31:7 ). But later, Jacob was willing to share much of his flocks with his brother Esau.

The selfish rich farmer is another example of someone who did not care for others. His ground had yielded plentifully, but rather than sharing his rich harvest with others, he built more storage places and bigger barns for himself (Luke 12:16-21). But he died the same night, leaving his riches behind, while not being rich toward God (compare Matthew 6:19-21; see also Hebrews 13:16).

We might also think of the young man who was not willing to follow Christ as he was not ready to get rid of his great riches (which had become a “god” to him) and to give them to the poor (Matthew 19:16-22). Selfish greed prevented him at that time from developing the mind of Christ in his life. Nothing further is reported about that rich man, and we do not know whether he ever repented of his selfishness.

Considering these good and bad biblical examples, and there are many more, let us allow Christ to develop His mind in us by focusing not just on our own interests, but also on the interests of others. Romans 12:10 puts it quite succinctly: “Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another…”

When we do this, we develop, emulate and acquire the mind of Christ (compare 1 Corinthians 2:16), while continuously applying Paul’s admonition in Romans 12:2: “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind…”

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

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Preaching the Gospel and Feeding the Flock

compiled by Dave Harris

“2022 in Prophecy,” is the title of a new StandingWatch program, presented by Evangelist Norbert Link. Here is a summary: 

What are the main developments which we should be watching in 2022 and beyond? What can we know about the USA and the UK? Which other countries, nations, and groups of nations are of great importance, and what does it all mean in the light of biblical prophecy? What are the main developments which we should be watching in 2022 and beyond? What can we know about the USA and the UK? Which other countries, nations, and groups of nations are of great importance, and what does it all mean in the light of biblical prophecy?

“In Demut andere höher achten” is the title of this Sabbath’s new German sermon, presented by Norbert Link. Title in English: “In humility esteeming others higher.”

“So wahr mir Gott helfe!”,the sermonette presented last Sabbath in Germany by Mike Richter, is now posted. Title in English: “So Help Me God!”

“Fear and Control,” a split-sermon presented last Sabbath by Frank Bruno, is now posted. Here is a summary:

This split-sermon will build on recent sermons and will discuss prevailing trends over decades that resulted in fear, a loss of freedom, and the growth of governmental systems and laws designed to control people. As believers in God the Almighty, we have learned that we can insulate ourselves from fear and control by drawing closer to God and His Son. We will review Scriptures that offer these lessons and can prepare us for what is to come.

“Stories of Friendship,” a split-sermon presented last Sabbath by Eric Rank, is now posted. Here is a summary:

From the start when God created man, He highlighted the importance of friendship. What can we learn from the stories of friendship in the Bible?

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How This Work is Financed

This Update is an official publication by the ministry of the Church of the Eternal God in the United States of America; the Church of God, a Christian Fellowship in Canada; and the Global Church of God in the United Kingdom.

Editorial Team: Norbert Link, Dave Harris, Rene Messier, Brian Gale, Johanna Link, Eric Rank, Michael Link, Anna Link, Kalon Mitchell, Manuela Mitchell, Dawn Thompson

Technical Team: Eric Rank, Shana Rank

Our activities and literature, including booklets, weekly updates, sermons on CD are provided free of charge. They are made possible by the tithes, offerings and contributions of Church members and others who have elected to support this Work.

While we do not solicit the general public for funds, contributions are gratefully welcomed and are tax-deductible in the U.S. and Canada.

Donations can be sent to the following addresses:

United States: Church of the Eternal God, P.O. Box 270519, San Diego, CA 92198

Canada: Church of God, ACF, Box 1480, Summerland, B.C. V0H 1Z0

United Kingdom: Global Church of God, PO Box 44, MABLETHORPE, LN12 9AN, United Kingdom

This Week in the News

Democracy in Peril Worldwide

Breitbart wrote on December 24:

“Several of the world’s free nations will greet the year 2022 under the immediate threat of conquest by authoritarian forces, either through military invasion or subversion from within.

“The best-known example is Taiwan, an outpost of free-market democracy under the perpetual threat of conquest by the hideous tyrants of China… Last week, the Taiwanese Defense Ministry said it fears China could turn large-scale military exercises near Taiwan into a full-scale surprise attack, while simultaneously deploying naval forces to keep allies like the United States and Japan from coming to Taiwan’s assistance. Chinese officials and state media are increasingly belligerent about threatening to attack any military that attempts to defend Taiwan, including the U.S. military…

“Seizing Taiwan may appeal to Chinese leaders as a bold move that would destroy the credibility of the United States and Europe, frightening other Asian powers into China’s orbit because they can no longer rely on Western security guarantees. The death of democracy in Taiwan could threaten its survival in South Korea, Japan, the Philippines, and elsewhere…

“And then again, democracy could conceivably topple in Taiwan without a military invasion. China invested considerable effort in subverting Taiwanese democracy and nourishing pro-Beijing opposition parties…

“Also living under the threat of invasion from the authoritarians next door is Ukraine. Russia now has over 90,000 troops massed along the Ukrainian border and Ukrainian intelligence believes they could invade by the end of January 2022… Relentless Russian propaganda portrays the Ukrainian government as an illegitimate puppet of foreign interests….

“In South America, there are troubling signs of anti-democratic leftist dictatorships on the rise. The odious regime of Nicolás Maduro appears securely in control of Venezuela, having vanquished a pro-democracy movement even as the national economy comes crashing down in socialist flames. International observers are nervously hoping the new leftist president of Chile, Gabriel Boric, does not follow in Maduro’s footsteps…

“Authoritarian powers like China and Iran are increasing their influence in Latin America, posing both a strategic challenge to the United States and an ideological threat to democracy…

“Democracy in other parts of the developing world is threatened by a string of military coups. The most horrific example is obviously Afghanistan, where the Taliban insurgency swept away the elected civilian government in a matter of days while the Biden administration fumbled through a disastrous withdrawal of American troops. Thanks to Biden’s reckless abandonment of American military equipment and weapons, the Taliban is now the best-armed junta in the world, with plenty of munitions to spare for sale to other anti-democratic forces.

“In Myanmar and Sudan, military juntas seized power… These juntas have survived intense pressure from human rights activists, democratic governments, and the United Nations.

“Libya, transformed into a gruesome wasteland of warlords and jihadis by Biden’s Democrat predecessor Barack Obama and his Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, is still struggling to hold a nationwide democratic election. Ten years after Obama’s invasion, Libya perpetually teeters on the edge of either disintegrating completely or becoming a military dictatorship…

“2022 will dawn with democracy in peril – not just from the vicious struggle to redefine it being waged across the Western world, but from numerous fragile democracies on the brink of external invasion or authoritarian revolution. 2021 was the year that saw freedom and autonomy die in Hong Kong. Representative government is on the chopping block in far too many other places.”

This analysis is, sadly, very real and true. Dictatorships will increase. There will be more and more wars and rumors of wars, as well as famines, pestilences and earthquakes in various places, indicating the “beginning of sorrows” (Matthew 24:6-8).

Close to Civil War

The Washington Post wrote on December 17:

“Barbara F. Walter, a political science professor at the University of California at San Diego, serves on a CIA advisory panel called the Political Instability Task Force that monitors countries around the world and predicts which of them are most at risk of deteriorating into violence…

“Her bottom line: ‘We are closer to civil war than any of us would like to believe… No one wants to believe that their beloved democracy is in decline, or headed toward war,’ she writes. But, ‘if you were an analyst in a foreign country looking at events in America — the same way you’d look at events in Ukraine or the Ivory Coast or Venezuela — you would go down a checklist, assessing each of the conditions that make civil war likely. And what you would find is that the United States, a democracy founded more than two centuries ago, has entered very dangerous territory.’…

“Walter writes that the United States is now an ‘anocracy,’ somewhere between a democracy and an autocratic state….”

Of course, as can be expected from the Washington Post, this decline of US democracy is blamed on Trump, without mentioning the ongoing autocratic dictatorial measures imposed by the Biden Administration.

2021 in Review

The Rutherford Institute wrote on December 27:

“A simmering pot of political tensions boiled over on January 6, 2021, when protesters stormed the Capitol… It took no time at all for the nation’s capital to be placed under a military lockdown, online speech forums restricted… The subsequent  military occupation of the nation’s capital by 25,000 troops as part of the so-called ‘peaceful’ transfer of power from one administration to the next was little more than martial law disguised as national security

“On any given day, the average American going about his daily business was monitored, surveilled, spied on and tracked in more than 20 different ways, by both government and corporate eyes and ears… In response to the events of Jan. 6, the tech giants meted out their own version of social justice by way of digital tyranny and corporate censorship… ‘Domestic terrorism’ became the new poster child for expanding the government’s powers at the expense of civil liberties…  the ramifications… are so far-reaching as to render almost every American an extremist in word, deed, thought or by association.

“Political correctness gave way to a more insidious form of group think and mob rule which, coupled with government and corporate censors and a cancel culture determined not to offend ‘certain’ viewpoints, was all too willing to eradicate views that do not conform. Critical race theory also moved to the forefront of the culture wars…

“Government agents routinely violated the Fourth Amendment at will [by invading homes] under the pretext of public health and safety…

“Caught in the crosshairs of a showdown between the rights of the individual and the so-called ‘emergency’ state, concerns about COVID-19 mandates and bodily integrity remained part of a much larger debate over the ongoing power struggle between the citizenry and the government over our property ‘interest’ in our bodies. This debate over bodily integrity covered broad territory, ranging from abortion and forced vaccinations to biometric surveillance and basic healthcare…

“What started out as an apparent effort to prevent a novel coronavirus from sickening the nation (and the world) became yet another means by which world governments (including our own) expanded their powers, abused their authority, and further oppressed their constituents.

The national debt exceeded $29 trillion. Meanwhile, the government continued to spend taxpayer money it didn’t have on programs it couldn’t afford; businesses shuttered for lack of customers, resources and employees; and consumers continued to encounter global supply chain shortages (and skyrocketing prices) on everything from computer chips and cars to construction materials…

Owing in large part to the government’s deep-seated and, in many cases, top-secret alliances with foreign nations and global corporations, the US entered into a new world order—a global world order—made up of international government agencies and corporations. Fascism became a global menace…

“Every crisis—manufactured or otherwise—since the nation’s early beginnings has become a make-work opportunity for the government to expand its reach and its power at taxpayer expense while limiting our freedoms at every turn: The Great Depression. The World Wars. The 9/11 terror attacks. The COVID-19 pandemic. Indeed, the government’s (mis)management of various states of emergency in the past 20 years from 9/11 to COVID-19 has spawned a massive security-industrial complex the likes of which have never been seen before….

There may have been a new guy [Biden] in charge this year, but for the most part, nothing changed. The nation remained politically polarized, controlled by forces beyond the purview of the average American, and rapidly moving the nation away from its freedom foundation. Over the past year, due in part to the COVID-19 pandemic, Americans found themselves repeatedly subjected to egregious civil liberties violations, invasive surveillance, martial law, lockdowns, political correctness, erosions of free speech, strip searches, police shootings of unarmed citizens, government spying, the criminalization of lawful activities, warmongering, etc….”

Sadly, this synopsis does point out convincingly our decline in democracy, freedom and liberties.

More on Russia and Ukraine

The Week wrote on December 22:

“Before this week, I’d never heard of Dmitri Alperovitch or Silverado Policy Accelerator, the nonprofit think tank for which he is co-founder and chair. But Alperovitch is on my radar now, thanks to a viral tweet thread about Russia’s intentions in Ukraine that is at once smart, highly informed, and chilling.

“Alperovitch’s core assertion is simple: The Kremlin has already ‘made a decision to invade Ukraine later this winter.’ The evidence he marshals in defense of this claim is overwhelming. Alperovitch points to Russia’s massive troop deployment to the Ukraine border, increased acts of cyber intrusion into Ukraine, the issuing of diplomatic ultimatums and public demands that would be extremely difficult to walk back, and several other recent moves on Russia’s part.

“He then pivots to listing the reasons he thinks Russian President Vladimir Putin has decided on this bellicose course of action. These range from internal conflicts within Ukraine that threaten Russian interests to longstanding concerns about NATO expansion into Russia’s near abroad [sic], which the Kremlin considers a serious danger, to the waning effectiveness of economic sanctions from the West as a deterrent. All of it builds to a prediction: Putin ‘is unlikely to invade western Ukraine but can relatively easily split the country in half along the Dnieper [River] and establish a permanent buffer zone between Europe and Russia, as well as a land bridge to Crimea.’

“Since we’re making predictions, I’ll propose my own: If Alperovitch is right and Putin launches an invasion of Ukraine, the United States and NATO will raise rhetorical hell about it from Washington and Brussels, but they will do nothing to stop it militarily. And that, as Alperovitch points out, ‘would put a permanent end to all talk of Ukraine, Georgia, Belarus, or any Central Asian states of ever joining NATO.’

“… a Russian invasion of Ukraine would propel the United States and the world into an era of geopolitical risk unlike any we’ve seen in several decades. And if Alperovitch is correct, that era may be poised to begin in a matter of weeks.”

Deutsche Welle reported on December 26:

“Russia announced on Saturday that 10,000 troops had finished month-long military drills near Ukraine and would be returning to their permanent bases.”

Whether this is even true and whether, if true, this is only another ploy by Putin to calm the West a little while secretly planning an invasion will have to be seen. In any event, the Bible prophesies that Russia and Ukraine will “unite” in some way and ultimately fight against a mighty European power bloc .

Russia’s Ambitions in the Balkans

Foreign Affairs wrote on December 27:

“This year marks the 30th anniversary of the beginning of the Yugoslav wars, Europe’s bloodiest conflict since World War II…. Now Russian President Vladimir Putin is seizing his opportunity and using the former Yugoslav states as the next battlefield to weaken NATO and the European Union.

“Russia’s goal in the Balkans is to ramp up tensions so that it can position itself as the sole regional mediator and security guarantor. It simultaneously aims to demonstrate that neither NATO, the EU, nor their members are credible partners for any of the Balkan countries. As Moscow also continues its military buildup near the Ukrainian border, its influence campaign in the Balkans serves as another theater to challenge the West.

“Russia’s efforts have been helped immeasurably by the EU’s weak response. Despite the many years and billions of euros spent preparing the Balkans for EU integration, the effort has stalled. Western Europe was asleep at the wheel the last time war broke out in the Balkans—the stakes are too high for it to ignore the region this time around.”

Europeans “Need” for their  Army

Arab News wrote on December 24:

“The EU is once again at a crossroads that requires bold decisions, in the face of severe cracks from within and relentless external challenges…

“One of the recurring ideas that surfaces among European leaders… is the establishment [of] an independent military force [and] that in international affairs it is no longer enough to concentrate on economic and soft power while relying for hard power on NATO, as that organization does not necessarily provide the answers to an increasingly polarized and conflictual international arena…

“The messy withdrawal of Western forces from Afghanistan in August has sent a clear message to EU strategists that it is necessary to lead from the front whenever European interests and values do not coincide with those of friends and foes alike….

“One of the EU’s more immediately pressing vulnerabilities was exposed by the deliberate mayhem instigated by Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko, an ally of President Putin, in orchestrating border crossings by refugees who had been residing in his country into Poland, Lithuania and Latvia. This was retaliation for sanctions imposed on Belarus for its brutal crackdown on opposition activists protesting against Lukashenko’s highly questionable electoral victory last year. The EU’s lack of capacity to adequately respond to this type of cynical, hybrid act of aggression was revealing — and this at a time when Russia has been deploying its troops close to its border with Ukraine in a menacing fashion that leaves little room for doubt about Moscow’s true intentions…

“Ursula von der Leyen, the current European Commission president and a former German defense minister, is one high-profile proponent of the idea of an EU military force. In her State of the Union address in September she emphasized the need to reflect on how the mission in Afghanistan had ended so abruptly, in what was a coded criticism of the US and NATO… For her, it is about recognizing that Europe’s geopolitical vulnerabilities demand that it must itself be prepared to help deal with overseas crises, otherwise it will end up having to deal with such crises on its own soil…”

Ultimately, both will happen, but first, a European army will be established soon at the time when we observe the unification of ten European core nations, including, in all likelihood, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Poland, France, Italy, Spain and others.  

Germany’s Fourth Reich?

The Guardian wrote on December 24:

“The head of Poland’s ruling party, Jarosław Kaczyński, has said Germany is trying to turn the EU into a federal ‘German fourth reich’… the head of the Law and Justice party (PiS) said some countries ‘are not enthusiastic at the prospect of a German fourth reich being built on the basis of the EU’…  Kaczyński is also a deputy prime minister. He added that the European court of justice was being used as an ‘instrument’ for federalist ideas.

“… The EU this week said it was launching legal action against Poland for ignoring EU law and undermining judicial independence. Poland has accused the bloc of ‘bureaucratic centralism’.

“During a visit to Warsaw by the new German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, this month, the prime minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, said the current Berlin government’s support for EU federalism was ‘utopian and therefore dangerous.’”

Whatever expressions are being used, current developments and biblical prophecy show that Germany and a leader of German or Austrian descent will indeed lead a united Europe under ten nations or groups of nations, and this emerging power bloc will by no means be democratic and freedom-loving. The paradox is that in all likelihood, Poland will be part of that authoritarian and dictatorial beast power.

Kurz Becoming a Global Strategist?

Bloomberg wrote on December30:

“Billionaire Peter Thiel’s investment firm is tapping former Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz to become a global strategist. Kurz, who resigned under a cloud of controversy in October and remains under investigation for corruption, is set to start his new role at Thiel Capital LLC in the first three months of 2022, he told the Heute newspaper.

“The appointment comes amid multiple criminal probes into Kurz and his inner circle over allegations that he used taxpayer money to plant fabricated public-opinion polls in newspapers to help build his career. He completely withdrew from politics earlier this month, setting off another change in power. Kurz has denied wrongdoing.

“Kurz long cultivated connections to Thiel, a conservative power broker. The German-born venture capitalist — one of the first investors in Meta Platforms Inc.’s Facebook — has supported Republican candidates in the U.S. and endorsed Donald Trump. Kurz, 35, is looking to move beyond a blitz career in politics that made him the youngest head of government in Europe. He was touted as a pioneer of populist conservative politics on the continent before his downfall.”

“UK and the EU Set to Remain Best of Enemies”

The Guardian wrote on December 25:

“The year 2021 has been marked by a remarkable level of petulance in the UK-EU relationship. The unfortunate reality is that 2022 doesn’t offer much hope of redemption.

“France will hold the rolling presidency of the EU for the first six months, during which Emmanuel Macron will have an election campaign to fight and win against the centre and far-right. Boris Johnson is on his uppers, with a large and vocal wing of the Conservative party frothing over Covid restrictions and a lack of Brexit dividend.

“It is quite hard to imagine a less favourable context for relations to be patched up and mature conversations to be had… New German chancellor Olaf Scholz attended his first EU summit just a week ago, but it is yet to be seen whether a date with the British prime minister is even in the diary…”

The relationship between the UK and continental Europe will not improve.

Kamala Harris: Our Democracy Biggest Threat to National Security

The New York Post wrote on December 25:

“During the interview on CBS News ‘Face the Nation,’ host Margaret Brennan asked her about the one national security threat that keeps her up at night worrying. ​‘​Frankly, one of them is our democracy. There is,​ I think, no question in the minds of people who are foreign policy experts that the year 2021 is not the year 2000​,’ she said…

“Later in the interview, she clarified her earlier comment, saying there is a need to ‘fight for the integrity of our democracy.’”

In light of the desired move of the Biden Administration to replace our democracy with a dictatorship—something which Trump admittedly would also have liked to do—note that Christ said this: “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34).

The article continued:

“Harris also refused to take any responsibility for the debacle surrounding the US military pullout from Afghanistan in August, instead blaming the Trump administration for inking an agreement with the Taliban…”

She said this: ““I strongly believe that had we broken that agreement, we would be talking about the war in Afghanistan and American troops in Afghanistan, and we’re not talking about that. I don’t regret that…”

No, but we are talking about the unprotected tens of thousands of people whom Biden had left behind, not to mention valuable and sophisticated American equipment and armory,  and the terrible atrocities of the Taliban being committed to the women of Afghanistan. Kamala Harris seems to be living in a dream world… and it‘s a dangerous one.

Fauci’s Method of Coercion

Fox News wrote on December 27:

“Fauci said that taking masks off while on an airplane is ‘not something we should even be considering.’… ‘A vaccine requirement for a person getting on the plane is just another level of getting people to have a mechanism that would spur them to get vaccinated; namely, you can’t get on a plane unless you’re vaccinated, which is just another one of the ways of getting requirements, whatever that might be,’ Fauci said. ‘So I mean, anything that could get people more vaccinated would be welcome…”

He is continuing to show his true colors, but many Americans are sound asleep, without recognizing the real danger of his ideas.

Trump’s Push for Vaccines

The Washington Post wrote on December 23:

“In August, Trump called extra vaccine doses a ‘moneymaking operation,’ and in September he said that he ‘probably’ would not get a booster. He also did not make public that he had received his first two doses during his presidency. But this week he became a vocal advocate for the shots — while maintaining an opposition to vaccine mandates.

“On Sunday, during an event with former Fox News host Bill O’Reilly, Trump revealed to a crowd of supporters that he had gotten a booster shot. He was immediately booed, but the former president told his supporters to knock it off. ‘Don’t, don’t, don’t, don’t,’ Trump scolded, waving his hand dismissively. ‘If you don’t want to take it, you shouldn’t be forced to take it — no mandates,’ Trump said. ‘But take credit, because we saved tens of millions of lives.’

“Then, during an interview published Wednesday by the Daily Wire, Trump told conservative commentator Candace Owens that the coronavirus vaccines are ‘one of the greatest achievements of mankind.’ Owens tried to cast doubt on this, saying that ‘more people have died’ since the vaccines became available and calling their efficacy into question. Trump interrupted her. ‘Oh no, the vaccines work,’ Trump told her. ‘The ones who get very sick and go to the hospital are the ones that don’t take the vaccine. But it’s still their choice. And if you take the vaccine, you’re protected.’

“He told Owens he takes credit for the ‘incredible speed’ with which the vaccines were developed, and he said that ‘people aren’t dying when they take the vaccine.’

“On Monday, O’Reilly said during an interview with NewsNation that the reason Trump had not discussed his booster status before was that he was afraid of alienating his anti-vaccine supporters. O’Reilly said he reassured Trump of his pro-vaccine views ahead of the event, telling him that the fact that vaccines were developed during his presidency should be part of his pitch to voters

“Trump, however, told Fox News on Tuesday evening that it is tough for him to be ‘overly critical’ of Biden after the president praised his administration for the vaccines’ rollout. Earlier that day, Biden credited Trump with spurring the development of the vaccines, a day after the former president revealed he had gotten a booster… ‘I think he did something very good,’ Trump added. ‘It has to be a process of healing in this country, and that will help a lot.’…

“Still, the former president’s promotion of the shots puts him at odds with a large portion of his base. The widest divide in vaccination rates in the United States is between Democrats and Republicans. Polling from the Kaiser Family Foundation has found that, for every unvaccinated Democrat or Democratic-leaning independent, there are about three unvaccinated Republicans or Republican-leaning independents. Even among those who have already been vaccinated, Republicans are less likely to say they will get a booster…”

Many of Trump’s comments about the effectiveness of “his” vaccines, as underlined in the article above, are demonstrably false or misleading. O’Reilly, no stranger to controversy, also reported that Trump was hurt by the disapproval from the crowd regarding his vaccination push, but that he consoled and encouraged Trump to continue his pitch to voters (compare the Daily Beast, dated December 21). O’Reilly also said that Trump will “definitely run in 2024.” O’ Reilly, who was fired in April of 2017 from Fox News for alleged sexual harassment and other inappropriate behavior, may turn out to be one of Trump’s extremely bad counselors [as Dr. Fauci had turned out to be]. Many wrote on Breitbart that they had supported Trump in the past, but now, they have had it with him.

In any event, it makes no difference as to who is leading the USA, as the prophesied downfall of the USA is inevitable. This is because of the abominable sins of the nation, from the top down, while there is absolutely no sign of sincere and deep repentance of the people and their leaders.

Far Right against Trump

Mediaite wrote on December 26:

“Far-right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones lit into former President Donald Trump on Saturday for his recent statements supporting the Covid-19 vaccinations.

“‘This is an emergency Christmas Day warning to President Trump,’ Jones said… ‘You are either completely ignorant about the so-called vaccine gene therapy you helped ram through with Operation Warp Speed, or you are the most evil man who has ever lived to push this toxic poison on the public and to attack your constituents when they simply try to save their lives and the lives of others… What you told Candace Owens is nothing but a raft of dirty lies,’ Jones added…

“Trump has angered many on the far-right with his recent comments on the vaccines…”

Trump can’t afford to lose the votes of the “far right.”

Hypocrisy of Trump Hotels

The Week wrote on December 24:

“The Trump Grill, located inside Trump Tower in New York City, refused to allow a group of vaccine mandate protesters to eat at the restaurant on Thursday after they failed to provide proof of vaccination…

“While Trump has come around on promoting the COVID-19 vaccines, he’s maintained that ‘there can’t be mandates and all those things.’ As he further put it to Fox News this week, ‘The mandate will destroy people’s lives — it destroys people’s lives, just as the vaccine saves people.’

“Trump Hotels, however, says on its website that its Manhattan location requires proof of vaccination ‘in accordance with the most recent local government mandate.’”

The Sun added on December 25:

“‘We came to Trump Tower because we thought Donald Trump was supposed to be for America, he said he’s against vaccine mandates,’ one unmasked protester said. ‘I thought as a man, who’s for America, he would stand up, pay a $1,000 fine, and let us eat freely – you know the man’s a billionaire, he can afford a $1,000 fine. It would make him look good. But instead, he’s had his people not serve us and it just exposed him as a fraud,’ the anti-vaxxer said. ‘All talk but no action.’…

“‘Prove to us that we are a threat,’ one protester said to the cop, while another said: ‘The burden of proof is on them because they are assuming that we are a threat because we don’t have a vaccine. Well, prove to me that we are a threat.’ The cop explained that Trump Grill didn’t have to prove anything to the protesters.”

So, it appears that the restaurant even called the police. However one views it, Trump’s position in this matter, which is viewed by some of his supporters as clearly hypocritical, becomes more and more controversial and problematic for him.

Biden’s Approval Rating Really Bad… but not as Bad as Trump’s was

Fox News wrote on December 27:

“Biden’s approval rating hovered in the low to mid 50s during his first six months in the White House. But the president’s numbers started sagging in August… There is a slight uptick in some of the most recent surveys. Biden stood at 47% approval and 51% disapproval in the latest FOX Business poll, 48%-52% in the most recent CNN survey and slightly back above water at 48%-46% in a Reuters/Ipsos poll. But his average heading into the end of his first year in the White House is nothing to brag about.

“The approval rating is a key indicator of a president’s political strength nationwide and… [it] has also long been a much-watched indicator ahead of the midterm elections, and Biden’s flagging numbers could spell major trouble for the Democrats as they try to hold on to their razor-thin majorities in the House and Senate in the 2022 elections…

“Biden’s numbers lag behind recent predecessors at this point in their presidencies. Former President George W. Bush stood at 84%-12% [sic] in late December 2001, with his numbers skyrocketing as the country rallied around the government in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton stood at 50%-45% and 54%-40%, respectively, at the end of their first years in office. The only recent president whose poll numbers were worse than Biden’s at this point during a White House tenure was Donald Trump, who stood at 39%-56% as 2017 was coming to a close.

“The Democrats suffered disastrous midterm elections in 1994 under Clinton and in 2010 under Obama, but both Democratic presidents rebounded and won reelection two years later. House Republicans were shellacked in the 2018 midterms during Trump’s presidency, losing their eight-year-long majority in the chamber…”

Police Officers too Quick to Fire?

The LA Times Newsletter reported on December 27:

“… the Los Angeles Police Department killed a 14-year-old girl at a Burlington clothing store in North Hollywood last week, only a few days before Christmas… The teenager was in a fitting room with her mother trying on dresses for a quinceañera…  Officers were responding to a report of an assault with a deadly weapon at the store. When they arrived, authorities encountered a man they said was assaulting someone, and they opened fire, according to the LAPD. It was not immediately clear what prompted the officers to shoot.

“The man was taken into custody and died at the scene, a spokesperson for the department said. When officers fired their weapons, their gunfire penetrated a wall, which killed the girl in the dressing room. Authorities said that they found a metal cable next to the suspect whom officers were confronting, but that no gun was recovered.

“The case has caused an uproar, with many citing the shooting as the latest example of officers being too quick to draw and fire their weapons…”

In the Millennium, such tragedies won’t occur, as there will not be any police officers with weapons shooting at people…

Canada’s Privacy Intrusion

The New York Post wrote on December 25:

“Canada’s federal government admitted to secretly surveilling its population’s movements during the COVID-19 lockdown by tracking 33 million phones… Canada’s entire population totals 38 million

“‘Evidence is coming in from many sources, from countries around the world, that what was seen as a huge surveillance surge — post 9/11 — is now completely upstaged by pandemic surveillance,’ David Lyon [said], author of ‘Pandemic Surveillance’ and the former director of the Surveillance Studies Centre at Queen’s University in Ontario…

It can indeed be assumed that the governments of other “democratic” countries engage in the same kind of abominable “Orwellian” conduct.

Israeli Airstrike Sets Port in Syria Ablaze

The Guardian wrote on December 28:

“An Israeli airstrike hit Syria’s Latakia port before dawn on Tuesday, sparking a fire that lit up the Mediterranean seafront in the second such attack on the cargo hub this month, Syrian state media reported. Since the outbreak of Syria’s civil war in 2011, Israel has routinely carried out airstrikes on its neighbour, mostly targeting Syrian government troops as well as allied Iran-backed forces and Hezbollah fighters. But it is only the second time it has hit Latakia port, in the heartland of President Bashar al-Assad’s minority Alawite community…

“Pictures released by Sana showed firefighters hosing stacks of blazing containers that lit up the night sky… the British-based war monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said the cargo was ‘arms and munitions’ that had detonated in ‘powerful explosions that were felt across the city of Latakia and its suburbs’… The Syrian government’s other major ally [in addition to Iran], Russia, operates a naval base in the port of Tartus, 53 miles (85km) to the south.

“So far this year, Israel has targeted Syria nearly 30 times, killing 130 people including five civilians and 125 loyalist fighters… On 7 December it carried out a strike targeting an Iranian arms shipment in Latakia, its first on the port since the start of the civil war… According to a report by the Israeli army, it hit about 50 targets in Syria in 2020.

“In the deadliest operation since the strikes began, Israel killed 57 government troops and allied fighters in eastern Syria in January this year. The Israeli military has defended the strikes as a necessary measure to prevent its arch-foe Iran from gaining a foothold on its doorstep… In a shadow war, Israel has targeted suspected Iranian military facilities in Syria and mounted a sabotage campaign against Iran’s nuclear programme.

Iran has been a key supporter of the Syrian government in the decade-old conflict. It finances, arms and commands a number of Syrian and foreign militia groups fighting alongside the regular armed forces, chief among them Lebanon’s powerful Hezbollah. The conflict in Syria has killed nearly 500,000 people since it started in 2011 with the brutal repression of peaceful demonstrations.”

The violent controversy between Israel and Iran will continue….

Bird Flu in Israel

The Times of Israel wrote on December 27:

“Prime Minister Naftali Bennett met with security officials on Monday to discuss an epidemic of bird flu that has killed vast numbers of wild and domestic fowl in Israel in recent days… The Agriculture Ministry is culling hundreds of thousands of birds [mainly chickens and turkeys], in an attempt to stem the spread of the disease in animals and ‘prevent the infection of the human population,’ the statement said…

“Environmental Protection Minister Tamar Zandberg called the outbreak ‘the worst blow to wildlife in the country’s history.’”

Israel 365 added on December 27:

“On Sunday, avian experts from the Nature and Parks Authority counted some 5,000 cranes at the Hula Lake Reserve in the Jezreel Valley in the north of Israel that had died from an outbreak of the  H5N1 virus, known as the avian flu. Another 250 dead cranes were seen in the Hula Valley outside of the reserve, and a further 30 were documented elsewhere, mainly in the Jezreel Valley. “

More Nonsense—Contacting Aliens

Newsmax wrote on December 26:

“NASA is reportedly hiring two dozen theologians to take part in a program at Princeton University to assess how humans will react if alien life is found on other planets, and how that would impact ideas about creation and God.

“In 2008, the Vatican’s chief astronomer said there is no conflict between believing in God and in the possibility of ‘extraterrestrial brothers’ perhaps more evolved than humans…

“Jose Gabriel Funes, who heads the Vatican Observatory… told the Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano in an interview last week… ‘How can we exclude that life has developed elsewhere,’… explaining the large number of galaxies with their own planets made this possible.”

Of course, if one believes in the ungodly and blasphemous fairy tale of evolution, then everything seems to be possible. But all of this keeps the false notion in place that there are aliens on other planets, not realizing that UFO “sightings” do not prove the existence of extraterrestrial aliens, but they could be fraudulent; simply natural phenomena; or, most likely, part of Satan’s attempts to deceive mankind in preparation for his fight against the returning “alien” Jesus Christ. Note the next article.

The Guardian wrote on December 26:

“From mysterious discs over Slemish Mountain in County Antrim to strange images spotted on CCTV, unexplained sightings increased in Northern Ireland again last year.

UFO sighting reports… include unidentified flying objects (UFOs); aerial phenomena; unidentified aerial phenomena; lights in the sky; and aliens and extraterrestrials.

“Nick Pope, who used to investigate reports of UFO sightings for the Ministry of Defence (MoD), said… he believed the true number of sightings was much higher.”

We can expect that more and more of these “sightings,” “encounters” and “experiences” will be reported as we are nearing the time of the Great Tribulation and Christ’s Second Coming. Compare  Luke 21:11.

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.

Lasting Impressions / To Judge or Not to Judge?

On January 1, 2022, Michael Link will present the sermonette, titled, “Lasting Impressions,” and Norbert Link will present the sermon, titled, “To Judge or Not to Judge?”

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.

Fear & Control / Stories of Friendship

On December 25, 2021, Frank Bruno will present the first split-sermon, titled “Fear & Control,” and Eric Rank will present the second split-sermon, titled, “Stories of Friendship.”

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.

This Week in the News

Christians Refuse to Celebrate Christmas

Israel 365 wrote on December 20:

“It’s time to explain why many of Jesus’ followers stop celebrating Christmas. It’s done out of a deep desire to respect Jesus and God’s Word. No longer celebrating Christmas can be easily misunderstood and challenging for one’s family, relatives, and congregation. It is usually perceived as if one is no longer celebrating the birth of Jesus, his life and God’s great gift to the world. With this in mind, why are more and more of Jesus’ followers giving up Christmas celebrations?

“The reason that many stop celebrating Christmas, is not that they try to minimize the Son of God. Rather, they do it out of respect for him. To understand this question, some background history is needed… A clear and concise source for the history of Christmas is bibelfragan.com (The Bible Question):..

“‘During the first 300 years of the history of the Christian Church, no one celebrated the birth of Jesus whatsoever. The reason was primarily threefold: Firstly, the date for the birth of Jesus is not given anywhere in the Bible. Secondly, in the Bible, only wicked people celebrated their birthdays. Thirdly, in the pagan Roman Empire (which was occupying Israel at the time of the beginning of the Church) there was a common tradition to celebrate the birthdays of the pagan gods.

“‘… In Rome, the great god was called Saturn. In the middle of the winter, there was a long celebration held in his honor. This feast was called ‘Saturnalia’ and lasted from December 17–24. It was a feast when one ate and drank, gathered friends together, and gave gifts to one another. December 25th was the last and greatest day of Saturnalia.

“‘During the first 300 years of the Roman Empire, sun worship had begun to spread from the East—from Syria and Persia—and reached large parts of the Empire. Already in ancient Babylon, people had worshiped the sun. One of the highest deities among the Babylonians was the sun god Shamash. The most important day in the solar religion was the day when the sun was ‘born’ again and rose in the heavens, after it had been sinking closer to the horizon and the days had become shorter and shorter in the fall and early winter. When the winter solstice occurred on December 25, it was celebrated with a great feast.

“‘Eastern philosophers and mystics preached about the divine nature of the sun and immigrants from the East brought their faith to the West. This resulted in the solar religion getting ever more followers in the Roman Empire. Then it happened that a Roman emperor won a great military victory after praying to the sun god for victory. As a thank you, he elevated the ‘Invincible Sun’ (Sol Invictus) above all the other gods of Rome. In the year 273 CE, he had a magnificent temple built for the sun. This temple was dedicated on the birthday of the sun—December 25.

“‘Barely 50 years later, the Roman emperor Constantine became an adherent of the Christian doctrine. He was a former sun worshipper and the new religion presented a problem. What should he do with the annual festival for the sun? To begin with, the Church tried to have him ban the sun religion and its December festival, but he refused. If he banned the popular feast, conflicts could arise between the followers of the different religions. Finally, a compromise was made. December 25 was the winter solstice, the day when the sun was born again. Why not transfer the worship of the masses from the sun god to the “sun of righteousness,” “the light of the world”—Christ?… If one “Christianized” the festival of the sun god, by instead celebrating the birth of Jesus on that day, perhaps conflict could be avoided. In addition, many people would automatically join the new religion.

“‘Consequently, the Romans were allowed to continue celebrating the large feast on December 25, but the sun god was removed and Christ was put there instead. And, once Rome had accepted December 25 as the “birthday” of Jesus, there was no difficulty for the feast to spread to the rest of the Roman Empire.

“‘In Constantinople, they started to celebrate Christmas year 380 CE; in Asia Minor, year 382; in Egypt, around year 430; and in Jerusalem, around year 440. This spread up through Europe, where the “sun-turning feast” had been celebrated since ancient times in most of the countries. Also, in the far North, something called “Jul” [still the Swedish name for Christmas today], a midwinter feast was celebrated. The word jul some claim comes from the Anglo-Saxon hweol which means “wheel,” symbolic of the divine sun and its path around the earth… When Christianity arrived, the ancient northern “Jul” was Christianized and ever since then we have continued to celebrate the birth of Jesus on December 25…’

“There is another aspect to the story as well. The church adopted the holiday within a larger paradigm shift, a process of intentionally cutting itself off from its Jewish roots and God’s own calendar, in order to establish a separate identity and gain cultural influence in Rome. The majority of today’s Christians are probably unaware of this history. Some, who do know it, feel that the pagan origin of Christmas is something in the past and of no current significance. They feel that the history might be unfortunate, or that the Church did right in Christianizing the feast, but maintain that Christians who celebrate Christmas do not worship idols, but simply celebrate Jesus and spend quality time with family.

“… many… see the nature of Christmas as ultimately irreconcilable with Biblical faith for several serious reasons. It is primarily because Scripture teaches strongly against such syncretism, i.e. to ‘Christianize,’ or appropriate, pagan rites (see for instance Deut. 12:1–5, 30–31)… It is a question, not about how we feel about the subject, but about how God feels about it, and what He has said in His Word… The pagan elements of Christmas are far from absent… nearly every Christmas custom has pagan roots… the dark principalities that once were worshipped through the holiday are still a reality in our world…”

But those who do not WANT to know will not care… Please read our free booklet “Don’t Keep Christmas,” and note our two-part series on Christmas celebrations in this and the previous Q&A. Also view our new StandingWatch program in this regard, titled,“Why Won’t Some Christians Keep Christmas this Year?”.

Biden tested on China, Russia and Iran

Newsmax wrote on December 17:

“There is ‘every indication’ that Russian President Putin and China’s leader Xi Jinping are coordinating their strategies ‘more closely than ever before,’ and that puts the United States in a ‘crisis situation,’ former ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton said… Bolton said he believes Putin is sensing weakness in President Joe Biden, and that leaves the United States ‘vulnerable.’

“Meanwhile, Russia is laying demands for a sweeping new security deal with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), including a written agreement that the alliance won’t expand east to Russia, and Bolton said he thinks that the move is another way Putin and Moscow are testing Biden’s administration. ‘I think this is a real test for NATO. This is something that the Biden administration will be judged for. If it gives up on this point it will be a terrible signal not just to Russia but China and our other adversaries around the world.’…

“The former ambassador has also recently written that he believes Biden is losing the contest of wills with Iran over nuclear weapons… Bolton said he’s worried that Biden is so determined to revive the [Iran] deal, which was struck while he was vice president under President Barack Obama, that he will make ‘very dangerous concessions’ that will cause problems for the United States, Israel, and other allies in the Middle East.”

So far, Biden has failed just about every test.

Russian-Chinese Financial Collaboration

The Russian government’s controlled RT wrote on September 15:

“Both Russia and China are said to be increasingly looking to move away from using the US dollar as the main currency of international trade, instead using their own denominations to underpin the booming volume of Moscow-Beijing trade.

“Russia and China will develop shared financial structures to enable them to deepen economic ties in a way that foreign states will be unable to influence, the Kremlin has announced following talks between the countries’ leaders.”

Russia’s Demands and Military Threats

The Moscow Times reported on December 20:

“Russia demands immediate talks with the United States on security guarantees from NATO… while President Vladimir Putin’s chief arms control negotiator warned of a ‘military response’ if the alliance continues to step on Moscow’s ‘sore spots.’…

“In its list of demands published Friday, Russia demanded that the U.S. not establish any new military bases in ex-Soviet countries and that NATO guarantee to block these states’ future memberships. Russia also wants NATO to abandon all military activities in Ukraine, Eastern Europe, the Caucasus region and Central Asia. Additionally, Russia wants NATO to pledge not to deploy troops in former-communist member states Poland, the Czech Republic and the Baltics without Moscow’s consent.”

The article also pointed out:

“The United States has responded to Russia’s demands… that it would not negotiate without input from Europe. The EU has rejected Russia’s bid to block Ukraine’s NATO ambitions. European officials have in recent days signaled a willingness to negotiate with Moscow, however. ‘We need to solve the current tensions on the diplomatic level,’ the Financial Times quoted Germany’s new defense minister Christine Lambrecht as saying.”

Will Germany Confront Russia?

The Week wrote on December 17:

“Germany has long had a Russia problem. Even before their unification under the Hohenzollerns in 1870, German principalities struggled to deal with their giant neighbor to the east. In 1863, at the beginning of his long stint in power, the legendary statesman Otto von Bismarck quipped, ‘The secret of politics? Make a good treaty with Russia.’ But despite interludes of stability, Germany hasn’t quite figured out how to make its agreements, both formal and informal, stick.

“Now, time may be running out…  Germany may hope to muddle through, neither conceding the former Soviet sphere of influence to Russia nor imposing painful economic and perhaps military consequences. But Putin’s ambitions won’t let them avoid the choice forever. As with his predecessor Angela Merkel, Scholz’s ambivalence about Russia follows domestic opinion…  Germans overwhelmingly want more co-operative relations between Berlin and Moscow. At the same time, Russian provocations have grown harder to ignore. Beyond the Ukraine situation, Germans were outraged by Russian agents’ 2019 murder of a former Chechen fighter in Berlin. Just this week, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock announced the expulsion of two Russian diplomats as punishment for that offense.

“Despite their hopes for a middle way, Scholz and the German public need to decide what they’re willing to tolerate from Russia — and what they can hope to prevent… Russia looms larger in the German mind than most Americans realize… the German and Russian economies are also closely linked… [Russia] is an important market for German exports and major supplier of energy. That’s why Scholz was silent about the planned Nordstream II pipeline in his speech on Monday… [In] 2014, Merkel sharply condemned the Russian annexation of Crimea from Ukraine. The problem is that nothing much has [followed.] Like Merkel, Scholz has expressed his opposition to Russian encroachment on Ukraine as a matter of principle. What he hasn’t done is spell out the consequences he’s willing to impose…

“To be fair, the coercive measures at Scholz’s disposal are limited… Germany and its partners can’t expect much military help from the United States, either as the Biden administration has made clear we won’t fight for Ukraine. Nor could we, realistically… With the American presence in Europe receding… Berlin enjoys more flexibility in choosing its Russia policy than at any time since the end of World War II. Doing so, however, requires a clarity about its goals, resources, and principles… In seeking inspiration for a new Ostpolitik, Scholz could do worse than asking what Bismarck would do. But Olaf Scholz is no Bismarck.”

He certainly is no “Bismarck,” who was also called the “Iron Chancellor.” Not much can be expected from Scholz and his new government when it comes to opposing Russia. It will require a strong leader of German or Austrian descent who will do just that… but with terrible and disastrous consequences. Scholz is not that leader.

Friedrich Merz new CDU Party-Chief

AFP and The Local wrote on December 17:

“Friedrich Merz, a die-hard opponent of Angela Merkel within Germany’s conservative CDU, was elected party chief on Friday, marking a new direction after its disastrous defeat in September’s election.

“Merz, a 66-year-old member of the Bundestag and former MEP… [walked] away with 62.1 percent of the vote share. Merz will replace Merkel ally Armin Laschet, who was forced to announce his resignation after leading the CDU-CSU bloc to its worst-ever result in the September general election.

“… the election of Merz marks a decisive shift away from the cautious, centre-leaning politics of the Merkel era. As a staunch right-winger, he was one of 130 conservative MPs to vote against repealing a law change to make rape in marriage a criminal offence in 1997. He has also been a vocal opponent of a proposed wealth tax to off-set the impact of the Covid crisis on the poorest in society…

“A millionaire and corporate lawyer by trade, Merz had previously been pushed out of politics altogether by a power struggle with Merkel in the 2000s before returning when she resigned as head of the CDU in 2018. He has since lost out twice in his quest to become party leader, beaten in both cases by candidates preferring a more centrist course and continuity with the Merkel era.”

Bild Online commented on December 17 that Merz’ victory is at the same time an expression of disapproval for Merkel, and that with Merz, Chancellor Olaf Scholz will face the strongest and persistent leader of the opposition. The paper also opinionated that the role of Chancellor may now be in reach for Merz. In his first interview with Bild Online after his election as CDU Party Chief, Merz stated that new Health Minister Lauterbach (SPD) is prone to very strong exaggerations (“sehr starke Übertreibungen”).  

Germany’s Persecution of Christians

The Daily Mail wrote on December 17:

“Hate crimes targeting Christians in Germany have nearly trebled in a year amid a wave of religious discrimination across Europe… Overall, hate crime in Germany rose by 19 per cent last year. .. On Germany, the [Vienna-based Observatory on Intolerance against Christians in Europe] OIDAC report says: ‘Freedom of expression has been limited in Germany when it comes to discussions about gender, marriage, bioethics, and sexuality.’…

“A study by Matthias Revers and Richard Traunmüller at the Goethe University Frankfurt found that a third of German students are in favour of banning controversial books from the student library. Meanwhile between a third and a half of university students would not allow a controversial speaker on campus.

“Gynaecologist Michael Kiworr was blocked from speaking at Gottingen University about abortion after being invited by Christian student group Reformatio 21.The group Alternative Linke Liste Göttingen staged protests and forced the university to rescind the invitation. The move was criticised by The Professor’s Forum, an 800-member strong association of academics in Germany. They said: ‘There are frequent incidents in which aggressively appearing political groups sabotage the right to freedom of expression.’”’

For quite a while, Germany has severely restricted, if not outright prohibited, the pursuit of numerous liberties, including the constitutionally guaranteed freedoms of expression, assembly, movement and the exercise of religion, just to name a few.

“The Year of the New Normal Fascists”

The Consent Factory wrote on December 18:

“Here in Europe, things are particularly fascist. One by one, New Normal countries are rolling out social-segregation systems, ordering ‘lockdowns’ of ‘the Unvaccinated,’ and otherwise persecuting those who refuse to conform to official New Normal ideology…

“In New Normal Germany, ‘the Unvaccinated’ are under de facto house arrest. We are banned from society. We are banned from traveling. We are banned from protesting. Our writings are censored. We’re demonized and dehumanized by the New Normal government, the state and corporate media, and the New Normal masses on a daily basis…”

 According to new left-wing German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach, mandatory vaccinations should be enforced as soon as possible, but he does not believe they will be enforced as early as January!!!!

According to reports from Germany which we have received, more and more people get Corona, although [or because?] they had been “fully” vaccinated.

New Measures in Germany

Deutsche Welle wrote on December 21:

“Germany’s federal and state leaders on Tuesday agreed to impose contact restrictions — including for vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals – starting next week. The regulations — which come into effect ‘at the latest’ on December 28 — are aimed to dissuade people from holding and attending large New Year’s Eve celebrations.

“… a maximum of 10 people who have been vaccinated or recovered from COVID-19 would be allowed to attend a private gathering. In cases when an unvaccinated person is present, only one other household would be able to attend. The new capacity limits apply to both indoor and outdoor celebrations. Access to restaurants remains limited to people who could provide proof of vaccination or recovery

“Starting on December 28, spectators will be banned from sporting events, cultural shows, concerts and other large public events…  the German government is also preparing for the event that more drastic measures could be necessary next year… German lawmakers in the Bundestag will also debate whether to make COVID vaccines mandatory for the general public — and how they will implement it.”

These restrictions—which did not work under Merkel either—show Germany’s descent into full blown dictatorship, and it will only get worse. But most Germans are totally blind.

The Global Decline of Democracy

Axios wrote on December 16:

Democratic governance is sliding backward in the U.S. and much of the world, according to a series of recent reports…

“Democratic decline stems in part from the pandemic, as governments pursue policies to control the virus that involve restricting civil liberties like free movement and as citizens become frustrated that those policies haven’t yet brought an end to COVID-19… Authoritarian countries like China are taking advantage of democratic woes to tout their own systems…”

We have reported about this development for a long time.

Pope Francis’ Fight with Conservatives Continues

Breitbart wrote on December 18:

“Pope Francis doubled down Saturday on his efforts to quash the old Latin Mass, forbidding the celebration of some sacraments according to the ancient rite in his latest salvo against conservatives and traditionalists.

“The Vatican’s liturgy office issued a document that clarified some questions that arose after Francis in July took the extraordinary step of reimposing restrictions on celebrating the so-called Tridentine Rite. Francis’ July move outraged conservatives and traditionalists, given it amounted to a direct reversal of one of the singular policies of Pope Benedict XVI. Benedict in 2007 had relaxed the restrictions on celebrating the Latin Mass in a bid to reconcile with a breakaway group of traditionalists who were opposed to the modernizing reforms of the Second Vatican Council. Francis said in July he had to reverse course because Benedict’s 2007 decision had divided the church and been exploited by conservatives on ideological grounds.

“The Vatican repeated that rationale on Saturday in explaining the need for the new restrictions. The new decree outlaws using the ancient ritual for the sacraments of Confirmation and ordaining new priests, and will make it exceedingly difficult for traditionalists to access the sacraments of Baptism, Marriage and First Communion according to the old rite. Archbishop Arthur Roche, prefect of the Vatican’s liturgy office, said the restrictions were needed to promote unity in the church and unity in the celebration of its sacraments.”

Far from creating unity, the division within the Catholic Church is widened. Also note the next article.

Vatican Apologizes to LGBT Community

ABC News wrote on December 17:

“A Vatican official apologized to a leading Catholic LGBTQ advocacy group for having yanked a reference to it on the Vatican website, drawing immediate praise Monday from the group as an ‘historic’ move to repair the painful rift between the Catholic hierarchy and the gay community…

“The flip-flop on the reference to New Ways Ministry on the Synod website is indicative of the mixed messages the Holy See over the years, and Pope Francis himself, have sent about the Vatican’s position on gays and their place in the church.

“Francis made international headlines in 2013 when he quipped ‘Who am I to judge?’ about a purportedly gay priest. He followed up over the years with unprecedented gestures of papal outreach to the gay and transsexual communities… But he has also upheld official church teaching… asserting that the Catholic Church cannot and will not bless same-sex unions since God ‘cannot bless sin.’

“In the aftermath of the Synod’s original removal of the webinar video, New Ways Ministry revealed that Francis had written the group two letters this year commending its work. That was significant… “

Based on the clear Word of God, practicing homosexuality is sin, and we are to judge this accordingly. The Vatican’s flip-flop is for the sole purpose of embracing and keeping as many of the “faithful” in their fold, no matter what their background, preferences and persuasions. This stands in sharp contrast to Francis’s attack on traditionalists and conservatives [see previous article].

Abortion by Mail

CNN wrote on December 16:

“The US Food and Drug Administration announced Thursday that it is lifting a requirement that patients seeking medication abortion had to pick up the medication in-person, instead allowing pills to be sent by mail. The move comes as the Supreme Court is poised to undo its abortion rights precedent.

“Relaxing the federal restrictions on medication abortion is one thing that the Biden administration could do to mitigate the fallout from a Roe v. Wade reversal… Medication abortion, in which a pregnancy is ended in a two-pill process, has become a prevalent approach to terminating a pregnancy.”

Whatever it takes to promote the left-wing liberal agenda of the Biden Administration.

BBC News added on December 17:

The change is… allowing women to receive the pill by post from a certified medical worker or pharmacy and receive abortion consultations on the internet…

“…the move will be overridden by 19 states that already have rules banning mail-order abortion pills.”

Biden’s $4.91 Trillion “Build Back Better Act” Doomed?

Breitbart wrote on December 19:

“Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) said on Sunday he will oppose the $4.91 trillion Build Back Better Act, effectively killing the ‘mammoth’ legislation… Manchin, the West Virginia moderate Democrat, serves as the critical swing vote in the Senate for Democrats to pass the bill through the Senate…

“[Since] Democrats only have a one-member majority, it would require the approval of two swing votes, Manchin and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ). ‘This is a no on this legislation,’ Manchin said…”

Thanks to Manchin for standing up for what he believes and for saving America, at least for now, from another terrible increase of national debt. Of course, the backlash against Manchin was predictable, but the mean viciousness was surpassing.

Trump: American Jews Don’t Like Israel

i24News and the Algemeiner reported on December 17:

“… former US president Donald Trump [said] American Jews, especially those in positions of power in the media… ‘either don’t like Israel or don’t care about Israel.’

“Trump also had harsh and controversial words for the New York Times. ‘I mean you look at the New York Times, the New York Times hates Israel. Hates them,’ he said. ‘And they’re Jewish people that run the New York Times.’

“The statements garnered condemnation from multiple officials across the political spectrum.”

In fact, Trump was accused of making antisemitic statements, which is of course utter nonsense, given the fact that his son-in-law is Jewish and that his daughter converted to Judaism. According to the Guardian, dated December 18, Trump also said: “… the evangelical Christians love Israel more than the Jews in this country.” Trump also allegedly criticized Netanyahu for congratulating Biden right away after the “rigged” election.

Trump might very well be correct, which might be evidenced by the biblical prophecy in the Book of Zechariah that Judah will fight against Jerusalem. In addition, it is becoming common and convenient to label opposing views as being antisemitic. Note the next article.

Don’t Dare to Express Your Belief

JTA wrote on December 16:

“Following a court order, a Dutch lawmaker removed social media messages in which he drew parallels between COVID-19 measures and the treatment of Jews by the Nazis… The previous day, a judge in Amsterdam issued an injunction ordering the deletion of the content, prescribing a fine of 25,000 euros – or $28,000 – for each day that the content is still online.

“The judge said that [Thierry] Baudet’s tweets ‘contribute to a climate in which antisemitism is encouraged.’… Speech that equates to Holocaust denial is illegal in many European countries, though not in the Netherlands, where some forms of denial are prosecuted under laws against hate speech.

“In one of the deleted tweets, from Nov. 14, Baudet called the unvaccinated ‘the new Jews’… Two days later, Baudet posted a picture of a child unable to attend a seasonal holiday procession juxtaposed with a picture of a child wearing a yellow star during the Holocaust in Poland. Later last month he posted a sign requiring vaccination certificates at the entrance to the museum on the grounds of the Buchenwald former concentration camp

“‘I am extremely sad that I am not allowed to express what I believe in, and I will not accept it. We will definitely be appealing,’ Baudet wrote…”

To even suggest that Baudet’s statements amount to antisemitism is beyond ridiculous. Neither can Baudet’s statements be remotely compared with a Holocaust denial. It should be obvious that just the opposite is the case!

Transgender Rights and Persecution in the UK

The Daily Mail wrote on December 20:

“The Scout Association has apologised to a campaigner after investigating her for two years for ‘misgendering’ someone on Twitter.

“Assistant cub scout leader Maya Forstater inadvertently called a bearded transgender scout leader ‘he’ rather than ‘they’ in 2019. This prompted an inquiry, which found Miss Forstater had brought the organisation into disrepute.

Along the same lines, the Daily Mail published this article by Andrew Pierce on December 19:

“Hounded out of her job for her feminist views in the trans debate, academic Kathleen Stock is an archetypal victim of cancel culture. Stock, who is gay and opposes ‘self ID’ for trans people, which makes it easier for biological males to enter women-only spaces, was until recently Professor of Philosophy at Sussex University.

“Then balaclava-wearing trans-rights activists forced her out of her job by running a vindictive campaign, brandishing signs demanding for her to resign and, they hoped, ending her career.”

This scenario is a really peculiar one. The author of the article is homosexual, commenting on a lesbian who is being harassed by the transexual lobby. What a combination…

Big Trouble Ahead for Boris Johnson

The Sun wrote on December 17:

“The scale of the Tories’ by-election ­disaster dwarfs even Downing Street’s ­grimmest nightmares. A 23,000 majority [was] blown away in a super-safe Leave-backing North Shropshire seat the Conservatives had held for most of two centuries. The winners, by a mile, [are] the Lib-Dem ultra-Remainders…

“Governments often lose mid-term by-elections, but this calamity is of a different order. It is the dire consequence of Boris Johnson sneakily trying to bend rules… [It is the] predictable result of illicit parties and other scandals

“Elected by a landslide, then boosted by his world-beating jabs programme, the PM has in a few bewildering weeks shredded a huge amount of the goodwill and authority he enjoyed. His poll leads have gone, handing ill-deserved hope to Labour’s rabble and their wooden, opportunist leader Keir Starmer…

“Boris must… develop a credible long-term plan to live with Covid — and not be plunged by overwrought scientists into lockdowns with every new variant. [He must deal with the] soaring cost of living — with prices rocketing and our vast tax burden going in precisely the wrong direction. Crime, too. The illegal migrants cheating the system by sailing across the Channel.

“We fear [we] are in for a tough few months. They need a PM focused on their lives, not distracted by crisis after crisis as his enemies drag him ever deeper into the quicksand.”

Will Boris Johnson accept the challenge and step up to the plate of true leadership?

Britain’s “Brexit Mastermind” Quits over Corona Restrictions—Boris Johnson in Big Trouble

The Sun wrote on December 19:

“BORIS Johnson was rocked by a fresh crisis last night as his Brexit mastermind quit the Cabinet. Lord Frost — one of his most loyal ministers — sensationally resigned in protest over the direction of the Government. Lord Frost’s walk-out will intensify the pressure on Mr Johnson’s faltering leadership…  Sources said the final straw for [Lord Frost] 56, was last week’s bid to impose Covid passports for pubs and big events as well as his growing ‘disillusionment’ with the ‘direction’ of Tory policy…

“The hammer blow came as Boris planned his fightback after his worst week in charge. Mr Johnson has agreed to fire [“Chief whip” Mark] Spencer… Ministers blame Spencer for last week’s rebellion when 100 Tory MP’s voted against Government Covid pass plans…”

“Lockdowns Do Immense Harm”

The Sun wrote on December 19:

“Lockdowns do immense harm to our livelihoods, mental health and children’s safety, as horrific recent cases prove.

“Our way of life, and our kids’ futures, cannot be endlessly restricted by the constant need to protect a health service supposedly always on the brink… The political price for Boris Johnson if he opts for a new lockdown vote, and the inevitable backbench mutiny, would be massive. That’s a side issue to the damage it would mean for the rest of us.”

It surely would mean that.

Archbishop of Canterbury’s Divisive Comments

The Daily Mail wrote on December 22:

“The Archbishop of Canterbury has implied that Jesus would get vaccinated against Covid. Justin Welby suggested that people who refuse to get jabbed are ‘immoral’ as he told people to ‘love one another, as Jesus said’…

“Last month, he was forced to apologise after saying that failure to strike a climate change deal at the Cop26 summit in Glasgow would lead to a ‘genocide’ worse than that committed by the Nazis. …

“And in April, the archbishop was accused of ‘jumping on a woke bandwagon’ after claiming that being a royal is like serving ‘life without parole’ – in words that appeared to signal his support for Harry and Meghan over Buckingham Palace.”

A more ridiculous comment than the one that Jesus would get vaccinated against Corona has rarely been uttered.

Fury Erupts in London over Johnson’s Lockdown Plans

Express wrote on December 18:

“A demonstration against mandatory vaccinations [occurred] at Parliament Square in Westminster. The iconic location was said to be ‘rammed’ with angry Britons on Saturday afternoon… The  protest today saw people travel to the capital from across the UK and there are also rallies in Bournemouth, Blackburn, Gloucestershire, Bristol, Glasgow, Cardiff, Belfast and the Isle of Wight. The protest is supported by an umbrella movement called the ‘Together Declaration’, with 170,000 signatures including business, religious and campaign leaders, as well as MPs, which is campaigning against mandatory vaccinations as well as an end to vaccine passports and mass testing

“It is understood the Prime Minister is also considering further measures under a so-called Plan C, which includes another lockdown, the Financial Times reports.”

Resistance to autocratic governmental measures is rising all over the world, and the concern is that real violence will break out between protestors and governmental agents… perhaps even creating civil unrest and civil war. And it creates animosity between certain countries, as the next article shows.

France’s and Germany’s Attack on the UK

The Guardian wrote on December 16:

France will dramatically tighten restrictions on travel from Britain… effectively banning all non-essential journeys. The government announced in a statement that incoming travellers would require ‘an essential reason to travel to, or come from, the UK, both for the unvaccinated and vaccinated’ from midnight on Saturday…

“‘People cannot travel for tourism or professional reasons,’ it said… In addition, all arrivals from the UK will need a negative PCR or antigen test taken within the previous 24, rather than 48 hours, and will have to quarantine in France for seven days – reduced to 48 hours if they can produce a new negative test…. The French government also… asked travellers from France who had planned to visit the UK to postpone their journey….”

The age-long animosity between France and Britain can again be seen in this example of willful discrimination… And Boris Johnson seems to be a far-too-willing “accomplice.”

The Sun wrote on December 19:

GERMANY is the latest country to ban travel to and from the UK from this weekend over Omicron variant fearsFrom midnight on Sunday, or 11pm UK time, any travellers from the UK apart from German nationals, residents and transit passengers will be banned.

“Everyone entering Germany from Britain, whether vaccinated or not, will need a negative PCR test and is required to be quarantined for 14 days.”

Of course, Germany would join France against the UK. No surprise there.

Huge Demonstrations against Corona Restrictions in Germany

Deutsche Welle wrote on December 18:

“Thousands of people have demonstrated against coronavirus rules in several major German cities… Several thousand people took to the streets in the northern port city of Hamburg, then marched in several blocks through the city center, police said. About 8,000 attendees were registered [This means, many more participated.] ‘No to compulsory vaccination!’ was written on self-made placards, as well as ‘Hands off our children.’ In the western city of Düsseldorf, police said an estimated 4,000 protesters marched through the city center…

“Vaccinations for children are beginning in Germany, following recommendations made by the country’s top vaccine body. However, many parents are divided on the issue… Demonstrations also took place in the financial hub of Frankfurt am Main, as well as the southwestern cities of Karlsruhe and Freiburg.  Police said around 3,500 people marched through the center of Freiburg, adding that they sporadically split up groups because some attendees were not wearing obligatory face masks. Around 900 people took to the streets in Karlsruhe to protest mandatory vaccinations, particularly for health care workers such as nurses. In Osnabrück, Lower Saxony, nearly 2,000 people demonstrated under the slogan ‘Basic rights are not negotiable,’ according to police. Around 1,900 people attended a protest against restrictions in Schwerin, the capital of the northern state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, police said…

“Meanwhile, officials in Berlin banned a demonstration that had 2,000 registered protesters, citing the expectation that demonstrators would violate coronavirus rules such as the obligation to wear a mask and maintain social distance. However, protesters have gathered on many occasions despite police bans.

“Police in the eastern German state of Saxony shut down gatherings organized by the Querdenker or ‘lateral thinkers’ group. People demonstrated in several parts of Dresden, which is one of the cities where the Querdenker movement is most popular. Meanwhile, in Rathenow in the state of Brandenburg, 360 police officers stopped a protest on Friday evening, citing a lack of people complying with mask requirements…”

The more people demonstrate, the more German state governments will respond harshly. Violence is to be expected.

The Netherlands Pushes the Panic Button

Reuters wrote on December 18:

“The Netherlands will go into a strict lockdown over the Christmas and New Year period to try to contain the highly- contagious Omicron coronavirus variant, Prime Minister Mark Rutte said on Saturday.

“All non-essential shops and services, including restaurants, hairdressers, museums and gyms will be closed from Sunday until Jan. 14. All schools will be shut until at least Jan. 9…. Other measures include a recommendation that households receive no more than two visitors and that gatherings outside are also limited to a maximum of two people…”

Israel again in the News

Israel Today wrote on December 19:

“Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett appeared to fail a critical Covid-combatting leadership test at the weekend, after opposition to his wish to impose a near-total travel ban on Israelis forced him to backtrack… The prime minister used coercive manipulation, including warnings that those who opposed the measures would be to [be blamed] for any Covid-19 disaster that might result…

“Following those reports, and as the premier huddled with his government leaders at the weekly Cabinet meeting Sunday morning, news emerged that he was no longer planning a sweeping travel ban, but would announce a more limited list of countries to which Israelis may no longer fly, including the United States, Canada, Germany and Turkey. These restrictions will reportedly go into effect a little later this week.”

Far from being a shining light of democracy in the Middle East, the governments of Israel have been at the forefront of imposing dictatorial coronavirus restrictions.

More and More Vaccinations Required

Deutsche Welle reported on December 21:

“The European Commission announced Tuesday that COVID vaccine certificates in the bloc would only be valid for nine months without a booster shot…. The new rule concerns traveling within the European Union, but the Commission said in a statement that it recommends EU countries also apply it on a national level… EU residents are recommended to receive a booster shot six months, at the latest, after they’re fully vaccinated. But the certificate will be valid for three additional months as a grace period to ensure access to booster doses…”

JTA wrote on December 22:

“Israel will likely begin administering a fourth dose of the coronavirus vaccine to seniors, immunocompromised people, and healthcare workers in an effort to stem the spread of the Omicron variant.

“The move was recommended Tuesday by the panel of experts advising Israel’s government on the coronavirus pandemic. Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett had been hinting at the possibility of a fourth shot and embraced the recommendation in a statement Tuesday. ‘This is wonderful news that will assist us in getting through the Omicron wave that is engulfing the world,’ Bennett said…

German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach said on December 22 that a fourth dose might become necessary soon, as the vaccines might not be that “durable.” When will it end? And how about the lack of confidence of scientists and doctors in their own vaccines?

Canada’s Dictatorial Restrictions

Life Site News reported on December 17:

“A Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) MP sounded the alarm that the Liberal government under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is planning to keep COVID jab mandates and rules for years to come… as [h]idden in [Trudeau’s] Fiscal and Economic Update”…

“Many Canadian doctors have spoken out against both jab mandates as well as their purported safety and effectiveness

“The Liberal’s fiscal update also praises the draconian and discriminatory Trudeau travel ban by air, sea, or train for the vaccine-free, which has been in place since December 1… The Liberal’s fiscal update also highlights the federal government’s mandate of COVID shots for all federally regulated sectors.

“However, many consider jab mandates as a blatant assault on individual freedoms that’s unnecessary given COVID’s high survivability among most groups, its minimal risk of asymptomatic spread, and research indicating that post-infection natural immunity is equally protected against reinfection [in fact, as the evidence proves, and as it is pointed out in this section, it is MORE EFFECTIVE than vaccinations.]

“There is also a substantial amount of evidence that vaccine mandates are a failed strategy for tackling COVID… the government once again has mandated COVID testing for returning air travelers, along with mandatory quarantine, even for those who are considered ’fully vaccinated.’”

They must not have too much confidence in their vaccinations.

“Dr. Fauci, Please Stop Lying!”

The left-liberal outlet, The Week, wrote on December 17:

“American public health bureaucrats… have repeatedly lied to the public, playing politics with the pandemic, and in the process undermined both the fight against COVID-19 and confidence in their own credibility… Back in February and March 2020… Anthony Fauci was all over the media downplaying masks. ‘If you look at the masks that you buy in a drug store, the leakage around that doesn’t really do much to protect you,’ he told USA Today that spring. ‘Now, in the United States, there is absolutely no reason whatsoever to wear a mask.’ In an interview with 60 Minutes in March, he said, ‘Right now in the United States, people should not be walking around with masks.’

“It turns out Fauci almost certainly didn’t believe what he was saying. In an interview with InStyle several months later, he admitted that trying to preserve the mask supply for doctors and nurses was his first motivation…

“Fauci didn’t learn his lesson. Not only did he lie more, but he exposed his own deception once again. Last December, he told The New York Times he’d also been lying about how many people would have to get vaccinated to reach herd immunity (moving from 60 to 90 percent)…”

We do not endorse the gist of the article nor the premises expressed therein [such as the importance of wearing masks and the need for three vaccinations]. But what we found interesting is the recognition of Fauci’s repeated lies and the lack of trust people are having in his advice, competence and predictions. Also note the next incredible article.

Fauci, the Spin Doctor

Fox News reported on December 17:

“Fauci said Friday that the possibility of changing the definition for fully vaccinated is ‘certainly on the table’… which currently states a person is fully vaccinated when they have received two doses of a Pfizer or Moderna regimen or a shot of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. In the face of omicron, some have suggested the definition should include a booster shot… Friday morning he finally planted his flag in the war of words around the pandemic when he suggested that some terms may – and in one case, should – change… [He said:] ‘… there’s no doubt that optimum vaccination is with a booster’…

“He also discussed the difficulty in pushing ‘mandates,’ instead suggesting that people should discuss ‘requirements’ as a more palatable term. ‘Mandates — that’s a radioactive word. Requirements people seem to respond better to that. They work,’ Fauci argued. ‘We are never going to get out of this outbreak if we still have 50 million people who for reasons that are very difficult to understand refuse to get vaccinated.’

“Fauci has walked this line in the past two weeks, making a distinction between ‘fully’ vaccinated versus ‘optimum’ vaccination [stressing] that ‘optimum’ vaccination would include a booster.

“Omicron has driven new cases up across the country…  The new variant appears to spread more than the delta variant while only creating mild symptoms so far. Hospitalizations and deaths have not increased to the same degree if at all… The United States has yet to record a death as a result of the omicron variant.”

Not only that, as WND reported on December 17, “Nearly 80% of the omicron variant cases in the United States were found in people who were fully vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention… In Israel, where most of the population has received a booster shot, 54 of 67 omicron cases, 80%, were people who had received three COVID-19 shots.”

Fauci’s spinning of the facts cannot hide the truth that we are dealing with a money-making political agenda.

The Fallacy of “Public Health” Experts

The Dossier wrote on December 18:

“There’s one thing that the ‘public health expert’ class is certain about these days. They claim to have ‘the tools’ to stop this coronavirus. But the thing about these ‘tools’ is that they require blind faith in order to work, since every observable metric shows that they’ve failed in catastrophic fashion

“We are now almost two full years into our population-wide ‘public health expert’-managed COVID tyranny, and it has not exactly paid dividends for anyone other than the people in charge, who have catapulted to a life of fame and prestige.

“There is no evidence anywhere in the world that top-down authoritarianism, guided by these excessively praised ‘public health experts,’ has produced positive outcomes for the health and safety of any nation. In fact, the opposite is true. Throughout the world, sickness and unhealthy habits are increasing across the board, both indirectly and directly related to COVID-19… In fact, most of these ‘tools,’ when employed, are making everything worse.

“The mRNA shots were originally sold to the public with the claim that they prevent people from both infecting others and being infected with the virus that causes COVID-19. This is why the FDA and CDC, among other ‘public health’ bureaucracies, decided to green light injecting unthreatened 5 year olds with experimental drugs. The promise was that they would be ‘doing their part’ to ‘save grandma’ and ‘stop the spread.’ Yet the prevention and transmission claim has been completely memory-holed. As evidenced most recently by the breakouts in universally compliant settings, after a period of time, the shots seem to do nothing at all to prevent infection or transmission.

Universal masking, another agreed upon tool to stop a virus, doesn’t work, yet the ‘experts’ continue to [demand it]. Curfews and lockdowns… have done absolutely nothing to solve a virus problem…”

Still, gullible people are listening to their unfounded and oftentimes totally false opinions…

Masks Don’t Help on Flights

The Ron Paul Institute wrote on December 16:

“CEOs of Southwest Airlines and American Airlines testified before Congress this week that forcing people to wear masks on board their planes does little if anything to prevent spread of the virus.

“As predicted, Dem Members freaked out after hearing this blow to their deep faith.”

It has been known for a long time that masks on flights do not help at all. For many, they could be harmful. Still, airlines follow Biden’s mandate to demand wearing masks. Fauci responded that masks on planes will “always be necessary, no matter what” (Fox News, December 19). What an incredible situation.

Natural Immunity Overlooked

Newsmax wrote on December 20:

“Former FDA commissioner and Pfizer board member Dr. Scott Gottlieb on Sunday said… on CBS News: ‘A lot of people believe, including myself, that the reason why it’s [Omicron] manifesting as a less severe illness is probably because we have baseline immunity in the population… Probably around 80% of Americans and 90% of South Africans have some level of immunity, either from prior infection or through vaccination’… Gottlieb also believes omicron will ‘blow through fairly quickly.’”

In a related article, Newsmax wrote on December 20:

“Stumping for the overlooked science of natural immunity and denouncing the ‘inconsistent’ political science ‘tune’ of Dr. Anthony Fauci, former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin said she has overcome COVID-19 and does not need a vaccination from it now. ‘It’ll be over my dead body that I’ll have to get a shot,” Palin [said] on Sunday. ‘I will not. I won’t do it and they better not touch my kids either.’…

“The remarks came as Republicans are denouncing Biden’s vaccine mandates, not only on choice, but also on the scientific belief natural immunity might be protection enough, if not better.”

Natural immunity is overlooked because it does not pay the Big Pharma industry.

And Now… First Death in USA Reported

Reuters reported on December 20:

“Texas’ Harris County on Monday reported its first death related to the Omicron COVID-19 variant, a man who was unvaccinated, the county health department said… Earlier in December, Britain reported the first publicly confirmed death globally from Omicron. Twelve people in Britain have now died with the variant, and 104 are currently in hospital with it…”

Of course, an unvaccinated person is blamed and the push for vaccinations ensues as a consequence, even though the virus affects many more vaccinated than unvaccinated people. It would also be interesting to find out the exact circumstances of the person’s death.

Biden’s War on the Unvaccinated

Fox News reported on December 20:

“The White House was viciously mocked over the weekend after pushing the message that unvaccinated Americans would experience a winter of ‘severe illness and death’ due to the omicron variant of the coronavirus….

“Critics took to social media to mock the White House’s message of death, with some referring to Biden as the ‘Grim Reaper’

“‘President Biden’s warning of a “winter of severe illness and death” makes President Jimmy Carter’s “malaise” speech urging Americans to lower expectations seem a cheerful upper by contrast. How do Democrats run as the party of ‘severe illness and death’? This is madness,’ wrote former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich. Other critics echoed his Jimmy Carter comparison…”

Madness indeed. God has poured out a spirit of deep slumber on our leaders.

Utter Confusion regarding Biden’s Vaccine Mandates

Newsmax, The Associated Press and Thomson/Reuters wrote on December 18:

“A U.S. appeals court on Friday reinstated a nationwide vaccine-or-testing COVID-19 mandate for large businesses, a federal government rule that covers 80 million American workers. The ruling by the 6th U.S. Court of Appeals in Cincinnati lifted a November injunction that had blocked the rule from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), which applies to businesses with at least 100 workers

“The [decision] comes a day after the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals lifted a nationwide ban on the mandate [for healthcare workers]. The court instead allowed the mandate to remain blocked in 14 states that had collectively sued in federal court in Louisiana. That action altered a Nov. 30 ruling by U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty, who originally applied his order nationwide.

“A different appeals court, the St. Louis-based 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, has declined to disturb a lower court order blocking the mandate in 10 other states.

“The Biden administration asked the justices to allow the mandate to take effect in the 24 states covered by those two courts’ decisions. A federal judge in Texas granted an injunction Thursday that applies only to that state.”

The Associated Press wrote on December 17 about the decision of the 6th Court of Appeals regarding private companies:

“‘Given OSHA’s clear and exercised authority to regulate viruses, OSHA necessarily has the authority to regulate infectious diseases that are not unique to the workplace,’ Judge Julia Smith Gibbons, who was nominated to the court by former President George W. Bush, a Republican, wrote in her majority opinion…. She was joined in the majority decision by Judge Jane Branstetter Stranch, an appointee of former President Barrack Obama, a Democrat… The dissent in Friday’s ruling came from Judge Joan Larsen, an appointee of former President Donald Trump, who said Congress did not authorize OSHA to make this sort of rule and that it did not qualify as a necessity to use the emergency procedures the agency followed to put it in place.’”

This decision by two judges (against one) is SO unconstitutional and plainly wrong.

Fox News added on December 18:

“The Supreme Court earlier this week refused to block a New York regulation mandating COVID-19 vaccinations for health care workers – a move that could spell trouble for those opposed to the sweeping mandate.”

All of this is becoming SO political, as evidenced by the fact that courts and judges disagree amongst themselves and decide, strictly based on political preferences. The concern for the health of the American people is secondary, if it exists at all, even though lip-services to the contrary might be uttered here and there. Nobody knows how the utterly political and divided Supreme Court will decide, while innocent workers are the pawns in this despicable chess game.

The Associated Press added on December 18:

“A vaccine mandate for companies that have contracts with the federal government is on hold nationwide, while a separate mandate for health care employees who work for providers that receive federal Medicare or Medicaid funding has been blocked in half the states…

“… vaccine mandates for federal government employees and the military remain in effect, as do mask requirements for airline passengers and people using public transportation.”

Californians Openly Defy Newsom’s Corona Mandates—Good for Them

NBC San Diego wrote on December 18:

“Coronado and El Cajon leaders said this week if the state wants to enforce the new indoor mask mandate it can use its own resources. On Friday the city of Oceanside joined them. The mandate won’t be enforced at privately owned businesses in Oceanside, and many small business owners who made it through the pandemic are fine with it…”

Breitbart wrote on December 17:

“Californians are ignoring Gov. Gavin Newsom’s statewide mask mandate, which went into effect Wednesday for most indoor spaces… Newsom exempted San Francisco — where he used to be mayor of the city — and the surrounding counties…

“In Los Angeles County, for example, gyms and restaurants are continuing as before…  The Sacramento Bee reported that no one can figure out who is responsible for enforcing the mask mandate, and that Newsom says he has ‘faith’ in Californians to enforce his mandate themselves, saying that they would ‘self-enforce’ but didn’t provide specifics on what would happen if they didn’t…

“Local government officials say the state hasn’t given any guidance on enforcement, and some local authorities say they won’t enforce the state’s order at all. Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva has said… he would not enforce vaccine mandates in his county.”

Ark of the Covenant in Ethiopia?

The Jerusalem Post wrote on December 16:

“A fascinating connection between Ethiopia and Jewish history is the belief that the Ark of the Covenant, containing the tablets of the Ten Commandments, may reside to this day in Ethiopia. While a Talmudic source relates that the ark – along with several other of the Temple’s sacred objects – was hidden just prior to the destruction of the Beit Hamikdash, numerous other theories exist as to its whereabouts.

“A longstanding religious legend in Ethiopia describes how the Ark of the Covenant was brought there 3,000 years ago by a man named Menelik, who, according to the legend, was the son of the Queen of Sheba and Israel’s King Solomon. The legend states that the Queen of Sheba was from Ethiopia and that she traveled to Jerusalem, where she was seduced by King Solomon, giving birth to Menelik upon her return home. Menelik later traveled to Jerusalem and studied with his father before taking the ark and bringing it to Ethiopia, where, legend has it, it still resides in the Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion in Aksum, where only ‘The Guardian of the Ark of the Covenant’ can view it.

“Others maintain that a sect of Jews driven by King Manasseh from Israel took the ark with them and transported it to Egypt, from where they eventually sailed up the Nile to Ethiopia. Researchers who journeyed to Aksum and made their way to Mary of Zion Church were purportedly introduced to a man referred to as the guardian of the ark. This man was said to live his entire life inside a fenced-off area surrounding the church and will not leave his post until he dies, at which time he will be replaced by the next guardian. In the chapel of the church, 30 robes from 30 previous guardians are on display – and every one of those 30 professed that the object they protected was the true Ark of the Covenant.

“While others dispute and debunk this legend – claiming that, at most, the ark in the church is merely a replica of the real thing – it fits neatly with the claim by Ethiopia’s former emperor Haile Selassie that he was a direct descendant of Menelik. Selassie, who ruled Ethiopia from 1930-1974, called himself ‘the Lion of Judah,’ the 225th king descended from King David, and prominently displayed a Lion of Judah motif on the country’s flag and currency.”

Whether true or not, the question is what others believe, especially the Roman Catholic Church which is very interested in possessing all kinds of religious relics and which therefore might be prompted to participate in a war against Ethiopia (Daniel 11:40-43). Regarding the whereabouts of the Ark of the Covenant and its future, see our Q&A on the issue. 

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.

Update 1002

Fear & Control / Stories of Friendship

On December 25, 2021, Frank Bruno will present the first split-sermon, titled “Fear & Control,” and Eric Rank will present the second split-sermon, titled, “Stories of Friendship.”

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.

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Choices

by Rene Messier (Canada)

I think we all have at one time or another sat down and pondered some of the choices we have made. Some were good and turned out well; others were not so good and brought us close to a disaster.

When opportunities arise, we have to use wisdom in our decision-making process; especially in regard to those opportunities where we can supposedly make a lot of money quickly. If something is too good to be true, it usually is. If we are being pressured to purchase something—for instance a vehicle which has been only driven allegedly by a little old lady from Pasadena— then we ought to be on guard. This is also true when buying shares in a company when we are told that it is guaranteed that we will double our investment in a short period of time. The higher the financial commitment, the more we should take time to decide on what to do, including perhaps walking away from a supposed deal. We would not buy a house, no matter how good the deal sounds, without seeing it, having it checked out by a professional inspector and ascertaining whether there were any liens against the title. God assures us that there is wisdom in seeking proper counsel.

God gave the nation of Israel a choice—receiving blessings through obedience or curses from not obeying. His laws were given to express their love for God, as summarized in the first four of the Ten Commandments, and their love for man, as explained in the last six commandments. They had to follow these rules, which are further expounded in many statutes and judgments, in order to obtain physical blessings and protection from God.

The motivation for keeping the commandments should be the demonstration of our love for God and man; knowing of course that our disobedience would bring about punishment and retribution for sinning. But fear of punishment should not be our primary motivation for obeying God; rather, it should be our love for God and man and for the Truth that convicts us to obey.The nation of Israel frustrated God by their disobedience, and how quickly they turned away from God! One of their problems was that they did not totally cleanse the territory they occupied of the existing inhabitants who in time corrupted their worship of God, and they turned to Baal worship and even went as far as sacrificing their children on the altar of pagan gods which surprised God who stated that such evil conduct had not even entered His mind.

In Jeremiah 32:35, He says: “And they built the high places of Baal which are in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire to Molech, which I did not command them, nor did it come into My mind that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin.”

That’s a pretty astonishing statement that it did not even enter God’s mind that His people would engage in such abominable and detestable conduct.

God’s relationship with the nation of Israel was, figuratively speaking, one of husband and wife, but they broke their “marriage” covenant on a continual basis, and thus, God had to divorce them.

Jeremiah 31:32 explains that God made a covenant “‘with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them,’ says the LORD.”

Consequently, we read in Jeremiah 3:8: “Then I saw that for all the causes for which backsliding Israel had committed adultery, I had put her away and given her a certificate of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear, but went and played the harlot also.”

Jesus Christ, the God of the Old Testament, will marry converted Israelites at the time of His return. He betrothed the New Testament church to Him which was established in 31 AD. It is described as the bride of Christ, consisting of all converted Church members who are obligated to follow the same rules of obedience, but they have been promised a much greater reward than physical Israel and Judah in Old Testament times had been offered.

Revelation 21:9 says: “Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying, ‘Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb’s wife.’”

Ephesians 5:24-27, 32 adds: “Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish… This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.”

The great mystery is that Christ is betrothed to His Church, figuratively speaking, whom He will marry as His bride at His return.

So, we are faced with a choice. Will we be obedient to God by keeping His laws and statutes, which are still in force today, and receive a much greater reward than what the nation of Israel was offered? Theirs was a physical reward while ours is eternal rulership in the Kingdom of God. While eternal life as God beings is a gift, our reward is based on our works and includes ruling with and under Christ in the Millennium and down through eternity. Or, will we fall short by rebelling and refusing to repent of our sins and thus disqualify ourselves from the great gift of eternal life as God beings and from the reward of eternal rulership Christ is anxious to give us?

Life is full of choices, but the most important one we face is either one of glory or one of shame.

Let’s bring joy to our Husband (Jesus Christ) by making the right choice. Either way, it’s for eternity.

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by Norbert Link

We begin with an article showing why many Christians refuse to keep Christmas [please view our new StandingWatch program in this regard, titled,“Why Won’t Some Christians Keep Christmas this Year?” ] ; and continue with the vulnerability of the Biden Administration vis-à-vis Russia, China and Iran; continue with Germany’s “Russia problem”; the new chief of Merkel’s opposition party; and Germany’s persecution of Christians and of the unvaccinated.

We address the worldwide decline of democracy; enduring divisions in the Catholic Church; abortions by mail; the fate of Joe Biden’s “Build Back Better Act”; Donald Trump’s strong words regarding American Jews; and unfounded charges of antisemitism.

We point out big problems facing Boris Johnson; and speak on renewed draconian and authoritarian coronavirus restrictions and reactions, while focusing in particular on Britain; France; Germany; the Netherlands; Israel; and Canada.

We publish several articles, from the left and the right, strongly accusing Dr. Fauci and other “health experts” of misrepresentations and incompetence; and we address the utter confusion and intolerable situation regarding Joe Biden’s vaccine mandates; as well as Californians’ refusal to abide by and enforce Governor Newsom’s new mask regulations.

We conclude with an interesting article about the Ark of the Covenant.

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

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Christians Refuse to Celebrate Christmas

Israel 365 wrote on December 20:

“It’s time to explain why many of Jesus’ followers stop celebrating Christmas. It’s done out of a deep desire to respect Jesus and God’s Word. No longer celebrating Christmas can be easily misunderstood and challenging for one’s family, relatives, and congregation. It is usually perceived as if one is no longer celebrating the birth of Jesus, his life and God’s great gift to the world. With this in mind, why are more and more of Jesus’ followers giving up Christmas celebrations?

“The reason that many stop celebrating Christmas, is not that they try to minimize the Son of God. Rather, they do it out of respect for him. To understand this question, some background history is needed… A clear and concise source for the history of Christmas is bibelfragan.com (The Bible Question):..

“‘During the first 300 years of the history of the Christian Church, no one celebrated the birth of Jesus whatsoever. The reason was primarily threefold: Firstly, the date for the birth of Jesus is not given anywhere in the Bible. Secondly, in the Bible, only wicked people celebrated their birthdays. Thirdly, in the pagan Roman Empire (which was occupying Israel at the time of the beginning of the Church) there was a common tradition to celebrate the birthdays of the pagan gods.

“‘… In Rome, the great god was called Saturn. In the middle of the winter, there was a long celebration held in his honor. This feast was called ‘Saturnalia’ and lasted from December 17–24. It was a feast when one ate and drank, gathered friends together, and gave gifts to one another. December 25th was the last and greatest day of Saturnalia.

“‘During the first 300 years of the Roman Empire, sun worship had begun to spread from the East—from Syria and Persia—and reached large parts of the Empire. Already in ancient Babylon, people had worshiped the sun. One of the highest deities among the Babylonians was the sun god Shamash. The most important day in the solar religion was the day when the sun was ‘born’ again and rose in the heavens, after it had been sinking closer to the horizon and the days had become shorter and shorter in the fall and early winter. When the winter solstice occurred on December 25, it was celebrated with a great feast.

“‘Eastern philosophers and mystics preached about the divine nature of the sun and immigrants from the East brought their faith to the West. This resulted in the solar religion getting ever more followers in the Roman Empire. Then it happened that a Roman emperor won a great military victory after praying to the sun god for victory. As a thank you, he elevated the ‘Invincible Sun’ (Sol Invictus) above all the other gods of Rome. In the year 273 CE, he had a magnificent temple built for the sun. This temple was dedicated on the birthday of the sun—December 25.

“‘Barely 50 years later, the Roman emperor Constantine became an adherent of the Christian doctrine. He was a former sun worshipper and the new religion presented a problem. What should he do with the annual festival for the sun? To begin with, the Church tried to have him ban the sun religion and its December festival, but he refused. If he banned the popular feast, conflicts could arise between the followers of the different religions. Finally, a compromise was made. December 25 was the winter solstice, the day when the sun was born again. Why not transfer the worship of the masses from the sun god to the “sun of righteousness,” “the light of the world”—Christ?… If one “Christianized” the festival of the sun god, by instead celebrating the birth of Jesus on that day, perhaps conflict could be avoided. In addition, many people would automatically join the new religion.

“‘Consequently, the Romans were allowed to continue celebrating the large feast on December 25, but the sun god was removed and Christ was put there instead. And, once Rome had accepted December 25 as the “birthday” of Jesus, there was no difficulty for the feast to spread to the rest of the Roman Empire.

“‘In Constantinople, they started to celebrate Christmas year 380 CE; in Asia Minor, year 382; in Egypt, around year 430; and in Jerusalem, around year 440. This spread up through Europe, where the “sun-turning feast” had been celebrated since ancient times in most of the countries. Also, in the far North, something called “Jul” [still the Swedish name for Christmas today], a midwinter feast was celebrated. The word jul some claim comes from the Anglo-Saxon hweol which means “wheel,” symbolic of the divine sun and its path around the earth… When Christianity arrived, the ancient northern “Jul” was Christianized and ever since then we have continued to celebrate the birth of Jesus on December 25…’

“There is another aspect to the story as well. The church adopted the holiday within a larger paradigm shift, a process of intentionally cutting itself off from its Jewish roots and God’s own calendar, in order to establish a separate identity and gain cultural influence in Rome. The majority of today’s Christians are probably unaware of this history. Some, who do know it, feel that the pagan origin of Christmas is something in the past and of no current significance. They feel that the history might be unfortunate, or that the Church did right in Christianizing the feast, but maintain that Christians who celebrate Christmas do not worship idols, but simply celebrate Jesus and spend quality time with family.

“… many… see the nature of Christmas as ultimately irreconcilable with Biblical faith for several serious reasons. It is primarily because Scripture teaches strongly against such syncretism, i.e. to ‘Christianize,’ or appropriate, pagan rites (see for instance Deut. 12:1–5, 30–31)… It is a question, not about how we feel about the subject, but about how God feels about it, and what He has said in His Word… The pagan elements of Christmas are far from absent… nearly every Christmas custom has pagan roots… the dark principalities that once were worshipped through the holiday are still a reality in our world…”

But those who do not WANT to know will not care… Please read our free booklet “Don’t Keep Christmas,” and note our two-part series on Christmas celebrations in this and the previous Q&A. Also view our new StandingWatch program in this regard, titled,“Why Won’t Some Christians Keep Christmas this Year?”.

Biden tested on China, Russia and Iran

Newsmax wrote on December 17:

“There is ‘every indication’ that Russian President Putin and China’s leader Xi Jinping are coordinating their strategies ‘more closely than ever before,’ and that puts the United States in a ‘crisis situation,’ former ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton said… Bolton said he believes Putin is sensing weakness in President Joe Biden, and that leaves the United States ‘vulnerable.’

“Meanwhile, Russia is laying demands for a sweeping new security deal with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), including a written agreement that the alliance won’t expand east to Russia, and Bolton said he thinks that the move is another way Putin and Moscow are testing Biden’s administration. ‘I think this is a real test for NATO. This is something that the Biden administration will be judged for. If it gives up on this point it will be a terrible signal not just to Russia but China and our other adversaries around the world.’…

“The former ambassador has also recently written that he believes Biden is losing the contest of wills with Iran over nuclear weapons… Bolton said he’s worried that Biden is so determined to revive the [Iran] deal, which was struck while he was vice president under President Barack Obama, that he will make ‘very dangerous concessions’ that will cause problems for the United States, Israel, and other allies in the Middle East.”

So far, Biden has failed just about every test.

Russian-Chinese Financial Collaboration

The Russian government’s controlled RT wrote on September 15:

“Both Russia and China are said to be increasingly looking to move away from using the US dollar as the main currency of international trade, instead using their own denominations to underpin the booming volume of Moscow-Beijing trade.

“Russia and China will develop shared financial structures to enable them to deepen economic ties in a way that foreign states will be unable to influence, the Kremlin has announced following talks between the countries’ leaders.”

Russia’s Demands and Military Threats

The Moscow Times reported on December 20:

“Russia demands immediate talks with the United States on security guarantees from NATO… while President Vladimir Putin’s chief arms control negotiator warned of a ‘military response’ if the alliance continues to step on Moscow’s ‘sore spots.’…

“In its list of demands published Friday, Russia demanded that the U.S. not establish any new military bases in ex-Soviet countries and that NATO guarantee to block these states’ future memberships. Russia also wants NATO to abandon all military activities in Ukraine, Eastern Europe, the Caucasus region and Central Asia. Additionally, Russia wants NATO to pledge not to deploy troops in former-communist member states Poland, the Czech Republic and the Baltics without Moscow’s consent.”

The article also pointed out:

“The United States has responded to Russia’s demands… that it would not negotiate without input from Europe. The EU has rejected Russia’s bid to block Ukraine’s NATO ambitions. European officials have in recent days signaled a willingness to negotiate with Moscow, however. ‘We need to solve the current tensions on the diplomatic level,’ the Financial Times quoted Germany’s new defense minister Christine Lambrecht as saying.”

Will Germany Confront Russia?

The Week wrote on December 17:

“Germany has long had a Russia problem. Even before their unification under the Hohenzollerns in 1870, German principalities struggled to deal with their giant neighbor to the east. In 1863, at the beginning of his long stint in power, the legendary statesman Otto von Bismarck quipped, ‘The secret of politics? Make a good treaty with Russia.’ But despite interludes of stability, Germany hasn’t quite figured out how to make its agreements, both formal and informal, stick.

“Now, time may be running out…  Germany may hope to muddle through, neither conceding the former Soviet sphere of influence to Russia nor imposing painful economic and perhaps military consequences. But Putin’s ambitions won’t let them avoid the choice forever. As with his predecessor Angela Merkel, Scholz’s ambivalence about Russia follows domestic opinion…  Germans overwhelmingly want more co-operative relations between Berlin and Moscow. At the same time, Russian provocations have grown harder to ignore. Beyond the Ukraine situation, Germans were outraged by Russian agents’ 2019 murder of a former Chechen fighter in Berlin. Just this week, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock announced the expulsion of two Russian diplomats as punishment for that offense.

“Despite their hopes for a middle way, Scholz and the German public need to decide what they’re willing to tolerate from Russia — and what they can hope to prevent… Russia looms larger in the German mind than most Americans realize… the German and Russian economies are also closely linked… [Russia] is an important market for German exports and major supplier of energy. That’s why Scholz was silent about the planned Nordstream II pipeline in his speech on Monday… [In] 2014, Merkel sharply condemned the Russian annexation of Crimea from Ukraine. The problem is that nothing much has [followed.] Like Merkel, Scholz has expressed his opposition to Russian encroachment on Ukraine as a matter of principle. What he hasn’t done is spell out the consequences he’s willing to impose…

“To be fair, the coercive measures at Scholz’s disposal are limited… Germany and its partners can’t expect much military help from the United States, either as the Biden administration has made clear we won’t fight for Ukraine. Nor could we, realistically… With the American presence in Europe receding… Berlin enjoys more flexibility in choosing its Russia policy than at any time since the end of World War II. Doing so, however, requires a clarity about its goals, resources, and principles… In seeking inspiration for a new Ostpolitik, Scholz could do worse than asking what Bismarck would do. But Olaf Scholz is no Bismarck.”

He certainly is no “Bismarck,” who was also called the “Iron Chancellor.” Not much can be expected from Scholz and his new government when it comes to opposing Russia. It will require a strong leader of German or Austrian descent who will do just that… but with terrible and disastrous consequences. Scholz is not that leader.

Friedrich Merz new CDU Party-Chief

AFP and The Local wrote on December 17:

“Friedrich Merz, a die-hard opponent of Angela Merkel within Germany’s conservative CDU, was elected party chief on Friday, marking a new direction after its disastrous defeat in September’s election.

“Merz, a 66-year-old member of the Bundestag and former MEP… [walked] away with 62.1 percent of the vote share. Merz will replace Merkel ally Armin Laschet, who was forced to announce his resignation after leading the CDU-CSU bloc to its worst-ever result in the September general election.

“… the election of Merz marks a decisive shift away from the cautious, centre-leaning politics of the Merkel era. As a staunch right-winger, he was one of 130 conservative MPs to vote against repealing a law change to make rape in marriage a criminal offence in 1997. He has also been a vocal opponent of a proposed wealth tax to off-set the impact of the Covid crisis on the poorest in society…

“A millionaire and corporate lawyer by trade, Merz had previously been pushed out of politics altogether by a power struggle with Merkel in the 2000s before returning when she resigned as head of the CDU in 2018. He has since lost out twice in his quest to become party leader, beaten in both cases by candidates preferring a more centrist course and continuity with the Merkel era.”

Bild Online commented on December 17 that Merz’ victory is at the same time an expression of disapproval for Merkel, and that with Merz, Chancellor Olaf Scholz will face the strongest and persistent leader of the opposition. The paper also opinionated that the role of Chancellor may now be in reach for Merz. In his first interview with Bild Online after his election as CDU Party Chief, Merz stated that new Health Minister Lauterbach (SPD) is prone to very strong exaggerations (“sehr starke Übertreibungen”).  

Germany’s Persecution of Christians

The Daily Mail wrote on December 17:

“Hate crimes targeting Christians in Germany have nearly trebled in a year amid a wave of religious discrimination across Europe… Overall, hate crime in Germany rose by 19 per cent last year. .. On Germany, the [Vienna-based Observatory on Intolerance against Christians in Europe] OIDAC report says: ‘Freedom of expression has been limited in Germany when it comes to discussions about gender, marriage, bioethics, and sexuality.’…

“A study by Matthias Revers and Richard Traunmüller at the Goethe University Frankfurt found that a third of German students are in favour of banning controversial books from the student library. Meanwhile between a third and a half of university students would not allow a controversial speaker on campus.

“Gynaecologist Michael Kiworr was blocked from speaking at Gottingen University about abortion after being invited by Christian student group Reformatio 21.The group Alternative Linke Liste Göttingen staged protests and forced the university to rescind the invitation. The move was criticised by The Professor’s Forum, an 800-member strong association of academics in Germany. They said: ‘There are frequent incidents in which aggressively appearing political groups sabotage the right to freedom of expression.’”’

For quite a while, Germany has severely restricted, if not outright prohibited, the pursuit of numerous liberties, including the constitutionally guaranteed freedoms of expression, assembly, movement and the exercise of religion, just to name a few.

“The Year of the New Normal Fascists”

The Consent Factory wrote on December 18:

“Here in Europe, things are particularly fascist. One by one, New Normal countries are rolling out social-segregation systems, ordering ‘lockdowns’ of ‘the Unvaccinated,’ and otherwise persecuting those who refuse to conform to official New Normal ideology…

“In New Normal Germany, ‘the Unvaccinated’ are under de facto house arrest. We are banned from society. We are banned from traveling. We are banned from protesting. Our writings are censored. We’re demonized and dehumanized by the New Normal government, the state and corporate media, and the New Normal masses on a daily basis…”

 According to new left-wing German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach, mandatory vaccinations should be enforced as soon as possible, but he does not believe they will be enforced as early as January!!!!

According to reports from Germany which we have received, more and more people get Corona, although [or because?] they had been “fully” vaccinated.

New Measures in Germany

Deutsche Welle wrote on December 21:

“Germany’s federal and state leaders on Tuesday agreed to impose contact restrictions — including for vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals – starting next week. The regulations — which come into effect ‘at the latest’ on December 28 — are aimed to dissuade people from holding and attending large New Year’s Eve celebrations.

“… a maximum of 10 people who have been vaccinated or recovered from COVID-19 would be allowed to attend a private gathering. In cases when an unvaccinated person is present, only one other household would be able to attend. The new capacity limits apply to both indoor and outdoor celebrations. Access to restaurants remains limited to people who could provide proof of vaccination or recovery

“Starting on December 28, spectators will be banned from sporting events, cultural shows, concerts and other large public events…  the German government is also preparing for the event that more drastic measures could be necessary next year… German lawmakers in the Bundestag will also debate whether to make COVID vaccines mandatory for the general public — and how they will implement it.”

These restrictions—which did not work under Merkel either—show Germany’s descent into full blown dictatorship, and it will only get worse. But most Germans are totally blind.

The Global Decline of Democracy

Axios wrote on December 16:

Democratic governance is sliding backward in the U.S. and much of the world, according to a series of recent reports…

“Democratic decline stems in part from the pandemic, as governments pursue policies to control the virus that involve restricting civil liberties like free movement and as citizens become frustrated that those policies haven’t yet brought an end to COVID-19… Authoritarian countries like China are taking advantage of democratic woes to tout their own systems…”

We have reported about this development for a long time.

Pope Francis’ Fight with Conservatives Continues

Breitbart wrote on December 18:

“Pope Francis doubled down Saturday on his efforts to quash the old Latin Mass, forbidding the celebration of some sacraments according to the ancient rite in his latest salvo against conservatives and traditionalists.

“The Vatican’s liturgy office issued a document that clarified some questions that arose after Francis in July took the extraordinary step of reimposing restrictions on celebrating the so-called Tridentine Rite. Francis’ July move outraged conservatives and traditionalists, given it amounted to a direct reversal of one of the singular policies of Pope Benedict XVI. Benedict in 2007 had relaxed the restrictions on celebrating the Latin Mass in a bid to reconcile with a breakaway group of traditionalists who were opposed to the modernizing reforms of the Second Vatican Council. Francis said in July he had to reverse course because Benedict’s 2007 decision had divided the church and been exploited by conservatives on ideological grounds.

“The Vatican repeated that rationale on Saturday in explaining the need for the new restrictions. The new decree outlaws using the ancient ritual for the sacraments of Confirmation and ordaining new priests, and will make it exceedingly difficult for traditionalists to access the sacraments of Baptism, Marriage and First Communion according to the old rite. Archbishop Arthur Roche, prefect of the Vatican’s liturgy office, said the restrictions were needed to promote unity in the church and unity in the celebration of its sacraments.”

Far from creating unity, the division within the Catholic Church is widened. Also note the next article.

Vatican Apologizes to LGBT Community

ABC News wrote on December 17:

“A Vatican official apologized to a leading Catholic LGBTQ advocacy group for having yanked a reference to it on the Vatican website, drawing immediate praise Monday from the group as an ‘historic’ move to repair the painful rift between the Catholic hierarchy and the gay community…

“The flip-flop on the reference to New Ways Ministry on the Synod website is indicative of the mixed messages the Holy See over the years, and Pope Francis himself, have sent about the Vatican’s position on gays and their place in the church.

“Francis made international headlines in 2013 when he quipped ‘Who am I to judge?’ about a purportedly gay priest. He followed up over the years with unprecedented gestures of papal outreach to the gay and transsexual communities… But he has also upheld official church teaching… asserting that the Catholic Church cannot and will not bless same-sex unions since God ‘cannot bless sin.’

“In the aftermath of the Synod’s original removal of the webinar video, New Ways Ministry revealed that Francis had written the group two letters this year commending its work. That was significant… “

Based on the clear Word of God, practicing homosexuality is sin, and we are to judge this accordingly. The Vatican’s flip-flop is for the sole purpose of embracing and keeping as many of the “faithful” in their fold, no matter what their background, preferences and persuasions. This stands in sharp contrast to Francis’s attack on traditionalists and conservatives [see previous article].

Abortion by Mail

CNN wrote on December 16:

“The US Food and Drug Administration announced Thursday that it is lifting a requirement that patients seeking medication abortion had to pick up the medication in-person, instead allowing pills to be sent by mail. The move comes as the Supreme Court is poised to undo its abortion rights precedent.

“Relaxing the federal restrictions on medication abortion is one thing that the Biden administration could do to mitigate the fallout from a Roe v. Wade reversal… Medication abortion, in which a pregnancy is ended in a two-pill process, has become a prevalent approach to terminating a pregnancy.”

Whatever it takes to promote the left-wing liberal agenda of the Biden Administration.

BBC News added on December 17:

The change is… allowing women to receive the pill by post from a certified medical worker or pharmacy and receive abortion consultations on the internet…

“…the move will be overridden by 19 states that already have rules banning mail-order abortion pills.”

Biden’s $4.91 Trillion “Build Back Better Act” Doomed?

Breitbart wrote on December 19:

“Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) said on Sunday he will oppose the $4.91 trillion Build Back Better Act, effectively killing the ‘mammoth’ legislation… Manchin, the West Virginia moderate Democrat, serves as the critical swing vote in the Senate for Democrats to pass the bill through the Senate…

“[Since] Democrats only have a one-member majority, it would require the approval of two swing votes, Manchin and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ). ‘This is a no on this legislation,’ Manchin said…”

Thanks to Manchin for standing up for what he believes and for saving America, at least for now, from another terrible increase of national debt. Of course, the backlash against Manchin was predictable, but the mean viciousness was surpassing.

Trump: American Jews Don’t Like Israel

i24News and the Algemeiner reported on December 17:

“… former US president Donald Trump [said] American Jews, especially those in positions of power in the media… ‘either don’t like Israel or don’t care about Israel.’

“Trump also had harsh and controversial words for the New York Times. ‘I mean you look at the New York Times, the New York Times hates Israel. Hates them,’ he said. ‘And they’re Jewish people that run the New York Times.’

“The statements garnered condemnation from multiple officials across the political spectrum.”

In fact, Trump was accused of making antisemitic statements, which is of course utter nonsense, given the fact that his son-in-law is Jewish and that his daughter converted to Judaism. According to the Guardian, dated December 18, Trump also said: “… the evangelical Christians love Israel more than the Jews in this country.” Trump also allegedly criticized Netanyahu for congratulating Biden right away after the “rigged” election.

Trump might very well be correct, which might be evidenced by the biblical prophecy in the Book of Zechariah that Judah will fight against Jerusalem. In addition, it is becoming common and convenient to label opposing views as being antisemitic. Note the next article.

Don’t Dare to Express Your Belief

JTA wrote on December 16:

“Following a court order, a Dutch lawmaker removed social media messages in which he drew parallels between COVID-19 measures and the treatment of Jews by the Nazis… The previous day, a judge in Amsterdam issued an injunction ordering the deletion of the content, prescribing a fine of 25,000 euros – or $28,000 – for each day that the content is still online.

“The judge said that [Thierry] Baudet’s tweets ‘contribute to a climate in which antisemitism is encouraged.’… Speech that equates to Holocaust denial is illegal in many European countries, though not in the Netherlands, where some forms of denial are prosecuted under laws against hate speech.

“In one of the deleted tweets, from Nov. 14, Baudet called the unvaccinated ‘the new Jews’… Two days later, Baudet posted a picture of a child unable to attend a seasonal holiday procession juxtaposed with a picture of a child wearing a yellow star during the Holocaust in Poland. Later last month he posted a sign requiring vaccination certificates at the entrance to the museum on the grounds of the Buchenwald former concentration camp

“‘I am extremely sad that I am not allowed to express what I believe in, and I will not accept it. We will definitely be appealing,’ Baudet wrote…”

To even suggest that Baudet’s statements amount to antisemitism is beyond ridiculous. Neither can Baudet’s statements be remotely compared with a Holocaust denial. It should be obvious that just the opposite is the case!

Transgender Rights and Persecution in the UK

The Daily Mail wrote on December 20:

“The Scout Association has apologised to a campaigner after investigating her for two years for ‘misgendering’ someone on Twitter.

“Assistant cub scout leader Maya Forstater inadvertently called a bearded transgender scout leader ‘he’ rather than ‘they’ in 2019. This prompted an inquiry, which found Miss Forstater had brought the organisation into disrepute.

Along the same lines, the Daily Mail published this article by Andrew Pierce on December 19:

“Hounded out of her job for her feminist views in the trans debate, academic Kathleen Stock is an archetypal victim of cancel culture. Stock, who is gay and opposes ‘self ID’ for trans people, which makes it easier for biological males to enter women-only spaces, was until recently Professor of Philosophy at Sussex University.

“Then balaclava-wearing trans-rights activists forced her out of her job by running a vindictive campaign, brandishing signs demanding for her to resign and, they hoped, ending her career.”

This scenario is a really peculiar one. The author of the article is homosexual, commenting on a lesbian who is being harassed by the transexual lobby. What a combination…

Big Trouble Ahead for Boris Johnson

The Sun wrote on December 17:

“The scale of the Tories’ by-election ­disaster dwarfs even Downing Street’s ­grimmest nightmares. A 23,000 majority [was] blown away in a super-safe Leave-backing North Shropshire seat the Conservatives had held for most of two centuries. The winners, by a mile, [are] the Lib-Dem ultra-Remainders…

“Governments often lose mid-term by-elections, but this calamity is of a different order. It is the dire consequence of Boris Johnson sneakily trying to bend rules… [It is the] predictable result of illicit parties and other scandals

“Elected by a landslide, then boosted by his world-beating jabs programme, the PM has in a few bewildering weeks shredded a huge amount of the goodwill and authority he enjoyed. His poll leads have gone, handing ill-deserved hope to Labour’s rabble and their wooden, opportunist leader Keir Starmer…

“Boris must… develop a credible long-term plan to live with Covid — and not be plunged by overwrought scientists into lockdowns with every new variant. [He must deal with the] soaring cost of living — with prices rocketing and our vast tax burden going in precisely the wrong direction. Crime, too. The illegal migrants cheating the system by sailing across the Channel.

“We fear [we] are in for a tough few months. They need a PM focused on their lives, not distracted by crisis after crisis as his enemies drag him ever deeper into the quicksand.”

Will Boris Johnson accept the challenge and step up to the plate of true leadership?

Britain’s “Brexit Mastermind” Quits over Corona Restrictions—Boris Johnson in Big Trouble

The Sun wrote on December 19:

“BORIS Johnson was rocked by a fresh crisis last night as his Brexit mastermind quit the Cabinet. Lord Frost — one of his most loyal ministers — sensationally resigned in protest over the direction of the Government. Lord Frost’s walk-out will intensify the pressure on Mr Johnson’s faltering leadership…  Sources said the final straw for [Lord Frost] 56, was last week’s bid to impose Covid passports for pubs and big events as well as his growing ‘disillusionment’ with the ‘direction’ of Tory policy…

“The hammer blow came as Boris planned his fightback after his worst week in charge. Mr Johnson has agreed to fire [“Chief whip” Mark] Spencer… Ministers blame Spencer for last week’s rebellion when 100 Tory MP’s voted against Government Covid pass plans…”

“Lockdowns Do Immense Harm”

The Sun wrote on December 19:

“Lockdowns do immense harm to our livelihoods, mental health and children’s safety, as horrific recent cases prove.

“Our way of life, and our kids’ futures, cannot be endlessly restricted by the constant need to protect a health service supposedly always on the brink… The political price for Boris Johnson if he opts for a new lockdown vote, and the inevitable backbench mutiny, would be massive. That’s a side issue to the damage it would mean for the rest of us.”

It surely would mean that.

Archbishop of Canterbury’s Divisive Comments

The Daily Mail wrote on December 22:

“The Archbishop of Canterbury has implied that Jesus would get vaccinated against Covid. Justin Welby suggested that people who refuse to get jabbed are ‘immoral’ as he told people to ‘love one another, as Jesus said’…

“Last month, he was forced to apologise after saying that failure to strike a climate change deal at the Cop26 summit in Glasgow would lead to a ‘genocide’ worse than that committed by the Nazis. …

“And in April, the archbishop was accused of ‘jumping on a woke bandwagon’ after claiming that being a royal is like serving ‘life without parole’ – in words that appeared to signal his support for Harry and Meghan over Buckingham Palace.”

A more ridiculous comment than the one that Jesus would get vaccinated against Corona has rarely been uttered.

Fury Erupts in London over Johnson’s Lockdown Plans

Express wrote on December 18:

“A demonstration against mandatory vaccinations [occurred] at Parliament Square in Westminster. The iconic location was said to be ‘rammed’ with angry Britons on Saturday afternoon… The  protest today saw people travel to the capital from across the UK and there are also rallies in Bournemouth, Blackburn, Gloucestershire, Bristol, Glasgow, Cardiff, Belfast and the Isle of Wight. The protest is supported by an umbrella movement called the ‘Together Declaration’, with 170,000 signatures including business, religious and campaign leaders, as well as MPs, which is campaigning against mandatory vaccinations as well as an end to vaccine passports and mass testing

“It is understood the Prime Minister is also considering further measures under a so-called Plan C, which includes another lockdown, the Financial Times reports.”

Resistance to autocratic governmental measures is rising all over the world, and the concern is that real violence will break out between protestors and governmental agents… perhaps even creating civil unrest and civil war. And it creates animosity between certain countries, as the next article shows.

France’s and Germany’s Attack on the UK

The Guardian wrote on December 16:

France will dramatically tighten restrictions on travel from Britain… effectively banning all non-essential journeys. The government announced in a statement that incoming travellers would require ‘an essential reason to travel to, or come from, the UK, both for the unvaccinated and vaccinated’ from midnight on Saturday…

“‘People cannot travel for tourism or professional reasons,’ it said… In addition, all arrivals from the UK will need a negative PCR or antigen test taken within the previous 24, rather than 48 hours, and will have to quarantine in France for seven days – reduced to 48 hours if they can produce a new negative test…. The French government also… asked travellers from France who had planned to visit the UK to postpone their journey….”

The age-long animosity between France and Britain can again be seen in this example of willful discrimination… And Boris Johnson seems to be a far-too-willing “accomplice.”

The Sun wrote on December 19:

GERMANY is the latest country to ban travel to and from the UK from this weekend over Omicron variant fearsFrom midnight on Sunday, or 11pm UK time, any travellers from the UK apart from German nationals, residents and transit passengers will be banned.

“Everyone entering Germany from Britain, whether vaccinated or not, will need a negative PCR test and is required to be quarantined for 14 days.”

Of course, Germany would join France against the UK. No surprise there.

Huge Demonstrations against Corona Restrictions in Germany

Deutsche Welle wrote on December 18:

“Thousands of people have demonstrated against coronavirus rules in several major German cities… Several thousand people took to the streets in the northern port city of Hamburg, then marched in several blocks through the city center, police said. About 8,000 attendees were registered [This means, many more participated.] ‘No to compulsory vaccination!’ was written on self-made placards, as well as ‘Hands off our children.’ In the western city of Düsseldorf, police said an estimated 4,000 protesters marched through the city center…

“Vaccinations for children are beginning in Germany, following recommendations made by the country’s top vaccine body. However, many parents are divided on the issue… Demonstrations also took place in the financial hub of Frankfurt am Main, as well as the southwestern cities of Karlsruhe and Freiburg.  Police said around 3,500 people marched through the center of Freiburg, adding that they sporadically split up groups because some attendees were not wearing obligatory face masks. Around 900 people took to the streets in Karlsruhe to protest mandatory vaccinations, particularly for health care workers such as nurses. In Osnabrück, Lower Saxony, nearly 2,000 people demonstrated under the slogan ‘Basic rights are not negotiable,’ according to police. Around 1,900 people attended a protest against restrictions in Schwerin, the capital of the northern state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, police said…

“Meanwhile, officials in Berlin banned a demonstration that had 2,000 registered protesters, citing the expectation that demonstrators would violate coronavirus rules such as the obligation to wear a mask and maintain social distance. However, protesters have gathered on many occasions despite police bans.

“Police in the eastern German state of Saxony shut down gatherings organized by the Querdenker or ‘lateral thinkers’ group. People demonstrated in several parts of Dresden, which is one of the cities where the Querdenker movement is most popular. Meanwhile, in Rathenow in the state of Brandenburg, 360 police officers stopped a protest on Friday evening, citing a lack of people complying with mask requirements…”

The more people demonstrate, the more German state governments will respond harshly. Violence is to be expected.

The Netherlands Pushes the Panic Button

Reuters wrote on December 18:

“The Netherlands will go into a strict lockdown over the Christmas and New Year period to try to contain the highly- contagious Omicron coronavirus variant, Prime Minister Mark Rutte said on Saturday.

“All non-essential shops and services, including restaurants, hairdressers, museums and gyms will be closed from Sunday until Jan. 14. All schools will be shut until at least Jan. 9…. Other measures include a recommendation that households receive no more than two visitors and that gatherings outside are also limited to a maximum of two people…”

Israel again in the News

Israel Today wrote on December 19:

“Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett appeared to fail a critical Covid-combatting leadership test at the weekend, after opposition to his wish to impose a near-total travel ban on Israelis forced him to backtrack… The prime minister used coercive manipulation, including warnings that those who opposed the measures would be to [be blamed] for any Covid-19 disaster that might result…

“Following those reports, and as the premier huddled with his government leaders at the weekly Cabinet meeting Sunday morning, news emerged that he was no longer planning a sweeping travel ban, but would announce a more limited list of countries to which Israelis may no longer fly, including the United States, Canada, Germany and Turkey. These restrictions will reportedly go into effect a little later this week.”

Far from being a shining light of democracy in the Middle East, the governments of Israel have been at the forefront of imposing dictatorial coronavirus restrictions.

More and More Vaccinations Required

Deutsche Welle reported on December 21:

“The European Commission announced Tuesday that COVID vaccine certificates in the bloc would only be valid for nine months without a booster shot…. The new rule concerns traveling within the European Union, but the Commission said in a statement that it recommends EU countries also apply it on a national level… EU residents are recommended to receive a booster shot six months, at the latest, after they’re fully vaccinated. But the certificate will be valid for three additional months as a grace period to ensure access to booster doses…”

JTA wrote on December 22:

“Israel will likely begin administering a fourth dose of the coronavirus vaccine to seniors, immunocompromised people, and healthcare workers in an effort to stem the spread of the Omicron variant.

“The move was recommended Tuesday by the panel of experts advising Israel’s government on the coronavirus pandemic. Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett had been hinting at the possibility of a fourth shot and embraced the recommendation in a statement Tuesday. ‘This is wonderful news that will assist us in getting through the Omicron wave that is engulfing the world,’ Bennett said…

German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach said on December 22 that a fourth dose might become necessary soon, as the vaccines might not be that “durable.” When will it end? And how about the lack of confidence of scientists and doctors in their own vaccines?

Canada’s Dictatorial Restrictions

Life Site News reported on December 17:

“A Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) MP sounded the alarm that the Liberal government under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is planning to keep COVID jab mandates and rules for years to come… as [h]idden in [Trudeau’s] Fiscal and Economic Update”…

“Many Canadian doctors have spoken out against both jab mandates as well as their purported safety and effectiveness

“The Liberal’s fiscal update also praises the draconian and discriminatory Trudeau travel ban by air, sea, or train for the vaccine-free, which has been in place since December 1… The Liberal’s fiscal update also highlights the federal government’s mandate of COVID shots for all federally regulated sectors.

“However, many consider jab mandates as a blatant assault on individual freedoms that’s unnecessary given COVID’s high survivability among most groups, its minimal risk of asymptomatic spread, and research indicating that post-infection natural immunity is equally protected against reinfection [in fact, as the evidence proves, and as it is pointed out in this section, it is MORE EFFECTIVE than vaccinations.]

“There is also a substantial amount of evidence that vaccine mandates are a failed strategy for tackling COVID… the government once again has mandated COVID testing for returning air travelers, along with mandatory quarantine, even for those who are considered ’fully vaccinated.’”

They must not have too much confidence in their vaccinations.

“Dr. Fauci, Please Stop Lying!”

The left-liberal outlet, The Week, wrote on December 17:

“American public health bureaucrats… have repeatedly lied to the public, playing politics with the pandemic, and in the process undermined both the fight against COVID-19 and confidence in their own credibility… Back in February and March 2020… Anthony Fauci was all over the media downplaying masks. ‘If you look at the masks that you buy in a drug store, the leakage around that doesn’t really do much to protect you,’ he told USA Today that spring. ‘Now, in the United States, there is absolutely no reason whatsoever to wear a mask.’ In an interview with 60 Minutes in March, he said, ‘Right now in the United States, people should not be walking around with masks.’

“It turns out Fauci almost certainly didn’t believe what he was saying. In an interview with InStyle several months later, he admitted that trying to preserve the mask supply for doctors and nurses was his first motivation…

“Fauci didn’t learn his lesson. Not only did he lie more, but he exposed his own deception once again. Last December, he told The New York Times he’d also been lying about how many people would have to get vaccinated to reach herd immunity (moving from 60 to 90 percent)…”

We do not endorse the gist of the article nor the premises expressed therein [such as the importance of wearing masks and the need for three vaccinations]. But what we found interesting is the recognition of Fauci’s repeated lies and the lack of trust people are having in his advice, competence and predictions. Also note the next incredible article.

Fauci, the Spin Doctor

Fox News reported on December 17:

“Fauci said Friday that the possibility of changing the definition for fully vaccinated is ‘certainly on the table’… which currently states a person is fully vaccinated when they have received two doses of a Pfizer or Moderna regimen or a shot of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. In the face of omicron, some have suggested the definition should include a booster shot… Friday morning he finally planted his flag in the war of words around the pandemic when he suggested that some terms may – and in one case, should – change… [He said:] ‘… there’s no doubt that optimum vaccination is with a booster’…

“He also discussed the difficulty in pushing ‘mandates,’ instead suggesting that people should discuss ‘requirements’ as a more palatable term. ‘Mandates — that’s a radioactive word. Requirements people seem to respond better to that. They work,’ Fauci argued. ‘We are never going to get out of this outbreak if we still have 50 million people who for reasons that are very difficult to understand refuse to get vaccinated.’

“Fauci has walked this line in the past two weeks, making a distinction between ‘fully’ vaccinated versus ‘optimum’ vaccination [stressing] that ‘optimum’ vaccination would include a booster.

“Omicron has driven new cases up across the country…  The new variant appears to spread more than the delta variant while only creating mild symptoms so far. Hospitalizations and deaths have not increased to the same degree if at all… The United States has yet to record a death as a result of the omicron variant.”

Not only that, as WND reported on December 17, “Nearly 80% of the omicron variant cases in the United States were found in people who were fully vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention… In Israel, where most of the population has received a booster shot, 54 of 67 omicron cases, 80%, were people who had received three COVID-19 shots.”

Fauci’s spinning of the facts cannot hide the truth that we are dealing with a money-making political agenda.

The Fallacy of “Public Health” Experts

The Dossier wrote on December 18:

“There’s one thing that the ‘public health expert’ class is certain about these days. They claim to have ‘the tools’ to stop this coronavirus. But the thing about these ‘tools’ is that they require blind faith in order to work, since every observable metric shows that they’ve failed in catastrophic fashion

“We are now almost two full years into our population-wide ‘public health expert’-managed COVID tyranny, and it has not exactly paid dividends for anyone other than the people in charge, who have catapulted to a life of fame and prestige.

“There is no evidence anywhere in the world that top-down authoritarianism, guided by these excessively praised ‘public health experts,’ has produced positive outcomes for the health and safety of any nation. In fact, the opposite is true. Throughout the world, sickness and unhealthy habits are increasing across the board, both indirectly and directly related to COVID-19… In fact, most of these ‘tools,’ when employed, are making everything worse.

“The mRNA shots were originally sold to the public with the claim that they prevent people from both infecting others and being infected with the virus that causes COVID-19. This is why the FDA and CDC, among other ‘public health’ bureaucracies, decided to green light injecting unthreatened 5 year olds with experimental drugs. The promise was that they would be ‘doing their part’ to ‘save grandma’ and ‘stop the spread.’ Yet the prevention and transmission claim has been completely memory-holed. As evidenced most recently by the breakouts in universally compliant settings, after a period of time, the shots seem to do nothing at all to prevent infection or transmission.

Universal masking, another agreed upon tool to stop a virus, doesn’t work, yet the ‘experts’ continue to [demand it]. Curfews and lockdowns… have done absolutely nothing to solve a virus problem…”

Still, gullible people are listening to their unfounded and oftentimes totally false opinions…

Masks Don’t Help on Flights

The Ron Paul Institute wrote on December 16:

“CEOs of Southwest Airlines and American Airlines testified before Congress this week that forcing people to wear masks on board their planes does little if anything to prevent spread of the virus.

“As predicted, Dem Members freaked out after hearing this blow to their deep faith.”

It has been known for a long time that masks on flights do not help at all. For many, they could be harmful. Still, airlines follow Biden’s mandate to demand wearing masks. Fauci responded that masks on planes will “always be necessary, no matter what” (Fox News, December 19). What an incredible situation.

Natural Immunity Overlooked

Newsmax wrote on December 20:

“Former FDA commissioner and Pfizer board member Dr. Scott Gottlieb on Sunday said… on CBS News: ‘A lot of people believe, including myself, that the reason why it’s [Omicron] manifesting as a less severe illness is probably because we have baseline immunity in the population… Probably around 80% of Americans and 90% of South Africans have some level of immunity, either from prior infection or through vaccination’… Gottlieb also believes omicron will ‘blow through fairly quickly.’”

In a related article, Newsmax wrote on December 20:

“Stumping for the overlooked science of natural immunity and denouncing the ‘inconsistent’ political science ‘tune’ of Dr. Anthony Fauci, former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin said she has overcome COVID-19 and does not need a vaccination from it now. ‘It’ll be over my dead body that I’ll have to get a shot,” Palin [said] on Sunday. ‘I will not. I won’t do it and they better not touch my kids either.’…

“The remarks came as Republicans are denouncing Biden’s vaccine mandates, not only on choice, but also on the scientific belief natural immunity might be protection enough, if not better.”

Natural immunity is overlooked because it does not pay the Big Pharma industry.

And Now… First Death in USA Reported

Reuters reported on December 20:

“Texas’ Harris County on Monday reported its first death related to the Omicron COVID-19 variant, a man who was unvaccinated, the county health department said… Earlier in December, Britain reported the first publicly confirmed death globally from Omicron. Twelve people in Britain have now died with the variant, and 104 are currently in hospital with it…”

Of course, an unvaccinated person is blamed and the push for vaccinations ensues as a consequence, even though the virus affects many more vaccinated than unvaccinated people. It would also be interesting to find out the exact circumstances of the person’s death.

Biden’s War on the Unvaccinated

Fox News reported on December 20:

“The White House was viciously mocked over the weekend after pushing the message that unvaccinated Americans would experience a winter of ‘severe illness and death’ due to the omicron variant of the coronavirus….

“Critics took to social media to mock the White House’s message of death, with some referring to Biden as the ‘Grim Reaper’

“‘President Biden’s warning of a “winter of severe illness and death” makes President Jimmy Carter’s “malaise” speech urging Americans to lower expectations seem a cheerful upper by contrast. How do Democrats run as the party of ‘severe illness and death’? This is madness,’ wrote former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich. Other critics echoed his Jimmy Carter comparison…”

Madness indeed. God has poured out a spirit of deep slumber on our leaders.

Utter Confusion regarding Biden’s Vaccine Mandates

Newsmax, The Associated Press and Thomson/Reuters wrote on December 18:

“A U.S. appeals court on Friday reinstated a nationwide vaccine-or-testing COVID-19 mandate for large businesses, a federal government rule that covers 80 million American workers. The ruling by the 6th U.S. Court of Appeals in Cincinnati lifted a November injunction that had blocked the rule from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), which applies to businesses with at least 100 workers

“The [decision] comes a day after the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals lifted a nationwide ban on the mandate [for healthcare workers]. The court instead allowed the mandate to remain blocked in 14 states that had collectively sued in federal court in Louisiana. That action altered a Nov. 30 ruling by U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty, who originally applied his order nationwide.

“A different appeals court, the St. Louis-based 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, has declined to disturb a lower court order blocking the mandate in 10 other states.

“The Biden administration asked the justices to allow the mandate to take effect in the 24 states covered by those two courts’ decisions. A federal judge in Texas granted an injunction Thursday that applies only to that state.”

The Associated Press wrote on December 17 about the decision of the 6th Court of Appeals regarding private companies:

“‘Given OSHA’s clear and exercised authority to regulate viruses, OSHA necessarily has the authority to regulate infectious diseases that are not unique to the workplace,’ Judge Julia Smith Gibbons, who was nominated to the court by former President George W. Bush, a Republican, wrote in her majority opinion…. She was joined in the majority decision by Judge Jane Branstetter Stranch, an appointee of former President Barrack Obama, a Democrat… The dissent in Friday’s ruling came from Judge Joan Larsen, an appointee of former President Donald Trump, who said Congress did not authorize OSHA to make this sort of rule and that it did not qualify as a necessity to use the emergency procedures the agency followed to put it in place.’”

This decision by two judges (against one) is SO unconstitutional and plainly wrong.

Fox News added on December 18:

“The Supreme Court earlier this week refused to block a New York regulation mandating COVID-19 vaccinations for health care workers – a move that could spell trouble for those opposed to the sweeping mandate.”

All of this is becoming SO political, as evidenced by the fact that courts and judges disagree amongst themselves and decide, strictly based on political preferences. The concern for the health of the American people is secondary, if it exists at all, even though lip-services to the contrary might be uttered here and there. Nobody knows how the utterly political and divided Supreme Court will decide, while innocent workers are the pawns in this despicable chess game.

The Associated Press added on December 18:

“A vaccine mandate for companies that have contracts with the federal government is on hold nationwide, while a separate mandate for health care employees who work for providers that receive federal Medicare or Medicaid funding has been blocked in half the states…

“… vaccine mandates for federal government employees and the military remain in effect, as do mask requirements for airline passengers and people using public transportation.”

Californians Openly Defy Newsom’s Corona Mandates—Good for Them

NBC San Diego wrote on December 18:

“Coronado and El Cajon leaders said this week if the state wants to enforce the new indoor mask mandate it can use its own resources. On Friday the city of Oceanside joined them. The mandate won’t be enforced at privately owned businesses in Oceanside, and many small business owners who made it through the pandemic are fine with it…”

Breitbart wrote on December 17:

“Californians are ignoring Gov. Gavin Newsom’s statewide mask mandate, which went into effect Wednesday for most indoor spaces… Newsom exempted San Francisco — where he used to be mayor of the city — and the surrounding counties…

“In Los Angeles County, for example, gyms and restaurants are continuing as before…  The Sacramento Bee reported that no one can figure out who is responsible for enforcing the mask mandate, and that Newsom says he has ‘faith’ in Californians to enforce his mandate themselves, saying that they would ‘self-enforce’ but didn’t provide specifics on what would happen if they didn’t…

“Local government officials say the state hasn’t given any guidance on enforcement, and some local authorities say they won’t enforce the state’s order at all. Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva has said… he would not enforce vaccine mandates in his county.”

Ark of the Covenant in Ethiopia?

The Jerusalem Post wrote on December 16:

“A fascinating connection between Ethiopia and Jewish history is the belief that the Ark of the Covenant, containing the tablets of the Ten Commandments, may reside to this day in Ethiopia. While a Talmudic source relates that the ark – along with several other of the Temple’s sacred objects – was hidden just prior to the destruction of the Beit Hamikdash, numerous other theories exist as to its whereabouts.

“A longstanding religious legend in Ethiopia describes how the Ark of the Covenant was brought there 3,000 years ago by a man named Menelik, who, according to the legend, was the son of the Queen of Sheba and Israel’s King Solomon. The legend states that the Queen of Sheba was from Ethiopia and that she traveled to Jerusalem, where she was seduced by King Solomon, giving birth to Menelik upon her return home. Menelik later traveled to Jerusalem and studied with his father before taking the ark and bringing it to Ethiopia, where, legend has it, it still resides in the Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion in Aksum, where only ‘The Guardian of the Ark of the Covenant’ can view it.

“Others maintain that a sect of Jews driven by King Manasseh from Israel took the ark with them and transported it to Egypt, from where they eventually sailed up the Nile to Ethiopia. Researchers who journeyed to Aksum and made their way to Mary of Zion Church were purportedly introduced to a man referred to as the guardian of the ark. This man was said to live his entire life inside a fenced-off area surrounding the church and will not leave his post until he dies, at which time he will be replaced by the next guardian. In the chapel of the church, 30 robes from 30 previous guardians are on display – and every one of those 30 professed that the object they protected was the true Ark of the Covenant.

“While others dispute and debunk this legend – claiming that, at most, the ark in the church is merely a replica of the real thing – it fits neatly with the claim by Ethiopia’s former emperor Haile Selassie that he was a direct descendant of Menelik. Selassie, who ruled Ethiopia from 1930-1974, called himself ‘the Lion of Judah,’ the 225th king descended from King David, and prominently displayed a Lion of Judah motif on the country’s flag and currency.”

Whether true or not, the question is what others believe, especially the Roman Catholic Church which is very interested in possessing all kinds of religious relics and which therefore might be prompted to participate in a war against Ethiopia (Daniel 11:40-43). Regarding the whereabouts of the Ark of the Covenant and its future, see our Q&A on the issue. 

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.

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Is Christmas still acceptable in spite of its pagan roots and origins? – Part 2

In the first part of this two-part series, we looked at the fact that many writers will agree that there are pagan connections to Christmas but conclude that it is still acceptable to keep the festival.   We gave two examples and continue with further examples.

EXAMPLE 3:

Here is another approach to try and justify Christmas celebrations:

“The Lord, through His sacrifice, has cleansed us of our sins. He sanctifies what he touches.  When we came in contact with Him, it is we who were cleansed. It is not Him who is defiled.  The woman with the issue of blood who touched Jesus (Mark 5:25-34) was made clean. It was not Jesus who was defiled. Likewise, Jesus touched the unclean lepers and cleansed them (Matthew 8:3). Jesus came in contact with many people, and it was never He who was defiled. It was they who were cleansed.

“I think this principle can be applied to Christmas. Yes, Christmas has pagan origins. Yes, it is a highly commercial time. Yes, many do not have their eyes on Jesus. But for the Christian, it is a time to reflect upon the birth of our Lord and to celebrate His coming into the world to die for our sins.”

This approach is exactly what the Bible condemns.

In our Update 122, dated December 19, 2003, we read the following in our Q&A, “Why don’t you celebrate Christmas?” 

“The age-old question is, however, why is it so important to know that Christmas and its customs were a pagan invention? What is wrong with ‘Christianizing’ those pagan customs? We might not be able to bring Christ BACK into those customs (as He was never part of them in the first place), but why can’t we bring those customs to Christ and use them to worship Him in that way?

“Simply, because the Bible prohibits us to do so. The concept of adding pagan practices to godly worship, known as ‘syncretism,’ is condemned throughout Scripture. Again, we encourage our members, subscribers and friends to read or re-read our booklet, ‘Don’t Keep Christmas,’ for a more comprehensive analysis of this important question.

“In short, we read in Deuteronomy 12:29-32, that God commanded Israel that ‘you do not inquire after their [pagan] gods, saying, “How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise.” You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way…”

“What could be clearer? God commands us NOT to worship Him in the way that the Gentiles did. Christmas was a pagan festival in honor of pagan gods. God FORBIDS us to worship Him in that way. We read in Matthew 15:7-9 that we worship Christ IN VAIN when we teach ‘as doctrines the commandments of men’ or pagans. The Ryrie Study Bible comments regarding the passage in Deuteronomy 12:30: ‘The Israelites were not even to inquire about the worship of the Canaanites, lest they be tempted to INCORPORATE ASPECTS OF IT INTO THEIR WORSHIP OF GOD.’

“That is, exactly, what the Roman Catholic Church did. That is exactly what God PROHIBITS His people from doing!”

EXAMPLE 4:

Another writer gives us an insight into further antagonism towards those who say that Christmas is not a festival that true Christians should keep:

“Q. WHAT IS A PROPER CHRISTIAN RESPONSE TO PEOPLE WHO CLAIM CHRISTMAS AND OTHER CHRISTIAN CELEBRATIONS ARE PAGAN?

“A. First, if we are honest, we are forced to acknowledge that aspects of Christmas certainly are pagan: the revelry, drinking and overeating, commercialism, coveting, and immorality that are rife during the season. The holiday atmosphere as represented by these sins surely cannot be considered a part of true Christianity. Also, holly and mistletoe, Santa Claus, and the like are not found in Scripture either, though certain trappings of the season, like Christmas trees, candles, wreaths, and bells, are not necessarily wrong if they classify as decorations rather than gods. Anything can become a god if we lose perspective and don’t put God first. Further, enough eons have elapsed so that any pagan connections with items such as Christmas trees are now truly meaningless.

“I believe Christians must part company with those, such as certain cultists who advocate totally ignoring the celebration of Christ’s birth. We are unsure of the exact date on which our Savior was born. In fact, Dec. 25 is almost certain not to be the day. Does that matter? The precise day of the year should not deter us from designating a day to celebrate Jesus’ birthday. Further, there is nothing wrong with having family gatherings, exchanging gifts, sending greeting cards, singing, going to special services at church, and enjoying good food God has provided. We should use Christmas as a special time to witness to unsaved loved ones and acquaintances too. Many people have trusted Christ as Savior through the local church during the holiday season, the only time when some people enter a church.

“‘Christmas is for children’ is quite true. Many of us remember our early childhoods as the time when the account of the Christ Child was especially enthralling. Therefore, we adults can make Christmas a time of unselfish giving toward children (not just material things, by the way), creating great experiences that they will remember all their lives. It is an important part of bringing them up in the training and admonition of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4). Many of us remember events surrounding our early Christmases better than any other times during our entire childhoods.

“These are responses that I believe honor the Lord. Christmas is not going to go away and critics will always be around. If some Christians cannot in good conscience observe Christmas, or any other Christian celebration, they have the privilege of leaving it alone.”

That is quite a statement but is hardly a proper response to people who claim Christmas and other Christmas celebrations are pagan!   Here’s why:

It is incorrect to say that any pagan connections with items such as Christmas trees are now truly meaningless.  God, who doesn’t change (see Malachi 3:6), said quite categorically that His people should not follow the customs of worship who serve false gods (compare again Deuteronomy 12:29-32).   That was true in the times of the ancient Israelites and still applies to God’s people today.

As often happens, those who disagree with the practice of keeping Christmas are labelled as cultists with opponents trying to denigrate and falsely accuse them so as to undermine their standing.

The assertion is made that “Dec. 25 is almost certain not to be the day” but that “it doesn’t matter.”  Is it not strange that the celebration of His birthday which they say is not on December 25th is a wrong date and yet they keep it?

What can be said about the argument that “we should use Christmas as a special time to witness to unsaved loved ones and acquaintances too”?   So, they use a time that is not the date of the Savior’s birth, pretend it is, and to try and teach others that this is quite alright? What sort of example is that?

Regarding the training of children, they say that “It is an important part of bringing them up in the training and admonition of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4).” To teach children God’s Word is indeed the responsibility of parents, but that must be based on the sure foundation of the truth.   Teaching them lies about a pagan festival with a cloak of so-called Christianity draped over it is not in line with what God expects of us.

It is stated that “Christmas Is not going to go away” which may well be true but that does not mean that true Christians have to be involved in it.   It is highly unlikely that Halloween is not going to go away but we should never have anything to do with that demonic celebration, either.

The Church of the Eternal God and its corporate affiliates have consistently taught that we must never be involved with Christmas celebrations.

One of our Q&As has the following headline: “You teach that Christians should not keep man’s holidays, such as Christmas, but rather, they need to observe God’s annual Holy Days. Why can’t we do both? And what, exactly, are those annual Holy Days, and how are they different from days such as Christmas?”  We address in that Q&A the fact that the world’s holidays of which Christmas is just one, should not be kept, and it goes into the biblical Holy Days that God’s people are commanded to keep.  You can access this Q&A at: https://www.globalchurchofgod.co.uk/q-a-8343/

Of course, becoming lax in this area couldn’t happen to us, could it? Not all that long ago a photograph appeared of a former evangelist in the Church of God who had taught the truth about Christmas, until the mid-1990’s, when he was standing in front of a Christmas tree obviously enjoying the experience.   His new-found “freedom” seemed to have allowed this action that he preached vehemently against in his ministry in the Church of God.  Quite a turnaround!

“Whether to celebrate Christmas or not, is man’s choice. However, to decree whether it is right or wrong to do so, is God’s prerogative.”(See our weekly Update 122, dated December 19, 2003).

In Mark 7:6-7, we read Jesus’ words, quoting Isaiah, when speaking to the Pharisees and scribes: “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.”’”  It is obvious for those with eyes to see that this applies to modern mainstream Christianity as they have discarded the Holy Days of God and replaced them with man-made holidays of which Christmas is just one of them.   We must never forget that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”

Also, as mentioned repeatedly in this series, a reading (or a re-reading) of our booklet Don’t Keep Christmas could prove to be very well worthwhile, as we approach this time of the year once again.

Lead Writer:  Brian Gale (United Kingdom)

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Preaching the Gospel and Feeding the Flock

compiled by Dave Harris

A new Member Letter (December 2021) has been written and mailed to our subscribers. Eric Rank writes about the lies and deceptions Christians face in the world, especially during this time of the year. He points to our need to closely adhere to the Truth of God both personally and in fulfilling the job God has given to His Church.

“Why Won’t Some Christians Keep Christmas this Year?” is the title of a new StandingWatch program, presented by Evangelist Norbert Link. Here is a summary: 

Some may not keep Christmas this year because of governmental restrictions to fight the coronavirus pandemic, forbidding them to meet. Depending on the country, unvaccinated must not meet at all; others may be allowed to meet in small groups not exceeding ten persons. Church services might be totally banned, or severely restricted. But then there are those who won’t celebrate Christmas this year for altogether different reasons which have nothing to do with coronavirus restrictions.

“Warum einige Christen dieses Jahr kein Weihnachten feiern” is the title of a new AufPostenStehen program, presented by Norbert Link. Title in English: “Why Won’t Some Christians Keep Christmas this Year?”

“Gott oder der Mensch? – Teil 1” is the title of this Sabbath’s new German sermon, presented by Michael Link. Title in English: “God or Man? Part 1.”

“Die drei himmlischen Bücher,” the sermonette presented last Sabbath by Manuel Mueller, is now posted. Title in English: “The Three Heavenly Books.”

“Ein wahrer loyaler Freund!” the sermon presented last Sabbath by Christoph Sperzel, is now posted. Title in English: “A True Loyal Friend.”

“Fruition,” the sermonette presented last Sabbath by Eric Rank, is now posted. Here is a summary:

Christians are instructed to bear Spiritual fruit. What is involved in the process? How can we practically produce the results that God expects?

“Jacob’s Trouble,” the sermon presented last Sabbath by Dave Harris, is now posted. Here is a summary:

Why is so much going wrong? Once great world powers, the UK and the US are now experiencing what might appear to be punishment—and it is! Punishment from God has been prophesied long ago for these nations because of their refusal to obey Him. The Bible shows that even greater catastrophes are coming!

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How This Work is Financed

This Update is an official publication by the ministry of the Church of the Eternal God in the United States of America; the Church of God, a Christian Fellowship in Canada; and the Global Church of God in the United Kingdom.

Editorial Team: Norbert Link, Dave Harris, Rene Messier, Brian Gale, Johanna Link, Eric Rank, Michael Link, Anna Link, Kalon Mitchell, Manuela Mitchell, Dawn Thompson

Technical Team: Eric Rank, Shana Rank

Our activities and literature, including booklets, weekly updates, sermons on CD are provided free of charge. They are made possible by the tithes, offerings and contributions of Church members and others who have elected to support this Work.

While we do not solicit the general public for funds, contributions are gratefully welcomed and are tax-deductible in the U.S. and Canada.

Donations can be sent to the following addresses:

United States: Church of the Eternal God, P.O. Box 270519, San Diego, CA 92198

Canada: Church of God, ACF, Box 1480, Summerland, B.C. V0H 1Z0

United Kingdom: Global Church of God, PO Box 44, MABLETHORPE, LN12 9AN, United Kingdom

©2025 Church of the Eternal God
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