On September 20, 2025, Norbert Link will present, “Comments on News and Prophecy, September 20, 2025,” and Kalon Mitchell will present the sermon, titled, “The Illusion of Control.”

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.

Feast of Trumpets will be observed, Tuesday, September 23, 2025. Live services will be broadcast at the same time as Sabbath Services.

Kalon Mitchell will present the Offertory, titled, “I Do Not Bring Peace,” and Norbert Link will present the sermon.

One would have to be living under a rock not to have seen the assassination of Charlie Kirk. Live on national TV, the man was murdered by someone with a rifle. Charlie Kirk was a polarizing person because he was willing to debate anyone on what he believed to be right. 

As this was happening, Joe Rogan, a well-known podcaster, was doing a podcast and his guest commented that this assassination could serve as a tipping point just as other assassinations in history have caused some serious issues to happen, so for example the Rodney King video that caused massive riots or the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, which triggered a series of declarations of war due to complex alliances and underlying tensions which ended up causing the start of World War One, etc. 

A few days before this, there was another killing where a young Ukrainian woman was stabbed on a train in New York, and she sat there for a few minutes dying, and no one stepped in to help or confront her attacker. 

If we were to monitor the news from all over the world, the number of deaths is extraordinary and it grows day by day. 

I have been watching a lot of podcasters and YouTubers and reading articles and talking to people, and the general consensus I am getting is that people are tired of what has been going on over the last few years. There is a rift growing within the United States. The problem is that people want to fight. Left and Right are hating one another. 

On top of this, there are wars going on: Israel and its fight for Gaza. Ukraine and its war with Russia. This is the state of the world that we live in at this time. 

It should be clear that we are experiencing the days that Christ spoke about, which would occur before the start of the Great Tribulation (Matthew 24:12; Luke 21:9). These are not just random tragedies, but they are evidence that the world is unraveling, and Christ told us this would happen. 

We must be vigilant and aware that we are not caught up in these same worldly mindsets and attitudes. Violence is not just the act of murder or war. Christ expanded the definition in Matthew 5:22: “…whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment…” The increase in hostility, division, and rage, even in speech and attitude, shows how violence grows first in people’s hearts before it spills out into the world. 

We are called for a different purpose. We are standing up for the Truth. This may cause serious violence for us. Most of the early apostles ended up being martyrs. Seeing a man shot on TV for being brave enough to speak his mind made me stop and evaluate who I am and what I believe and it is making me confront some fears. Christ minced no words about this. He said in John 15:18: “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.” He added in Matthew 10:28:  “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.”

We cannot live in fear and panic, and we cannot consider retaliation. Rather, we have to live in faith. We continue to speak the Truth even though we realize what it will cost. We refuse to turn to the right or to the left. We are the ambassadors for the light, for peace, for a Way of Life that is foreign and unknown to the masses. 

From the first murder (Cain killing Abel) to where we are now, the world thinks that violence can end violence. This lie is sold over and over again. James 4:1-2 makes it so abundantly clear that this is so far from the Truth: “Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask.”

In a few short weeks, we will be keeping the Feast of Tabernacles! One of the highlights of the Feast is the revelation that we are going to have peace. These wars and violent acts will be a thing of the past. There is a promise of peace, real peace under Christ’s rule in the Kingdom of God. Isaiah 2:4 tells us: “…They shall beat their swords into plowshares…” We as Christians must not be overcome by the violence around us, but rather, we should live as witnesses of Christ’s peace in a divided and violent world. Part of our commission is to live and act in this way; the other part of it is to preach the Gospel to all the world. 

We will continue to preach this and we will continue to grow in Faith in doing this. 

In stark contrast to this current world, let us cling to the promise of what is before us, which is described in Isaiah 9:6-7: “For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.”

by Norbert Link

We begin with disturbing news from Denmark and continue with a pitiful decision by the European Court of Human Rights refusing to condemn Covid restrictions (please view in this regard our new StandingWatch program, “When Will Governments Be Held Accountable For Their Corona Measures?”).

We speak on Spain’s suggestion to use nuclear weapons against Israel; the “political persecution” of Brazil’s former President; and the recent school shooting in Colorado and the murder of Charlie Kirk. We also publish a disturbing analysis of prior and current political assassinations in America.

We point out Russia’s attack on Poland and NATO’s “response”; escalations between the USA and Venezuela; Trump’s visit to the UK: and we conclude with an article showing financial consequences if the US Supreme Court were to determine that many of Trump’s tariffs are illegal, as well as a shocking article about AI.

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

Mandatory Military Service for Women 

Tovima wrote on September 12: 

“For the first time in its history, Denmark has introduced mandatory military service for women, becoming the third European country to do so after Norway (2015) and Sweden (2017). The move, announced in July, places 18-year-old Danish women into the same draft lottery as their male peers, ending a system where female participation had been voluntary. The law also extends service from four to eleven months, with the first conscripted women expected to begin in January 2026… 

“Ukraine, despite being at war, does not mandate female service, though 68,000 women now serve voluntarily—up 40% since Russia’s 2022 invasion. 

“… In the U.S., 200,000 women—14% of the military—serve on a voluntary basis, including in combat roles since 1993… 

“Israel remains the longest-standing example: women have served compulsory terms since 1949, though for two years compared with men’s three.” 

It is interesting that three European countries, descendants of the ancient House of Israel, as well as the state of Israel (descendant of Judah), would have mandatory military service for women.

“European Court Rejects Religious Freedom Case Over Covid Worship Bans” 

Christian Today wrote on September 10: 

“The European Court of Human Rights has dismissed a complaint brought by former EU special envoy Jan Figel challenging Slovakia’s bans on communal worship during the pandemic. The Strasbourg-based court ruled the case inadmissible, saying it was not clear how Figel was personally affected by the restrictions and that he could not therefore be regarded as a victim under the European Convention on Human Rights. 

“Figel, who served as the European Commission’s Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief, said he was surprised by the ruling after submitting detailed arguments on the personal impact of the worship ban in July 2023. ‘Religious freedom is among the most vital and central human rights,’ said Figel in response to the ruling. ‘I am deeply saddened by the Court’s decision not to rule on the merits of this case and recognise that the government overstepped the European Convention by banning collective worship repeatedly.’

“Figel, the former Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief outside the EU, brought the case in response to Slovakia’s Covid-19 restrictions during the pandemic, which included a total ban on religious services. He said he intended not only to defend his own rights but also to highlight wider concerns about freedom of religion in Europe. ‘As Special Envoy, I saw firsthand how fragile freedom is. I believe the EU cannot credibly promote religious freedom abroad if we fail to uphold it at home,’ he said. ‘This case was about ensuring that worship does not become a dispensable right in times of crisis.’” 

An utterly wrong decision, mirroring many of the cases brought by President Trump pertaining to the alleged rigged 2020 election, where courts chose, by and large, to dismiss them based on jurisdictional or procedural matters, without ever reaching the merits of the complaints. The Supreme Court has, until now, done the same thing, by refusing, for instance, to adjudicate the issue of birthright citizenship. 

Nuclear Weapons Against Israel? 

Israel 365 News wrote on September 12: 

“Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez ignited a political firestorm after suggesting that he would like to stop Israel’s military campaign in Gaza but cannot, as it lacks nuclear weapons… These remarks were immediately interpreted by many as a veiled threat toward the State of Israel, suggesting that the Spanish leader might consider the use of nuclear weapons—if Spain had them—as a means to intervene in the conflict… 

“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded forcefully on Thursday, calling Sánchez’s comments ‘a blatant genocidal threat to the world’s only Jewish State… Apparently, the Spanish Inquisition, the expulsion of the Jews of Spain and the systematic mass murder of Jews in the Holocaust is not enough for Sánchez.’ 

“The rhetoric drew further rebuke from Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, who… blasted Sánchez’s administration for what he called a ‘hostile, anti-Israel line, marked by wild, hate-filled rhetoric,’ and said the prime minister was using inflammatory language to ‘divert attention from grave corruption scandals.’ 

“The fallout inside Spain was just as intense. Santiago Abascal, the leader of the far-right Vox party, slammed Sánchez, saying: ‘Sánchez would like to have nuclear weapons… but not to defend Spain. To defend Hamas… Cornered tyrants always end up going mad.’ Carlos Díaz-Pache, a spokesman for the center-right Popular Party, expressed disbelief: ‘A nuclear bomb on Tel Aviv? Is that what he intends to do?’ He accused Sánchez of ‘aligning himself with Hamas terrorism with a repugnant antisemitic statement.’… 

“Sánchez’s comments mark a dramatic escalation in tensions between Spain and Israel—a relationship that has long been marked by political ambivalence and historical baggage. It wasn’t until 1986 that Spain formally established diplomatic ties with Israel, making it one of the last Western European nations to do so. For decades, Spain’s foreign policy had leaned toward courting the Arab world, particularly during the Franco era and its aftermath… 

“In response to the deteriorating situation, Spain has recalled its ambassador from Tel Aviv for consultations. In return, Israel has banned two Spanish ministers from entering the country.” 

It can be easily seen what will happen when a unified Europe has access to nuclear weapons… something which will occur according to biblical prophecy. 

Ground Operation in Gaza City Has Begun

Reuters wrote on September 16: 

“Israel announced the start of its long-awaited ground operation into Gaza City on Tuesday, declaring ‘Gaza is burning’. An Israeli military official said the Israeli Defence Forces had begun the main stage of their ground operation into Gaza City, the main urban centre in the enclave, where Israel has ordered hundreds of thousands of residents to flee. The military gave few initial details but said its troops had begun ‘dismantling Hamas terrorist infrastructure in Gaza City’…. 

“U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who visited on Monday, offered apparent backing for the Israeli government’s decision to abandon ceasefire talks and use force to smash Hamas. While the United States wished to see a diplomatic end to the war, “we have to be prepared for the possibility that’s not going to happen”, Rubio said. He endorsed the Israeli demand that Hamas surrender its weapons and free all remaining hostages at once, as the only way to end the war… 

“Much of Gaza City was already laid to waste in the early weeks of the war in 2023, but around 1 million Palestinians had returned there to homes among the ruins. Forcing them out means nearly the entire population of Gaza will now be confined to encampments along the coast further south… An Israeli security official briefing reporters on Monday said around 320,000 people were estimated to have left Gaza City so far, while some 650,000 are thought to remain.” 

Former President of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, Convicted of Failed “Coup Attempt” 

Breitbart wrote on September 12: 

“Brazil’s Supreme Federal Tribunal (STF) on Thursday convicted conservative former President Jair Bolsonaro and sentenced him to 27 years and 3 months prison for his alleged role in a ‘failed coup attempt,’ marking the first time that a former president of Brazil is convicted for ‘crimes against democracy.’ Bolsonaro, and six other individuals… were found guilty of ‘attempted violent abolition of the democratic rule of law, coup d’état, participation in an armed criminal organization, aggravated damage, and deterioration of listed heritage sites.’… 

“According to the STF, Bolsonaro allegedly conspired with a broader group of over 30 individuals to stage a ‘coup’ and overturn the results of the controversial 2022 presidential election. Bolsonaro, at the time the incumbent president, narrowly lost against current radical leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who is now serving his third term…. In addition to the prison sentence, Bolsonaro, 70, will reportedly receive a new eight-year ban from public office at the end of his 27-year sentence… 

“U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned the sentencing in a social media post. ‘The political persecutions by sanctioned human rights abuser Alexandre de Moraes continue, as he and others on Brazil’s supreme court have unjustly ruled to imprison former President Jair Bolsonaro,’ Sec. Rubio wrote. ‘The United States will respond accordingly to this witch hunt.’ The Brazilian government… responded to Sec. Rubio in a three-part social media post  claiming that Sec. Rubio’s ‘threats’ to attack Brazilian authorities ignore ‘the facts and compelling evidence in the case files, will not intimidate our democracy’… 

“In late July, President Donald Trump cited the political persecution of Bolsonaro in an executive order identifying Brazil as a national security threat to the United States, imposing a 50 percent tariff on Brazilian goods entering the U.S.” 

Brazil is currently led by the left-wing Workers’ Party under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, a long-standing leftist figure. This really looks like a left-wing attempt to neutralize the former President of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro. 

School Shooting in Colorado 

The Daily Mail wrote on September 12: 

“The Colorado school shooter (16) who opened fire ‘again and again’ on fellow high school students on Wednesday has been named and pictured by police… [He] died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound after he fired at terrified children at Evergreen High School, close to Denver [in a quiet, leafy Denver suburb] during their lunch break just after noon. Two students were rushed to the hospital. Sheriff spokesperson Jacki Kelley said that one victim has been discharged while the other remains in a critical condition.  

‘We know that the suspect had a handgun,’ Kelley told a press conference on Thursday. ‘He had to keep reloading. He would fire and reload, fire and reload, fire and reload. This went on and on. As he did that, he tried to find new targets.’ 

“Kelley said the first shots were fired from inside the school grounds, but the chaos ‘spilled out into the street behind the school’ where the second victim was shot. A suspected motive has not been disclosed, but Kelley said Holly was ‘radicalized by some extremist network’.” 

It was reported that the shooter was fascinated with previous mass shootings and expressed neo-Nazi views online (compare The Independent, September 13). 

Another example of demonic influence, if not demonic possession. Like the killing of Charlie Kirk. Note the next articles. 

Charlie Kirk’s Murder Investigation 

The New York Post wrote on September 13: 

“Charlie Kirk’s alleged shooter Tyler Robinson was living with a transgender partner who was in the process of transitioning from a male to a female, a law enforcement source confirmed to The Post Saturday. [This fact was initially hidden by the FBI]. That individual… is now fully cooperating with the FBI on its investigation into the fatal shooting of the conservative activist, the source added… 

“Kirk, 31, was struck in the neck by a single bullet shortly after being posed a question on his ‘American Comeback’ college speaking tour about transgender mass shooters. ‘Do you know how many transgender Americans have been mass shooters over the last 10 years?’ asked attendee Hunter Kozak. ‘Too many,’ Kirk responded. ‘Do you know how many mass shooters there have been in America over the last 10 years?’ Kozak followed up. ‘Counting or not counting gang violence?’ the Turning Point USA founder sought to clarify. 

“Kirk was shot immediately after and transported to a hospital where he underwent surgery. He was pronounced dead within a few hours.” 

Subsequently, Tyler Robinson was charged with aggravated murder, among many other charges. It was also reported by the New York Post that the alleged murderer, who had been raised as a Mormon, was “deeply indoctrinated with leftist ideology,” while being “full of hate and spreading hate.” The Utah governor also added that “social media is a cancer on our society right now.” That is certainly true. 

Kirk’s Transformed Relationship With Israel 

The Ron Paul Institute wrote on September 12: 

“Charlie Kirk rejected an offer earlier this year from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to arrange a massive new infusion of Zionist money into his Turning Point USA (TPUSA) organization… as he began to publicly question Israel’s overwhelming influence in Washington and demanded more space to criticize it… [Reportedly,] Kirk strongly warned Trump last June against bombing Iran on Israel’s behalf… 

“This July… Kirk provided a forum for the right-wing grassroots to vent its fury about Israel’s political hammerlock on the Trump administration. There, speakers from former Fox News stalwarts Tucker Carlson and Megyn Kelly… branded Jeffrey Epstein as an Israeli intelligence asset… Kirk appeared visibly outraged during an August 6 interview with conservative host Megyn Kelly, as he discussed the menacing messages he was receiving from pro-Israel [supporters]… ‘I have less ability… to criticize the Israeli government than actual Israelis do. And that’s really, really weird.’… 

“In one of his final interviews, conducted with… Ben Shapiro, Kirk once again tried to raise the issue of censorship of Israel critics. ‘A friend said to me, interestingly: “Charlie, okay, we’ve pushed back against the media on COVID, on lockdowns, on Ukraine, on the border,’” Kirk told Shapiro on September 9. ‘Maybe we should also ask the question: is the media totally presenting the truth when it comes to Israel? Just a question!’… 

“There is currently no evidence of an Israeli government role in Kirk’s assassination. However, that has not stopped thousands of social media users from speculating that the pro-Trump operative’s shifting views on the issue contributed in some way to his death… The frenzied speculation has set off shockwaves in Tel Aviv, where Netanyahu felt compelled to explicitly deny that his government killed Kirk during a September 11 interview with NewsMax… During that interview, Netanyahu did his best to insinuate that Israel’s enemies were responsible for murdering Kirk…” 

Maybe the truth regarding Kirk’s assassination will never be known, as we still don’t know for sure, for example, who was really behind the assassinations of John F. Kennedy and of Robert F. Kennedy. But we can be reasonably certain that the “official” explanations are not believable (that Lee Harvey Oswald, who was subsequently killed, or Sirhan Sirhan, who is still in prison, were acting alone, if at all). See the next article. 

Political Assassinations in America… Then and Now… 

The Daily Mail wrote on September 14:

“College campuses in revolt. Raging debates over social issues and foreign wars. A bitter — near-existential — struggle between Left and Right, rich and poor, young and old, in a politically, culturally polarized country rocked by political assassination. 

“Sound familiar? Turn back the clock six decades… Then the conflict was the Vietnam War. Gays and women were demanding equal rights. The hippie generation, rejecting their parents’ norms over drugs, fashion and music, was subsumed by counterculture, especially at universities. And, tragically, America’s political and social leaders were being gunned down. 

“It’s not hard to see parallels with today [referring to America’s controversial wars or involvement, such as the Russia-Ukraine war; Israel’s war in Gaza, etc.] … The shocking assassination of conservative movement leader Charlie Kirk, 31, is yet another disturbing marker… 

“America is indeed entering an increasingly violent new era the 1960s provided a frightening precedent. President John F. Kennedy’s assassination in Dallas, Texas, in November 1963 is a defining moment in US history but it was only one of myriad political killings. Civil rights activist Medgar Evers was killed five months earlier, fatally shot by a fertilizer salesman and member of the segregationist White Citizens’ Council, as he exited his car outside his Mississippi home. 

“Revolutionary Malcolm X was gunned down two years later in New York City’s Washington Heights. Three members of the Nation of Islam were convicted for the murder (although two were later exonerated). 1968 was a particularly bleak year, claiming the lives of both minister and activist Martin Luther King Jr (shot on the balcony of his Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee) and Democratic presidential candidate Robert F Kennedy (at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles) within two months of each other… 

“[Now think] of Luigi Mangione whose alleged message was heard loud and clear when he gunned down United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson… Mangione perversely became an icon of sorts for many – hailed as some sort of ‘hero’ and heartthrob… In June, Democratic Minnesota state Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband were shot dead in their home in a ‘politically-motivated’ double killing in which the shooter was reportedly dressed as a police officer… President Trump, of course, survived two… assassination attempts last year… [Previously, Ronald Reagan survived an assassination attempt.] 

“Meanwhile, on Wednesday, Trump blamed ‘radical left political violence’ for [Kirk’s] killing without a suspect even being in custody. Democrat Senator Elizabeth Warren was equally uncompromising, responding to requests to tone down the rhetoric by saying: ‘Why don’t you start with the President of the United States, right? And every ugly meme he has posted and every ugly word.’ 

“If there is a lesson to be learned about Kirk’s death it doesn’t seem to be getting through yet to all concerned.” 

As we have warned for a long time, it is very likely that civil war will break out in America. 

“Germany’s ‘Radical Left’ Media Faces U.S. Consequences After Charlie Kirk Smears” 

Breitbart wrote on September 16: 

“Charlie Kirk’s assassination has dominated headlines in Germany, but the coverage from state-funded broadcasters and prominent media personalities has been anything but neutral. Anchors and correspondents seized on the murder to push hostile portrayals of one of America’s most influential conservatives. Their remarks in the German media, including false accusations made on public television, have sparked outrage in Germany, triggered formal complaints, and are now drawing the attention of U.S. officials. 

“The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) ran the headline ‘A targeted shot into the heart of the MAGA world,’ [‘Ein gezielter Schuss ins Zentrum der MAGA-Welt’] with the
subhead: ‘Charlie Kirk dies after being shot on a university campus in Utah. He tried to win young people over to Trump and racist ideas.’ [‘Charlie Kirk stirbt, nachdem er auf einem Uni-Campus in Utah angeschossen worden ist. Er versuchte, junge Menschen für Trump und rassistische Ideen zu gewinnen.‘] 

“The Berlin daily Tagesspiegel went further, bluntly labelling Kirk’s death: ‘Tod eines Brandstifters’ – ‘Death of an arsonist.’ 

“Dunja Hayali, host of the state-funded ZDF Heute Journal, told her audience on Thursday [in effect]: ‘The fact that there are now groups celebrating his death cannot be justified by anything, not even his often abhorrent, racist, sexist, and misanthropic statements. But it seems that the radical religious conspiracy theorist struck a chord with precisely these views. Charlie Kirk not only had millions of followers on various platforms, his events were also extremely popular and well attended.’ 

“Later, on the broadcaster’s official podcast, without providing evidence, Hayali doubled down, labelling Kirk’s positions [in effect] ‘too radical, too racist, too misanthropic, misogynistic, and dehumanising.’ 

“That same evening, ZDF’s Washington correspondent Elmar Theveßen appeared on the primetime talk show Markus Lanz. Though he admitted he could not recall Kirk ever calling for violence, Theveßen painted him as a central driver of social division. Theveßen claimed Kirk [in effect] had said homosexuals ‘should be stoned to death,’ ‘women must submit to men,’ and that ‘black pilots should be feared.’… 

“After a sharp backlash, ZDF acknowledged to Junge Freiheit that Theveßen’s claim about Kirk advocating stoning homosexuals was misleading. In reality, Kirk had cited an Old Testament passage during a discussion in June 2024. The broadcaster conceded: ‘… Elmar Theveßen regrets not having been more detailed at that point.’ [‘an der Stelle nicht ausführlicher gewesen zu sein.’] 

“Independent German outlets and online commentators erupted in outrage at the coverage. Many argued that celebrating or trivialising the assassination of a U.S. political figure crossed a red line, regardless of political disagreements… Conservative commentators accused ZDF of ‘dancing on a grave,’ while even centrist accounts questioned why sweeping accusations of racism and sexism were made without evidence… 

“Criticism of ZDF has not only come from conservative outlets and social media users but also from inside Germany’s press establishment. Die Welt chief reporter Anna Schneider described the coverage as marked by ‘malice’ and ‘inhumanity,’ pointing in particular to young people on social media openly celebrating Kirk’s assassination… She sharply criticised ZDF for the way its reporting framed the killing… Schneider also condemned ZDF correspondent Theveßen for spreading false claims about Kirk… adding that she understood why many Germans were furious about being forced to fund public broadcasters through the GEZ fee while being served such distortions. 

“At the heart of the outrage is Germany’s GEZ broadcasting fee — a compulsory charge of about €18 per month, billed to every household. The fee finances the country’s public broadcasters, including ARD (a consortium of regional networks) and ZDF (Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen, the second national channel). Germans must pay for it regardless of whether they ever watch state television or not… [This is] widely criticised as a mandatory tax underwriting bias and misinformation. 

“The controversy has spilt over into U.S. politics and may result in diplomatic consequences… Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau declared in a strongly worded statement on X, that foreigners who glorify violence and hatred in the aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s assassination are ‘not welcome visitors’ in the United States… Former U.S. Ambassador to Germany under President Trump’s first administration, Richard Grenell, added his own criticism on X: ‘…I believe the majority of Germans are conservative, pro-family Westerners who believe in capitalism more than socialism. But the German media is radical Left. They don’t represent the majority of Germans… The media in Germany are ruining Germany. The people must reject their narratives and speak up. Now.’ 

“In a later post, Grenell went further, directly calling for Theveßen’s visa to be revoked. ‘This radical Lefty German keeps calling for violence against people he politically disagrees with. He poses as a journalist in Washington, DC. His visa should be revoked. There is no place in America for this type of inciter,’ Grenell wrote, sharing the footage of Theveßen likening Trump aide Stephen Miller’s convictions to the ‘ideology of the Third Reich.’”

Russia’s Attack on Poland—No Mistake! 

Reuters wrote on September 12: 

“Poland flatly rejected on Friday a suggestion by U.S. President Donald Trump that drone incursions into its airspace could have been a mistake, describing them as ‘a deliberate Russian attack’. 

“Poland, backed by aircraft from its NATO allies, shot down drones that had violated its airspace on Wednesday, the first time a member of the Western military alliance is known to have fired during Russia’s war in Ukraine… Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk responded on X: ‘We would also wish that the drone attack on Poland was a mistake. But it wasn’t. And we know it.’… For its leader so directly to contradict Trump in public is almost unheard of, and a sign of Europe’s alarm at the U.S. president’s willingness to give weight to Moscow’s account. 

“Polish Deputy Defence Minister Cezary Tomczyk said: ‘I think this is a message that should reach President Trump today: there’s no question of a mistake – this was a deliberate Russian attack.’… 

“European leaders say it is the latest demonstration that Moscow has no interest in a peace deal in Ukraine, weeks after Trump hosted President Vladimir Putin in Alaska and withdrew a demand that Russia accept an immediate ceasefire…. Trump has repeatedly set deadlines for Moscow to agree a ceasefire or face new sanctions, only to row back.” 

Newsweek wrote on September 10: 

“German defense minister Boris Pistorius [called] the path of the Russian drones deliberate. ‘These drones were quite obviously deliberately directed on this course—in order to fly into Ukraine,’ Pistorius told the Bundestag.” 

It does not appear that Russia, which even denied the entire incident and claimed that Ukraine did it, acted by mistake. 

Dangerous Escalation 

The Sun wrote on September 12: 

“POLAND has deployed 40,000 troops to its eastern front as Vladimir Putin launches his WW3 drills in Belarus… The Zapad drills — meaning ‘West’ in Russian — take place every four years and entail chilling mock military exercises… 

“In 2017, the drills involved creating fictional scenarios, which saw Russia capture Baltic states, bomb Germany and invade neutral countries… [At that time,] Nato officials warned the exercises were a ‘serious preparation for war’. And in 2021, the drills led to Belarus’s rearmament, with weapons later deployed in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. 

“In a powerful display of solidarity, several Nato members, including the UK, have sent reinforcements to Poland, including troops, artillery, and air defence systems… 

“The Polish site the [19] drones [entering Poland] are thought to have been targeting is providing military supplies to Ukraine, German newspaper Die Welt reported.” 

Tusk also said that the drone attack on Poland was taking his country to the ‘closest to conflict since WW2.’” Reuters added on September 13: “For many in Poland – which endured decades of Moscow’s domination under the Soviet Union – the fear of Russian hostility looms large.” 

The Abyss of World War III 

Metro wrote on September 13: 

“Putin deploys nuclear bombers in ‘WW3 war games’… New footage shows the supersonic long-range strategic bomber carrying out a strike on a simulated enemy… Troops will also drill the use of nuclear missiles from the West’s doorstep in Belarus… Poland closed its border with Belarus as the UN security council was warned of the dire risk of a new world war… 

“Ukraine’s permanent representative to the UN Andriy Melnyk warned that if Putin’s escalation is not halted ‘tomorrow it could be drones or even missiles falling on Berlin, Paris, or London’. ‘And the day after, who knows, something might even “accidentally” cross the Atlantic,’ he added. 

“‘Russia is not mocking this council. It is spitting in your face. We are staring into the abyss of a Third World War.’ 

“Putin highlighted his lack of interest in a settlement in the war with his spokesman signalling that peace negotiations with Ukraine were now on ‘pause’…” 

A war between Europe and Russia, China and their allies will break out with devastating consequences, but not quite yet. However, preparations for this prophesied terrible war are already in the works. 

NATO Prepares For “Defense” 

CNN wrote on September 12: 

“NATO has launched an initiative to reinforce the defense of Europe’s eastern flank after a Russian drone incursion into Polish airspace this week, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte announced on Friday. The ‘Eastern Sentry’ operation will commence in the coming days and will involve assets from Denmark, France, the United Kingdom, Germany, and others… Rutte said that Russia’s ‘dangerous and unacceptable’ drone incursion on Wednesday was ‘not an isolated incident.’… 

“NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe, US General Alexus Grynkewich [said:] ‘Although the immediacy of our focus is on Poland, this situation transcends the border of one nation. What affects one ally affects us all’… The operation will cover the entire eastern flank of NATO states.”

Other reports claimed that Russia’s drones also entered Romania’s airspace. 

Trump to Fight with Russia to Destroy Ukraine? 

Express wrote on September 13: 

“Russia urges Trump to ‘fight on Putin’s side and destroy Ukraine’… 

“Television presenter and propagandist Vladimir Solovyov went on a bizarre rant during his Full Contact radio show, where he claimed Ukraine was a ‘global evil’… He said: ‘America has to come over to the side of good, and together with us, like in World War II and the Great Patriotic War, destroy universal evil that has taken root within America itself, which is freely blooming in Europe.

“‘And one of these scary [heads] of Medusa is in Ukraine. That’s why we fight against [global] evil in Ukraine. That’s why we’re addressing all healthy, traditional, conservative forces in the world. If you want to defeat global evil, you have to stand shoulder to shoulder with us.’” 

Zelensky stated that it is Putin’s goal to occupy ALL of Ukraine. This appears very likely. We know from biblical prophecy that ultimately, Russia and Ukraine will be part of a huge Far Eastern power bloc which will be hostile to the West. 

Trump Strikes Again 

The Daily Mail wrote on September 15: 

“Less than 24 hours after warning he might strike again, President Donald Trump followed through — launching a fresh military assault on a vessel in the Caribbean he claimed was carrying Venezuelan drug traffickers. Trump writing on Truth Social said that three ‘narcoterrorists’ from Venezuela were killed this morning… The president emphasized in his post that the ‘narcoterrorists’ were operating in international waters while transporting illegal drugs bound for the United States. He went on to describe the trafficked narcotics as a ‘deadly weapon’ responsible for poisoning American citizens. He labeled the cartels involved as ‘extremely violent’ threats to U.S. national security… 

“This follows the initial attack in early September, when the president said 11 people were killed in a targeted strike by U.S. Navy forces on another boat that drug traffickers reportedly used… This move raised questions surrounding whether the administration had violated international law. 

“A source familiar with the operation told Daily Mail that the U.S. ‘did not even know if there were drugs on the boat’ — contradicting official statements. The strike was designed to ‘illicit a response from Maduro and provoke him’ to ‘show his true colors,’ but he didn’t take the bait. The Trump administration has yet to offer proof the targeted vessel was carrying drugs.” 

Getting Away With Murder? 

The Future of Freedom Foundation published on September 15 the following article by professor, attorney and Libertarian Party’s three-time presidential candidate [in 2000, 2020 and 2024] Jacob G. Hornberger: 

“The U.S. Code provides that a murder of a foreigner by an American citizen on the high seas is a federal criminal offense. The pertinent sections are 18 U.S.C. Section 1111 (Murder) and 18 U.S.C. Section 7 (Special Maritime and Territorial Jurisdiction of the United States). The U.S. Constitution provides that the president shall be removed from office on impeachment and conviction of ‘high crimes.’ It goes without saying that murder is a ‘high crime.’…

“Why shouldn’t President Trump be both criminally prosecuted and removed from office through impeachment for murdering those 11 Venezuelan citizens on the high seas? Indeed, why shouldn’t the military personnel who loyally followed his orders also be prosecuted and convicted of murder?… 

“Trump claims that the 11 people were using a boat to transport drugs to the United States in violation of U.S. drug laws. Even if Trump’s claim is valid though, he still has no legal authority to kill drug-war suspects, including both American citizens and foreign citizens. Deadly force can only be used in self-defense against the use of deadly force or the threat of deadly force. In other words, if a U.S. vessel had approached that Venezuela boat and those 11 people had begun firing guns at the U.S. vessel, the U.S. vessel could have responded with deadly force… 

“There is no evidence whatsoever that those 11 people on that boat ever employed deadly force or threatened the use of deadly force against U.S. vessels. Certainly neither Trump nor any military officials have made that claim… 

“Are we really now living in a country where the president of the United States and his loyal military henchmen who promised to support and defend the Constitution can get away with murder? Apparently so.” 

What If Trump’s Tariffs Are Held to Be Illegal? 

Business Insider wrote on September 13: 

“The US could be on the hook for between $750 billion $1 trillion, if the Supreme Court overturns the president’s tariffs. Legal experts told Business Insider that this figure shouldn’t factor into the Supreme Court’s decision on whether the tariffs are legal, which they see as a matter concerning the Constitution. 

“… the Supreme Court granted the administration’s petition to hear and expedite the case… William Reinsch, the Scholl Chair in International Business at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told Business Insider he expects the Supreme Court to make a final decision before the end of the year. ‘My experience with the Supreme Court is that when it comes to an economic issue, they don’t always break along typical ideological lines,’ said Reinch… ‘I don’t think it’ll be unanimous… But I wouldn’t rule out the possibility that this is the first big case where they go against the president.’ 

“Multiple lawsuits… have… challenged the legality of these tariffs, arguing that the power to set duties belongs to Congress and cannot be delegated to the President at will. The Court of International Trade and a federal appeals court have ruled the tariffs illegal but they remain in place after a lower court blocked an injunction to halt them.

“Will Planert, a partner in international trade practice at Morris, Manning & Martin LLP, told Business Insider:… ‘[The Court ruled against] Biden’s attempt to modify the student loan program… Those justices have been very skeptical of the idea that Congress can confer very broad economic powers on the president or the federal agencies… If the tariffs are illegal, then they are illegal irrespective of fiscal impact… In that case, the government would have collected a very large amount of money that it’s not entitled to, which would be all the more reason to have it returned.’ 

“The federal government has had to issue refunds in the past because of Supreme Court decisions. In 1998, the Supreme Court ruled the Harbor Maintenance Tax on exports to be unconstitutional, and that resulted in refunds of over $1 billion to affected exporters. Robert Shapiro, chair of international trade practice at Thompson Coburn LLP, told Business Insider that a company would usually have to file a protest for every entry to receive money from customs, but that may be tough on customs when it comes to handling almost every shipment that has entered the country since April… 

“‘It may eventually be up to the Board of International Trade to decide how to do the refunds… Since many companies were explicit that they had to raise prices due to tariffs, customers may want their money back, too, if importers are getting theirs.’”

What a mess. Even though the Supreme Court should not consider the underlying economic consequences, it is clear that they will look at those. And “the end of the year” is still a long way off. 

King Trump in Britain 

DNYUZ wrote on September 17:

“The United Kingdom shamelessly prostrated itself at the feet of Donald Trump on Wednesday, throwing a lavish welcoming party for his state visit to Windsor that resembled less diplomacy and more fealty. No foreign leader has ever been greeted with the degree of ceremonial extravagance, as Britain rolled out a show of pomp unmatched since the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II…

“Trump demands spectacle, and Britain provides it. He wants to be king, and, for a day, Britain is letting him. In doing so, the U.K. has revealed something deeply unflattering about itself—in the scramble to keep America close, it will debase itself and its values completely.

“It will… flatter the ego of a man who has spent much of his political life suggesting he should be treated like… a monarch… As stage props go, the monarchy is unbeatable. But if this is what the ‘special relationship’ between the U.S and the U.K. now means, it looks to many in Britain less like a partnership and more like groveling, feudal servitude.

“Nothing about the welcome was subtle… The choreography spoke volumes. Every cannon, every plume, every flashing braid, every polished boot timed to inflate and flatter Trump’s sense of himself.

Then came the pageantry proper… It was a grotesque parody of a coronation parade…

“… this was theatre that revealed far more than a sovereign nation should about its craven need to please a foreign leader who has done absolutely nothing to help the sovereign nation in question, and plenty to harm it…

“Britain managed to suppress dissent so thoroughly that you would never have known there was any. It was as if the entire nation had agreed to collude in pretending Donald Trump is universally revered. This is a national embarrassment for a once-proud nation. Britain has every reason to want a functional relationship with Washington. Nobody disputes the importance of the alliance. But the line between respect and abasement has to be drawn somewhere, and Windsor on Wednesday crossed it.

“It was not a welcome; it was a deliberate performative subservience. It sent the message that Britain will not merely tolerate Trump, we will exalt him, indulge him, and play courtier to him, no matter the damage he does here and elsewhere.”

Kair Starmer, visiting Donald Trump in the White House in February of 2025, displayed already a certain embarrassing attitude of submissiveness with the obvious attempt to flatter Trump. 

No US-UK Deal 

Express wrote on September 16: 

“In a stinging setback for Prime Minister Keir Starmer, a long-anticipated deal to eliminate US tariffs on British steel and aluminium has been abruptly shelved just hours before US President Donald Trump’s state visit to the UK, according to government sources. The collapse of the agreement, which would have reduced tariffs from 25% to zero, has left UK ministers scrambling and the steel industry reeling from the unexpected blow…. 

“The timing of the decision is particularly humiliating for Starmer, who had hoped to showcase a strengthened UK-US partnership during Trump’s visit…” 

“AI Now Claiming to Be God”

Futurism wrote on September 16: 

“A slew of religious smartphone apps are allowing untold millions of users to confess to AI chatbots, some of which claim to be channeling God himself… Religious leaders told the NYT that these tools could serve as a critical entry point for those looking to find God… It’s a fascinating new development, especially considering the language surrounding companies attempting to ‘build God’ by developing an AI that can vastly surpass human intelligence… 

“… experts worry that AI’s strong tendency to please the user may have unintended consequences… The AIs ‘tell us what we want to hear,’ Researchers have also warned that countless people are using AI chatbots for championship, which in extreme cases are driving some into dangerous spirals of delusions.”

Or worse, by communicating with someone who might turn out to be a demon, pretending to be an “angel of light” or even “God.”

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.

Before we answer this question, let us address the problem prompting this question.

First of all, it is clear from Scripture that Samson, Gideon and Jephthah WILL BE resurrected to eternal life and that they WILL enter the Kingdom of God when Christ returns.

We state the following in our Q&A, titled, “Were There ‘Christians’ in Old Testament Times?”:

“We know that Old Testament followers of God will be in the Kingdom of God… we find a rather long list of God’s Old Testament servants in the 11th chapter of the book of Hebrews. The list includes people like Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Rahab, Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets. Verses 39-40 explicitly state: ‘And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise [of eternal life and of entering the Kingdom of God], God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect APART FROM us.’”

In regard to Samson, we stated this in our Q&A, “Will a newly-baptized person be in God’s Kingdom if he dies shortly after baptism?”:

“God looks at the heart of a person, and when He determines that a newly-converted person is qualified to enter the Kingdom of God, He may let him die soon after his baptism. We find that Samson will be in the Kingdom of God (compare Hebrews 11:32, 39-40), even though we understand that he only came to true repentance and conversion shortly before his death, when his hair grew again in the dungeon…”

This Q&A also touched upon the question as to how it could be that Samson would be in the Kingdom of God, after a life of constant disobedience and defiance of God. As we stated, it appears he came to repentance at the very end of his life, when he was in the dungeon and when his hair grew, which was in the case of a Nazarite an outward sign of submission to God. Before, he treated this sign with disdain, but now, he accepted it for what it meant. And we said that “God looks at the heart” (compare Psalm 73:1). He saw in Samson a changed attitude from glorification of self to glorification of God.

Still, even with his very last action, he sinned when committing suicide. We say in our Q&A, “What Does the Bible Say About Suicide?”:

“There are a number of examples in the Bible where suicide was committed. Ahithophel hanged himself (2 Samuel 17:23), Zimri burned himself (1 Kings 16:18), Saul fell on his sword, as did his armorbearer (1 Samuel 31:4-5), Judas hung himself (Matthew 27:3-5), and Samson killed himself, while destroying the pagan temple, knowing that his actions would lead to his death (Judges 16:29-30)…”

We also pointed out:

“Taking one’s own life or helping someone else to do so is a sinful act.”

Still, Samson will be in the Kingdom. How could that be, as he did not repent of his sin of suicide (and of killing others) which led to his death? We stated in the Q&A on suicide:

“What about those who have been baptized in the Church of God and received the Holy Spirit, and who subsequently take their own life? Are they lost forever? They would certainly have known that it was wrong, but we all sin in many different ways, and we don’t know another person’s heart or situation. We do read in Psalm 103:11: ‘For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him.’ In James 2:13, we read: ‘For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.’

“God is a merciful God, and He will always make the right decision about everyone. For instance, even though Samson committed suicide, he will be in God’s Kingdom, as Hebrews 11 tells us… God, as a merciful and loving God, will judge them righteously and fairly, something that any man would be incapable of doing.”

We also stated in our Q&A, “Did God ORDER Ancient Israel to SIN?”:

“Some passages in the Old Testament are perhaps difficult to understand, but we must appreciate that God will judge people based on what they knew, not on what they did not know. For example, Samson is going to be in the kingdom of God (compare Hebrews 11:32, 39-40), but his entire life, as reported in Scripture, reflects little of a converted person. At the very end of his life, he must have become converted (otherwise he would not be in God’s kingdom) – most likely while he was in the dungeon – but even then, he asked God to give him power to avenge himself against the Philistines (compare Judges 16:28).

“But somehow, his nature had begun to change – perhaps now he was finally and fully realizing that it was God Who gave him his strength. This mindset might have been sufficient for God to decide that He would resurrect Samson in the first resurrection, as God looks at the heart, and He overlooks ignorance.”

Christ told us that God does not see as man sees (Isaiah 11:3). And He most certainly does not judge according to human standards and appearance (John 7:24). He overlooks times of ignorance (Acts 17:30) and what He had not clearly revealed to people. But Paul says that once he will be in the Kingdom of God, he will fully know or understand (1 Corinthians 13:12). IF David did not fully understand that killing in war is sin, he will most certainly understand this fully, and he will be repentant of his conduct and mindset, when he enters the Kingdom. And God knows this, as He knows the hearts of men. David, as well as everybody, including Samson, will be judged based on what they knew—not, based on what they did not know and understand. This would also involve situations when one slips and falls, sliding into sin, but his overall conduct is acceptable in God’s eyes.

Gideon would be another case in point. After some initial “hiccups,” he acted as Israel’s righteous judge for many years. Still, we read in Judges 8:27: “Then Gideon made… an ephod and set it up in his city, Ophrah. And all Israel played the harlot with it there. It became a snare to Gideon and to his house.” Surely, Gideon would have known that committing idolatry was sinful. We do not know to what extent Gideon himself engaged in it, or whether he finally repented of it. The Bible simply does not say.

The Study Bible states: “The ephod, rather than being a blessing, became a ‘snare,’ or a trap, leading to spiritual downfall. This highlights the danger of creating objects or symbols that can become idols, drawing people away from true worship of God. For Gideon and his family, the ephod’s presence led to unintended consequences, illustrating the principle that even well-intentioned actions can lead to sin if they deviate from God’s commands.”

But the Bible does say that Gideon will be in the Kingdom of God. God, in looking at the heart and considering the motives of a person, and in His great mercy, decided that Gideon was worthy of inheriting eternal life at the time of Christ’s return.

Another person who will be in God’s Kingdom was Jephthah even though he committed a horrible sin. We state in our Q&A, “Did Jephthah sacrifice his own daughter? If so, how could he still be granted access to the Kingdom of God?”:

“The account referred to can be found in Judges 11:30-31, 34-40. We read: ‘And Jephthah made a vow to the LORD, and said, “If You will indeed deliver the people of Ammon into my hands, then it will be that whatever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the people of Ammon, shall surely be the LORD’s, and I will offer it up as a burnt offering.”… When Jephthah came to his house at Mizpah [after having defeated the Ammonites], there was his daughter, coming out to meet him with timbrels and dancing; and she was his only child. Besides her he had neither son nor daughter.

“‘And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he tore his clothes, and said, “Alas, my daughter! You have brought me very low! You are among those who trouble me! For I have given my word to the LORD, and I cannot go back on it.” So she said to him, “My father, if you have given your word to the LORD, do to me according to what has gone out of your mouth… let me alone for two months, that I… bewail my virginity…” And it was so at the end of two months that she returned to her father, and he carried out his vow with her which he had vowed. She knew no man. And it became a custom in Israel that the daughters of Israel went four days each year to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite.’

“… it is possible that Jephthah had strictly an animal in mind, when he made his vow, as Jephthah’s words (in Judges 11:31) can be translated from the Hebrew, as follows: ‘Whatsoever cometh forth of the doors of my house to meet me…, I will offer IT up for a burnt offering’ (compare Authorized Version). It was common at that time for houses to have enclosed courtyards where animals were kept.

“In any event, whatever Jephthah’s original intent, the earliest Christian and Jewish commentators all seem to have accepted the story at face value; that is, that Jephthah killed his daughter… It has also been the long-held understanding of the Church of God that Jephthah did in fact sacrifice his only daughter. It is stated in ‘The Bible Story’: ‘Though some commentators have thought Jephthah kept his daughter a perpetual virgin, the Jews and most commentators have understood this tragic story as explained in the Authorized Version of the Bible. Jephthah learned a mighty lesson. He discovered, through this tragedy, the real lesson of faith — that one does not have to vow to God in order to have Him perform what He has promised. What God expects is that we learn to trust Him in everything. When Jephthah finally learned that lesson, he became an outstanding example of faith…

“An older letter from the Letter Answering Department of the Worldwide Church of God added: ‘Jephthah made a very rash and foolish vow. He further compounded his error by keeping his vow (Judg. 11:39). That, no doubt, was greatly displeasing to God. Nevertheless, Jephthah is mentioned among the faithful listed in Hebrews 11 (see verse 32). This leads us to conclude that — like other servants of God — he ultimately realized the error of his own ways, repented, and received God’s forgiveness.’”

Maybe so. But the Bible does not say expressly that he repented of sacrificing his daughter. We see from the narrative, however, that this was an act which he greatly regretted from the outset, even before it was carried out. He let it happen because of his erroneous belief that God would hold him to his vow. Again, due to God’s mercy and His righteous judgment, which considers the attitude and the motives of the heart, Jephthah was deemed worthy to enter the Kingdom of God. And as in the case of Samson and possibly David, upon seeing the errors of his way, even when already in the Kingdom, he will deeply repent… and God knew that this would happen.

We all sin from time to time, and we might not even know that we do. We would therefore not repent of unrealized sins before dying, but God looks at our hearts and motives (1 Samuel 16:7; 1 Kings 8:39), and unrecognized and therefore unrepentant sins will not keep us out of the Kingdom of God. If our overall life is one of love and mercy, then love will cover all sins (Proverbs 10:12; also compare Luke 7:47), and we will be judged mercifully by God because we have shown mercy to others. And we read in the letter to the Hebrews that Samson, Gideon and Jephthah will be in God’s Kingdom because of their faith in Him and His promises (Hebrews 11:13, 33-34). They might have committed sinful conduct at times, but their faith did not cease and it did sustain them.

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

compiled by Dave Harris

“AI—Angel of Light or Prince of Darkness?” is the title of the newest StandingWatch program, presented by Evangelist Norbert Link. Here is the summary:

Should you be concerned about AI? Do you know how your child deals with it? Why are ministers of religion naïve—to put it mildly—when they support religious smartphone apps as a “critical tool for those trying to find God.” But whom may they find? Are you aware how chatbots work—and why they could clearly be very dangerous?“

KI—Engel des Lichts oder Fürst der Finsternis?” is the title of the newest AufPostenStehen program, presented by Norbert Link. This German program covers the same topic as described above.

“When Will Governments Be Held Accountable For Their Corona Measures?” is the title of a new StandingWatch program, presented by Evangelist Norbert Link. Here is the summary:

The governments’ horrific coronavirus measures, with the support of the pharmaceutical industry and the mass media, included dangerous mandatory vaccinations, lockdowns, and other freedom-robbing restrictions. Yet, nowhere does one see them being held accountable. On the contrary, they continue to be protected, and voices are again calling for the same approach in the future. And it’s by no means just about forced vaccinations for coronavirus. Some want to change these conditions, but will they succeed?

“Wann geben die Regierungen Rechenschaft für ihre Corona Maßnahmen?” is the title of a new AufPostenStehen program presented by Norbert Link. This German program covers the same topics as described above.

A new Member Letter (September 2025), has been posted and has been mailed to our subscribers. Evangelist Norbert Link writes about the return of Jesus Christ to bring peace to a world that has no peace by banishing Satan and restoring God’s government on the earth.

“Gott IST… unsere Bestimmung!” the German translation of our English booklet, “God Is… Our Destiny,” has entered the first review draft in preparation for printing.

Spanish translations of our booklets, “The Ten Commandments” (“Los Diez Mandamientos”) and “Do We Have an Immortal Soul?” (“¿Tenemos un alma inmortal?”) have been posted on our Spanish webpage https://www.dioseterno.es/

“Klopft Gottes Wahrheit an die Tür?” last Sabbath’s first split sermon in Germany was presented by Jens Herrmann and is now posted. Title in English: “Is God’s Truth Knocking at the Door?”

“The King’s Seer,” last Sabbath’s sermonette presented by Kalon Mitchell, is now posted.

“Could Unpunctuality Be Sinful?” last Sabbath’s sermon presented by Norbert Link, is now posted. Here is the summary:

Is punctuality important to you? What might being late say about your character? Do you have excuses ready when you’re late? Could your lateness actually sin against God, your fellow human beings, and yourself? Is God ever late? Shouldn’t we also avoid being late?

2025 FALL HOLY DAYS:

September 23   Feast of Trumpets

October 2            Day of Atonement

October 7-13     Feast of Tabernacles

October 14         Last Great Day

On September 13, 2025, Kalon Mitchell will present the sermonette, titled, “The King’s Seer,” and Norbert Link will present the sermon, titled, “Could Unpunctuality Be Sinful?”

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.

The saying “May the best player win” is often heard in sports or games. It expresses the desire that victory should go not to the ruthless or crafty, but to the truly more capable or skilled. Behind this stands an attitude of fairness and respect: one recognizes that the other person also deserves a chance—and that their success should elicit recognition rather than envy.

But in the reality of today’s society, things often look different. Performance, self-promotion, and competition shape the thinking of many people. Social media does not celebrate fairness, but mostly individual success. Even in everyday or professional life, the motto “The most important thing is that I win” often seems to apply.

In English, the saying goes, “The winner takes it all.” But what does that mean from a biblical perspective? What does God’s Word say about winning, losing, and what it means to truly take it all?

The world equates “winners” with power, influence, success, or wealth. But Jesus Christ’s victory over sin and death did not come through domination, but through sacrifice. Christ did not win by defeating others, but by sacrificing Himself. Many people saw His death on the cross as a defeat – but it was precisely there that He achieved the ultimate victory.

Jesus challenged the worldly idea of success. He said:

“Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant” (Matthew 20:26).

Even true Christians are not immune to comparing themselves with others: Who is more successful, more popular, more talented, or more “spiritual”? But the gospel calls us to a different Way of Life – to humility, to appreciation for our neighbors, and to gratitude.

The apostle Paul, who endured much suffering – shipwreck, beatings, imprisonment, abandonment – did not strive for worldly fame. His goal was different:

“I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14).

The true winner does not take anything away from others but receives what only God can give.

The Bible often uses metaphors from sports and competition to convey spiritual Truths: “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” (1 Corinthians 9:24).

For Christians, this means that we do not race against each other, but together toward Christ.

One of the greatest ideas in the Bible is that God’s victory is shared: “To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne” (Revelation 3:21).

The path to the throne leads through humility: “Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vain glory; rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves” (Philippians 2:3; New American Bible; the New Jerusalem Bible says, “…give preference to others”).

The world says: The winner takes it all.

Jesus asks: “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” (Mark 8:36).

To enter God’s Kingdom, we must give up everything in this life that stands in the way. This is how we receive eternal life. When we follow Christ, we do not chase after trophies. We carry our cross. We may lose a lot in this life – prestige, possessions, even our lives. But in the end, we gain the most important thing: eternal life in the Kingdom of God.

When we as Christians say, “May the best player win. The winner takes it all,” we recognize a deeper Truth in this: in the end, what matters is not whether we were better than others, but whether we remained faithful.

Paul gets to the heart of the matter: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7).

Where do I find it difficult to acknowledge the success of others? Do I live my daily life according to the principle of “me first” – or in humility, considering “others as more important” than myself?

Which “victories” in faith are genuinely important to me – the recognition of people or faithfulness to God?

Let the world chase after its perishable crowns. We want to run the race that is set before us – toward the prize that never fades away (cf. Hebrews 12:1-2).

“But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:57).

(Initial translation: Daniel Blasinger)

by Norbert Link

We begin with events and reports pertaining to Israel and the Middle East; address France’s situation; Britain’s dire future; and America’s relationship with Europe and Russia; the murder of Charlie Kirk; another example of stupid woke ideology; the new “War” Department; America’s economy and another controversial ICE raid in Georgia; and America’s tensions with Venezuela.

We speak on events in Germany (including the insane COVID policy) and conclude with the Roman Catholic Church’s newest saint—a 15-year-old boy who died of leukemia.

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

France vs. USA 

Israel 365 News wrote on September 5: 

“French President Emmanuel Macron has once again demonstrated his willingness to appease terrorist-supporting regimes by condemning the United States’ entirely justified decision to deny visas to Palestinian Authority (PA) officials ahead of the United Nations General Assembly…. Following a phone call with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Macron called the American decision ‘unacceptable’. It demanded that ‘this measure be reversed and for Palestinian officials to be granted access’. The French president’s criticism followed the State Department’s announcement that it would deny visas to PA President Mahmoud Abbas, along with 80 other PA officials, who were planning to attend the UN General Assembly… 

“Macron’s criticism of American policy rings hollow given France’s abysmal record on protecting its Jewish citizens from rampant Islamic antisemitism… Macron’s criticism becomes even more problematic when viewed alongside France’s confirmed plans to recognize a Palestinian state during the UN General Assembly… The timing of this recognition, coming after the October 7 massacre and during ongoing PA terror financing, demonstrates France’s moral bankruptcy on Middle Eastern issues.” 

France in Trouble 

Deutsche Welle reported on September 9:

“Macron was forced to appoint a fifth prime minister in less than two years after parliament ousted Francois Bayrou nine months into the role over his plans for taming the country’s ballooning debt. Bayrou officially tendered his resignation to Macron earlier on Tuesday, a day after his government was defeated in a confidence vote at the National Assembly… [Macron] chose Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu as the country’s new prime minister on Tuesday. His appointment… signals Macron’s intent to maintain a minority government…

“In handing the job to Lecornu, Macron risks alienating the center-left Socialist Party and leaves the president and his government depending on Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally for support in parliament.” 

A New Study About Israel—But Does the World Listen? 

The Jerusalem Post wrote on September 3: 

“Israel is fighting two wars against Hamas. The first is the grinding military campaign in Gaza. The other is the battle over narrative and legitimacy. On the first front, Israel is winning resoundingly: Hamas leaders and commanders eliminated, thousands of terrorists killed, its rocket arsenal depleted, its labyrinth of tunnels badly degraded. 

“On the second front, Israel is taking a beating. Or, as US President Donald Trump said on Friday, Israel ‘may be winning the war, but they’re not winning the world of public relations.’ 

“A new 311-page study by the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies at Bar-Ilan University (BESA) highlights just how distorted the conversation has become. This report systematically dismantles some of the most frequently leveled charges against Israel – genocide, deliberate starvation, indiscriminate killing – by reexamining casualty figures, food-truck deliveries, and UN reports. 

“It shows how Hamas has manipulated numbers, how UN agencies have quietly ‘corrected’ data without acknowledgment, and how aid organizations inflated needs in order to spur action. The report is not a whitewash. It concedes negligence, tragedy, and individual acts of IDF misconduct. But it demonstrates clearly that the sweeping allegation of genocide is without foundation. In short, it provides Israel with the kind of factual ammunition needed to fight the narrative war. 

“That’s the good news. The bad news is that it comes long after the damage has been done. Take the claim of an Israeli-induced famine.  For months, UN officials and international media declared that Gaza required 500 food trucks daily and that Israel was deliberately starving civilians… Yet prewar averages were closer to 73 trucks a day. During long stretches of the war, more food entered Gaza than before the October 7 massacre. Those facts are only now surfacing. But it’s too late. The accusation – that Israel weaponized famine – has already hardened into conventional wisdom. 

“… Or consider casualty figures. The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry reported nearly every death as civilian, excluded combat-age men, and included natural deaths. International media parrot the numbers without question. Researchers are now exposing the statistical anomalies. Again – too late… And while the BESA report was being released in Israel, Reuters ran a wire story that illustrates exactly what is happening. The International Association of Genocide Scholars voted overwhelmingly on Tuesday to declare that Israel’s ‘policies and actions in Gaza’ meet the definition of genocide. Fifteen paragraphs long, the story included applause from a Hamas-affiliated source in Gaza – Hamas, which openly calls for Israel’s eradication, the very definition of genocide. And Israel’s side? A single boilerplate sentence that quoted the Foreign Ministry denying the charge… 

“The Foreign Ministry would have done well to provide context: that less than a third of the members of this organization actually voted, and that the way the vote was conducted was problematic. Additionally, it would have been worth noting that one need not even have to be a ‘genocide scholar’ to be a member of this association… 

“That failure highlights the larger problem: Israel too often contents itself with a flat denial, while its enemies wage an organized campaign to shape the narrative… The study demonstrates that genocide – a deliberate campaign to eradicate a people – was not Israeli policy. On the contrary, Israel invested heavily in warnings, evacuation zones, and humanitarian corridors. Civilian-to-combatant ratios compare favorably with Western campaigns in Iraq or Afghanistan.” 

Very few even reported on this striking and revealing report. 

Israel’s Attack in Qatar 

Reuters reported on September 9:

“Israel attempted to kill the political leaders of Hamas with an airstrike on Qatar on Tuesday, escalating its military action in the Middle East with what the U.S. described as a unilateral attack that does not advance American and Israeli interests.

“U.S. President Donald Trump said he was ‘very unhappy about every aspect’ of the Israeli strike… While Israel defended the attacks as being justified, Qatar said Israel was treacherous and engaged in ‘state terrorism.’.. Trump said he considered hitting Hamas was a worthy goal, but he felt badly that the attack took place in the Gulf Arab state, which is a major non-NATO ally of Washington … The attack drew condemnation from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and the European Union…

“Trump assured the emir of Qatar in a phone call after the attack that ‘such a thing will not happen again on their soil.’..

“The airstrike took place shortly after Hamas’ armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, claimed responsibility for a shooting on Monday that killed six people at a bus stop on the outskirts of Jerusalem… ‘The days are over when terror leaders can enjoy immunity of any kind,’ Netanyahu said in a televised address. ‘I won’t allow that kind of immunity to exist.’” 

Britain in the Eye of the Financial Storm 

UnHerd wrote on September 4: 

“As any analyst will tell you, it’s a mug’s game to predict crashes, but anyone could tell you western markets are facing a tempestuous autumn. And Britain is sitting squarely in the eye of the storm.  

“Amid weak growth and a worsening budget outlook, British gilt yields are now higher than they have been in nearly 30 years, rising steadily for months and nearly 1% since last year. With national debt of nearly £3 trillion, every percentage point increase in interest drains billions from the government’s budget. Nor is there much hope this will change anytime soon. Britain’s inflation is proving even harder to dislodge than that of other developed economies, adding a premium to its bonds. To a greater extent than other countries, too, it depends on external creditors for its lending — with 30% of gilts held abroad compared to an average of 18% for other Western countries… 

“Will there be a crash? Possibly. Will things get rocky? Almost certainly…” 

Trump’s Presidency Most Dangerous Period Since World War II? 

The Guardian wrote on September 4: 

“The world during Donald Trump’s second presidency has entered a period of danger with ‘certain similarities to the 30s’, according to Mitch McConnell, the veteran Republican former Senate leader. McConnell made the comments primarily in reference to tariffs and foreign affairs… he likened [Trump’s tariffs] to the isolationist policies of the US in the 1930s that historians say hastened a global depression that paved the path to conflict…. 

“‘Those who were totally anxious to stay out of all of what was going on in Europe were called “America First”. Sound familiar? So what do we have today? North Korea, China, Russia, Iran and Iran’s proxies. They’re very different kinds of countries, but they have one thing in common: They hate us.’” 

Will the FBI go after McConnell now, too? 

Trump Responds to Fines Against Google and Apple 

CNBC wrote on September 5: 

“President Donald Trump on Friday threatened to launch a trade investigation to ‘nullify’ what he said were discriminatory fines being levied by Europe against U.S. tech firms such as Google and Apple… He issued the threat hours after Google caught a nearly $3.5 billion penalty from the European Union in a major antitrust case centered on the search giant’s advertising technology business… ‘Very unfair, and the American Taxpayer will not stand for it!’… 

“Trump claimed that Google has previously paid $13 billion in ‘false claims and charges.’… He also called out the EU for squeezing billions of dollars from Apple in back taxes and fines for alleged anticompetitive practices… Apple ‘should get their money back!’ Trump wrote.” 

Europe is wondering whether Trump will impose further tariffs on them as a consequence. 

Ideology Instead of Law

Report 24 wrote on September 7:

“A judge appointed by Joe Biden blocked Donald Trump’s decree intended to end the madness of ‘X-genders’ on US passports. Instead of clarity and a return to biological facts, the government continues to cement the myth of arbitrarily interchangeable gender identities…

“After taking office, Donald Trump clearly and unequivocally declared that there are only two genders – male and female – and that this fundamental fact must be enshrined in all government documents, including passports. It was an attempt to reverse the madness of the Biden years, when anyone could decide, at their whim, whether they wanted an ‘M,’ an ‘F,’ or an ‘X’ on their passport. The Biden administration turned the passport into a political toy for gender-confused minorities, while the majority of citizens remained stunned when they watched as elementary biological facts were simply trampled underfoot because of a minority of zero point X percent.

“… Judge Julia Kobick, appointed by Biden, blocked Trump’s order, not for compelling legal reasons, but with the familiar blunt: alleged ‘disproportionate hardship’ for those ‘affected’ and the insinuation that Trump was acting out of ‘unconstitutional hatred’ toward gender-confused ‘transgender’ people…

“The judge’s perfidious argument was that the plaintiffs would allegedly be exposed to greater harassment and violence abroad without an ‘X’ on their passports. One inevitably wonders: Do these lawyers seriously believe that an ‘X’ in a passport would change anything abroad? In fact, it’s the exact opposite: With this special ideological treatment, one is immediately recognized as gender-confused abroad. This could lead to ‘surprises’ when traveling to Muslim countries.

“The US civil rights organization ACLU (American Civil Liberties) Union), one of the most influential lobby groups for gender and minority rights, celebrated the ruling as a victory. The left-wing front organization sees its agenda vindicated… Anyone wondering why the United States is so deeply divided will find this case a prime example.”

Indeed, a deeply divided ungodly society. 

The Murder of Charlie Kirk

 Breitbart wrote on September 11, 2025:

“31-year-old Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk was killed in what President Donald Trump called an assassination at a debate event in Utah on Wednesday, and European sovereigntists, conservatives, and political leaders have responded with messages of support for the family he leaves behind, and disdain for political violence.

“Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, who helped Kirk launch the British offshoot of Turning Point in 2019 wrote of the slaying that ‘This is a very dark day for… American democracy, Western democracy [and] free speech…  Farage warned that while the U.S. is bitterly divided, the United Kingdom is ‘not far behind’ and that there are ‘voices of intolerance’ who ‘wish to shut down free speech’ who are ‘very dangerous’.

“Former British Conservative Prime Minister Boris Johnson also spoke out, hailing ‘a shining new martyr to free speech’ and saying that Kirk had been killed because of his ‘courage. He wrote: ‘The murder of Charlie Kirk is a tragedy, and a sign of the utter desperation and cowardice of those who could not defeat him in argument…  He has been killed for saying things that used to be simple common sense.’..

“In Italy, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni… expressed her shock at an ‘atrocious murder’. She called the killing a ‘deep wound for democracy and for those who believe in freedom’…  

“Another friend to Trump’s America, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban… said: ‘Yesterday, we lost a true defender of faith and freedom. Our deepest condolences go to the Kirk family and to the American people. Charlie Kirk’s death is the result of the international hate campaign waged by the progressive-liberal left… We must stop the hate-mongering left!’…

“In Germany, Alternative for Deutschland (AfD) leader Alice Weidel lionised ‘a fighter for freedom of speech’ who was ‘shot by a fanatic who hates our way of life and discussion.’ In France, National Rally leader and possible next French President Jordan Bardella noted that the ‘dehumanizing rhetoric of the left and its intolerance fuels political violence. No one can ignore this poison that is eating away at our democratic societies.’”

JTA added on September 11:

“Kirk frequently characterized himself as a defender of the Jews and Israel… Among the first global leaders to send their prayers following reports that Kirk had been shot was Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Kirk was a vocal backer of Israel, visiting the country multiple times and more recently staunchly supporting its war in Gaza…

“He told a crowd at a Jerusalem bar during his second trip: ‘I’m very pro-Israel, I’m an evangelical Christian, I’m a conservative, I’m a Trump supporter, I’m a Republican, and my whole life I have defended Israel’… he also said that Jewish people control ‘not just the colleges; it’s the nonprofits, it’s the movies, it’s Hollywood, it’s all of it.’”

Trump Challenges EU Over Russian Oil 

Fox News wrote on September 4: 

“President Donald Trump called on European leaders to stop ‘funding’ Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine and accused them of failing to pressure China… a White House official said, ‘President Trump emphasized that Europe must stop purchasing Russian oil that is funding the war – as Russia received €1.1 billion [nearly $1.3 billion] in fuel sales from the EU in one year.’ 

“‘The President also emphasized that European leaders must place economic pressure on China for funding Russia’s war efforts,’ the official added… The EU has drastically cut its imports of Russian oil following the invasion of Ukraine, though the president’s comments point out that it has not completely cut off its energy imports from Moscow.” 

Trump Is Right 

Bild Online wrote on September 7: 

“Even after more than three years of the Ukraine invasion and 18 EU sanctions packages, plenty of oil and gas from Russia is still flowing into the EU!… Fossil fuels from Russia were imported for a total of 21.9 billion euros between February 2024 and February 2025… ‘Of course Trump is right,’ says Russia expert Stefan Meister of the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP). 

“‘After China, India, and Turkey, Europe is number four in imports of oil and gas from Russia. At the same time, Europe buys gasoline from countries like India and Turkey, and thus indirectly also Russian oil,’ he explains… in July 2025, the five largest EU importers of Russian raw materials transferred a total of 1.2 billion euros to Russia…” 

Russia Strikes Ukraine Cabinet Offices 

The New York Post wrote on September 7: 

“Russia hit Ukraine’s capital with drone and missiles Sunday in the largest aerial attack on the country since the war began, killing at least two people and leaving smoke rising from the roof of a key government building.

Russia attacked Ukraine with 805 drones and decoys, officials said… 

“Sunday’s attack is the second mass Russian drone and missile attack to target Kyiv in the span of two weeks, as hopes for peace talks wane… The attack comes after European leaders pressed Russian leader Vladimir Putin to work to end the war after 26 of Ukraine’s allies pledged to deploy troops as a ‘reassurance force’ for the war-torn country once the fighting ends.” 

Russia Attacks Polish Airspace 

The Sun wrote on September 10:

“Nato has vowed to defend ‘every inch’ of allied land after Kremlin drones invaded Polish airspace overnight – forcing Warsaw to shoot them down and trigger Nato Article 4, one below the threshold of war… Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk said 19 Russian drones sailed across the border amid an onslaught against western Ukraine, taking his country to the ‘closest to conflict since WW2’. He said four were shot down by Nato fighter jets – understood to be from Poland, Italy, the Netherlands the US – and officials later said seven had been found on the ground.

“This is the first time since the outbreak of war that Nato has directly clashed with Russia… Kremlin spokespeople have denied there is any evidence the drones were Russian, and even outrageously implied they had been launched by Kyiv….

“Nato chief Mark Rutte said… ‘Allies are resolved to defend every inch of allied territory.’ Rutte wouldn’t confirm whether Vlad’s drones were being treated as deliberate – but branded the night’s events ‘absolutely reckless’ either way…

“Article 4, a clause in Nato’s founding treaty, brings all of the allies together when the security or territory of one is threatened. But it stops short of Article 5’s key promise that an attack on one is an attack on all that demands [or better: “might demand”] a military response.”

Article 4 is actually nothing more than a debate exercise between NATO members. 

The War Department 

USA Today wrote on September 5: 

“President Donald Trump on Sept. 5 ordered his administration to rename the Department of Defense the ‘Department of War,’ bringing back a Cabinet name abandoned in 1947 to match what White House officials call a new ‘warrior ethos’ it is instilling in the armed forces… The move empowers Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to use titles such as ‘Department of War,’ ‘Secretary of War’ and ‘Deputy Secretary of War’ in official government correspondence and communications without formally changing the department’s name, which would require action from Congress. ‘We won the First World War. We won the Second World War. We won everything before that and in between,’ Trump said before signing the order in the Oval Office. 

“‘And then we decided to go woke and we changed the name to the Department of Defense. So we’re going Department of War.’… ‘It’s not just about renaming. It’s about restoring,’ Hegseth said. ‘Words matter. It’s restoring, as you’ve guided us to, Mr. President, restoring the warrior ethos, restoring victory and clarity as an end state, restoring intentionality to the use of force’… Hegseth said he agreed with Trump that ‘we haven’t won a major war’ since ditching the name Department of War in 1947… ‘We’re going to raise up warriors,’ Hegseth said of the name change, ‘not just defenders.’”

Long before Mr. Trump and Mr. Hegseth, Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong stated that America had not won a major war since World War II. It had nothing to do with the name of the Department, but with the fact that God had started to withdraw His blessings from the USA, due to its ongoing sinful conduct. The name change will not alter that. America will NOT win a major war again, as there is no indication that it will deeply repent of its sinful and God-defying ways and become obedient to the true God of the Bible. To create a “warrior nation” is only one of the many sins America is guilty of. In this regard, please view our new message,  “Why America is Going Down—Comments on News and Prophecy, September 6, 2025”. 

What a Waste of Money 

Politico wrote on September 5: 

“Pentagon officials grappled Friday with the Herculean task of fulfilling President Donald Trump’s executive order to remold the enormous, global agency into the Department of War. Many expressed frustration, anger and downright confusion at the effort, which could cost billions of dollars for a cosmetic change that would do little to tackle the military’s most pressing challenges — such as countering a more aggressive alliance of authoritarian nations… officials may need to change Defense Department seals on more than 700,000 facilities in 40 countries and all 50 states. This includes everything from letterhead for six military branches and dozens more agencies down to embossed napkins in chow halls, embroidered jackets for Senate-confirmed officials and the keychains and tchotchkes in the Pentagon store. 

“‘This is purely for domestic political audiences,’ said a former defense official. ‘Not only will this cost millions of dollars, it will have absolutely zero impact on Chinese or Russian calculations. Worse, it will be used by our enemies to portray the United States as warmongering and a threat to international stability.’… 

“A [small] War Department existed from U.S. independence until 1947, when the Truman administration split the Army and Air Force into separate military branches and joined them with the then-independent Navy to form a new agency. An act of Congress two years later coined it the Department of Defense…” 

According to the BBC, the renaming of the department marks the president’s 200th executive order signed since he took office. 

It Won’t Make America Stronger 

RUSI [Royal United Service Institute, founded in 1831 by the Duke of Wellington] wrote on September 5:

“With the stroke of a pen, President Trump has ordered the Pentagon to be renamed the Department of War. It is a dramatic gesture, but one that leaves the US looking smaller, not stronger. He defended the change by noting America ‘won World War I and World War II’ under the old name and insisting that ‘we want offense too.’ But that outlook is precisely what alarms allies and emboldens adversaries: it signals that Washington defines itself by fighting wars, not by preventing them… 

“Nor is the change likely to endure; Congress enshrined the Department of Defense in law in 1949, and an executive order cannot erase that statute. The Department of War belongs to the past. Congress created the Department of Defense in 1949 for good reason: to unify the services, deter conflict, and reassure allies of America’s defensive purpose. An executive order cannot erase that history or substitute theatre for strategy… Lawmakers should move quickly to reassert the statute and restore the Department of Defense: a name that reflects America’s enduring role as a defender…” 

Whatever and whoever will cause this, we know that ultimately, Europe will launch a successful nuclear war against the USA [and the UK]. 

Bad Job Report for August 

The Independent wrote on September 5: 

“The U.S. economy added 22,000 jobs in August — worse than financial experts had expected — according to the first government report since President Donald Trump fired the Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner  Erika McEntarfer. The August Jobs Report, published Friday, revealed that the employment market continued to cool in the same month that Trump’s global tariffs took effect… The jobs data also revealed that unemployment increased to 4.3 percent, the highest level since 2021… 

“Figures also showed the economy lost jobs in June for the first time since December 2020, when the jobs market was in turmoil during the Covid-19 pandemic. Revisions showed that payrolls declined by 13,000 jobs in June… 

“Economist Daniel Zhao warned the U.S. is ‘heading into turbulence without the soft landing achieved.’” 

ICE Sabotages Construction in Georgia 

The Guardian wrote on September 5: 

“Hundreds of workers at a factory being built in Georgia to make car batteries for Hyundai and Kia electric vehicles were detained in a huge raid by Immigration and Customs Enforcement… on Thursday that stopped construction. The facility is part of what would be the biggest industrial investment in the state’s history and had been hailed as a huge boost for the economy by Georgia’s Republican governor, Brian Kemp…. 

“About 475 workers were arrested… the largest single-site enforcement operation in the history of the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS)… However, the Korea Economic Daily earlier had reported about 560 workers at the Hyundai facility and LG Energy Solution (LGES), had been detained… About 300 are South Korean nationals… Hyundai Motor is a South Korean automotive company but has many international plants. 

“The raid on Thursday has dealt a setback to the company’s substantial project in Georgia and was a dramatic iteration of the Trump administration’s harsh crackdown on immigrants in the US. It also showed the disruptive impact that Donald Trump’s mass deportation agenda is having on businesses, even as the White House tries to spur more inflows from foreign investors.. 

“The arrests could exacerbate tensions between Washington and Seoul, a key ally and investor in the US. The countries have been at odds over the details of a trade deal that includes $350bn of investments. At a summit last month, South Korea pledged $150bn in US investments – including $26bn from Hyundai Motor…” 

This might not encourage foreign countries to invest heavily in and move their operations to the USA. 

Supreme Court Collaborates With Trump

Rolling Stone wrote on September 8: 

“On Monday, the Supreme Court issued perhaps its most profoundly un-American ruling yet, allowing Trump’s masked immigration thugs to indiscriminately stop people on the streets because they are speaking Spanish or working as day laborers in the construction industry… 

“Kavanaugh did kindly explain his vote regarding the administration’s stop, frisk, and deport strategy. He wrote in a concurring opinion… ‘Importantly, reasonable suspicion means only that immigration officers may briefly stop the individual and inquire about immigration status… If the person is a U.S. citizen or otherwise lawfully in the United States, that individual will be free to go after the brief encounter.’” 

Many reported cases have shown that Kavanaugh’s description is simply not true. 

Tensions Between USA and Venezuela Escalate 

Express wrote on September 5:

“Two Venezuelan fighter jets have flown over a US Navy ship in a ‘show of force’ as tensions between the two neighboring countries escalate to terrifying new levels…  This comes after President Donald Trump said on Tuesday the U.S. has carried out a strike in the southern Caribbean against a drug-carrying vessel that departed from Venezuela and was operated by the Tren de Aragua gang…. Trump… repeated his claim — contradicted by a declassified U.S. intelligence assessment — that Tren de Aragua is operating under Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s control… 

“The US administration recently doubled a reward it is offering for Maduro’s arrest to $50 million. Maduro called the warships a ‘criminal and bloody threat’ earlier this week, deploying Venezuelan drones and warships to patrol the coastline…

“The president said in a social media posting that 11 people were killed in the rare U.S. military operation in the Americas, a dramatic escalation in the Republican administration’s effort to stem the flow of narcotics from Latin America. Trump also posted a short video clip of a small vessel appearing to explode in flames. ‘The strike occurred while the terrorists were at sea in International waters transporting illegal narcotics, heading to the United States,’ Trump said on Truth Social. ‘No U.S. Forces were harmed in this strike. Please let this serve as notice to anybody even thinking about bringing drugs into the United States of America.’’ 

Breitbart added on September 5: 

“U.S. officials have reportedly ordered 10 F-35 fighter jets be deployed to Puerto Rico amid President Donald Trump’s fight against drug cartels… The sources… said the 10 fighter jets are being sent to conduct operations against designated narco-terrorist organizations operating in the southern Caribbean.” 

Murder in the Caribbean?

On September 5, the Ron Paul Institute republished the following article by the “Future of Freedom Foundation”: 

“President Trump is taking credit for the intentional military killings of eleven people in international waters near Venezuela… He ordered his military drug-war goons to blow a boat out of the water that was traveling in international waters near Venezuela, killing, Trump proudly claimed, eleven people in the process. 

“No stopping of the boat to search it. No arrests. No grand-jury indictments. No trials in federal district court. None of that. On Trump’s orders, his military drug-war goons dutifully, loyally, and obediently fired military projectiles at the boat knowing full well that they would be killing all of the boat’s occupants. 

“In my opinion, that’s just murder, pure and simple. Sure, it’s legalized murder. After all, there is no chance whatsoever that Trump’s Justice Department will seek criminal charges against Trump and his military killers. Even if it did, there is no possibility whatsoever that the US Supreme Court would permit the charges to stand, given the extreme deference that the Court has always paid to the US national-security establishment. The International Criminal Court has no jurisdiction over US officials and even if it did, there is no doubt that Trump and his military drug-war goons would ignore any criminal proceeding against them anyway. 

“Let’s keep in mind something important: Drug-war offenses are criminal offenses. Even though we all call it a ‘war on drugs,’ it is not a war in the true sense of the term. That is, we are not talking about a war like World War I or World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, or the US undeclared wars of aggression against Iraq and Afghanistan. We are talking about federal criminal offenses, not acts of war. 

“That means that under our system of constitutional government, people are presumed to be innocent of criminal offenses until proven guilty in a court of law. Under the US Constitution, which is supposed to control the actions of federal officials, US officials are prohibited from simply killing people who they suspect have committed a crime… the Fifth Amendment to the US Constitution states, federal officials, including the president, the military, the CIA, DEA, and ICE, are expressly prohibited from depriving anyone of life without due process of law, which means, at a minimum, formal notice of criminal charges and a trial. 

“None of those eleven people who Trump and his military drug-war goons just killed was ever convicted of anything in a court of law. Nonetheless, Trump and his military drug-war goons knowingly, intentionally, and deliberately deprived them of life by shooting them dead, simply because Trump and his military drug-war goons were convinced that their victims were committing drug-related offenses. 

“Prior to Trump, US drug-war policy in international waters has been consistent with the principles of American criminal jurisprudence… If the US Coast Guard, for example, suspects a boat traveling in international waters of carrying illegal drugs, Coast Guard officials stop it, board it, and search it. If illegal drugs are found, the occupants of the boat are transported to the United States, indicted, and tried for drug-related offenses in US District Court…”

Trump had famously declared that every drug dealer should get the death penalty. To our knowledge, he never specified what kind of drug dealer he was referring to. 

Mobilizing Over 8 Million People? 

Newsweek wrote on September 5: 

“The clash between Washington and Caracas has escalated beyond rhetoric, with military maneuvers, sanctions, and criminal designations transforming into a broader contest for regional dominance. Trump has tied Maduro’s government to narcoterrorist organizations while expanding U.S. deployments, and Caracas has responded by massing citizens into its defense structures. At stake is whether the Caribbean becomes the stage for a direct confrontation between the United States and Venezuela, with ripple effects for Latin America and beyond… 

“Venezuela will deploy 15,751 popular defense bases and 5,336 communal militia units across the country. These forces fall under the National Bolivarian Militia, a civilian reserve created by the late Hugo Chavez to integrate ordinary citizens into the country’s defense system. Maduro said roughly 4.5 million citizens have already undergone training, with new enlistments through a digital platform expected to push the total beyond 8 million… 

“As Maduro mobilizes millions and Trump escalates military operations, the U.S.-Venezuela standoff is entering a dangerous new phase…” 

Confusion Galore

 CNN wrote on September 6: 

“President Donald Trump is weighing a multitude of options for carrying out military strikes against drug cartels operating in Venezuela, including potentially hitting targets inside the country as part of a broader strategy aimed at weakening leader Nicolas Maduro… Multiple sources told CNN Tuesday’s strike was just the beginning of a much larger effort to rid the region of narcotics trafficking and potentially dislodge Maduro from power… 

“Earlier this year, Trump authorized the military to carry out lethal operations against cartels his administration designated as terrorist groups, according to a source familiar with the matter, a move in which the president appeared to claim the power to treat suspected smugglers not as criminals, but enemy combatants. Asked Tuesday if the US would consider strikes on Venezuelan soil against the Maduro regime, Secretary of State Marco Rubio didn’t count out the possibility…. 

“Though Rubio initially said that the alleged Venezuela drug boat was likely bound for Trinidad or another Caribbean country, a day later, after Trump said it had been headed for the US, Rubio amended his remark and said the boat was ‘eventually’ headed to the US… 

“Despite all this, behind the scenes the US continues to coordinate with Venezuelan officials on deportation flights. The Trump administration also recently re-issued a license for US energy giant Chevron to resume oil operations in Venezuela, home to the largest proven oil reserves in the world…” 

Trump Muddies the Water on Vaccines 

clickorlando.com wrote on September 5: 

“President Donald Trump said vaccines that work ‘should be used,’ when asked to weigh in on a plan by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to end vaccine mandates in the state Friday. ‘You have some vaccines that are so amazing, the polio vaccine I happen to think is amazing,’ Trump said. ‘A lot of people think that COVID is amazing. I think you have to be very careful when you say that some people don’t have to be vaccinated. It’s a very, you know, it’s a very tough position,’ Trump added. 

“Earlier this week, DeSantis and Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo announced a plan to end all vaccine mandates in the state. Ladapo likened the vaccine mandates to slavery. ‘Every last one of them is wrong and drips with disdain and slavery,’ Ladapo said during his announcement. ‘Who am I as a government or anyone else to tell you what you should put in your body? Your body is a gift from God. What you put into your body is between your relationship with you and your God.’

“Florida has several vaccine requirements in certain situations, chief among them mandates for school children. Ladapo and the Florida Department of Health may be able to lift the mandates for vaccines like chickenpox and hepatitis B, but mandates for polio, diphtheria, measles, mumps, rubella, pertussis (aka whooping cough), and tetanus vaccines would require repealing a decades-old Florida law, which only the state legislature can do. 

“‘Look, you have vaccines that work,’ Trump said Friday. ‘They just pure and simple work. They’re not controversial at all, and I think those vaccines should be used; otherwise, some people are going to catch it, and they endanger other people, and when you don’t have controversy at all, I think people should take it.’” 

We should not forget that Trump advocated highly controversial and, to a large extent ineffective or even dangerous vaccinations against Covid. 

Trump’s Tariffs 

Deutsche Welle wrote on September 6: 

“Postal traffic to the United States plunged over 80% after new tariffs announced by the Trump administration came into effect on August 29… 

“88 operators worldwide have fully or partially suspended the shipping of parcels to the US…” 

India and Russia Lost to China 

Reuters wrote on September 5: 

“U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday said India and Russia seem to have been ‘lost’ to China after their leaders met with Chinese President Xi Jinping this week, expressing annoyance at New Delhi and Moscow as Beijing pushes a new world order. 

“‘Looks like we’ve lost India and Russia to deepest, darkest, China…’”  

Germans Unhappy With Their Government

Deutsche Welle wrote on September 4: 

“The monthly Deutschlandtrend survey commissioned by German public broadcaster ARD found that 77% of those surveyed were dissatisfied with how the CDU/CSU Union and SPD get along. 

Supporters of the CDU/CSU and the SPD were equally dissatisfied, according to the survey… 

“Respondents also had little good to say about the government’s work so far. Some 75% of them indicated that they didn’t like what the government was doing… [Plans to raise] the retirement age to 70 was rejected by 84% of survey respondents… Germans are expected to have to work beyond the current retirement age of 67 and may see pension levels go down.. 

“The far-right… AfD was viewed as the most competent of all parties when it comes to immigration policy…” 

Merz on Putin 

Weltwoche wrote on September 4: 

“Russian President Vladimir Putin has reacted sharply to recent statements by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who called him ‘perhaps the most serious war criminal of our time’… 

“The Kremlin did not leave Merz’s choice of words unanswered. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the TASS news agency that, in light of these statements, Moscow would no longer consider any suggestions or opinions from Berlin: ‘Merz has made very bad statements to President Putin.'” 

Published comments on this article, almost all of them directed against Merz, were notable: 

“A power-hungry Merz is dragging us into war with Russia. There won’t be a third time. Russia will destroy us forever for it.” 

“There is ‘no room for leniency’ in dealing with war criminals,’ to hear this from a CDU chancellor, of all people, whose party in the old Federal Republic of Germany was unsurpassed in its leniency toward Nazi war criminals, as well as in their whitewashing and integration into the German democracy…” 

“With this Merz, there will be no more peace with Russia.” 

“Probably the stupidest government in Germany, with a chancellor no one trusts anymore.” 

A Woke Bundeswehr? 

Junge Freiheit wrote on September 4: 

“…the Bundeswehr is not about a professionally required exchange. Instead, the troops are inviting people to the conference ‘Woke and Defensive. Queer Realities of Life in the Bundeswehr.’ The ‘scientific objective of the research project’ is… ‘the experience-based exchange to strengthen diversity and queerness in the Bundeswehr…’ 

“For this purpose, the Bundeswehr University… has scheduled panels with subsequent discussions over two days. The rainbow-framed brochure is supported by the ‘Evangelical Chaplaincy in the Bundeswehr’ and the ‘Center for Gender & Diversity’… 

“According to the brochure description, the troops’ true enemy is our closest military ally: US President Donald Trump. Shortly after taking office, he abandoned the ‘Diversity-Equity-Inclusion’ policy (diversity, equality, inclusion), which had also spread in the US Army. Trump is using anti-diversity strategies ‘to massively restrict the rights of transgender people’… A presentation from the first panel is directly titled ‘Gender in Law – More Than Just Male or Female’… 

“Are there more diverse people who will stand up for Germany, the colors black, red, and gold, and not for the rainbow? Skepticism is raised by the Bundeswehr’s own advertising posters, which sometimes omit the word ‘Germany’ – despite the fact that recruits take their oath of allegiance to it. Now the Bundeswehr is advertising with a slogan that is also being used by certain political circles: ‘How far will you go for our democracy?’” 

Jens Spahn Lags Far Behind 

Der Stern wrote on August 5: 

“The highest trust ratings among their own supporters in the current ranking are Boris Pistorius (SPD, 82 points), Markus Söder (CSU, 80 points), as well as Heidi Reichinnek (Left Party) and Alice Weidel (AfD) (78 points each). Jens Spahn (CDU) has by far the lowest trust rating among his own party’s supporters: He receives only 37 points from CDU supporters. 

In the overall ranking, Pistorius is by far the best: Söder is in 6th place, closely followed by Merz in 7th place, closely followed by Klingbeil (SPD) in 8th place, Reichinnek in 10th place; Spahn is far behind in 17th place, and Weidel is in 19th place. 

The Insanity of COVID Politics

Report 24 wrote on September 8:

“Jens Spahn, the former Minister of Health, recently admitted what has long been clear to many. He would be the first to face the AfD’s ‘political judiciary’ if it were to take power… If the judiciary were truly independent, Spahn would have had to face it already. The same applies to Angela Merkel, Olaf Scholz, Karl Lauterbach, and Christian Drosten. Instead, doctors who issued mask certificates or simulated vaccinations are being prosecuted for giving people their lives back… That’s why people are in prison today whose only offense was resisting the measures… The judiciary is hunting those who helped the people, while the real perpetrators walk free.”

“Because the vaccination is anything but safe. Dozens of studies demonstrate serious side effects. Thrombosis, myocarditis, strokes – such adverse reactions quickly appeared after the start of the vaccination campaigns. The FDA even officially warned of myocarditis in young men after mRNA vaccinations. By now, everyone probably knows someone who has been harmed by the forced injection. Turbo cancer, sudden death, permanent damage. Yet the injection was sold as harmless.

“The lockdowns were equally destructive. The disruption of production fueled inflation. Psychologically, the number of depressions, anxiety, and suicides rose explosively. Families were destroyed by propaganda, children lost years of their development. In terms of health, people died from untreated illnesses because they didn’t dare go to the doctor. The worst part is the knowledge of those in power. They knew the risks in advance. Corona was not a lethal virus. Manufacturers like Pfizer and Moderna promised neither efficacy nor safety… The contracts protect them from lawsuits, even in cases of serious damage, even in the death of vaccine victims. The politicians protected them. They took away the people’s freedom, forced them into isolation, and ruined livelihoods. For absolute control, total power. For billions that flowed to pharmaceutical companies. 

“Spahn was right in the middle of it with his mask deals. He organized the vaccination campaign, ignoring all warnings. Merkel ordered the lockdowns. Scholz prolonged the catastrophe. Lauterbach preached panic. Drosten provided the ‘Science’ that suited the government’s wishes. If the judiciary were independent, there would be charges, trials, and a genuine investigation. Instead, it protects the perpetrators…

“But the pressure is growing. On August 27, the US withdrew emergency approval for mRNA gene injections, and the injection is now only being considered for very old or sick people. As it should have been from the beginning – including here. People don’t forget. The evidence is mounting. The stories of those affected are getting louder. Spahn’s words seem like a confession. They reveal the fear of the powerful. It may take a long time, but everyone will be held accountable for their crimes. The politicians, the pharmaceutical mafia, the henchmen in the media. Nothing will be forgotten, nothing will be forgiven. Not even in Austria.”

Still,  voices are being heard again, advocating the insanity of vaccinations and the useless wearing of masks. 

Becoming a Saint… 

USA Today wrote on September 5: 

“Pope Leo will canonize Blessed Carlo Acutis on Sunday, Sept. 7, the first such ceremony of his tenure and the first Catholic saint of the millennial generation… Carlo, a British-born Italian who died from leukemia in 2006 at age 15, had been set to be canonized April 27 during the Jubilee of Adolescents. The ceremony was postponed after the death of Pope Francis on April 21. Carlo, sometimes referred to as ‘God’s influencer,’ learned several computer coding languages before his death and built websites to spread his faith. Sainthood indicates that the church believes the person is in heaven with God. 

“Sainthood causes are examined by a Vatican department that must confirm that the person lived a holy life. It usually also involves the verification of two miracles [AFTER the person’s death] attributed to the future saint’s intercession with God in heaven. 

“In 2020, the church recognized his first miracle, involving a 4-year-old Brazilian boy who was determined to be healed from a serious pancreatic birth defect. After the boy’s mother prayed to Carlo in 2013, her son experienced a sudden and complete recovery. 

“In May 2024, a second miracle was announced, this time involving a woman from Costa Rica. In 2022, she prayed at Carlo’s tomb in Assisi, Italy, after her daughter suffered severe head trauma from a bicycle accident. Doctors had informed the mother that her daughter was unlikely to survive. In her pilgrimage to Carlo’s tomb, the mother left a note. On the same day, her daughter began to breathe spontaneously. The next day, she started to move and regained some of her speech. Ten days later, a CAT scan showed her brain hemorrhage had disappeared. 

“Carlo’s beatification took place in October 2020, when Pope Francis declared the teen had attained the blessedness of heaven, and he was given the title of ‘Blessed.’” 

None of that is biblical. Only Jesus Christ went to heaven after His resurrection—nobody else. Any “miracle” cannot be attributed to Carlo Acutis because he is dead and in his grave, without any consciousness, awaiting his resurrection from the dead. IF those “miracles” did in fact occur, they did not show any DIVINE intervention because people prayed to Carlo.   

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.

First of all, let us look at this phrase. From Wikipedia we can glean this interesting information: “‘In God We Trust’ is the official motto of the United States of America, Nicaragua, and of the U.S. state of Florida. It was adopted as the United States’ motto in 1956 as a replacement or alternative to the unofficial motto of E pluribus unum, which was adopted when the Great Seal of the United States was created and adopted in 1782. ‘In God We Trust’ first appeared on the two-cent piece in 1864 and has appeared on paper currency since 1957.”

It is an interesting question to ask if this would be permitted today.   And even if it were, would it be embraced with the same deep intended meaning? You just have to wonder as the USA, as well as many other nations around the world, have become much more secular and permissive societies. 

As ever, there are those who, not having any religious affiliation or affinity, object to the use of this phrase.   Wikipedia continues:

“Some groups and people have expressed objections to its use, contending that its religious reference violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. These groups believe the phrase should be removed from currency and public property.  In lawsuits, this argument has so far not overcome the interpretational doctrine of accommodationism, which allows government to endorse religious establishments as long as they are all treated equally. According to a 2003 joint poll by USA Today, CNN, and Gallup, 90% of Americans support the inscription ‘In God We Trust’ on U.S. coins.”

In an article by Dr. Elizabeth Mitchell on May 7, 2013, she wrote: “Following the April 29 (2013) opening of their documentary The Unbelievers at Toronto’s Hot Docs Film Festival, outspoken atheists Richard Dawkins and Lawrence Krauss discussed the merits of their approaches to ‘ridding the world of religion.’ In a recent interview with Steve Paikin, they made it clear that, despite their sometimes different personas, they have the same agenda—getting people to get rid of their belief in God. Yet they both say that Christians should not feel ‘threatened’ by their efforts to expunge religion from human history.”  

That is the society that we live in today, where trust in God is belittled, undermined and scoffed at, and this background should give us the extra urgency and energy to trust in God for all our needs.

And so, back to the question. This phrase is not found verbatim in the Word of God but there are many verses that give the same meaning and understanding. 

In Psalm 91:2 we read: “I will say of the LORD, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.’”

There are many other verses that say much the same thing, for example:

Psalm 18:2: “The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”

Proverbs 3:5-6: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.”

Nahum 1:7: “The LORD is good, A stronghold in the day of trouble; And He knows those who trust in Him.”

Psalm 40:3: “He has put a new song in my mouth— Praise to our God; Many will see it and fear, And will trust in the LORD.”

Psalm 73:28: “But it is good for me to draw near to God; I have put my trust in the LORD GOD, That I may declare all Your works.”

Proverbs 29:25: “The fear of man brings a snare, But whoever trusts in the LORD shall be safe.”

Jeremiah 17:7-8: “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, And whose hope is the Lord. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river, And will not fear when heat comes; But its leaf will be green, And will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit.”

These are but a few verses that show us where our trust should be.

As we know, times have changed drastically over the last several decades. There was a time when most people had a belief in God but, in more recent times, as the world has become more and more secular, that belief and acceptance have dwindled, been questioned, dismissed and even ridiculed by many as being outdated and unnecessary.   There are those who wonder why the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord will be necessary, and even as severe as they will surely be but, even a cursory review of how society today thinks and behaves should give more than a clue as to why “there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be” (Matthew 24:21).   It will be the only way of getting man’s full attention.

Dismissing trust in God, along with many other sins, will lead to much trouble and suffering for mankind.

Unfortunately, as so often happens, this phrase has been misappropriated by those who seem to know no better.   For example, an increasing trend with football (soccer) supporters in the UK can be seen when showing banners at matches with God’s Name being replaced by the manager or a star player.   Instead of “In God We Trust” it becomes “In (name of person) We Trust”.   In a way, that is hardly surprising, as football in the UK (and in many other countries) has become a religion.   This phrase with a human being’s name inserted, can also be heard in conversation and it is indeed a godless and unwelcome trend where a human being is seen as more important than God.   Regrettably, that means nothing to those who are so involved but they will see, one day, how ridiculous such assertions were.

We are told not to trust in man.   In Psalm 118:8-9 we read: “It is better to trust in the LORD Than to put confidence in man.  It is better to trust in the Lord Than to put confidence in princes.”

Also, Psalm 146:3: “Do not put your trust in princes, Nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help.”

And in Jeremiah 17:5: “Thus says the LORD: ‘Cursed is the man who trusts in man And makes flesh his strength, Whose heart departs from the LORD.’”

It is quite clear that trust is not to be in mortal man but in the great Creator and Eternal God.  Those in the true Church of God today, do trust God.   In 2 Samuel 22:2-3, David, when giving praise for God’s deliverance said:

“The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; The God of my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, My stronghold and my refuge; My Savior, You save me from violence.”

A stronghold is a “fortified place, a place of security or survival,” and that is what God should be to us.   In God we trust, not in any man, and while this exact phrase cannot be found verbatim in the Word of God, the principle is seen throughout the Bible.

Let us, as the people of God, never forget where our trust should be and make our motto “In God We Trust.”

Lead Writer: Brian Gale (United Kingdom)

compiled by Dave Harris

A Tech Team Meeting was conducted on September 7, 2025. Hosted by Eric Rank, several topics were covered, including ad results for our booklet offerings and website adjustments along with more FOT planning.

“Gott IST… unsere Bestimmung!” the German translation of our booklet, “God Is… Our Destiny,” has been sent to graphic designer Shelly Bruno in preparation for printing.

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

“Was das “Christentum“ über Christus nicht weiß!” is the title of this Sabbath’s second split sermon in Germany, presented by Norbert Link. Title in English, “ “What ‘Christianity’ Does Not Know About Christ!”

“Nur für Dich,” last Sabbath’s first German split sermon presented by Johann Schell, is now posted. Title in English: “Only for You.”

“Den Herrn allezeit vor Augen – Die Lösung für Angst und Furcht,” last Sabbath’s second German split sermon by Daniel Blasinger, is now posted. Title in English: “Keeping the Lord Always in Mind – The Solution to Anxiety and Fear.”

“Why America is Going Down—Comments on News and Prophecy, September 6, 2025,” last Sabbath’s sermonette presented by Norbert Link, is now posted. Here is the summary:

This program gives many examples of the ongoing downfall of the USA and its deteriorating relationship with friends and allies, as well as frightening conduct by its enemies, notwithstanding wishful thinking and statements to the contrary. There is a reason for that, and God’s Church has a duty to proclaim this reason. This includes the fact that the USA will NOT win a major war anymore, as Herbert W. Armstrong so famously proclaimed.

“God’s Warning to True and False Christians,” last Sabbath’s sermon presented by Norbert Link, is now posted. Here is the summary:

Are you a true Christian, and if not, how can you become one? On the other hand, what must true Christians guard against to ensure they remain true Christians? The answers to these questions are of utmost importance and will determine your ultimate salvation.

2025 FALL HOLY DAYS:

September 23   Feast of Trumpets

October 2           Day of Atonement

October 7-13     Feast of Tabernacles

October 14         Last Great Day

On September 6, 2025, Norbert Link will present the sermonette, titled, “Comments on News and Prophecy, September 6, 2025,” and the sermon, titled, “God’s Warning to True and False Christians.”

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.

An abundance of options prevails in our lives. To my wife and me, simply choosing something to watch from a streaming video service on Saturday night after the Sabbath has become a chore! I remember when watching something on TV was limited to about half a dozen channels broadcast over the air, and even further limited by the scheduled programming of those stations.  Certainly, we had less to choose from, but it made the process of deciding a whole lot simpler.

“The Paradox of Choice” is the title of a book, published by author Barry Schwartz in 2004. In this book, Schwartz explains how having a multitude of choices in the modern world counterintuitively causes people to be less happy with their decisions. Having too many options turns out to make people less likely to feel that they have made the best decision. Yet still, people gravitate towards shaping their circumstances, so they have the greatest possible set of options to choose from. Ironically, this only works against their best interests. Maybe you can relate.

Adam and Eve began by making a choice that set the course for humankind in the way that many of their descendants would make wrong decisions. They chose the way of worldly wisdom, which is not satisfied with the simplicity of godly wisdom. After eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, their eyes were opened to a multitude of options. The vast majority of those options lead humankind towards the satisfaction of carnal desires, but further and further away from the true joy that comes from turning to God instead.

The book referenced above was written in the past 20 years, being acclaimed for its novel findings about the abundance of choice leading to a life of dissatisfaction. But the Bible revealed this problem thousands of years ago. God warned Adam and Eve that following the path of worldly wisdom, symbolized by eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, would result in death (compare Genesis 2:17) and suffering (compare Genesis 3:16-19). The way of life Adam and Eve chose brought about the current state of the world. And so, today we have choices that interminably grow in number. But they will never lead us to find true fulfillment.

Fortunately, there is a better way. And it does not (necessarily) require canceling subscriptions or living off the grid. God’s Holy Spirit gives us the opportunity to choose differently. The options in life that the world offers will only provide worldly experiences. But God, through His Holy Spirit, helps us to understand that the path to a life of truly deep satisfaction is to simply obey God and love the way of life He provides. The abundance of choices available in our lives will continue to be there, but in a life dedicated to God they do not matter. They cannot provide the kind of satisfaction that a life guided by godly wisdom does.

Solomon had tremendous abundance in his life. He had so much wealth that he could have whatever he wanted that money could buy. Yet, it did not give him the satisfaction he sought. It was all a vain pursuit (compare Ecclesiastes 2:9-11). He experienced the paradox of choice as we do today. In his wisdom, he understood the solution to the paradox. “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man’s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing, Whether good or evil” (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14). The simple secret to living a satisfied life is to obey God.

We understand that our joy comes from refusing to participate in the paradox of choice. Simplifying our lives by reducing our options might make it easier to choose a movie to watch, but it may not guide us to abound in the Spirit. The true happiness that God provides comes from putting the power of the Holy Spirit to work, giving us godly discernment to judge righteously. Satisfaction comes from a life well-lived, choosing the path that leads to life resulting from godly obedience and wisdom.

by Norbert Link

We begin with developments pertaining to the Middle East—especially the “two-state solution”, Israel and Gaza, and plans to build the Third Temple—report on further revelations about the Minnesota murders (see our StandingWatch program, Demons Rule This World!); and continue with Trump’s unconstitutional actions towards states, stupid raids and a court decision by an Appeals Court ruling that many of his tariffs are illegal (subject, of course, to a future decision by the US Supreme Court).

We talk about further investigations in the Epstein case; J.D. Vance’s ridiculous accusations against Germany; and the conclusion by a leading Ukrainian commentator that Trump cannot and will not end the Russia-Ukraine war. 

We speak about a meeting between China, Russia, North Korea, India, Iran and other countries; the Wagner group in Africa; and the danger of “mirror life.” 

We conclude with a “strange series of deaths among German AfD candidates” and the expectation of a soon-coming civil war in Europe. 

Please view our new StandingWatch program, titled, “Crazy Science and the End of the World.”

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

Shameful European Conduct Towards Israel 

Israel Today wrote on August 29: 

“British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s July 25 statement regarding the recognition of a Palestine state was ‘shameful,’ Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said during a recent interview… Asked… whether recognition of a Palestine state would ‘encourage Hamas to continue their resistance,’ Netanyahu said, ‘Of course, it does…  They commit the greatest savagery against Jews since the Holocaust, and the prime minister of Britain says, “We’ll reward you with a de facto state,”… which is committed openly to repeating the October 7 massacre over and over and over again.’ 

“Western leaders like to repeat that Israel has a right to defend itself, but ‘they recognize Israel’s right to defend itself as long as Israel doesn’t exercise that right,’ Netanyahu said… The capitulation of leaders of the UK, France and others is a product of weak leadership caving in to distorted media, social media manipulation and radical extremist minorities, the Israeli leader said… Describing as ‘shameful’ the way Western leaders in Britain, France, Canada and New Zealand, ‘buckle under,’ Netanyahu added that 80 years after the Holocaust, European leaders want to ‘give a prize for those who would destroy the one and only Jewish state.’… 

“However, Netanyahu acknowledged that Israel is losing the public relations war… He dismissed as a ‘fraud’ the genocide and starvation accusations. He likened the starving children slander to the blood libel during the Middle Ages claiming Jews killed Christian children. ‘If we wanted to commit genocide, we would have done it in one afternoon,’ he said, noting that Israel has the ‘capacity’ to do so… He said Israel had taken unprecedented steps to protect civilians, issuing millions of warnings to residents in areas where the IDF plans to conduct combat operations, while Hamas forces people to stay, shooting those who try to leave…

“Asked what lessons he wants people to take from history, Netanyahu said that the key lesson Jews have drawn from history is to take threats of annihilation seriously and act before it is too late…” 

Still, the world will hate Israel even more and gang up against it. 

Belgium Too 

The Guardian wrote on September 2: 

“Belgium’s foreign minister, Maxime Prévot, has said his country will recognise a Palestinian state at the UN general assembly later this month… 

“The recognition of Palestine would only be formalised if Hamas releases all remaining Israeli hostages kidnapped in the Hamas-led 7 October attack on southern Israel in 2023 and the militant group ‘no longer has any role in managing Palestine,’ Prévot added.”

Hamas and Palestinian Authority Attack Godly Injunctions 

Israel 365 News wrote on August 28: 

“Ha’arun Nasser al-Din, the Hamas official overseeing Jerusalem affairs, issued a warning against Jews visiting the Temple Mount on the upcoming Rosh Hashanah [Feast of Trumpets], claiming they represented a ‘dangerous escalation’ as part of a broader ‘religious war’ targeting Islamic holy sites [what about Jewish holy sites?]. He urged Palestinians in Jerusalem, Israel, Judea, and Samaria to come to Al-Aqsa Mosque, pray there, and remain present at the site in order, he said, ‘not to abandon it to the settlers.’ 

“It should be remembered that the Hamas-led massacre of Israelis on Oct. 7, 2023, was launched to take place on the Jewish holy day of Shemini Atzeret/Simchat Torah, which falls on the eighth day of Sukkoth [the Last Great Day following the Feast of Tabernacles.] Dubbed the Al-Aqsa Flood, Hamas and Hezbollah claimed the attack was sparked by the arrival of five red heifers in Israel, which they said would lead to the construction of the Third Jewish Temple on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year [according to Jewish calculations of the civil calendar; not the religious calendar according to which the New Year starts in the spring, the Hebrew month of Nisan or Abib], will begin on Monday, September 22… 

“Similarly, on Monday, the Palestinian Authority condemned attempts by Jewish activist groups to sound the shofar on Jerusalem’s Temple Mount… [They] warned in a statement that the Jewish tradition of sounding the shofar throughout the Hebrew month of Elul is ‘no longer a passing religious ritual, but has become one of the most dangerous tools of the occupation to impose its alleged sovereignty.’ The statement denounced attempts to sound the shofar on the Temple Mount as a ‘direct assault’ on the Al-Aqsa Mosque… [Blowing the shofar on the Feast of Trumpets is pursuant to Old Testament injunctions.]”

One can see how this kind of propaganda may lead to self-fulfilling prophecies. 

Blair, Kushner and Trump on Ending the Gaza Crisis 

The Independent wrote on August 28: 

“President Donald Trump was being briefed Wednesday on ideas for a post-war Gaza by his son-in-law and former Middle East envoy, Jared Kushner, and Tony Blair, the former British prime minister… Kushner and Blair met with the president to discuss what to do with the devastated enclave, which is currently facing a famine after three years of war started by the October 7, 2023 terror attacks by Hamas… 

“Trump has previously suggested an American takeover of the strip using U.S. troops as a way to bring an end to the war and satisfy Israeli demands that neither Hamas nor the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority have any say in Gaza governance… Pressed on what authority would permit the United States to take over Gaza — which is considered occupied territory under international law — Trump replied that he saw the United States taking ‘a long-term ownership position’ that would bring ‘great stability to the Middle East’ region. He also said the US could send troops to Gaza to accomplish this… 

“The comments drew widespread criticism around the world with Saudi Arabia saying it ‘unequivocally rejected’ the forced displacement of Palestinians in Gaza… Trump later appeared to back down from his plan to take over Gaza, but on Tuesday his roving special envoy, Steve Witkoff, told Fox News that the administration was formulating a ‘very comprehensive plan’ on ‘the next day’ in Gaza… 

“Meanwhile, a United Nations official told the Associated Press Wednesday that if Israel’s military goes ahead with a planned offensive in Gaza City, then ‘all hope is gone that we’re ever going to see the end to this.’ But Israel says the evacuation of Gaza’s most populated city is ‘inevitable’…” 

Palestinian Leader Abbas Barred From Attending UN General Assembly 

Deutsche Welle wrote on August 30: 

“The United States said it would not allow Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to travel to New York next month for a United Nations gathering, where several US allies are set to recognize Palestinian statehood. 

“A State Department official said Abbas and about 80 other Palestinians would be affected by the decision to deny and revoke visas from members of the umbrella Palestine Liberation Organization and the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority. Abbas had planned to attend the annual high-level UN General Assembly, followed by a summit where France, Australia and Canada have pledged to formerly recognize a Palestinian state. The United Kingdom also vowed to recognize Palestinian statehood if Israel does not meet certain conditions by the General Assembly meeting. 

“Abbas’s office said it was astonished by the decision and said it violated the UN ‘headquarters agreement,’ a 1947 accord that requires the US to allow access for foreign diplomats to the UN in New York. The Trump administration, however, has said it can deny visas for security, extremism and foreign policy reasons. The State Department said the PA and PLO had failed to renounce extremism while pushing for ‘unilateral recognition’ of a Palestinian state…. 

“Several European foreign ministers arriving at a European Union meeting in Copenhagen criticized Washington’s decision to block Mahmoud Abbas’s visa… French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot… told reporters that the assembly ‘cannot be subject to any restrictions on access.’ Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said the US move was ‘unacceptable,’ while Irish Foreign Minister Simon Harris said the EU should protest the decision ‘in the strongest possible terms.’ Both Spain and Ireland officially recognized Palestinian statehood in 2024… In 1988, the US refused to issue a visa to PLO leader Yasser Arafat, forcing the UN General Assembly to be moved from New York to Geneva so he could address it.” 

The Associated Press added on August 30: 

“Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ office on Saturday urged the U.S. government to reverse its unusual decision to revoke his visa… Abbas has addressed the General Assembly for many years, and generally leads the Palestinian delegation. 

“‘We call upon the American administration to reverse its decision. This decision will only increase tension and escalation,’ Palestinian presidential spokesperson Nabil Abu Rudeineh told The Associated Press in Ramallah on Saturday. He urged other countries to put pressure on the Trump administration to reverse the decision, notably the countries that have organized a high-level conference on Sept. 22 about reviving efforts for a two-state-solution for the Middle East. It is co-hosted by France and Saudi Arabia.” 

Demonic Behavior 

New York Post wrote on August 28: 

“Transgender mass shooter Robin Westman confessed that he ‘was tired of being trans’ and wished he ‘never brain-washed’ himself in a manifesto posted online… Westman used to horrify classmates by walking around saying ‘praise Hitler,’ according to a former friend who denounced him as ‘demonic.’… ‘It’s demonic, I’m sorry, it is, she said of her one-time friend’s behavior.”

See our new StandingWatch program from August 27, titled, Demons Rule This World! 

Trump Without Constitutional Authority Towards States 

The Ron Paul Institute published the following article by Judge Andrew P. Napolitano on August 28: 

“‘It is (my) intention to … demand recognition of the distinction between the powers granted to the Federal Government and those reserved to the States or to the people. All of us need to be reminded that the Federal Government did not create the States; the States created the Federal Government’ (President Ronald Reagan, First Inaugural Address, Jan. 20, 1981). 

‘When I heard President Ronald Reagan utter the words above, my heart leapt with joy. I couldn’t imagine a modern-day president recognizing the sovereignty of the states and understanding their role in the creation of the American republic… Oh, how the presidential attitude has changed. 

“Last week, President Donald Trump purported to order the states to reform their policies on bail so as to incorporate a variant of pre-conviction incarceration. He also ordered them to prosecute people for burning their own flags. His own observations have apparently caused him to conclude that bad people — including flag burners — should be picked up off the streets, incarcerated and kept there until trial. In another breath, he referred to the states as ‘agents’ of the federal government… where is his constitutional authority to do so? In a word: NOWHERE… 

“When the first 13 states formed the federal government and when the succeeding 37 joined — some voluntarily and some literally with guns aimed at the heads of state officials — they did so embracing subsidiarity… James Madison, the chief draftsman of the Constitution and the author of the Bill of Rights, insisted that the 10th Amendment declare that the powers not given away to the federal government are retained by the people and the states. Foremost among them is the police power — the power to regulate and enforce laws for the health, safety, welfare and morality of all persons in the states. 

“The federal government is one of limited powers… Madison made it clear, just because a problem is national in its scope does not make it federal in its nature. A national problem is one common to vast areas across America. A federal problem is one the governance of which is articulated and delegated to Congress in the Constitution… This system was crafted to prevent the accumulation of power in Washington…” 

The underlying goal to make America a dictatorship under the President is only too obvious. 

Stupid Raids Endanger America 

MSNBC added on August 31: 

“Authorities in Washington have been fighting the state’s largest wildfire nonstop for almost two months. Since early July, the Bear Gulch Fire has burned nearly 9,000 acres, and officials say it is only 13% contained. In fact, it’s so big that the state has to rely on contract firefighters. But on Wednesday, one group of firefighters who were battling the blaze had to take a three-hour timeout from their work after their camp was raided by Border Patrol officials. Video of the raid shows dozens of fire contractors being lined up and asked to show their IDs. Border Patrol officers ultimately arrested two of the firefighters, whom they believed were in the country illegally… 

“In a statement to NBC News, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said that the arrests followed a criminal investigation into two companies contracted to assist with fighting the fire. On Friday, the Department of Homeland Security issued a statement on X, which said the two men ‘apprehended were NOT firefighters’ but worked in a ‘support role, cutting logs into firewood.’ Adding: ‘The firefighting response remained uninterrupted the entire time.’ 

“According to reporting from The Seattle Times, one of the firefighters told the men they were not allowed to take video of the incident. ‘You risked your life out here to save the community,’ that firefighter told the Times. ‘This is how they treat us.’… As the Times notes, ‘It is unusual for federal border agents to make arrests during the fighting of an active fire, especially in a remote area.’ Earlier this year, Donald Trump rescinded a Biden-era policy that barred immigration enforcement at so-called sensitive locations, which applied to natural disasters…. And now [we see]  raids on camps of firefighters as they literally battle the largest wildfire in the American Northwest. It appears Trump, JD Vance, Stephen Miller and [others] are willing to burn the country to the ground if that’s what it takes, all so they can rule over the ashes.” 

Reuters added on August 31: 

“Two firefighters who were responding to a wildfire in the state of Washington when they were detained by U.S. border agents are being held at an ICE detention center in Tacoma… officials there confirmed they were holding the two people working for companies that had been contracted to help fight the 9,000-acre Bear Gulch fire in the Olympic National Forest… lawyer Stephen Manning said his Portland, Oregon, firm was representing one of those arrested, an Oregon resident Manning said was unlawfully detained. Manning… said the man had come to the United States with his family as a four-year-old about 19 years ago and was awaiting a response to a visa application… 

“ICE officials have criticized the Trump administration’s push for high daily arrest quotes that have led to the detention of thousands of individuals with no criminal record, as well as long-term green card holders, others with legal visas, and even some U.S. citizens, according to Reuters reporting….” 

This is INSANE! 

Court of Appeals: Most Trump Tariffs ILLEGAL! 

CNBC wrote on August 29: 

“A federal appeals court ruled Friday that most of President Donald Trump’s global tariffs are illegal, striking a massive blow to the core of his aggressive trade policy. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, in a 7-4 ruling, held that the law Trump invoked when he granted his most expansive tariffs does not actually grant him the power to impose those levies. ‘The core Congressional power to impose taxes such as tariffs is vested exclusively in the legislative branch by the Constitution,’ the court said. ‘Tariffs are a core Congressional power.’ 

“The appellate court paused its ruling from taking effect until Oct. 14 in order to give the Trump administration time to ask the Supreme Court to reverse the decision. Trump later Friday attacked the appeals court… ‘If these Tariffs ever went away, it would be a total disaster for the Country,’ Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. ‘If allowed to stand, this Decision would literally destroy the United States of America.’…” 

Trump might be right with his assessment, but the irony is: The Bible prophesies that the USA WILL BE destroyed. 

Newsmax added on August 29: 

“The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled Trump wasn’t legally allowed to declare national emergencies and impose import taxes on almost every country on earth, largely upholding a May decision by a specialized federal trade court in New York… The decision complicates Trump’s strategy, which has upended decades of American trade policy. His tariffs — and the at times unpredictable way he’s rolled them out — have shaken global markets, alienated U.S. trading partners and allies and raised fears of higher prices and slower economic growth…

“[A] possibility is that the government might have to refund some of the import taxes that it’s collected, delivering a financial blow to the U.S. Treasury. ‘It would be 1929 all over again, a GREAT DEPRESSION!’ Trump said in a previous post on Truth Social.” 

A great depression of Trump’s making. 

Further Planned Investigations in the Epstein Case 

The Independent wrote on August 30: 

“Jeffrey Epstein’s estate will hand the infamous ‘birthday book’ at the center of President Donald Trump’s defamation case with the Wall Street Journal to Congress, according to the top Democrat on the House committee [Rep. Robert Garcia of California] leading the investigation into the handling of the late sex offender’s case… Garcia… said that Epstein’s estate would comply with the subpoena issued earlier this week by the Republican-led House Oversight Committee and turn over the 2003 book and ‘other documents.’… 

“The birthday book is the subject of a WSJ article… Trump filed a $10 billion defamation lawsuit… The House committee hopes to examine [on September 8] the book of messages from friends and associates, which was a gift to Epstein for his 50th birthday, compiled by his confidante, Ghislaine Maxwell. Trump, who denies writing a birthday message to Epstein, has not been accused of any wrongdoing… 

“Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel are expected to testify before Congress on the Trump administration’s handling of the case. Patel is scheduled to give testimony on September 17, while Bondi is scheduled for October 9…” 

This will be interesting. The Epstein case is not going away.  

Ridiculous Allegations by J.D. Vance Against Germany and Politico 

The Straits Times wrote on August 30: 

“The White House lashed out Aug 29 over what it called a ‘foreign influence operation’ by German-owned US news outlet Politico after it criticised the efforts of President Donald Trump’s envoy, Mr Steve Witkoff, in Ukraine negotiations. Vice-President J.D. Vance slammed Politico, bought in 2021 by German media giant Axel Springer [who also owns Bild], over an article that quoted unnamed officials as saying Mr Witkoff’s ‘inexperience shines through’ in his talks with Russia’s Vladimir Putin. 

“‘This story from Politico is journalistic malpractice. But it’s more than that: it’s a foreign influence operation meant to hurt the administration and one of our most effective members,’ Mr Vance said on X. A string of other White House officials made similar attacks, with Deputy Chief of Staff James Blair calling the article a ‘foreign influence operation run through a German-controlled online media outlet’. The officials did not offer evidence of any foreign party or government behind the story [Of course, because there is none.] 

“The attacks came as Berlin and France cast doubt on whether Mr Trump’s Ukraine peace efforts would bear fruit, with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz saying the war would last ‘many more months.’ Mr Witkoff is a property tycoon whom Mr Trump has named as his special envoy for peace talks to end the Ukraine and Gaza wars despite having no diplomatic experience.” 

These accusations against Politico and German interference are totally ridiculous. Politico is by far not the only outlet which has pointed out Mr. Wirkoff’s perceived incompetence (we have reported about this in prior Current Events). J.D. Vance has recently made some other questionable comments, such as that Russia has made serious concessions, and that we are close to seeing the end of the war. The evidence proves the opposite.  J.D. Vance also stated that if it should become necessary, he would be ready to be President.   

Because of Trump—Germany and Switzerland Drawing Closer 

ntv wrote on September 2: 

“The high tariffs imposed on Switzerland by US President Donald Trump are bringing the Swiss Confederation and Germany closer together… While EU membership is not on the cards for Switzerland, integration to varying degrees is possible, emphasized [Friedrich Merz]. 

“The Federal President [Karin Keller-Sutter] also pointed out that Switzerland is not even a member of the European Customs Union, but nevertheless wants significantly closer cooperation with Germany and the EU… ‘Switzerland is particularly affected by very high tariffs. We must therefore come together and work together all the more closely in Europe,’ said Merz. He hoped that the ‘exorbitant’ US punitive tariffs for the country can still be avoided… 

“Noting that Switzerland is not only not an EU member but also not a NATO member, Keller-Sutter said that the neutrality is firmly anchored in the Swiss population. However, the Federal Council wants at least the War Material Act to be watered down, which has so far made arms exports and deliveries very difficult.” 

Trump Can’t (Won’t) Stop the War 

Express wrote on August 30: 

“Donald Trump’s muted response to the latest deadly missile and drone strikes on Kyiv has been condemned as a sign of weakness by a leading Ukrainian commentator, who warned that only China’s Xi Jinping now has the power to halt Russia’s war. But Mr Boycheko also believes Russia is now China’s ‘little brother’ with Beijing effectively waging a proxy war on the West. 

“The US President spoke after the massive August 28 raids on Ukraine’s capital that killed at least 23 people, including four children. Russian forces targeted residential areas, a shopping mall, and offices used by the European Union and the British Council in one of the largest bombardments of the war. In comments posted on X and reiterated by aides, Mr Trump said he was ‘not happy’ about the attacks but ‘not surprised,’ describing them as ‘not necessary’ and of ‘very bad timing’… 

“White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt went further, stressing that Mr Trump’s reaction reflected Ukraine’s own drone strikes on Russian oil refineries. The comparison — effectively treating Moscow’s bombardment of civilian areas as equivalent to Kyiv’s targeting of energy infrastructure — has drawn criticism for failing to condemn Russia’s aggression outright. 

“Mr Boycheko, Founder and CEO of Hope for Ukraine, who now lives in the United States, believes Mr Trump fundamentally misreads both the war and the Russian president’s psychology. He told [Express:] ‘He started this whole journey on the wrong foot. He thought he could come into office, use his personal relationship with Putin, charm him, bribe him, or sweet-talk him into leaving Ukraine. But Putin is not that type of person. Putin has no feelings. He is like a computer.’ [Putin is a “computer” led and directed by demons.] 

“In Mr Boycheko’s view, the drawn-out ‘peace process’ that Mr Trump has promoted, including this summer’s summit with Putin in Alaska, is merely buying Russia time to inflict further damage on Ukraine… 

“Mr Boycheko also urged European powers to assume greater responsibility as US policy drifts. He said: ‘The whole strategy of relying on the United States for your security is a road to nowhere. Britain, Germany and France need to come up with their own plan to help Ukraine, build more drones and weapons themselves, and restructure their militaries to deal with Russia…’ Mr Boycheko also called on Western governments to intensify pressure on Russia’s finances, particularly through sanctions against the ‘shadow fleet’ of ships carrying its oil.” 

Dangerous AI Warfare 

Politico wrote on September 2: 

“… some AI scientists believe the Pentagon has already started down a slippery slope by rushing to deploy the latest generations of AI as a key part of America’s defenses around the world. Driven by worries about fending off China and Russia at the same time, as well as by other global threats, the Defense Department is creating AI-driven defensive systems that in many areas are swiftly becoming autonomous — meaning they can respond on their own, without human input — and move so fast against potential enemies that humans can’t keep up.

“Despite the Pentagon’s official policy that humans will always be in control, the demands of modern warfare — the need for lightning-fast decision-making, coordinating complex swarms of drones, crunching vast amounts of intelligence data and competing against AI-driven systems built by China and Russia — mean that the military is increasingly likely to become dependent on AI. That could prove true even, ultimately, when it comes to the most existential of all decisions: whether to launch nuclear weapons. 

“That fear is compounded by the fact that there is still a fundamental lack of understanding about how AI, particularly the LLMs, actually work. So while the Pentagon is racing to implement new AI programs, experts… are scrambling to decipher the algorithms that give AI its awesome power before humans become so dependent on AI that it will dominate military decision-making even if no one ever formally gives it that much control… Most troubling to experts on AI and nuclear weapons is that it’s getting harder and harder to keep decisions about targeting and escalation for nuclear weapons separate from decisions about conventional weapons…” 

The Wall Street Journal added on September 2: 

“In a new frontier for warfare, Ukraine is using technology to allow groups of drones to communicate and make decisions independent of their operator… On a recent evening, a trio of Ukrainian drones flew under the cover of darkness to a Russian position and decided among themselves exactly when to strike. 

“The assault was an example of how Ukraine is using artificial intelligence to allow groups of drones to coordinate with each other to attack Russian positions, an innovative technology that heralds the future of battle…”

China, Russia and North Korea

NPR wrote on August 29: 

“When North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visits China next week for a military parade, he’ll make his debut at a large gathering of foreign leaders, an event with the heads of China, Russia and North Korea all together for the first time. The Sept. 3 parade marks the end of World War II after Japan’s formal surrender to Allied forces… China’s State Council this week published a list of 26 leaders it said would attend that would also include the leaders of Iran, Cuba, Belarus and Serbia. Slovakia is so far the only NATO member on the list. This will also be Kim’s first known visit to China since 2019… South Korean President Lee will not attend the parade, but the government will be represented by Parliamentary Speaker Woo Won-shik…. 

“China and Russia have cooperated in helping North Korea avoid international sanctions imposed because of its nuclear and missile programs. And China and North Korea have helped Russia in different ways with its war in Ukraine…. 

“Chinese media, meanwhile, have focused on… China’s contributions to victory in World War II, officially known in the country as the ‘Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.’ That conflict started with Japan’s invasion of Manchuria in 1931, a decade before Japan bombed Pearl Harbor. Some 35 million Chinese soldiers and civilians were killed or wounded in the conflict, according to official Chinese government figures.” 

Still, even Japan might become part of the Kings of the East. So will India. Note the next article. 

Deutsche Welle wrote on August 31:

“Indian Prime Minister Narenda Modi has arrived on his first visit to China in seven years. Modi met with Xi, with the two sides looking forward to improving ties after border tensions. Russian President Vladimir Putin was received with a red carpet welcome. China upgrades relations with Armenia during Xi’s meeting with Armenian PM Pashinyan.” 

The Axis of Evil 

The Sun wrote on September 2: 

“The powerful leaders, often dubbed the ‘Axis of Evil’ due to how they rule over their nations with an iron fist, are seeking to challenge the dominance of the US-led West. All three have an explosive relationship with the rival bloc from China’s constant threats to invade Taiwan by force, Russia’s refusal to end the war in Ukraine and Kim’s worrying nuclear arsenal… 

“Nato chief Mark Rutte has already sounded the alarm saying Russia and China together could light the fuse on World War Three. He laid out a nightmare scenario saying if Beijing seizes Taiwan while Putin strikes eastern European Nato territory then a global war will break out instantly…. Xi and Putin have already caught the eyes of the globe after announcing plans to form a new group to directly rival Nato.” 

Xi also claimed that China and Russia ended World War II, totally ignoring the role of the USA, Great Britain, and other instrumental allies. 

Wagner Group in Africa 

The Sun wrote on August 30: 

“THOUSANDS of miles from Ukraine’s bloody frontline, Vladimir Putin is quietly waging a brutal second war in the desert… From Mali to the Central African Republic and across the Sahel, Russia has rechristened its notorious Wagner group to form a new Kremlin-controlled paramilitary force – the Africa Corps… But the tyrant is also thought to be using the dark operations as a strategic ‘conveyor belt’ to train Russian troops for his meat-grinder war in Ukraine… 

“For years, Russia’s infamous Wagner Group was used as proxy by the Kremlin to battle rebels and armed groups abroad in brutal military operations. But their chief… –  a former ally of Putin – was wiped out in a fireball crash in 2023 following an extraordinary failed coup. With a much tighter grip from the Kremlin, Wagner reinvented itself as Africa Corps – with goals to shore up military leaders, extract gold and undermine Western influence… The mercenaries have a strong foothold in the Sahel, Central African Republic, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Mali – along with ‘interest’ in Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire…” 

The Danger of Mirror Life 

Neoscope wrote on August 27: 

“It’s a technology that doesn’t even exist yet, but its effects could be so drastically destructive that scientists in the field are calling for it to be banned now, before it’s too late. We’re talking, of course, about ‘mirror life’ — synthetic organisms that quite literally turn natural biology on its head… 

“Mirror lifeforms contain DNA structures that are the mirror image to all known organisms. In all life on Earth, the DNA double helix is right-handed, meaning its strands, a sugar-phosphate backbone, twist to the right… The opposite is the case for proteins, the building blocks of cells, which are left-handed. 

“… So what happens when humans engineer a synthetic organism where its DNA twists to the left, while its proteins twist to the right? The scary thing is that we can’t say for sure — but many biologists fear the worst. In December, a group of leading figures in the field… published a massive technical report warning that the consequences of mirror life ‘could be globally disastrous,’ possibly even wiping out all life if the new organisms prove pathogenic to existing life, like us humans… 

“Most scientists agree that the technology is at least a decade away, perhaps three. But their sense of urgency in preventing it is palpable…” 

The Bible warns that no flesh would be saved alive if Christ was not to come back to shorten these days.

Strange Series of Deaths Among AfD Candidates 

Report 24 wrote on August 30: 

“The statistics don’t really support such a ‘coincidence.’ Shortly before the local elections on September 14, four promising candidates between the ages of 59 and 72 died – suddenly and unexpectedly. What they had in common: They were candidates for the Alternative for Germany (AfD), which the established, unified party in Germany fears and [it] does not want any changes to the political structure… 

“The background to this is a mood in the country that is the fault of the established, unified party [talking about all the “established” parties, such as CDU, SPD, FDP or the Green.] For example, the party had ensured that completely innocent AfD candidates were excluded from elections, most recently Joachim Paul of the mayoral election in Ludwigshafen am Rhein and Uwe Detert’s election in Lage. [This makes] it increasingly clear that the German population is only being fooled into believing in their right to democratic participation… 

“Equally part of the depressing overall picture is the tragic death of a doctor who dared to criticize former Green Party leader Habeck. The 76-year-old critical physician Wolfgang Conzelmann was tied up and suffocated—in other words, murdered. A connection to his political statements cannot be ruled out. One should also not forget that the authorities largely give the thugs and terrorist groups of the so-called ‘Antifa‘ a free hand in Germany. 

“And so it is hardly surprising that many questions have arisen surrounding the deaths of four AfD candidates for the upcoming local elections in North Rhine-Westphalia. From a purely mathematical and statistical perspective, such a cluster of deaths is extremely unlikely and difficult to explain as coincidence… 

“Stefan Berendes ran for city council in Bad Lippspringe. He was 59 years old at the time of his death. Wolfgang Seitz ran as a direct candidate for the Wesel district council in Rheinberg. He was also 59 years old. He is said to have died on August 16. Ralph Klaus Norbert Lange, 66 or 67 years old, ran for city council in Blomberg. Wolfgang Klinger ran for city council in Schwerte; he was 71 or 72 years old. The date of death is given as August 19, 2025. 

“No public information on the causes of death is currently available. Deaths among candidates from other parties running for election are unknown, which raises even more questions, at least in the mathematical and statistical field, about the deaths of the four AfD candidates.”

Elon Musk posted the following comments on X on August 30:  “Either Germany votes AfD or it is the end of Germany.” 

More Deaths 

Report 24 added on September 2: 

“Now two more AfD politicians have died: René Herford and Patrick Tietze. Both were reserve list candidates. Herford is said to have died of kidney failure and reportedly suffered from a pre-existing liver condition. Tietze is said to have committed suicide… 

“The fact that now… six politicians from the successful (and also promising in these elections) opposition party have died is certainly something to think about. No other party is being agitated and incited against as much as the AfD.” 

Subsequently, another AfD candidate died “of natural causes.”

Civil War in Europe 

Report 24 wrote on August 28: 

“Europe is no longer a haven of security. Its peoples and societies are deeply divided, trust in state institutions is in free fall, the economic foundation is crumbling… The risk factors for civil war have long been present; the only question is when the spark will ignite.” 

“The parallels to Yugoslavia in the 1990s are unmistakable. There, too, people lived in a deceptive normality until shortly before the escalation. Public life still functioned, people still went to work, and the cafes were still full. Until suddenly, nothing was normal anymore, and neighbors who had lived side by side for decades became enemies. Anyone who claims today that something like this could never happen in Paris, Brussels, or Berlin is falling prey to the same… dangerous self-deception that things will stay as they are – just because they are so used to it. 

“The ingredients for the big bang are already in place. A majority society that feels increasingly marginalized and is forbidden from any self-assertion [by being accused to be] ‘right-wing extremist’… A political establishment that sees mass immigration not as a problem, but as a ‘project’ for social transformation. And an economy driven to the brink of collapse by debt, deindustrialization, and centrally planned energy fantasies… 

“The question of ‘critical mass’ is particularly important. Studies… show that it takes no more than around 3.5 to 5 percent of a population to bring about a revolution or profound change – if this part acts decisively enough. Applied to the European Union and individual states, this means: Even a relatively small but radicalized minority can destroy the fragile balance. In an age when entire cities have already developed parallel societies (some with no-go zones), this is no longer a theoretical threat… 

“Trust in parliaments, governments, and the media regularly reaches historic lows in surveys… While the broad public still believes in the fairytale of the ‘European peace project,’ reality is gradually being determined by the conditions that, according to conflict research, make civil wars almost inevitable. Anyone who ignores this development is not only engaging in self-deception, but is endangering the survival of their own society. Europe is no longer a safe continent. The question is not whether conflicts will escalate, but when and where they will begin.” 

The Bible warns us that devastating developments will occur suddenly. 

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.

From time to time, we are faced with the question of how men and women should wear their hair, especially in church services. Some new people who get in contact with us feel that a woman must wear a veil in services, and especially during the opening or closing prayer. Others feel that a man can wear shoulder-length long hair, or he can do so by wearing it as a ponytail. Then, teens and young adults, and/or their parents, often may not know what hair length and hairstyle is appropriate for them.

We have previously addressed the issue of proper hair length in Q&As. Before extensively quoting from them, a word of caution, which we set forth in regard to proper dress in chapter 12 of our free booklet, “How Can Young People Cope With Life?”, but which would equally apply to the question of proper hair length:

“It may sometimes be difficult to strike a proper balance as to what is appropriate and inappropriate clothing. There may be a tendency to set forth detailed rules and ‘descriptions’ of what is supposedly allowed and prohibited, thereby creating what could be described as a ‘yard-stick’ approach. In this chapter, we will NOT do this, but rather, we will set forth suggestions, recommendations, guidelines and principles, while avoiding to create teachings, perhaps based on human traditions (like the Pharisees did), which the Bible does not contain…

“We need to keep in mind that we must NEVER condemn or judge self-righteously our spiritual brother and sister and their children for what is being worn (compare James 4:11–12; 2:1–4, 13). If a matter needs to be addressed on an individual basis, the ministry will do so. We are all learning to become more and more perfect in the eyes of God, and to increase in stature with people, and this process requires time and patience. As a general principle regarding proper clothing, we need to reflect God’s standards at all times, when appearing in public.”

As we said, these principles apply equally to proper hair length for men and women.

Let us reiterate first our long-standing teaching on proper hair length for women and the issue of whether they are supposed to wear a veil in services.

In our Q&A from May 31, 2003, titled, “Would you please explain 1 Corinthians 11:2-16 (instructing men to wear short hair, and women to wear long hair)…?”, we said this:

“In 1 Corinthians 11, Paul sets forth the timeless principles of proper hairstyle and hair length for men and women. After explaining in 1 Corinthians 11:3 that the Head of Christ is God the Father, the Head of a man is Christ, and the head of the woman (wife) is the man (husband), Paul continues: ‘… (verse 5) But every woman who prays or prophecies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, for that is one and the same as if her head were shaved. (verse 6) For if a woman is not covered, let her also be shorn. But if it is shameful for a woman to be shorn or shaved, let her be covered. (verse 7)… (verse 10) For this reason the woman ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels… (verse 13) Judge among yourselves. Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered?… (verse 15) But if a woman has long hair, it is a glory to her; for her hair is given to her for a covering.’

“The context of the Scripture discusses the length of hair — not the wearing of a veil or of a hat… We read that a woman should wear long hair, which is given to her ‘as a covering’ or, as some translations render this, ‘as a veil.’”

We would like to mention that, even though Paul is addressing the situation between husband and wife here, the issue of hair length and hairstyle would equally apply, in principle, to unmarried women, teenage girls, and young adults as well. Even though there is no prohibition to wear a hat, for example, in church services for a “fashion style” statement, it would be wrong if it were done with the erroneous belief that God commands it and that the woman would sin if she were to pray without wearing a hat or a veil. (The same applies to someone who refrains from eating clean meat, but does so believing that God commands him or her not to do it.)

To continue with quoting from our above-mentioned Q&A:

“The Church of the Eternal God and its sister churches are not going to engage in a ‘yard-stick religion’ of defining and regulating how long and how short hair should be worn. However, the following Biblical principles are helpful:

“We read that a woman should have ‘long hair’ as a covering, as distinguished from an ‘uncovered’ head, a ‘shaved’ head, or a ‘shorn’ head. A ‘shorn’ head pictures very short hair. One might think of the analogy of a ‘shorn’ sheep… A ‘shaved’ head describes a bald head. In contrast, a woman should wear ‘long hair,’ showing that she accepts the authority of her husband over her, ‘because of the angels.’ The thought is conveyed here that a wife cannot rely on angelic protection, if she shows through her conduct that she does not accept the God-given authority of her husband over her. (This is not to say, however, that a husband should ever abuse his authority. Our free booklet, ‘The Keys to Happy Marriages and Families,’ explains the God-ordained husband-and-wife-relationship in much detail)…”

“We are… to follow the clear principles given in 1 Corinthians 11 — that a woman should not wear her hair as to look like a man, and a man should not wear his hair as to look like a woman. If one cannot tell, by just looking at hairstyles and hair lengths, whether a person is a male or a female, then the clear guidelines set forth in 1 Corinthians 11 have not been followed.”

To add to this and to reemphasize, a man is under the authority of God. So is a wife, but she is also under the authority of her husband. Her long hair symbolizes that. To wear hair which does not “cover” her head, or shaved or shorn hair would violate the command, symbolically, to be under her husband’s authority.

What is too short and too long can be difficult for some to determine. If in doubt, consult the ministry for advice.

A thumbnail approach would be:

When you look at a man and based on his hair length or hairstyle, he looks like a woman with long hair, or one cannot determine his gender, and if you look at a woman and based on her hairstyle or hair length, she looks like a man with short hair, or one cannot determine her gender, then we have crossed the line.

Also, hairstyle goes hand in hand with long or short hair. That too should reflect and reveal a gender.

We added the following in a Q&A from May 1, 2009, titled, “What are the biblical principles regarding hair length and dress for men and women?” 

“The key for falling within the guidelines instituted by God in His Word is for men to avoid having female type hairstyles and for women to maintain a proper length to serve as a covering and as an unmistakable woman-like appearance… A man should look like a man, and a woman should look like a woman. The difference should be recognizable based on outward appearance. When the length or style of hair, all by itself, does not allow to make that determination, then the particular hairstyle or hair length would need to be modified… Our hairstyle should be ‘normal.’ It should be viewed by the overwhelming majority of society as ‘acceptable,’ rather than as outlandish…”

Addressing now in particular the hair length and hairstyle for men, we said the following in our Q&A from May 31, 2003, “Would you please explain 1 Corinthians 11:2-16 (instructing men to wear short hair, and women to wear long hair)…?”,   

“Paul continues: ‘(verse 4) Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonors his head. (verse 5)… For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God… (verse 14) Does not even nature itself teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a dishonor to him?…”

“… we are told that a man is not to wear ‘long hair,’ and that even nature teaches us that wearing long hear is a ‘dishonor’ to a man. The Greek word for ‘dishonor’ is ‘atimia.’… Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance points out that ‘atimia’ can describe a comparative indignity or disgrace (under No. 819). The related word, ‘atimos,’ can describe something ‘less honorable [comparative degree]’ (under No. 820)…

“… the Old Testament permitted a man on special occasions to wear long hair. This exception is set forth in Numbers 6, known as ‘the Law of the Nazarite.’ Men were permitted to make a temporary ‘Nazarite vow’ to God. During the time of their vow, a Nazarite was not to cut his hair, but let ‘the locks of the hair of his head grow’ (verse 5). In addition, he was not to touch a dead person, eat any fresh grapes or raisins, or drink anything made from grapes, including wine. This law was inseparably connected with the ritual law of sacrifices: At the end of the separation, the Nazarite had to bring several offerings, and he had to go through additional rituals before the priest.

“The long hair of the Nazarite vow reflected, in physical terms, the willingness of the person to be under authority — under the authority of God. Sometimes, certain people were consecrated from their birth as Nazarites, to be separated to God throughout their lives. Famous examples are Samson (Judges 13:5,7); Samuel (1 Samuel 1:11); and — perhaps — John the Baptist (Luke 1:15; Luke 7:33)… 

“… these vows ceased within the church when the temple was destroyed, as the purification ceremonies could not be carried out any longer. Today, the rules and regulations pertaining to a Nazarite vow are no longer of any consequence for us…”

We might want to add here that Paul’s comments that it is a shame for a man to wear long hair, as only a Nazarite was allowed to do so. A man wearing long hair today would appropriate to himself the example of a Nazarite without being one. It would be shameful and quite frankly dishonorable to God to do so today. Just as an aside, Jesus was not a Nazarite, as the Q&As mentioned herein prove as well, and therefore didn’t have long hair. We would also like to add that our statements about hair length and hairstyle of men would equally apply to teens and young adults.

We added the following comments in our Q&A from May 1, 2009, titled, “What are the biblical principles regarding hair length and dress for men and women?” 

“God permits differences in length of hair, and we note that varieties occur in hair color and texture among people. Some men will wear very short hair while others will have fuller styles; the same might be true, to an extent, for women. The key for falling within the guidelines instituted by God in His Word is for men to avoid having female type hairstyles and for women to maintain a proper length to serve as a covering and as an unmistakable woman-like appearance…

“In reviewing hair length and hairstyle of men and women, we conclude, based on biblical principles, that one should be able to determine the gender of a person at first sight. To put it bluntly: A man should look like a man, and a woman should look like a woman. The difference should be recognizable based on outward appearance. When the length or style of hair, all by itself, does not allow to make that determination, then the particular hairstyle or hair length would need to be modified.

“In addition, we must consider more of what God specifically instructs concerning how we ought to wear our hair… During the Hippie-culture of the 1960s, young men would wear long hair, but this was never accepted by the majority of our Western society… Today, a man with long hair is normally looked upon as ‘different.’ The types of hairstyle propagated today by the MTV generation, with hair sticking out like that of a porcupine, or uncombed, giving a sloppy appearance, or hair which is just too long for a man, is simply not in line with how a Christian man should appear in public…”

It may be so that today, certain hair lengths and hairstyles in our “liberal” societies might be “accepted” which would have been rejected in times past. On the other hand, in certain cultures and in medieval times, long hair for men was accepted and even advocated. But we cannot go by those “rules,” which come and go, but need to have a sound mind, based on God’s instructions.

Again, if in doubt, consult your minister.

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

compiled by Dave Harris

“Crazy Science and the End of the World,” is the title of a new StandingWatch program, presented by Evangelist Norbert Link. Here is the summary:

Today, new scientific “advances” make it even more possible than ever before to destroy all life on Earth and usher in the end of the world. This program presents two shockingly insane scientific developments and, using a historical example, warns against being unprepared.

“Verrückte Wissenschaft und das Ende der Welt,” is the title of a new AufPostenStehen program, presented by Norbert Link. This program covers the same information as presented above.

“Sind Kindertaufen im Einklang mit Gottes Wort?” last Sabbath’s German sermonette presented by Dominik Kaltenegger, is now posted. Title in English: “Are Infant Baptisms in Accordance with God’s Word?”

“Family Rules – Sag, ich liebe Dich,” last Sabbath’s German sermon presented by Christoph Sperzel, is now posted. Title in English: “Family Rules — Say I Love You.”

“I Don’t Want to,” last Sabbath’s sermonette presented by Rene Messier, is now posted. Here is the summary:

“I don’t want to” is a saying which you should eradicate from your mind when you deal with sin and repentance.

“The Period of the Judges,” last Sabbath’s sermon presented by Paul Niehoff, is now posted. Here is the summary:

When we read through the book of Judges, we might think that this book is just an historical record of the Children of Israel occupying the promised land and the obstacles they faced. However, when analyzed, their experiences could be a warning to us not to do what they did that aroused God’s anger against them.

2025 FALL HOLY DAYS:

September 23   Feast of Trumpets

October 2           Day of Atonement

October 7-13     Feast of Tabernacles

October 14         Last Great Day