On May 22, 2021, Frank Bruno will present the sermonette, titled, “The Choice of Nicodemus,” and Dave Harris will present the sermon, titled, “The Holy Spirit: Power or Person?”

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.

Among other things, Christians are called members, and here are some examples: potential member; new member; long-time member; faithful member, active member…

The Bible also has these references about our membership: “…so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another” (Romans 12:5); “Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ?” (1 Corinthians 6:15); “For in fact the body is not one member but many” (1 Corinthians 12:14); “But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased” (1 Corinthians 12:18); “And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it” (1 Corinthians 12:26).

We have to be called by God to be members of His Church—the one over which Jesus Christ rules! In fact, a person must be selected by God for a place in His Church, as Jesus explained:

“‘No one can come to Me [to become a Christian] unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day’” (John 6:44); “And He said, ‘Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father’” (John 6:65).

Our Christian membership is spiritual, and it must be to be true: “But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His” (Romans 8:9).

Our membership with both God and Jesus Christ is the ultimate test, and Jesus prayed about this:

“‘I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me’” (John 17:20-23).

Jesus also addressed the world in this prayer to the Father, and He had earlier warned His disciples that their membership with Him would not be easy:

“‘These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world’” (John 16:33).

Oftentimes, we in the Church of God refer to “former members.” The context may be about those who have died, but, tragically, it may be about those who have forfeited their membership as Christians—having lost the Holy Spirit.

Let me leave you with this powerful admonition—it is a crucially important key for each one of us to maintain our Christian membership in the context of the times in which we live:

“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching” (Hebrews 10:23-25).

by Norbert Link

We begin with the world’s condemnation of Israel’s actions in the Middle East and with hostile and violent antisemitic demonstrations in many countries, notably in Germany; emphasize Turkey’s mean-spirited attacks on Israel; [please view our new StandingWatch program in this context, titled, “Turkey Attacks Israel”];  President Biden’s caving in to pressures from the left-wing “Squad”; and America’s sudden retreat from Afghanistan.

We continue with a strong article by the New York Post’s Editorial Board, claiming that Joe Biden “turned out to be a master of disaster, with self-inflicted crises across the board threatening to set America back to the 1970s”; speak on the desired role of the Pope; and address Russia’s perceived agenda regarding the take-over of Ukraine.

Focusing on numerous articles on most recent developments pertaining to the coronavirus, we report on legendary Eric Clapton’s experience with vaccines; the alleged danger of lockdowns for our children’s health; the alleged controversial role of Anthony Fauci, pertaining to funding of research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China; the brave conduct of Florida’s governor in pardoning “violators” or dubious coronavirus restrictions; the anticipated “honor system” when it comes to wearing or not wearing masks by fully vaccinated Americans; and the allegation that many lives could have been saved if it had not been for the suppression of non-vaccine approaches to COVID.

We conclude with a spectacular win of California churches and the issue of UFOs, and whether they should be taken seriously. 

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

Israel and Hamas Agree to Ceasefire

 JTA wrote on May 20:

 “After 11 days of fighting, Israel and Hamas agreed to a ‘mutual and simultaneous’ ceasefire on Thursday that will begin at 2 a.m. Friday Israel time. Israel’s security cabinet unanimously approved the truce, according to reports, after military officials presented what they deemed the successful outcomes of their campaign. ‘Hamas is deterred and suffered serious blows,’ one official said, according to The Times of Israel. A Hamas official confirmed the news to Reuters on Thursday.

“The ceasefire was mediated by Egypt and supported by the United States and other countries…”

The Jerusalem Post added on May 20:

“According to the security cabinet the ceasefire will be unconditional, however Senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan said he had received guarantees from the mediators that, ‘The occupation will remove its hand from Sheikh Jarrah and al-Aqsa,’ Israeli media reported.  Israeli sources refuted Hamdan’s claim, saying it is completely false and the ceasefire is in fact unconditional…  Regarding the ceasefire agreement, Defense Minister Benny Gantz said the, ‘reality on the ground will determine the continuation of the campaign,’ implying that Israel will be keeping with the principle of ‘quiet would be met by quiet.’ Gantz added that ‘the defense establishment continues its readiness to protect Israeli citizens.’…”

 Let’s see how long that cease fire will last…  

Israel Is Condemned and Defends Destruction of Building in Gaza

The Hill wrote on May 15:

“The Associated Press, Al Jazeera and other press advocates condemned the Israeli airstrike on Saturday that blew up the building housing them and other media outlets. AP President and CEO Gary Pruitt said… that the company was ‘shocked and horrified’ by the military strike… ‘This is an incredibly disturbing development…’

“Al Jazeera issued a separate statement condemning the bombing ‘in the strongest possible terms,’ saying it viewed the strike as a ‘clear act to stop journalists from conducting their sacred duty to inform the world and report events on the ground.’… Mostefa Souag, acting director general of the Al Jazeera Media Network, asserted that the strike was meant to ‘silence the media and to hide the untold carnage and suffering of the people of Gaza.’

“Other press advocates condemned the bombing of the building. Joel Simon, executive director of the Committee to Protect Journalists, said the attack ‘raises the specter that the Israel Defense Forces is deliberately targeting media facilities in order to disrupt coverage of the human suffering in Gaza…’”

Time of Israel wrote on May 16:

“IDF Spokesperson Hidai Zilberman pushes back…

“One of the main occupants of the building, the Associate Press news agency, which has maintained offices there for some 15 years, has denied knowledge of Hamas’s presence in the building and demanded the Israel Defense Forces release evidence of that fact, which Zilberman rejected. ‘Yesterday I released a statement with the assets that were in the building. I’ll repeat them: a Hamas research and development unit, Hamas military intelligence and offices of the PIJ. It was very clear what was in there… We’re in the midst of an operation. They are firing wherever they want, on a civilian population, on cities that have tens and hundreds of thousands of people… A building that has Hamas and Islamic Jihad assets in it needs to be brought down.’

“The spokesperson adds that this operation was meant to deter terror groups from maintaining offices alongside media outlets in the future. ‘If Hamas and the Islamic Jihad think that the media are their shield, then in the next operation in Gaza, we’ll find that media outlets’ offices are going to be popping up as covers for terrorist assets,’ he says.”

No journalist or freelancer was injured as they received a one-hour warning from Israel ahead of the strike to leave the building which then collapsed and crumbled to the ground. Some of their equipment was damaged, however. It is also well known that the terrorist organization Hamas is using women and children as human shields and locating them in dangerous places so that they can say in case of casualties that Israel intentionally killed them. Still, war is a terrible curse, and God hates it. So must we, if we are true Christians. Advocating or participating in war is incompatible with the mind of Christ.

The articles which we quote herein, pertaining for instance to the situation in the Middle East, must not be misconstrued as assuming that we are taking sides or are in any way supporting violent actions. We are only reporting these events to show how biblical prophecy is being fulfilled.

Numerous anti-Israel demonstrations, some of them turning violent, were held all over the world, including in the UK, the USA, Canada, Europe and of course many Arab nations. One did not hear much about any anti-Hamas demonstrations. The next articles about antisemitic demonstrations in Germany are especially telling.

Hate for Jews in Germany

The Guardian wrote on May 17:

“… thousands of people attended what became aggressive protests at the weekend… In the most violent protest, in the southern Berlin district of Neukölln, demonstrators… burned Israeli flags, chanted anti-Israel slogans and flew Hamas banners… At another demonstration, in Mannheim, an Israeli flag was burned and arrests were made. Charges of hate speech, bodily harm and assault were brought against some participants… There were also large gatherings in [Cologne,] Hamburg, Leipzig, Frankfurt, Stuttgart and Hanover, where calls were made for the dissolution of Israel.

“… Wolfgang Schäuble, the president of the Bundestag, said that while it was legitimate to ‘sharply criticise’ the politics of Israel and to ‘protest loudly’ against it, ‘there is no justification for antisemitism, hate and violence’. In particular he condemned protesters who had questioned the right of Israel to exist…”

This almost sounds like an invitation for anti-Israel protests.

Bild Online published the following editorial by Julian Reichelt on May 16 with the headline:

“Our Country is in Danger.”

The commentary continued:

“What we saw on Saturday on our streets has been a historical danger….While being tolerated by our government and minimized by our public media, an absolutely totally Arab-Muslim-oriented antisemitic mob marched through almost all of Germany’s main cities and demanded, full of hate, the annihilation of Israel. .. they do not fear the police, and do not have to be afraid of our government, they bring their children to the demonstrations and raise the next generation in Germany to be haters of Israel….

“Not the Islam, but the perversion of the Islam is making German cities to be dangerous country for Jews, as it has already happened in France and Sweden. Angela Merkel’s immigration policy… has imported ten- or hundred-times an ideology which views the Jew as the eternal enemy…

“I want to hear finally what the chancellor’s personal unmistakable words to the haters of Jews are, what she wants to DO to combat the rise of this annihilation ideology, before she abdicates.”

Merkel’s spokesperson has now declared that the events caused by the anti-Israeli mob are shameful and not acceptable. He admitted that Jews are not able to freely and safely move in certain cities. He said that one has to recognize now that there are not only anti-Semitic neo-Nazis, but also anti-Semitic Muslims (!). “Chancellor Angela Merkel told broadcaster Westdeutscher Rundfunk on Thursday that the antisemitic attacks in Germany are ‘to be condemned in the strongest terms. She clarified that criticism of Israel is one thing, but ‘when Israeli flags are burned and synagogues are attacked, then that must be severely opposed,’ the chancellor said” (Deutsche Welle,  dated May 20).

Anti-Semitism will never be eradicated in Germany prior to Christ’s return.

Erdogan Attacks USA and Austria

Deutsche Welle wrote on May 18:

“The Turkish president said Biden was ‘writing history with bloody hands’ after US approval of weapons sales to Israel…  His comments, made in a nationally televised address on Monday, represented one of his strongest attacks against the US president since Biden took office in January. Erdogan also criticized Austria for flying the flag of Israel last week. ‘I condemn Austria for hanging the Israeli terror state’s flag,’ Erdogan said. ‘The Austrian state seems to be trying to make Muslims pay the price for [its role] in the Holocaust.’

“Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz called the move to fly the flag a mark of solidarity with Israel… Erdogan, a vocal critic of Israel, has [been] calling for governments to take action against Israel…”

Sebastian Kurz was heavily criticized for his pro-Israel stance, as this allegedly violated the officially “neutral” stance of Austria.

Erdogan’s Attacks on Israel

Israel 365 wrote on May 18:

“After a cabinet meeting at the Presidential Complex in Ankara late Monday, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan held a media conference in which he called on the UN, UN Security Council, Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), and other international organizations to take action focusing on wrestling Jerusalem away from Israel…. Dr. Efrat Aviv, a senior lecturer in the Dept. of Middle Eastern Studies at Bar Ilan University and an expert on Turkey, understood that Turkish troops appearing in Jerusalem might be one possible outcome, should Erdogan have his way.”

Israel Today added on May 18:

“Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged Pope Francis to join him in coming against Israel. Erdogan fancies himself the leader of the Sunni Muslim world, and sees the Pope as the primary head of Christianity. In his eyes, they must come together to lead the rest of the world in confronting the Jewish menace. ‘All of humanity should be united against Israel,’ Erdogan told the Pope over the phone.”

The Jerusalem Post wrote on May 19:

“Among its recent statements is a demand by Turkey to separate Jerusalem from Israel. The latest comments by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan were to demand a ‘separate arrangement’ for Jerusalem. Since 2020, when Turkey turned Hagia Sophia into a mosque, the Turkish religious and political leadership of the AKP Party, which supports Hamas, has sought to ‘liberate’ al-Aqsa Mosque and claims it will take over Jerusalem…

“The comments by the leadership of the AKP are also represented in far-right media in Turkey. Yena Safak, a newspaper that caters to the populist Right in the country and is close to the regime, argued for Turkey to lead an Islamic alliance to attack Israel. The alliance would include Turkey, Iran, Qatar, Malaysia and Pakistan, countries that either back Hamas or are close to the Muslim Brotherhood. Ankara had consulted with Tehran last week about how to confront Israel.

“… Turkey has become one of the most anti-Israel states in the world, and its constant anti-Israel rhetoric, fed through its state-controlled media that run the most outlandish articles about Israel, fuels antisemitism in Turkey and abroad…”

According to the Bible, Turkey will perform despicable acts against Israel in the not-too-distant future.

No Antisemitic Remarks?

 JTA wrote on May 19:

 “The main organization representing Turkish Jews has criticized the U.S. State Department for accusing President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of using antisemitic rhetoric. The Jewish Confederation of Turkey said Wednesday that it was ‘unfair and reprehensible to imply that President Erdogan is antisemitic’ in a tweet.

“On Tuesday, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement that ‘the United States strongly condemns President Erdogan’s recent anti-Semitic comments regarding the Jewish people and finds them reprehensible.’

“A day earlier Erdogan, who on multiple occasions has made statements widely deemed antisemitic, made a rambling speech in Ankara following a Cabinet meeting in which he used ‘Jews’ and ‘Israelis’ interchangeably. ‘They are murderers, these are murderers enough to kill 6-year-old babies,’ he said… ‘They are murderers enough to make women crawl on the ground.’

“Erdogan, who said President Joe Biden as ‘bloody hands,’ also claimed that ‘a Jewish prime minister’ had told him on a state visit to Turkey that he enjoyed killings Palestinians, adding that ‘Attacks by Jews on the Al-Aqsa Mosque have turned into a powder keg.’

“Erdogan has often called Israel and Israelis ‘child killers,’ and in 2014 called a protester against his internal policies ‘seed of Israel.’

“But in the tweet defending Erdogan, the Jewish Confederation of Turkey said it cannot concur with allegations that he is antisemitic. ‘On the contrary, he has always been constructive, supportive & encouraging towards us,’ the tweet said. Turkey has about 15,000 Jews.”

America Condemns Turkey

Deutsche Welle reported on May 19:

“The US on Tuesday criticized Erdogan for his comments over Israeli airstrikes.  ‘The United States strongly condemns President Erdogan’s recent antisemitic comments regarding the Jewish people and finds them reprehensible,’ State Department spokesperson Ned Price said. ‘We urge President Erdogan and other Turkish leaders to refrain from incendiary remarks, which could incite further violence,’ he added.

“Erdogan has accused Israel of ‘terrorism’ against the Palestinians, saying it was ‘in their nature.’ ‘They are murderers, to the point that they kill children who are five or six years old. They only are satisfied by sucking their blood,’ he said…The latest exchange of remarks could strain an already tense relationship between Washington and Ankara… After taking office, [Biden] promised a harsh stance on his Turkish counterpart. Last month, he made a landmark decision to recognize the mass killings of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire in 1915-1917 as genocide.”

Erdogan is indeed an unscrupulous anti-Semitic dictator, and the mass killings of Armenians were indeed rightly classified as genocide. The relationship between the USA and Turkey will continue to deteriorate.

Biden Demands Significant De-Escalation from Netanyahu

Breitbart wrote on May 19:

“‘The President conveyed to the Prime Minister that he expected a significant de-escalation today on the path to a ceasefire,’ the White House said in a readout of the president’s call with Israeli prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. President Biden escalated his demands for peace as a growing number of leftist Democrats criticize him for not speaking out against Israel’s latest military response to a flood of Hamas terror rocket attacks… Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) has publicly demanded that Biden criticize the Israeli attacks and defend the rights of Palestinians, and even confronted the president on Tuesday at a Detroit airport… Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) lead  a group of 28 senators on Monday issuing a letter demanding a ceasefire in the conflict, ‘to prevent any further loss of civilian life and to prevent further escalation of conflict.’”

In a related article, Breitbart added: “Nearly 38 percent of Democrats believe Israel is to blame for the current violence, while 34.4 percent do not know…”

Fox News added on May 19:

“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday brushed off President Biden’s  call for a ‘significant de-escalation’ of the conflict in Gaza, saying he is ‘determined to continue’ the operation against the terrorist organization Hamas… Biden is increasingly facing pressure from the more progressive left of his own party to ramp up pressure on the U.S. ally, with a number of Democrats complaining that Biden has not been tougher against Israel. A number have objected to a pending $735 million sale of precision-guided missiles to Israel…”

However, as mentioned above, a ceasefire has now been agreed upon, but the question is whether it will hold. 

EU Must Get Involved

Arab News reported on May 18:

“European Union foreign ministers debated Tuesday how to use the 27-nation bloc’s political clout to help diplomatic efforts to end the fighting between the Israeli armed forces and Palestinian militants… The EU is the biggest donor of aid to the Palestinians but holds little influence over the militant group Hamas or the state of Israel, despite having some trade arrangements that are favorable to the Israelis…

“German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas… said the EU needs to look beyond ending the current violence and at how to prevent a repeat. ‘The EU must play a role here, in political and humanitarian terms,’ he said…”

And so, the EU will, under German leadership.

The Two State Solution… Gone

Deutsche Welle wrote on May 17:

“In recent years, support for the two-state solution appears to be decreasing.

“As Israel has expanded settlement building, support has dwindled among Palestinians. By 2020, majorities of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza were expressing opposition to the idea. That trend has continued, with many people saying that the sprawl of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, which are illegal under international law, has made the idea impossible to implement.

“Attacks by Hamas and allied groups have eroded support for a two-state solution among Israelis. Fewer than half of Israelis favor it…”

America’s Retreat from Afghanistan

Stars and Stripes wrote on May 13:

“U.S. forces have left Kandahar Airfield, a southern Afghanistan base that was once one of the largest NATO and coalition installations in the country, Afghan and U.S. officials said. The airfield has been transferred to the Afghan security forces, a U.S. defense official said…

“U.S. forces did not hold a handover ceremony at the base, which housed an estimated 30,000 troops and contractors at the height of the war. A spokesman for Afghanistan’s 205th Atal Military Corps said the departure of U.S. forces from the base came as a surprise and without coordination… ‘They left in the night’ and there are no more U.S. forces in Kandahar…’ said Gen. Faqir Qowahi, commander of the military side of the Kandahar Airport…”

This shameful retreat of American troops “in the night” is quite telling.

Biden Even More a Master of Disaster than Jimmy Carter

The New York Post Editorial Board published the following article on May 15:

“President Joe Biden entered office poised to oversee a record recovery and a return to the booming economy and all-round stability of pre-pandemic life. Instead, he’s turned out to be a master of disaster, with self-inflicted crises across the board threatening to set America back to the 1970s — with that era’s infamous ‘stagflation’ as well as a foreign policy in flames…  it’s disaster after disaster as Biden wastes every opportunity his predecessor left him.

“With Biden closing the Keystone XL Pipeline on his first day in office and generally vowing to wage war on all fossil fuels, it’s no wonder there’s uncertainty and higher prices.

“Nowhere is the self-inflicted nature of Biden’s disasters more plain than on the border. He put a moratorium on… all construction on any border barriers… [The] feds have a record number of unaccompanied minors in custody — around 22,000 — because Biden ordered the public-health rule keeping migrants out to be lifted for solo kids.

“Meanwhile, Hamas and its allies have gone on the attack against Israel, leaving it no choice but to defend itself… the Biden team’s drive to restore the Iran nuclear deal plainly inspired Tehran’s terrorist clients to start firing, even as it makes Israel less willing to listen to Washington’s efforts to broker a ceasefire.

“It’s stunning how much success Biden has managed to reverse in not even four months. With long lines at the pump, slowing growth and rising inflation, it’s looking like the Jimmy Carter era — except that it took Carter years to produce the disasters that this president has fostered in scant months.”

This does not give us much confidence in the welfare and prosperity of the USA.

Trump Continues His Fight against Biden

Express wrote on May 17:

“DONALD TRUMP once again refused to accept that Joe Biden won the 2020 Presidential elections. In a new statement posted to his website on Sunday, the 45th US President claimed that there was ‘no way’ that the Democrat won… a large majority of Republicans view Mr Biden as an illegitimate Commander-in Chief. In a new poll conducted for CBS news, as many as 67 percent of Republican voters said they did not think that the former Delaware senator was the true winner. Mr Trump immediately seized on the polling data to once again push his claims of electoral fraud.

“In a statement posted to his website, he wrote: ‘Breaking News! New polling by CBS News on the state of the Republican Party (which is very strong!). ‘President Trump has a strong hold on the GOP.’ 80% of Republicans agree with the removal of Liz Cheney from GOP Leadership and only 20% disagree. The poll also showed that 67% of Republicans said that they do not consider Sleepy Joe Biden to be the legitimate winner of the 2020 Presidential Election. I agree with them 100%, just look at the facts and the data—there is no way he won the 2020 Presidential Election!’

“On Saturday, Mr Trump branded the 2020 Presidential Election ‘the crime of the century’, in a tweet posted on @RSBNetwork.”

This issue will not go away any time soon, if ever.

How Catholic John Kerry Views the Role of the Pope

Eurasia Review wrote on May 17:

“U.S. President Joe Biden’s climate envoy John Kerry… is in Europe to meet with government officials and business leaders ahead of the Nov. 1-12 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow… He said: ‘I think that his [the pope’s] voice will be a very important voice leading up to and through the Glasgow [climate] conference… I think his Holiness speaks with a moral authority that is quite separate. It’s unique…’

“Kerry told Vatican News that the pope could exert an influence far beyond that of most other leaders… ‘I think he can sort of shake people a little bit… And I think that the Vatican may be a small entity, but the flock is enormous on a global basis and His Holiness, Pope Francis, has the ability to help galvanize action from countries. He has the ability to be able to affect citizens in many different countries all at the same time and have them call on their governments to be responsible, to do what we need to do to preserve the planet… So, I think that the world has a special respect for Pope Francis and there is no question that he has already been a significant leader in this endeavor. And we look to him for further guidance and help in getting this job done.’”

The influence of the Roman Catholic Church and its leader will reach unparalleled and at the same time frightening proportions in the near future.

Russia’s Aim to “de facto” take over Ukraine

Bloomberg wrote on May 13:

“The European Union says Russia is trying to gradually absorb parts of eastern Ukraine, according to a document the bloc shared this week with member states. In the paper… the EU says steps by the Kremlin such as organizing illegitimate elections and issuing passports to locals are ‘aimed at de facto integration of Ukraine’s non-governmental-controlled areas into Russia.’ …

“Russia has repeatedly denied plans to take over the territories…

“War broke out in the breakaway regions after President Vladimir Putin’s annexation of Crimea from his neighbor in 2014… Greater autonomy for the region, known as Donbas, would potentially give it veto power over national goals such as NATO and EU membership that are opposed by Putin…”

Ultimately, Ukraine will be a part of Russia, however it may come about, as this is clearly prophesied in the Bible.

Eric Clapton Warns Against Vaccine Propaganda

Daily Mail reported on May 15:

“Eric Clapton has hit out at ‘propaganda’ over vaccine safety, claiming he suffered alarming side effects after his Covid jabs. The legendary guitarist, a lockdown sceptic, said his hands and feet became ‘useless’ – prompting fears he would never play again. In a message to his music producer, he said: ‘I took the first jab of AZ [Astra Zeneca] and straight away had severe reactions which lasted ten days.’ The 76-year-old said he ‘recovered eventually’ but suffered further ‘disastrous reactions’ six weeks later after the second shot.

“He added: ‘My hands and feet were either frozen, numb or burning, and pretty much useless for two weeks, I feared I would never play again… I should never have gone near the needle. But the propaganda said the vaccine was safe for everyone.’

“The musician, who has emphysema, ended his email to Italian music mogul Robin Monotti Graziadei, saying: ‘I’ve been a rebel all my life, against tyranny and arrogant authority, which is what we have now.’ Clapton criticised the Government earlier this year in an anti-lockdown song called Stand And Deliver. The song was in collaboration with Van Morrison, who is also a critic of restrictions.”

Clapton is not the only one who has recognized the political propaganda—from all sides—regarding Coronavirus vaccinations and lockdowns.

Lockdowns Have Harmed the Health of our Children

Deutsche Welle wrote on May 11:

“… for children in particular, the lack of physical activity over a longer term is a major problem. Many schools and sports clubs had long since canceled sports lessons and physical activities. Parents and professionals alike are concerned. ‘This extended period of restricted movement is a bigger problem for young children and teenagers than learning deficiencies in the cognitive field,’ Alexander Woll tells DW. Woll is a sports scientist at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in southwest Germany. For almost a decade, he’s been analyzing patterns of movement among children…

“Authorities have only slowly begun to recognize the negative impact of the pandemic on young people… Woll points to a more general challenge: ‘For a long time, sports were seen as a source of infection.’ But new studies have shown that ‘movement and sport play a protective role.’ One recent study out of the United States, for instance, demonstrates ‘that physical inactivity is a key determinator for particularly serious cases of COVID-19.’ In other words, physical activity is part of the solution, not part of the problem…”

The foolishness of our ignorant scientists….

Did Fauci Lie to Congress?

Breitbart wrote on May 12:

“Wednesday on Fox News Channel’s ‘America’s Newsroom,’ Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) sounded off on his hearing with National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director Anthony Fauci from the day before regarding the origination of the coronavirus and whether American tax dollars supported research that could have led to the outbreak.

“Fauci asserted at the hearing that the National Institute of Health does not fund gain of research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China, but Paul maintained the White House chief medical adviser is telling verifiable falsehoods…

“‘I would say what Dr. Fauci said yesterday was verifiably false… He said no NIH money went to the Wuhan Institute for gain of function. Well, the main doctor there, the one they call the bat scientist or the bat woman. … wrote a paper [that] MIT scientists have looked at they said was gain of function –meaning juicing up these viruses to make them very potent and infect humans. She wrote this paper and, in her paper, acknowledged her funding came from Dr. Fauci’s group, the NIAID which is part of NIH. So, he is verifiably telling you something that is not true. Dr. Fauci came to Congress yesterday and lied…’

“According to Paul, Fauci is lying because he is ‘worried about culpability.’”

Apart from his alleged lies, his ever-changing positions on just about everything pertaining to the coronavirus have been deeply disturbing anyhow.

Life Site added on May 13:

“Fox News commentator Tucker Carlson… raised questions about [Fauci, as follows]: Why isn’t [he]  under criminal investigation for his role in creating the COVID pandemic?…

“Carlson cited an article by Nicholas Wade in which the science writer and former New York Times reporter lays out the evidence behind the theory that COVID originated in — and escaped from — the Wuhan Institute of Virology. According to Carlson, Wade presents ‘insurmountable evidence’ that COVID originated in the lab where scientists were conducting U.S. taxpayer-funded gain-of-function experiments. Who approved that funding? Fauci, according to Wade.”

Florida Governor to Pardon COVID Restriction “Violators”

Newsmax wrote on May 13:

“Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday said he would pardon anyone charged with breaking COVID-19 protocols such as mask-wearing and social distancing. The governor made the remarks after two gym owners, Mike and Jillian Carnevale, faced criminal penalties for refusing to enforce such protocols. DeSantis said he would order a 60-day reprieve for the gym owners that would delay their cases. During that time, a clemency board will meet to issue pardons to the gym owners and Florida residents who have similar charges… He then added, ‘These things with health should be advisory. They should not be punitive.’… The news comes after the governor made an announcement last week to immediately suspend all COVID-19 mandates in the state. The governor said he would outlaw them by July 1.”

The New York Post added on May 13:

“Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis… broke the news of his pardon directly to Mike and Jillian Carnevale, who faced up to 120 days in jail for repeatedly allowing people to forgo masks at their gym in Plantation in Broward County… DeSantis said potential jail time was particularly absurd in the Carnevales’ case. ‘The fact is, it’s not even right to be wearing masks when you’re exercising,’ the governor said. ‘The World Health Organization advises against it! It’s not healthy to be doing that in the first place, so it was a bad restriction,’ he said.”

Good for the Governor. But it shows again the harmful ridiculousness of some of the coronavirus restrictions.

Masks or no Masks… That is the Question

The Washington Post wrote on May 15:

“In an intensely polarized nation, many people have little faith that their maskless fellow Americans have actually been vaccinated. That lack of trust, fueled by the ongoing politicization of the pandemic, tears at the fabric of a public-health strategy built on the assumption that other people will do the right thing.

“Just more than 1 in 3 people in the United States are fully inoculated, leaving most of the population among those instructed to keep their face coverings securely over their noses when indoors. But with federal officials repeatedly rejecting the possibility of vaccine passports, enforcement relies on an honor system. Asked Thursday how people will know if others had been vaccinated, Anthony Fauci, President Biden’s chief medical adviser, said they wouldn’t. ‘You’re gonna be depending on people being honest enough to say whether they are vaccinated or not,’ he told CNN…”

Whatever happened to the concept, taught by scientists, that someone who has had coronavirus should be likewise exempt from wearing a mask? Suddenly, there is deep silence from our “expert” scientists on that issue.

Coronavirus—Tens of Thousands of Lives Could Have Been Saved

On May 17, Life Site News wrote the following:

“Since the first days of the declared coronavirus pandemic, doctors faithful to their Hippocratic Oath have been searching for — and identifying — effective COVID-19 treatments.

“In mid-November, Dr. Peter McCullough, vice chief of internal medicine at Baylor University Medical Center, and three other experts outlined safe and available treatments for the Senate’s influential Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee. University of Wisconsin critical care specialist Dr. Pierre Kory followed up with more discussion of viable COVID treatments at a Dec. 8 appearance before the same committee.

“However, as Children’s Health Defense Chairman Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. observed during a March 2021 conversation with McCullough, ‘we’ve seen this very strange conflict … that many of those treatments that could save lives, instead of being promoted and investigated and studied by the health authorities, are instead being sabotaged and made … inaccessible.’ The government’s ‘near complete’ lack of guidance and research on treatment options — ‘apart from vaccines’ — is, according to Kory, ‘unconscionable.’

“The tragic fallout of this government strategy is now becoming apparent. In a recent working paper analyzing the determinants of COVID-19 fatalities, the authors — Michigan State University economics professor Mark Skidmore and co-author Hideki Toya — estimated ‘if the U.S. had made [hydroxychloroquine] widely available early on, 80,000 to 100,000 lives could have been saved.’

“McCullough had already reached similar conclusions when he told senators in November the U.S. ‘could have saved half of the lives lost’ if COVID treatment protocols had not been squelched. By March, McCullough had revised his estimate upward, asserting that ‘as many as 85% of COVID deaths could have been prevented through early treatment.’…

“Under the guise of “consumer protection” and “false marketing,” the government appears to be doubling down on its suppression of non-vaccine approaches to COVID.

“For example, under the disingenuously named ‘COVID-19 Consumer Protection Act’ –part of the 2021 Consolidated Appropriations Act signed into law by then-President Trump in late December— the U.S. Department of Justice began actively pursuing enforcement actions against healthcare providers who encourage use of supplements such as zinc and vitamin D to treat or prevent COVID. Given that these and other micronutrients have been controversially recommended for years for influenza, the common cold and other respiratory infections, the motives for the clampdown cannot be taken at face value.”

Of course, it’s all about money and the heavy influence of the greedy pharmaceutical industry, fearing any kind of “competition.” Another example would be the ongoing ridiculous prohibition of medical marijuana.

California Churches WON

Newsmax wrote on May 18:

“A California District judge has issued a statewide permanent injunction against COVID-19 restrictions on churches and places of worship… It came after the state had moved to ban indoor worship services last year, along with other indoor activities like dining and movie theaters, in its ‘Tier 1’ areas, which encompassed most of the state.

“Under the settlement, California will also have to pay $1.3 million in attorney fees…

“In a statement, Pastor Ché Ahn said, ‘This is a momentous day for churches in America. After nearly a yearlong battle defending our religious freedoms, our lawsuit has reached a permanent settlement in our favor. I am thrilled to see the complete reversal of the last discriminatory restrictions against churches in California, knowing this case will act as a precedent, not only in our state, but also in our nation…’”

Other nations, such as Canada, should follow this lead.

Taking UFOs seriously?

 “Sen. Marco Rubio… as acting Senate Intelligence Committee chair asked for an unclassified copy of the report to be released to Congress… ‘Anything that enters an airspace that’s not supposed to be there is a threat.’

“Former Navy Lieutenant Ryan Graves told CBS’ Bill Whitaker he and other members of his F/A-18 fighter squadron detected unexplained sightings of UFOs, also known as ‘unidentified aerial phenomena’ (UAP), in restricted airspace southeast of Virginia Beach ‘every day for at least a couple years,’ starting in 2014… Graves said he couldn’t rule out technology developed by the governments of Russia or China.”

We cannot rule out the possibility that Satan and his demons are behind the “appearances” of UFOs. Rubio’s comment, “Anything that enters an airspace that’s not supposed to be there is a threat” is remarkable for this reason: When Christ and His angels come down to earth, riding on “white horses,” then the armies of this world want to fight them. Why? Will they think, being deceived by Satan and his demons, that Christ and His army are hostile aliens?

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.

Revelation 14:14-16 reads:

“Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and on the cloud sat One like the Son of Man, having on His head a golden crown, and in His hand a sharp sickle. And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud, ‘Thrust in Your sickle and reap, for the time has come for You to reap, for the harvest of the earth is ripe.’ So He who sat on the cloud thrust in His sickle on the earth, and the earth was reaped.”

Revelation 14:17-20 continues:

“Then another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle. And another angel came out from the altar, who had power over fire, and he cried with a loud cry to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, ‘Thrust in your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth, for her grapes are fully ripe.’ So the angel thrust his sickle into the earth and gathered the vine of the earth, and threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. And the winepress was trampled outside the city, and blood came out of the winepress, up to the horses’ bridles, for one thousand six hundred furlongs.”

There are different challenges with the understanding of these passages, and commentaries are deeply divided in several respects.

First, who is the personage in verse 14, sitting on the cloud “like the Son of Man”?

Please note that according to the Interlinear Literal Translation of the Greek New Testament, the literal rendering says: “… on the cloud sat one like a son of man.” The NIV states it this way: “I looked, and there before me was a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was one like a son of man with a crown of gold on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand.” The Philips New Testament Translation simply says: “…with someone sitting upon the cloud with the appearance of a man.”

The term “son of man” is used many times throughout the Bible for ordinary human beings and could also refer to either Christ or an angel, resembling, in form and shape, a human being (note for example Mark 16:5; Luke 24:4; John 20:12).

In rendering it, as the New King James Bible does, as “One like THE Son of Man,” and capitalizing the nouns and pronouns throughout the passage in relationship to the personage sitting on the cloud, the impression is given that this must be a reference to Jesus Christ. But this is an interpretation, even though most commentaries conclude this to be the case. (On the other hand, Revelation 1:13 clearly describes Jesus Christ where John sees “One like the Son of Man.” Still, the literal Greek says here as well “son of man…”, not “THE Son of Man.” Also compare Daniel 7:13.)

However, insofar as Revelation 14:14 is concerned, the designation of “a son of man” as describing Jesus Christ is not without problems, as we will see.

One problem is that IF this were talking about Jesus Christ, an angel would tell Him what to do. This obvious dilemma is attempted to be explained away in this manner:

Meyer’s NT Commentary says:

“In the first picture of the ripeness of the earth for judgment… it is the coming Judge himself who appears on a white cloud, with a sharp sickle in his hand… The description… allows us to think only of Christ himself, but could not mean an angel, who possibly represented Christ… Decisive is the solemn designation… [Also] the appearance on the cloud… and the golden crown indicating a special glory as victor, make the reference to Christ himself still more certain… the objection that Christ himself could not have received a command from an angel, is settled by the fact that the angel is only the bearer of the command coming from God.”

This is not convincing. Angels have golden crowns too (compare Revelation 4:4), and they sometimes are described as having the appearance of human beings (Daniel 8:15-16; 9:21; Ezekiel 40:3). And they too are at times pictured as appearing on clouds (Revelation 10:1). In addition, please note that after the “one like a son of man” is introduced, it continues to say that “ANOTHER angel came out of the temple…” Further, the returning Jesus Christ is being described as wearing many crowns, not just one (Revelation 19:12).

Still, Blunt, the Annotated Bible, gives a similar explanation as Meyer’s, quoted above, adding that the angel talking to the one on the cloud “‘came out of the temple’ and is thus represented as coming from the immediate Presence of God, bringing a message from the Father to the Son…”

The Nelson Study Bible agrees, stating:

“The reference to the Son of Man with a golden crown on His head indicates that the figure is Jesus Christ… Some, however, hesitate to make this identification, largely because another angel give the first figure the command to reap, which seems improper if ‘One like the Son of Man’ is Christ. Yet there is no impropriety in having a representative of God the Father entrust judgment to the Son of Man… the harvest of the earth is surely ripe for salvation… as well as judgment…”

The commentary continues, when speaking of verses 17 and 18:

“Another angel is placed in charge of the harvest of the clusters of grapes that are also ripe…”

The New Bible Commentary: Revised, states the following objections and gives this explanation:

“It is common to regard these verses (Revelation 14:14-16) as depicting the gathering of the church by Christ at His coming and vv. 18-20 as the gathering of the unbelieving world for judgment; it is possible that this is the true reading of the passage, especially in view of the use of the phrase, ‘one like a son of man’ in v. 14 (cf. 1:13). Yet it seems strange that Christ should be commanded by an angel to perform His saving work. His description, too, lacks the splendor of the visions of the Lord in 1:12f, and 19:11f. It seems better, accordingly, to regard the humanlike form as an angel, sharing something of the glory of Christ like the ‘mighty angel’ in 10:1… For the reaping of the earth by angelic instrumentality, cf. Mt. 13:41,42.”

It is indeed difficult to see how Christ would only be in charge of harvesting the faithful, while an angel would be in charge of harvesting the wicked (compare again Revelation 14:17-18). Rather, Christ would be in charge of both. Especially when it comes to the punishment of the wicked, we read, “He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God” (Revelation 19:15). But He is using angels helping Him to carry out His Will.

Secondly, are there really TWO harvests described in Revelation 14, as suggested above? The assumption is stated in many commentaries that Revelation 14:14-16 describes the harvest of the saints, while Revelation 14:17-20 describes the harvest of the wicked ones.

For instance, Dummelow, A Commentary on the Holy Bible, says:

“He [the one on the cloud] casts His sickle down to the earth, and the harvest of the saints is gathered (vv. 15f). Then the angel of the fire [Rev. 14:18]…calls for the gathering of the wicked for the winepress of God’s wrath…”

The Wycliffe Bible Commentary agrees, stating:

“The chapter concludes with two scenes that can occur only at the end of the age. The first (vv. 14-16) represents a harvest, a reaping of souls, and apparently a gathering in of the redeemed, to which our Lord refers in Mt 13:30, 39; 24:30, 31. There has been some dispute over these two scenes, but it seems to me that the second one, which is not a harvest but a vintage scene [beginning in verse 17], must depict the gathering of unbelieving and wicked ones of the earth. These are anticipatory paragraphs… ‘The Woman’s seed furnishes the Harvest, while the Dragon’s seed furnishes the Vintage.’ See also Joel 3:13.”

Halley’s Bible Handbook says: “‘Harvest’ seems to be of the Saved. The ‘Vintage’ of the Lost. The ‘winepress’ is of the Wrath of God on the Wicked.”

Unger’s Bible Handbook says:

“The figure of the harvest portrays judgment which separates the righteous from the wicked… The judge is the Son of Man… The judgment proceeds from the temple… The angels are the actual reapers … the Son of Man reaps through the instrumentality of the angels… The Vintage… is God’s wrath outpoured on sinners… The judgment of the wicked is fully ripe… unmitigated divine wrath falls upon sinners… and is executed ‘without the city’ (Jerusalem)… in the valley of Jehoshaphat… “

Other commentaries disagree and question whether two harvests or gatherings are described, while suggesting that only one harvest—that of the wicked—is discussed.

The Benson Commentary writes regarding Revelation 14:14-16:

“Namely, the appointed time of judgment, for which the world is ripe; the voices of the three warning angels, spoken of from Revelation 14:6-11, not having their due effect, it is here predicted that the judgments of God would overtake the followers and adherents of the beast, which judgments are represented in this paragraph under the figures of harvest and vintage, figures not unusual in the prophets, and copied particularly from the Prophet Joel…”

Benson adds the following comments regarding verses 17-20, alleging that the judgment of the wicked (which, according to Benson, is described in verses 14-16), continues in verse 17:

“‘And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven’ — As the former had done; ‘he also having a sharp sickle’ — To assist in this execution, and finish the destruction of the enemies of the truth…”

Lehman Strauss, The Book of the Revelation, agrees with Benson. He points out on pages 272-275, in referring to Revelation 14:14 and the following verses:

“This is a judgment scene. The Judge is about to sweep the earth clean of all evil… The harvest here is not the gathering of the good wheat into His garner as in Luke 3:17, but rather the tares which are the children of the wicked one as in Matthew 13:38-42… [Compare Jeremiah 51:33; Joel 3:11-16]… It is the ‘earth’ that is reaped [verse 16] because this is where men dwell and where they have perpetuated their evil works… the cup of iniquity is full, the harvest is ripe, and the time of God’s judgment has come…”

Thirdly, the question is as to WHEN, exactly, these events are to take place, and if one accepts the concept of TWO harvests, whether there is a time lapse between the two. Commentaries seem to be in agreement that there is no time lapse involved. All of this will occur at the same time, when Christ returns, and He returns only once, not twice. Even proponents of the [false] Rapture concept do not feel that Revelation 14:14 and the following verses give any credence to the idea of a time lapse. Nor do these passages support the false concept that Christ will come first to take the saints to the Third Heaven for the marriage supper, and then return with His saints to establish God’s Kingdom on earth.

Lehman Strauss, The Book of the Revelation, points out on page 259:

“In chapter 14 there is a series of seven separate visions, each complete in itself. They are disconnected pictures, however, and are not intended to present a chronological sequence of events… you have probably observed that from time to time [the Book of Revelation] sets forth in outline a panoramic view of things to come, and then… goes on later to fill in the details. Chronologically, the events in chapters 15 and 16 occur before the reaping and harvest visions in chapter 14. For example, in chapter 14, verse 8, a brief announcement, or vision, shows the judgment of Babylon, but her actual doom is described under the seventh vial of wrath and judgment in chapter 16, verses 17 to 21.”

God’s Church has understood for a long time that certain chapters in the book of Revelation are insert chapters, interrupting the chronological story flow. They might be flashbacks, going back in time to show certain developments in the past, leading to the events in the main story, or they may already introduce or announce events which will happen later and which will then be fully described in subsequent chapters. This is for instance true for chapters 12 and 13, and apparently also for chapter 14. The story flow continues in chapters 15 and 16, while being “interrupted” again in chapters 17 and 18. The 19^th chapter shows us the second coming of Christ and the chronological flow continues in chapters 20, 21 and 22.

Even accepting the somewhat questionable concept that it is Christ [rather than an angel] who is described in Revelation 14:14-16, and also accepting the somewhat disputed scenario that two harvests or gatherings are described in Revelation 14 [the harvest of the good and the vintage of the evil], they still do not signify a time lapse, and they do not show that Christ would come back twice—first, to gather the saints by bringing them to the Third Heaven (a totally false concept), and second, by returning with the saints from the Third Heaven (a totally false concept as well) to punish the wicked.

Note 2 Thessalonians 1:3-10, which reads:

“We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is fitting, because your faith grows exceedingly, and the love of every one of you all abounds toward each other, so that we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that you endure, which is manifest evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you also suffer; since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you, and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, when He comes, in that Day, to be glorified in His saints and to be admired among all those who believe, because our testimony among you was believed.”

There is not even a hint as to two comings of Christ and a time lapse between the glorification of the saints and the punishment of the wicked. Clearly, all of this will happen at exactly the same time.  Christ will return only once, not twice, at the time of the seventh or last trumpet (there can only be one last trumpet). Then, not before then, the dead in Christ will be resurrected to eternal life, and those in Christ who are still alive will be changed to immortality, while the wicked, following and being a part of the end-time Babylonian system, will be punished in that one day (Zechariah 14:4, 7).

Please read for further information the following Q&As:

“Does 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 teach a ‘secret rapture’?” 

“Would you please explain Mark 13:17?”

“Where will the marriage supper between Christ and His church be held?” 

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

compiled by Dave Harris

“Turkey Attacks Israel,” is the title of a new StandingWatch program, presented by Evangelist Norbert Link. Here is a summary:

Using the current fight between Israel and Hamas as a platform, President Erdogan of Turkey has made many anti-Semitic statements against the state of Israel and the Jews, but we would be ill-advised to just look at them as mere idle threats. His dangerous verbal attacks are very revealing in the light of biblical prophecy.   

“Der Angriff der Türkei auf Israel,” is the title of a new AufPostenStehen program, presented by Norbert Link. This German presentation covers much of the same subject as presented in the StandingWatch version described above. 

A new Member Letter (May 2021) has been written and is now posted. Kalon Mitchell rehearses our observance of the recent Feasts of God, and encourages us to faithfully use God’s Holy Spirit to accomplish God’s Will in our lives.

“Mit welcher Gesinnung leben wir bis zur Wiederkunft Christi?” is the title of last Sabbath’s German sermon, presented by Thilo Hanstein. Title in English: “How Will We Live Until Christ’s Return?”

“Gab es eine Himmelfahrt vor der Himmelfahrt?” is the title of the last Sabbath’s German sermonette, presented by Manuel Müller. Title in English: “Was there an ascension before the ascension?” 

“Pfingstopfer,” is the title of the Offertory presented on Pentecost in Germany by Manuel Müller. Title in English: “Pentecost Offering.”

“Wie bitte—man kann und muss das Gesetz nicht halten?” is the title of the German Pentecost sermon, presented by Norbert Link. Title in English, “Come again—one cannot and does not have to obey the Law?”

“Christianity in Confusion and Under Attack—Comments on News and Prophecy, May 15, 2021,” is the title of last Sabbath’s first message, presented by Norbert Link. Here is a summary:

German priests in defiance of the Pope! Vatican warns US bishops! Election of first transgender bishop! Ongoing Christian persecution by governments, courts and police in Finland, the UK, Canada and Germany! Totalitarianism through fascist laws on the rise! What is going on?

“By the Spirit,” is the title of the morning Pentecost sermonette, presented by Eric Rank. Here is a summary:

The Holy Spirit is the power of God that works in our lives. We have the ability and responsibility to put that power of God to work in our lives to maximize our potential.

“Day of the Firstfruits,” is the title of the morning Pentecost sermon, presented by Dave Harris. Here is a summary:

What is the meaning of the “firstfruits” in the observance of the Feast of Weeks, and how does that relate to those who are identified as “the elect”?

“To Be Content, Or Not,” is the title of the Offertory for Pentecost, presented by Michael Link. Here is a summary:

How can we be content in our lives but at the same time making sure that we don’t become too complacent?

“Come Again—One Cannot and Does Not Have to Obey the Law?” is the title of the afternoon Pentecost sermon, presented by Norbert Link. Here is a summary:

God gave us His law in order to obey it. But doesn’t God also say that we cannot serve or obey Him? On the other hand, He only promises us the gift of the Holy Spirit when we obey Him. How can we reconcile these apparent contradictions, and what exactly is the Holy Spirit which is supposed to dwell in us, and what does it accomplish in and through us?

On May 15, 2021, Norbert Link will present, “Comments on News and Prophecy, May 15, 2021,” and the sermon, titled, “Did Solomon Have God’s Holy Spirit?”

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.

Sunday, May 16, is the Feast of Pentecost. Morning services will begin at 9:00 am Pacific Time; afternoon services will begin at 2:45 pm Pacific Time.

“By the Spirit,” is the title of the morning sermonette, presented by Eric Rank, and “Day of the Firstfruits,” is the title of the morning sermon, presented by Dave Harris.

The afternoon service Offertory, titled, “To Be Content, Or Not,” will be presented by Michael Link, and the title of the afternoon sermon for the Feast of Pentecost, “Come Again—One Cannot and Does Not Have To Obey the Law?” will be presented by Norbert Link.

Time is both a foe and friend.

When we experience the good things in life, the hours, days, months, or years seem to pass by so fast that we barely have the chance to satisfy our appetite for joy. At other times, when we unwillingly suffer through unpleasantries, time feels as though it drags on endlessly. The good times are rarely long enough, and the tough times are relentless. Yet, that same constant quality of time guarantees that hard times will draw to a close, and that there will be good times to look forward to in the future.

Even though time often works against us, we can find relief in knowing that change over time is our trusty friend that offers hope. The most difficult and interminable things in life will eventually come to an end, yielding their grip so that new circumstances will usher in. This fact is true from the smallest scale of time to the greatest. Moments pass just as the years do. When we are able to respect, rather than resist the passage of time, it can help us to both appreciate the fine moments that bring us joy, as well as bear the burden of challenges that we face. If we are willing to adopt the frame of mind that all we can really do is concede to the constant demand of change, time will be our friend.

I had the opportunity to watch my oldest son play in his band concert a few days ago. He is a Freshman in Highschool, and this was the last concert of the year. Even though it seems to me as though the school year just started a few months ago, this concert signifies the certainty that there are just a couple of weeks of school left. But even more, as I watched him play with his bandmates, I reflected on how swiftly my time with him under my parental care has passed. I have seen and shared time with him just about every day of his life thus far. But as I listened to him play the trombone, I felt the reality of his place in time crash down on me like a lead weight. Suddenly, the number of days remaining that we will share before he grows into a man, ready to make an independent life for himself, feel scarce. All of the sudden, every day is not enough. And the only thing I can do is honor that fact and make a point to appreciate it.

In the world we live today, the challenges we face as well as the good things that we enjoy will quickly give way to the Kingdom of God. This we know because the Bible reveals that truth. What we do not know, nor can we control, is the rate at which the Kingdom of God arrives. As long as we have to wait, through days and months and years, we know for a fact that eventually time will bring that perfect Kingdom of God that we hope for. The good times now will give way to the greatest of times. The hard times will turn to endless joy.

We can find evidence for this promise in the Bible, being reminded, “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:17-18). Through patience and with the Faith of Christ working in us, we can endure all of the challenges we face today. Through gratitude for God’s blessings in our lives, we can experience fullness of joy that fuels our hope. By remaining steadfast in our commitment to live a life that glorifies God in every moment, our time is well-spent as an investment in our glorious future.

by Norbert Link

We begin with ongoing and intensifying turmoil and violence in Jerusalem, on the Temple Mount and at the Al-Aqsa Mosque, as well as the predictable hypocritical condemnation of Israel by the international community [please view in this context our new StandingWatch program, titled, “Violence in Israel—Is this the End?”]; continue with the exchange of ongoing threats between the UK and Europe; Scotland’s desire for independence after the election victory of Scotland’s pro-independence party; and Europe’s continuing move towards the creation of a “real” EU Army.

We speak on America’s disappointing figures pertaining to a more than fragile economy; a cyberattack on one of the largest pipelines in the United States, forcing its temporary shutdown with consequences for gasoline availability and gas prices; and America’s losing position in its race for the Arctic. We also report on troublesome activities by the Department of Justice under Donald Trump towards three journalists; and address the unacceptable conduct of Big Tech in suppressing free speech.

We address China’s suspension of economic dealings with Australia; the open defiance and rejection by “progressive” German priests of the Vatican’s position on homosexuality; the Vatican’s warning for Catholic bishops in the USA; and the Lutheran Church’s first ordination of a transgender bishop.  

We conclude with deeply disturbing accounts about persecution of Christian churches and ministers in Finland; the UK; and Canada. Especially Canada has now been described as a “fascist” country using Gestapo- and Nazi-measures to suppress religious liberty and freedom.  In this regard, quoted articles also contain a stern warning for the United States.

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

Turmoil on the Temple Mount

The following shows chronologically how the turmoil and the violence started and how it has been developing, with no end in sight.

Reuters wrote on May 7:

“Israeli police fired rubber bullets and stun grenades towards rock-hurling Palestinian youth at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque on Friday… At least 178 Palestinians and six officers [an updated number speaks of 205 Palestinians and 17 police officers] were injured in the night-time clashes at Islam’s third-holiest site and around East Jerusalem, Palestinian medics and Israeli police said, as thousands of Palestinians faced off with several hundred Israeli police in riot gear.

“Tension has mounted in Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, with nightly clashes in East Jerusalem’s Sheikh Jarrah…following the evening meal that breaks the Ramadan fast, clashes broke out at Al-Aqsa with smaller scuffles near Sheikh Jarrah, which sits near the walled Old City’s famous Damascus Gate…  Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said he ‘held (Israel) responsible for the dangerous developments and sinful attacks taking place in the holy city’ and called on the U.N. Security Council to hold an urgent session on the issue.”

The Jerusalem Post wrote on May 8:

“The secretary general of Islamic Jihad said Friday that ‘it is impossible to tolerate what is happening in Jerusalem and the enemy must expect our response at any moment.’ Hamas also put out a statement Friday warning Israel about potential repercussions of the clashes at the Temple Mount. Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh sent a direct message to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu telling him ‘not to play with fire. This is a struggle that you, your army, your police and your whole country cannot win. We will defend Jerusalem no matter what sacrifices we must make,’ Ynet reported…

“Jordan’s foreign ministry condemned the entrance of Israeli forces to the Temple Mount, and their ‘animalistic attack’ of worshipers there. Qatar also denounced the entrance of Israeli security forces to the Temple mount in the wake of clashes, calling it ‘provocation for millions of Muslims around the world,’ Ynet reported. Qatar went on to call for the international community to act to stop Israeli harm of the Palestinian people.

“Israeli Police reported that ‘police troops began using riot control measures a while ago, in an attempt to restore order after violent riots broke out at the Temple Mount, during which hundreds of suspects started throwing rocks, bottles and other items towards our forces.’ We will not allow the disruption of order, any form of violence and attempts to harm officers while taking advantage of the freedom of religion and using it to promote a violent incident that includes hundreds of worshipers starting to riot and hurting police officers,’ a police statement released after police managed to regain control at the Temple Mount read.”

The Associated Press wrote on May 7:

“Earlier Friday, Israeli troops shot and killed two Palestinians and wounded a third after the men opened fire on a base belonging to Israel’s paramilitary Border Police force in the occupied West Bank, the latest in a series of deadly confrontations in recent weeks that has coincided with the Muslim holy month of Ramadan…

“The Al-Aqsa mosque compound is the third holiest site in Islam. The site is also the holiest site for Jews, who refer to it as the Temple Mount and revere it as the spot where the biblical Temples stood. It has long been a flashpoint for Israeli-Palestinian violence and was the epicenter of the 2000 Palestinian intifada, or uprising.

“… some 70,000 worshippers had attended the final Friday prayers of Ramadan at Al-Aqsa, the Islamic endowment that oversees the site said. Thousands protested afterwards, waving the green flags of the Islamic militant group Hamas and chanting pro-Hamas slogans. Neighboring Jordan, which serves as the custodian of Jerusalem’s Muslim holy sites, had earlier warned Israel against further ‘provocative’ steps, while Israel’s archenemy Iran encouraged the violence… “The Palestinians view east Jerusalem — which includes major holy sites for Jews, Christians and Muslims — as their capital, and its fate is one of the most sensitive issues in the conflict…”

The Fight for the Temple Mount

Israel 365 News wrote on May 9:

“Rabbi Yisrael Ariel, the founder of the Temple Institute, fought in the battle to conquer the Temple Mount in 1967. He sees that battle as continuing today. ‘With Arabs, it is all one war,’ Rabbi Ariel said. ‘Part of Islam is to make up reasons to fight. In this case, they made up a fake story that the Temple Mount is holy to them. Anyone who knows the history and knows Islam knows that this is not true. Mecca and Medina are holy to them. They simply decided they wanted a war so they made up fairytales that make it seem justified.

“‘But the war is real and it is entirely focused on the Temple Mount. And the Arabs are willing to die, willing to throw themselves into the battle by going up by the thousands to our Temple Mount. And too many of our leaders are willing to simply run away… Last week, there was a horrible tragedy that came about because one hundred thousand Jews wanted to go to Mount Meron for a religious experience.

“‘If all of those Jews had risked their lives for the Temple Mount, or just gone up to the Temple Mount, no Arab would dare claim one inch in our land, the land of Israel. The Jews have abandoned the place of the Shechina (holy presence) to the Arabs, allowing thousands of Arabs to pray there while we crawl around at the bottom of the hill. That is a desecration of the divine presence and the shechina cannot dwell in that level of desecration… The Temple is the source and the reason for us being in the land…’”

But this will change, and Israel will reclaim and re-possess the Temple Mount for a while.

US and Europe Condemn Israel

Deutsche Welle wrote on May 8:

“The United Nations urged Israel on Friday to call off forced evictions in East Jerusalem, warning that its actions could amount to ‘war crimes’… Israel also received criticism over a decision to build 540 settlement units in the West Bank. Germany, the UK, France, Spain and Italy called on Israel to stop the construction of illegal settlements in occupied Palestinian territories.”

The Guardian wrote on May 8:

“Claims for calm and restraint poured in on Friday from the US and the United Nations, with others including the European Union and Jordan voicing alarm at the possible evictions…”

Arabs Condemn Israel

The Algemeiner wrote on May 8:

“Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates on Saturday condemned Israel’s plans to evict Palestinians from homes on land claimed by Jewish settlers, following a night of violence in Jerusalem…

“The UAE, which normalized relations with Israel last year, ‘strongly condemned’ the clashes and the potential evictions…Saudi Arabia, Islam’s birthplace, has long championed the Palestinian cause and shunned official contacts with Israel. Riyadh quietly acquiesced to the so-called Abraham Accords – but stopped short of endorsing them.”

This was predictable from the outset, and we said so.

The Jerusalem Post wrote on May 9:

“Arab bodies throughout the Middle East widely condemned Israeli police violence during clashes with worshipers at the al-Aqsa Mosque on Friday. The Islamic Movement in Israel… urged Palestinian families to increase their travels to the mosque… On Sunday, Jordan warned Israel from ‘continuing its barbaric behavior at Al-Aqsa,’ adding that the country will increase its pressure on Israel… The Egyptian Foreign Ministry also condemned the violence in Jerusalem and said that ‘Israel must stop all measures that harm the sanctity of the al-Aqsa Mosque.’…

“Turkey criticized Israel and accused it of unleashing ‘terror’ on Palestinians… ‘Shame on Israel and those who keep silent in the face of disgraceful attacks,’ Turkish Presidential Spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said on Twitter late on Friday… Turkey’s communications director Fahrettin Altun told state television Israel was violating human rights and would ‘pay the price,’ as opposition parties echoed the government condemnation in a rare sign of unity… Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan also condemned Israel on Saturday… ‘We strongly condemn Israel’s heinous attacks against our first qibla #AlAqsaMosque, which unfortunately take place every Ramadan… As Turkey, we will continue to stand by our Palestinian brothers and sisters in all circumstances,’ Erdoğan added…”

Deutsche Welle wrote on May 9:

“Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan went so far as to call Israel a ‘terrorist state,’ criticizing the country’s actions in East Jerusalem.  The ‘cruel Israel, the terrorist state of Israel’ is ‘brutally and immorally’ attacking Muslims in Jerusalem, Erdogan said on Saturday evening. ‘A world that cannot protect Jerusalem and Muslims has betrayed itself.’”

Especially the increasing hostility of Turkey toward Israel is clearly prophesied in the Bible.

Further Violence in Jerusalem

The Jerusalem Post wrote on May 9:

“On Sunday morning, clashes broke out on the Temple Mount between Palestinians and Israeli forces, with the doors of at least one of the gates to the compound being closed amid the clashes… Clashes broke out on Saturday night by the Damascus Gate and near the Temple Mount, as well as in a number of sites in east Jerusalem and the West Bank…

“On Sunday morning, Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Leon told Army Radio that the violent altercations that took place on Saturday night were carried out on the Palestinian side mostly by Islamic-Jihadists from the North and South, not by residents of Jerusalem.”

The Sun added on May 10:

“HAMAS has fired [by Monday more than 150] rockets at Jerusalem… moments after the Islamic extremists issued an ultimatum for Israel to withdraw security forces from two areas in the city… The blast came as thousands of Israelis joined a ‘Flag March’ today, which is considered ‘Jerusalem Day’ – an Israeli national holiday that celebrates the establishment of control over the Old City…”

The Jerusalem Post reported that “Following the rocket fire, the Israel Air Force carried out several strikes in Gaza” leading to several casualties.

 Fire Close to Al Aqsa

It was also reported that a tree caught on fire on Monday, May 10, at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, according to reports from Reuters and AFP news agencies. The fire was quickly put out. The mosque itself has not been damaged. The tree was about 10 meters from the mosque.

Reuters added on May 10 that “witnesses offered contradicting accounts about whether the flames were caused by Palestinians who had thrown fireworks at police or by a police stun grenade. Israeli police said in a statement the fire was started by the fireworks. A spokesman did not say whether officers had been throwing stun grenades at the time.”

This time, nothing happened to the mosque. But we can see how quickly that might change.

No End in Sight

JTA wrote on May 12:

“Exchanges of fire continued in Israel and Gaza on Wednesday with mounting casualties, while  Arab-Israelis took to the streets across Israel in their largest protests in decades, with some turning violent. In the central Israeli city of Lod, a state of emergency was declared after Arab protesters burned a synagogue, shops and cars.

“Six Israelis and at least 53 Palestinians have died from the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip and Israel… Two Palestinians were also killed in the West Bank after attempting to carry out separate attacks on Israeli soldiers on Tuesday.

“Israel and Hamas, the militant group that controls the Gaza Strip, have been engaging in their most intense fighting since 2014 this week, with attacks escalating. On Wednesday, Israel announced that it had killed several of Hamas’ military and intelligence chiefs in the fighting. Altogether, Palestinian militants in Gaza have fired more than 1,000 rockets at Israel’s most populated areas, and Israel has conducted hundreds of airstrikes in Gaza.

“But on Tuesday night, Israel’s leaders turned their attention to Lod, which has both Arab and Jewish residents, and where a crowd of Arab protesters burned and trashed a synagogue, along with burning shops and cars. Arab-Israeli protests also took place in other cities, including the northern port city of Haifa…”

The Associated Press wrote on May 12:

“There was no sign that either side is willing to back down. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to expand the offensive, saying ‘this will take time.’ Hamas has called for a full-scale intifada, or uprising. The last such uprising began in 2000 and lasted more than five years.”

Biden Under Attack from “Both Sides” for Different Reasons

Newsmax wrote on May 11:

“President Joe Biden has come under fire from members of both parties following a series of violent incidents in Jerusalem over the weekend… Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., said in a tweet Monday that the Biden Administration ‘should strongly condemn Hamas and other terrorists that are exploiting tensions in Jerusalem to carry out rocket attacks against innocent civilians. The United States should unequivocally support Israel’s right to defend its citizens.’

“Rep. Michael Waltz, R-Fla., a member of the House Armed Services Committee, told Fox News that the ‘actual actions’ of the Biden administration have been ‘incredibly unhelpful’…  Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., said in an interview with MSNBC on Monday that the U.S. is ‘enabling’ violence in the region by providing foreign aid to Israel, and hit the Biden administration for failing to ‘declare’ that Israel is using that aid to ‘commit human rights violations…’

“Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday blasted his successor, saying President Joe Biden’s ‘weakness’ standing up for Israel is ‘fueling’ violence in the Middle East… Trump said in his statement that America must ‘always’ stand with Israel and demand the Palestinians stop the ‘violence, terror, and rocket attacks… ‘Unbelievably, Democrats also continue to stand by [those] who savagely attack Israel while they are under terrorist assault.’”

The New York Times wrote on May 11 that the “violence in Israel challenges Biden’s ‘Stand Back’ Approach.” The Biden Administration has now given some lip service in support of Israel’s right to defend itself, while encouraging “both sides” to show restraint.  For now, the terrorist organization Hamas will not listen to such admonition, and it does not appear that Israel will either.

Act of War Between France and Britain?

The Sun wrote on May 7:

“TWO Navy vessels located off Jersey will return to Britain after French fishermen protesting over post-Brexit fishing rights stood down. A Government spokeswoman yesterday said Britain remains on standby to provide any assistance Jersey requests over the escalating standoff with France. They said: ‘The (Brexit) Trade and Cooperation Agreement brought in changes to fishing arrangements between the UK and the EU. Jersey authorities have a right to regulate fisheries in their waters under this agreement and we support them in exercising those rights.’

“The British warships [armed with a 20mm cannon, which can fire 700 rounds a minute at a range of 1,300 yards] arrived off the UK island to protect it from the threat of a French blockade. Around 100 French fishing vessels began arriving at the island just after 6am on Thursday and some on board were setting off flares as a huge row developed over post-Brexit fishing rights.

“But after the Royal Navy was sent to Jersey, the French Navy scrambled its own warships to the scene ahead of a tense stand-off… Boris [Johnsons’] dramatic move came after French fishermen – backed by Emmanuel Macron’s ministers – vowed to shut off the island unless they could fish more British waters, a threat branded an ‘act of war’. The furious spat erupted after the island [with 100,000 citizens] – which is under Britain’s protection – slapped French trawlers with post-Brexit fishing licence requirements.”

Hostilities between Britain and continental Europe will increase.

France vs. UK and US

Breitbart wrote on May 8:

“President Emmanuel Macron turned to rhetoric fit for the Napoleonic era in his latest attempt to deflect blame for French and EU inoculation programme failures, accusing ‘the Anglo-Saxons’ of hoarding vaccines and vaccine ingredients. ‘Today, the Anglo-Saxons block many of these ingredients and vaccines,’ alleged the staunch European Union loyalist as he arrived in Porto, Portugal, for a meeting of the head of the unelected European Commission with the heads of state and government of the EU member-states to discuss bloc-wide social policy. ‘Today, 100 per cent of the vaccines produced in the United States are for the American market,’ he further claimed…

“However, the veracity of President Macron’s allegations notwithstanding, the European Union has not been especially selfless in its own treatment of ‘the Anglo-Saxons’ — a term used by the French to refer to the British, the Americans, or the Anglosphere in general…

“In reality, as President Macron’s ‘Anglo-Saxons’ diatribe indicates, Brexit Britain proved able to negotiate contracts for vaccine orders and approve vaccines for use much faster than the EU, with the bloc going so far as to threaten to impose a hard border between EU member-state the Republic of Ireland and the British country of Northern Ireland — something it had decreed totally unacceptable during the Brexit negotiations — in order to prevent British vaccine orders from leaving its territory.”

Scotland to Become Independent?

The Associated Press wrote on May 9:

“British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Sunday invited the leaders of the U.K.’s devolved nations for crisis talks on the union after Scotland’s pro-independence party won its fourth straight parliamentary election. Nicola Sturgeon, leader of the Scottish National Party, said the election results proved that a second independence vote for Scotland was ‘the will of the country’ and that any London politician who stood in the way would be ‘picking a fight with the democratic wishes of the Scottish people.’ The United Kingdom is made up of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, with devolved governments in the latter three…

“Johnson has the ultimate authority whether or not to permit another referendum on Scotland gaining independence. He wrote in Saturday’s Daily Telegraph that another referendum on Scotland would be ‘irresponsible and reckless’ as Britain emerges from the pandemic. He has consistently argued that the issue was settled in a 2014 referendum where 55% of Scottish voters favored remaining part of the U.K. Proponents of another vote say the situation has changed fundamentally because of the U.K’s Brexit divorce from the European Union, with Scotland taken out of the EU against its will. In the 2016 Brexit referendum, 52% of U.K. voters backed leaving the EU but 62% of Scots voted to remain.”

Preparing for a EU Army

The EU Reporter wrote on May 7:

“While there is no EU army and defence remains exclusively a matter for member states, the EU has recently taken big steps to boost defence co-operation. Since 2016, there has been significant progress in the area of EU security and defence with several concrete EU initiatives to encourage co-operation and reinforce Europe’s capacity to defend itself…

“Europeans expect the EU to guarantee security and peace. Three quarters (75%) are in favour of a common EU defence and security policy… and a majority (55%) were in favour of creating an EU army [according to a poll in 2017]. More recently [in 2018] 68% of Europeans said they would like the EU to do more on defence.

“EU leaders realise that no EU country can tackle the current security threats in isolation. For example French President Macron called for a joint European military project  in 2017, while German Chancellor Merkel said ‘we ought to work on the vision of one day establishing a proper European army’ in her [speech] in November 2018. Moving towards a security and defence union has been one of the priorities of the von der Leyen Commission.

“A common EU defence policy is provided for by the Treaty of Lisbon…

“In recent years, the EU has begun to implement ambitious initiatives to provide more resources, stimulate efficiency, facilitate cooperation and support the development of capabilities:

“Permanent structured cooperation (PESCO) was launched in December 2017,  and 25 EU countries are participating as of June 2019. It currently operates on the basis of 47 collaborative projects with binding commitments…

“The (EDF) European Defence Fund (EDF) was launched in June 2017. It is the first time the EU budget is used to co-fund defence cooperation. On 29 April 2021, MEPs agreed to fund the flagship instrument with a budget of €7.9 billion as part of the EU’s long-term budget (2021-2027). The fund will complement national investments and provide both practical and financial incentives for collaborative research, joint development and acquisition of defence equipment and technology…

“A plan to facilitate military mobility within and across the EU to make it possible for military personnel and equipment to act faster in response to crises.

“Making the financing of  civilian and military missions and operations more effective. The EU currently has 17 such missions on three continents, with a wide range of mandates and deploying more than 6,000 civilian and military personnel.

“Since June 2017 there is a new command and control structure (MPCC) to improve the EU’s crisis management.

“EU countries collectively are the second largest defence spender in the world after the US but an estimated 26.4 billion euros is wasted every year due to duplication, overcapacity and barriers to procurement. As a result, more than six times as many defence systems are used in Europe than in the United States.

“If Europe is to compete worldwide, it will need to pool and integrate its best capabilities as it is estimated that by 2025 China will become the second largest defence spender in the world after the US.

“The European Parliament has repeatedly called for fully using the potential of the Lisbon Treaty provisions to work towards a European defence union…”

Business Insider wrote on May 6:

“Fourteen European Union countries… have proposed a rapid military response force that could intervene early in international crises… The 14 countries are Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, France, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia and Spain.”

US Economy’s Big Miss

The Week wrote on May 7:

“The Labor Department said Friday the U.S. economy added 266,000 jobs in April, whereas economists had been expecting around 1 million jobs would be added… The report was significantly below expectations, and Axios described it as ‘the biggest miss, relative to expectations, in the history of the payrolls report.’

“Economist Justin Wolfers wrote that 266,000 jobs being added ‘would be fabulous in normal times, but is utterly disappointing’ compared to the forecasts, adding, ‘This is a big miss that changes how we think about the recovery.’”

Cyberattack Forces US Pipeline Shutdown

DNYUZ wrote on May 8:

“A cyberattack forced the shutdown of one of the largest pipelines in the United States, in what appeared to be a significant attempt to disrupt vulnerable energy infrastructure. The pipeline carries refined gasoline and jet fuel up the East Coast from Texas to New York. The operator of the system, Colonial Pipeline, said in a statement late Friday that it had shut down its 5,500 miles of pipeline, which it says carries 45 percent of the East Coast’s fuel supplies, in an effort to contain the attack on its computer networks…  Colonial’s pipeline transports 2.5 million barrels each day…

“The breach comes just months after two major attacks on American computer networks — the SolarWinds intrusion by Russia’s main intelligence service, and another against a Microsoft email service that has been attributed to Chinese hackers — that have illustrated the vulnerability of the networks on which the government and corporations rely.”

Politico wrote on May 8:

“A shutdown that lasts more than a few days could send gasoline prices in the Southeastern U.S. spiking above $3 a gallon, market analysts said. That could deepen the political risks the incident poses for Biden… “

Gas Stations Closed

Fox5 New York reported on May 11:

“More than 1,000 gas stations in the Southeast reported running out of fuel, primarily because of what analysts say is unwarranted panic-buying among drivers, as the shutdown of a major pipeline by a gang of hackers entered its fifth day Tuesday. Government officials acted swiftly to waive safety and environmental rules to speed the delivery of fuel by truck, ship or rail to motorists and airports, even as they sought to assure the public that there was no cause for alarm…. A large part of the pipeline resumed operations manually late Monday, and Colonial anticipates restarting most of its operations by the end of the week…

“In Virginia, 7.7% of the state’s nearly 3,900 gas stations reported running out of fuel Tuesday… In North Carolina, 8.5% of almost 5,400 stations were out… “Federal investigators attributed the cyberattack to an organization known as Darkside, a group believed to be based in Russia or Eastern Europe. Darkside issued a statement saying it didn’t mean to create problems. The group just wanted the money.

“… Scattered gas stations in metro Atlanta were out of fuel Monday and Tuesday. In Georgia, nearly 6% of about 6,400 stations had run out of fuel… In Florida, drivers in some areas faced long lines, and 3% of gas stations had run out…The Colonial Pipeline carries jet fuel as well. American Airlines rerouted two long-haul flights… because of possible shortages…”

Russia, on Tuesday, denied any involvement in the cyberattack. Virginia declared a state of emergency.

Bloomberg wrote on May 13:

 “Colonial Pipeline Co. paid nearly $5 million to Eastern European hackers on Friday, contradicting reports earlier this week that the company had no intention of paying an extortion fee to help restore the country’s largest fuel pipeline… The company paid the hefty ransom in difficult-to-trace cryptocurrency within hours after the attack, underscoring the immense pressure faced by the Georgia-based operator to get gasoline and jet fuel flowing again to major cities along the Eastern Seaboard…

 “Once they received the payment, the hackers provided the operator with a decrypting tool to restore its disabled computer network. The tool was so slow that the company continued using its own backups to help restore the system… The hackers, which the FBI said are linked to a group called DarkSide, specialize in digital extortion and are believed to be located in Russia or Eastern Europe.”

The Race for the Arctic

The Sun reported on May 9:

“As Russia and China assert more power in the Arctic, the U.S. faces a shortage of heavy icebreakers, the massive ships needed to cut through ice… the Arctic is rich with mineral deposits and is likely to become a major shipping route as the ice melts. However, the U.S. Coast Guard only has one heavy icebreaker, the massive ships needed to forge paths through the ice. The vessel, called the Polar Star, is 40 years old and in need of new parts. The Coast Guard also has a medium icebreaker called the Healy…

“Meanwhile, Russia has dozens, and China has several and is developing more. The Arctic region is currently overseen by the Arctic Council, made up of Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden and the U.S. The council also includes observers and so-called non-Arctic states, one of which is China.

“China is competing for greater access in the Arctic by negotiating trade agreements with Arctic nations and trying to build infrastructure in those countries. In other words, the race for the Arctic is on…”

These figures are pitiful for the USA.

Spying on Phone Records of Journalists!

The Week wrote on May 8:

“The Department of Justice under former President Donald Trump obtained phone records of three Washington Post journalists, the Post reports. The department also reportedly unsuccessfully tried to obtain the reporters’ email records. Three separate letters to Post reporters Ellen Nakashima and Greg Miller and their former colleague Adam Entous explained the department ‘received toll records’ associated with their phone numbers for the period between April 15, 2017 to July 31, 2017, which is around when the trio reported a story about classified U.S. intelligence intercepts indicating that in 2016 then-Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) had discussed the Trump campaign with Sergey Kislyak, who was then Russia’s ambassador to the United States.

“The Justice Department defended the decision, describing it as ‘part of a criminal investigation into unauthorized disclosure of classified information,’ noting the reporters were not the targets of the probe.”

If true, this would be scandalous indeed, showing what governmental agencies are willing to do to invade the privacy of journalists and attack confidentiality, just  based on unproven allegations.

Big Tech’s Censorship

The Ron Paul Institute wrote on May 6:

“Wednesday’s decision by Facebook’s ‘oversight board’ – a transparent attempt to outsource responsibility for censorship to an international committee – to extend the ban on 45th US President Donald Trump is just the latest example [of suppression of free speech], but by no means the most egregious. Earlier this week, the banhammer descended on RT’s digital project Redfish over posts criticizing… Italian fascist leader Benito Mussolini and the Holocaust, of all things…

“The long march from banning Alex Jones in 2018 to banning the sitting president of the United States in 2021 was completed with surprising alacrity. The collusion within Silicon Valley to ban Trump on the blatantly false pretext of ‘inciting insurrection’ on January 6 may have been the political Rubicon, but Big Tech had begun putting their finger, fist and even elbow on the political scales long before.

“Does banning the New York Post over Hunter Biden ring any bells? How about the ‘pre-bunking’ of the 2020 election outcome, arranged by Democrat activists more than a year prior?…

“Way back in 2019, Trump had tweeted a meme: ‘In reality, they’re not after me, they’re after you. I’m just in the way.’ Can you honestly say now that he was wrong?”

Even Democrat Elizabeth Warren Attacks Facebook

Daily Mail wrote on May 6:

“Elizabeth Warren said Wednesday that Facebook’s decision to uphold its ban on former President Donald Trump’s account further exhibits Big Tech has too much power and needs to be broken up… Of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg calling the Oversight Board the ‘Supreme Court’, Warren said: ‘Listen to the arrogance of it… ‘They have too much influence and they pose a threat to our democracy. Time to enforce our antitrust laws.’

“She also complained in a tweet Wednesday that Facebook is a disinformation machine.”

“China Suspends Economic Dialogue with Australia ‘Indefinitely’”

Russia Today wrote on May 6, 2021:

“Beijing has axed a high-level channel for economic talks with Canberra, blasting Australian leaders for having a ‘Cold War mentality’ after the country cancelled two contracts linked to its Belt and Road project…

“Ties, and especially trade relations, between the two states have steadily frayed in recent months, seeing Beijing threaten economic retaliation after Canberra demanded an international probe into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic, which was first detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan in late 2019. Before that, in 2018, Australia moved to ban the Shenzhen-based telecom giant Huawei and passed a number of foreign interference laws targeting Beijing, both prompting terse responses.

“The relationship has only deteriorated further in the meantime, with Australian officials scrapping two deals previously signed between Beijing and the state of Victoria for China’s Belt and Road Initiative in March. Foreign Minister Marise Payne said the contracts were ‘inconsistent with Australia’s foreign policy or adverse to our foreign relations,’ invoking powers created by legislation passed last year that allows the FM to veto agreements with other nations…

“While relations have been frosty for some time, halting the negotiation channel could spell further trouble for Canberra as it seeks to resolve trade disputes that affect $20 billion in Australian exports, including in key industries such as coal, timber, seafood, wine and barley. As of March, trade between the two countries had dropped by 40% overall, compared to the period before the commerce battle, with Beijing maintaining tariffs on a number of goods.”

Some time ago, Daniel Andrews, premier of Victoria, signed some kind of memorandum of understanding with China to gain an economic advantage for Victorian companies to produce work on the Belt and Road project. As it turned out, approval was not sought from Prime Minister Scott Morrison. The federal government now says that all foreign dealings have to be approved by the federal Finance Minister before they can go ahead. This is a part of the reason Australia is having a trade war with China.

German Priests in Defiance of the Pope

Breitbart wrote on May 10:

“Progressive Catholics in Germany have announced their intent to offer blessings to same-sex couples at dozens of churches around the country… in defiance of a recent Vatican ban on the practice… Jesuit Father Jan Korditschke said… ‘I am convinced that homosexual orientation is not bad, nor is homosexual love a sin… I want to celebrate the love of homosexuals with these blessings because the love of homosexuals is something good.’

“The priest said he is angered by the Church’s ‘homophobia,’ in reference to Catholic teaching that homosexual practice is sinful… In April, the president of the German Bishops’ Conference, Georg Bätzing, also declared his opposition to the Vatican prohibition on blessing same-sex couples. ‘I believe that we have to assess homosexuality and lived partnerships outside of marriage differently… We can no longer proceed solely from natural law [i.e., the biblical teaching], but have to think much more in terms of care and personal responsibility for one another… We can no longer answer these questions simply with a “yes” or “no.” That is not possible,’ he said.”

“Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil” (Isaiah 5:20). Rather, “let your Yes be Yes, and your No, No” (James 5:12).

The Washington Post added on May 10:

“… the events amount to an open rebellion — and a test for a pontiff whose tenure has been marked by divisions over hot-button issues, especially the church’s stance on homosexuality…

“In the past, priests in Germany and some other parts of the world have quietly given blessings to gay unions. But the ceremonies that began over the weekend and continued through Monday were designed to be noticed. The decision will surely amplify the sense of Germany as a center of tension within Roman Catholicism. Some conservatives have accused German Catholic leaders of risking schism with Rome…. The priest-led initiative is a first in recent German history…

“The German church has gone further than other national Catholic churches in considering dramatic changes, in part because it is so deep in crisis. Germans are abandoning the church in droves… German bishops have become among the most progressive voices among Catholic leaders.”

Vatican Warns US Bishops

Newsmax wrote on May 11:

“U.S. bishops have been warned by the Vatican about a potential proposal to deny communion to Catholic elected officials who support allowing abortion… The document is aimed at clarifying the church’s stance on the issue.  And it’s taken on new urgency now because Biden — only the second Catholic president — is the first to hold that office and favor abortion rights…

“U.S. bishops are split over the issue. Some of the conservative bishops have called for Biden and other Catholic politicians who support abortions to be denied communion. But Cardinal Wilton Gregory, archbishop of Washington, D.C., has said he will not deny communion to Biden. And he warned that if U.S. church leaders fail to reach a unanimous decision, a national policy, ‘given its contentious nature,’ could become a source of discord within the American church.

“Along with Biden, there are 158 Catholics in congress, most of them Democrats who favor abortion rights, and six Catholic Supreme Court justices, most of them anti-abortion Republicans…  in the 2020 presidential election, Catholics split their votes almost evenly between Biden and Donald Trump.”

Lutheran Church Elects First Transgender Bishop

Breitbart wrote on May 12:

“A woman who dresses and lives as a man has been elected as the first ‘openly transgender bishop’ for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America’s Sierra Pacific synod… Megan Rohrer, who is married to a lesbian, said in the video she is a pastor, a parent, and transgender…

“Well known for advocating for LGBTQ rights in street activism, preaching and writing, Rohrer, 41, who uses the pronouns they and them,… was expelled from her church’s youth group after ‘coming out’ as a lesbian… In San Francisco, whose board of supervisors declared August 12 ‘Pastor Megan Rohrer Day’ in 2012, Rohrer has been an outspoken defender and counselor to LGTBQ people, especially the transgender homeless and Christians… Rohrer told Cosmopolitan magazine in 2017, ‘We need to all be as loud and as angry as the people who want to declare that there are types of people that God can’t love.’”

Christian Persecution in Finland

Evangelical Focus wrote on May 5:

“Päivi Räsänen, the member of the national parliament and former government minister was formally charged with hate speech against homosexuals for her opinions voiced on three platforms. Räsänen [who is a member of the Lutheran Church] will be tried for quoting the Bible on homosexuality on social media in 2019, for authoring a booklet about marriage published in 2004, and for her views in a talk show about Christian faith and homosexuality.

“The two-year pre-trial investigations of the Finnish General Prosecutor against Räsänen, a medical doctor with strong Christian convictions, are seen by theologically conservative Christians in Finland as a clear study case of the erosion of the ability of citizens to express their deeply held beliefs.

“One of the Christian organisations to react to the news has been the Finnish Evangelical Alliance (Suomen Evankelinen Allianssi, SEA), which took a stand on 4 May, days after it was known that Räsänen could face a prison sentence of up to two years… ‘The definition of what is sin in religious terms or the resolution of theological differences is not an issue for the judiciary to assess’, but a matter concerning ‘the scope of religious freedom’, the SEA wrote…

“‘The sexual ethical position represented by Räsänen… in public is the prevailing view of Christian churches worldwide. If the presentation of this view and the treatment of the Bible interpretation concerning it were to be considered as an offense, it would have a strong restrictive effect on religious freedom’, they warned. ‘Churches would then be prevented from teaching their own doctrine freely, and the dissemination of the Bible could also be prohibited…

“… the International Lutheran Council has expressed its concern with a case that has clear links to the difficult theological debate happening in the Finnish Lutheran Church. Two Finnish bishops… defended her right to speak out although failed to defend her position on Bible and sexuality…

“In the media context, the debate around the upcoming trial has also led to different approaches.

“Helsingin Sanomat, the largest newspaper in Finland, published an editorial titled ‘Päivi Räsänen hurts not only homosexuals but also many Christians’ on 30 April, saying the case ‘is not a question of an individual personal opinion, but society’s long lasting cruel position against sexual minorities’. The daily went further to state that ‘the most striking is not Räsänen’s thinking but the fact that just a little time ago such opinions represented the mainline view in society. A human being is on judge, although there should be the history’.

“In contrast, other influential media people have defended the [right of] every citizen to express their ideas freely. Tapani Ruokanen, a respected journalist, tweeted: ‘I defend freedom of speech and religion, especially if I disagree with the speaker. Quoting the Bible belongs to both freedom of religion and freedom of speech. Päivi Räsänen’s [prosecution] take[s] the judiciary towards the Middle Ages. Uncivilized, shameful and meaningless ineptitude”.

“Some prominent atheists have also voiced their support for Räsänen’s right to speak…”

The condemnation by some so-called Christians of Päivi Räsänen’s biblical comments is mind-boggling.

Christian Persecution in the UK

Breitbart wrote on May 10:

“A Christian chaplain [Dr Barnard Randall] at Trent College was fired and reported to the British government’s anti-terrorism programme [which seeks to halt the radicalisation of young people] for delivering a sermon [in 2019] in which he told pupils that it is acceptable to question and disagree with far-left LGBT ideology being taught at the school…

“In an interview with The Mail on Sunday, Randall said: ‘I was terrified when I found out. I had visions of being investigated by MI5, of men coming to my house at dawn and knocking down the front door. What was I supposed to tell my family? It was crazy’…

“Derbyshire Police confirmed to the paper that the chaplain was indeed referred to the anti-terror programme by the school, however they ultimately determined that Dr Randall did not represent a ‘counter-terrorism risk or risk of radicalisation’ and confirmed that the complaint ‘did not meet the threshold for a Prevent referral’.”

It is amazing what damage such left-wing radicals can cause.

Ongoing Christian Persecution in Canada

The Gateway Pundit wrote on May 8:

“Artur Pawlowski, the Pastor of the Cave of Adullam Church in Calgary, Alberta, Canada was swarmed by police and arrested after holding an ‘illegal’ church service on Saturday. You may remember Pawlowski as the brave pastor who shouted down police officers who interrupted his church service during Holy Week. ‘Out of this property you Nazis! Gestapo is not allowed here!’ he shouted to police officers interrupting his church service during Easter weekend. ‘Out, Nazi! Out! Nazis are not welcome here! Do not come back here you Nazi psychopaths!’

“Pawlowski and his flock kicked out the Gestapo again this weekend.”

Deeply disturbing and outrageous shameful videos show how Pawlowski and his brother were stopped on the highway on their way home by numerous police cars, ordered out of their car, forced to kneel down and were handcuffed in the middle of the highway and then dragged to a police car.

Rair Foundation wrote May 9:

“A Canadian Pastor who escaped communism in Poland has been arrested for holding church services during a coronavirus lockdown in Calgary, Canada… a citizen filmed the outside of the Calgary Islamic Center yesterday, which had cars lined up the street. The citizen journalist told RAIR Foundation USA that he took the video because he ‘knew they [police officers] are not enforcing the lockdowns on some groups, while persecuting others.’

“Pastor Pawlowski has been warning Canadians about encroaching communism for years… The brave Pastor, who grew up in Poland behind the Iron Curtain and escaped communism, compares the actions of the Calgary police to that of the Soviets and Nazi Germany. During Pawlowski’s childhood, pastors and priests were arrested, and some were murdered. Many were tortured. Pawlowski warns he sees a repetition of history taking place.

“Ezra Levant of Rebel News was at Pastor Pawlowski’s service before today’s arrest. He confirmed that Christian churches are being targeted while other religious services are free to worship in peace.”

BPR added on May 9:

“Artur Pawlowski was taken into custody along with his brother, Dawid Pawlowski on Saturday afternoon… Video posted online shows the reverend on his knees in the middle of a rain-soaked street with vehicles passing by slowly as a pair of officers handcuff him and then drag him to a waiting patrol vehicle after he refuses to stand and walk… Both men were charged with staging an illegal public gathering, according to Calgary police, while also ‘requesting, inciting or inviting others’ to join in with them, the department said in a statement… The department noted further in its statement that civil rights aside, the COVID-19 pandemic’s restrictions take precedent…

“The Calgary Herald added that a Court of Queen’s Bench Order was obtained on Thursday by Alberta Health Services after additional restrictions were previously levied on Canadians… ‘In the event of non-compliance, the Order provides enforcement powers, including powers of arrest…’

“Last month Pawlowski, who had already been fined repeated by authorities for COVID violations, was hailed as an ‘absolute legend’ after he ejected an Alberta Health Services official accompanied by several police officers from a Passover service. The arrest of Pawlowski… follows an escalating pattern of aggressive COVID-19 rule enforcement by Canadian police.

“During a segment of his weekday evening show a few weeks after Pawlowski’s Passover encounter, The First TV’s Jesse Kelly warned about rising left-wing tyranny in Western democracies under the rubric of coronavirus, citing overly aggressive police actions in Canada. ‘Have you been watching this stuff in Canada, with what they’re doing with the coronavirus lockdowns?’ he said ahead of showing a disturbing video clip of Canadian officers repeatedly striking an elderly man and destroying a portion of his porch railing in an apparent attempt to arrest him for an unknown COVID violation… ‘And now they’re pummeling 85-year-old men and raiding churches,’ he continued. ‘You think it’s going to stay in Canada?…’”

Jesse Kelly is a famous American television show host. He is a Marine Corps combat veteran and former congressional candidate in Arizona.

Fox News added on May 9:

“Video capturing the arrests showed several police vehicles parked on the street as officers carried the handcuffed brothers, who appeared to refuse to walk on their own. An onlooker can be heard telling the officers, ‘Shame on you guys, this is not Communist China. Don’t you have family and kids? Whatever happened to ‘Canada, God keep our land glorious and free’?’”

Good question. What is happening in Canada—but not only there—is shameful and appalling.

Canada—a “Fascist Country”

On May 10, Breitbart published an extremely outspoken and condemnatory article on the events in Canada, with a clear warning message for America, as follows:

“The Canadian Gestapo were smart this time. Instead of breaking into and swarming Canadian Pastor Artur Pawlowski’s church — as they previously did during an Easter weekend service, only to be appropriately shamed and heckled out of the place — this time the Canadian Gestapo waited until after Saturday services to arrest Pawlowski, and did so on a public highway. Naturally, the Gestapo treated him like he was Scarface. Multiple officers and at least four police cruisers were involved:

“Pawlowski was arrested for violating Canada’s fascist and anti-science laws against gatherings during the coronavirus outbreak. These restrictions are in place in Canada (and in many places here in the U.S.) despite the fact fully-opened states like Texas and Florida allow people to go back to normal and have done so while keeping their China Virus cases in line with lockdown states.

“Canada has become so openly fascist, Pawlowski is the second pastor arrested by the Canadian Gestapo. Back in February, the Canadian Gestapo arrested Rev. James Coates of GraceLife Church of Edmonton after he turned himself in. His crime was the same — holding church services in a fascist country….

“In the wake of what we are seeing in Florida and Texas, these continued lockdowns are nothing less than obscene and deliberate attacks on personal and religious freedom.”

The warning for America cannot be overlooked.

Canadian Police Officers Object to Governmental Coronavirus Restrictions

CBC wrote on May 4:

“A group of 19 Ontario police officers has launched a constitutional challenge against the provincial and federal governments and several police chiefs, claiming that enforcing sweeping pandemic health restrictions puts them at odds with their oath to uphold the charter.

“It seeks these declarations:  Lockdowns, stay-at-home orders and curfews are ‘forms of martial law.’ Wearing masks, social distancing and lockdowns are ‘ineffective’ and ‘not scientifically or medically based’ because they’re based on coronavirus cases the legal documents claim ‘are 96.5 per cent false.’ The group also wants the court to declare that religious gatherings and protests are exempt from pandemic restrictions in Ontario.

“No date has been set for when the constitutional case may go to court, and it’s unclear whether a judge will allow it to proceed.”

It is doubtful that their action will be very successful.

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.

We said the following in a Q&A, titled, “Did the Father really forsake Christ?”:

“When Jesus was dying a terrible death on the cross, He cried out, just before He died, ‘My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?’ (Matthew 27:46)…It is true that for a brief moment the Father forsook Christ on the cross (Matthew 27:46). This happened just before Christ died (see verse 50), because at that time, He was carrying, symbolically, the sins of all of mankind (compare John 1:29), and the Father, being of purer eyes than to behold iniquity (Habakkuk 1:13), turned His eyes from Christ, as unrepented sin separates us from God (Isaiah 59:1-2)…

“God—both the divine Father and the divine Son—cannot look on iniquity…

“Notice what we read in Deuteronomy 23:9-14: ‘When the army goes out against your enemies [as true Christians, we are today engaged in a constant spiritual battle with Satan the devil, as well as the world and our own selfish and carnal desires], then keep yourself from every wicked thing… you shall have a place outside the camp, where you may go out; and you shall have an implement among your equipment, and when you sit down outside, you shall dig with it and turn and cover your refuse. For the LORD your God WALKS IN THE MIDST OF YOUR CAMP [today, both the Father and the Son live IN us through the Holy Spirit, compare John 14:23], to deliver you and give your enemies over to you; therefore your camp shall be holy, that He may SEE NO UNCLEAN THING AMONG YOU, AND TURN AWAY FROM YOU.’

“Interestingly, we understand that it was Jesus Christ, as a divine being in the God Family, who spoke these words, but He spoke them in obedience to the Father’s Will (compare John 14:24). As divine God beings, both the Father and the Son are of purer eyes than to behold iniquity–that is why the world is cut off from God, and why only those who repent of their sins can come to God. Of course, this is not to say that God is not aware of our sins, but His eyes can’t stand them…

“At the time of Jesus’ death, He carried on His shoulders the load of the sins of the world. Think about it! He carried all the terrible crimes, abominations and perversions which the world committed since creation–including the very sins which caused God to bring the flood on this earth and to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, as well as sins which were so terrible that God said He never considered the possibility that man would commit those (compare Jeremiah 19:4-5; 32:35)…

“When Christ had all the sins of mankind placed upon Him, thereby having ‘become’ sin in that sense, He had to experience separation from God, the Father! God, the Father saw all of the sins of man placed on His Son and He could not look at them. His eyes were ‘purer than to behold’ those sins. Remember, those sins included mass murders, rapes, terrible wars, tortures, sorceries, demonic idolatries, holocausts, martyrdom of the saints—all of the wicked, evil, rotten, despicable and deplorable abominations man has done, and continues to do—and all of these were placed on Christ!”

As God can’t tolerate sin and does not really want to look at it, we must have the same attitude. For instance, we read in Psalm 101:3: “I will set nothing wicked before my eyes.” In Job 31:1, Job says: “I have made a covenant with my eyes; Why then should I look upon a young woman?” The idea is, to commit adultery or commit fornication with her (compare Matthew 5:28).

As God is of purer eyes than to look at iniquity, so David prays to God to turn away his eyes from looking at worthless or evil things (Psalm 119:37).

On the other hand, does God really look attentively at all the individual and collective sins of mankind before He closes His eyes towards them and turns His eyes from them?

First, let us realize that time and chance does not rule over those whom God had preordained to be called in this day and age. For the rest of the world, which is cut off from God, time and chance does rule. God leaves mankind to their own devices, and even though He could focus on and know about every terrible sin of every person being committed in this evil world, is there really a biblical indication that He does?

In a Q&A on “time and chance,” we said this:

“[In the book of Ecclesiastes,] Solomon is making a distinction between the people living in this world, being cut off from God, and those whom God has called to His way of life, including himself. Solomon said that “evil occurrence” or “chance” did not govern his own life, because God was controlling his life and had given him rest. Christ made the same distinction, in Luke 13:1-5: ‘There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answered and said to them, “Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, no; but UNLESS YOU repent, YOU will ALL LIKEWISE perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower of Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, no; but UNLESS YOU repent, YOU will all LIKEWISE perish.”’

“Christ’s teaching is unmistakable: If we don’t repent, we might very well die as those did, on whom the tower of Siloam fell; that is, through an accident, apart from, or being cut off from God — by time and chance. If we repent, however, according to Christ, we will NOT likewise perish or die in that way. Rather, even if we were to die in an ‘accident,’ God would have specifically DECIDED not to intervene and to LET US die. God is always in control over our lives — nothing happens to us which God is not aware of (compare Job 1:21-22; 2:10).

“True Christians are NOT in the ‘hand’ of time and chance. Rather, Solomon tells US: ‘… the righteous and the wise and their works are in the hand of God’ (Eccl. 9:1). David understood, too, that he was in God’s hands. He wrote, in Psalm 31:15: ‘My times are in Your hand.’ He knew that he, as well as all true Christians, are always, constantly and completely, under God’s observation, His protection and in His loving care… God promises that nothing too difficult for us to bear, will happen to us (compare 1 Corinthians 10:13). This means, then, that God must be watching us every second to guarantee the fulfillment of His promise… Romans 8:28 tells us that all things work together for good to those who love God. The only way that EVERYTHING can work for our good is that GOD will work it out for our good — and not ‘time and chance.’

“When a Christian dies, it is because GOD has DECIDED that it was time for His son or daughter to die…”

What we want to emphasize here is that this does not apply to non-Christians who are cut off from God. To them, time and chance applies, which means in turn that God is NOT observing constantly and protecting every person living on the face of this earth. This explains too why terrible things may happen to some, and rather than blaming God, we should realize that it is man who is to be blamed, due to his willful ignorance and his intentional decision not to be subject to God and His Way of Life (compare Romans 1:18-22; 2 Peter 3:5; John 5:40).

In this context, it is also important to focus on the special role of certain angels.

We write this in our booklet, “Angels, Demons and the Spirit World”:

“We find… accounts in the Bible, describing angels as fiery horses…

“We are specifically told in [Zechariah 1:8–11] that God sent ‘red, sorrel and white horses’ to walk to and fro throughout the earth. These horses are angelic beings. Zechariah 6:1–8 confirms this conclusion… The horses walking to and fro throughout the earth are called ‘spirits of heaven.’ They are spirit beings, or angelic beings, that look like horses. In Revelation 5:6, some of those spirit beings are described as ‘seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits… of God sent out into all the earth.’ Notice that Zechariah, too, identifies these spirit beings as the ‘eyes of God,’ in Zechariah 3:9 and 4:10: ‘Upon the stone are seven eyes… They are the eyes of the LORD, which scan to and fro throughout the whole earth.’ 2 Chronicles 16:9 adds, ‘For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.’ Proverbs 15:3 goes on to state, ‘The eyes of the LORD are in every place, Keeping watch on the evil and the good.’…

“God’s angels watch on the good and the bad, and they report their findings to God…”

Therefore, when we read that “God’s eyes” keep watch especially over the bad, it is a reference to some of His angels whom God created and is using for that very purpose of giving Him reports as to how badly bad people behave, prompting God to have a closer look at the unspeakable evil to determine whether His direct action is needed at that time, before turning His eyes away again from the terrible atrocities of man.

We find support for this statement in several incidents describing God’s actions. The most obvious example can be found in the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.

We read Christ’s words to Abraham in Genesis 18:20-21:

“Then the LORD said, ‘The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know.’”

We then read that Christ sends two angels to Sodom to test the wicked inhabitants (compare Genesis 19:13).

The “outcry” which reached God would have been the reports that angels had brought Him, about the wickedness of the people living there. Maybe, it also included the prayers of righteous Lot who was living there. Following that outcry, God’s personal attention was directed at finding out how terrible the people behaved. Some commentaries tell us that this wording [of God coming down and seeing how bad it was] is “anthropomorphic” (applying human characteristics, traits or attributes to God) or a figurative way of speaking, allegedly “proving God’s omniscience or all-embracing knowledge.”

Of course, most commentaries do not believe that God has form and shape, and that man was made, in a physical way, after the spiritual likeness of God. Nor do they believe that God travels, going from one place to another.  But the Bible clearly teaches both.

It is of course true that God could have known what was going on in Sodom, but He purposefully determined at first, not to look at all the terrible sins being committed there, until the outcry had reached such an extent that He decided to do something about it… considering that normally, God will not bring judgment on carnal man until the time of Christ’s return who will replace Satan, the ruler over this wicked evil world.

A similar conclusion can be gleaned from the account about the Tower of Babel. We read in Genesis 11:5-8:

“But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower the people were building. The LORD said, ‘If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.’ So the LORD scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city.”

This passage implies that Christ came down, apparently in response to a report by His angels, to see what was really happening at Babel, and after having analyzed the situation, both the Father and Christ determined to go down to confuse the languages.

In both cases, quoted above, it is emphasized that God came down to SEE the evil occurrences. Also, in Genesis 6:5, referring to Noah’s Flood, we read about God’s response after man had engaged in despicable prohibited sexual practices: “THEN the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continuously.” After that observation, God decided to destroy mankind in a great flood, only sparing Noah and his family.

God knows of course about the general depravity which exists in the world today. But He is of purer eyes than to behold all of it in detail; He is not focusing on every horrible and despicable sin of the masses, only to “confirm” in His own mind how bad it all is. Likewise, when we report on the evils of this world, we do not quote news articles describing in most intimate detail the egregious violations of the kinds of sins which only a demonically-inspired mind could come up with. God knows that it will be as it was at the time of Noah and of Sodom… and His angels run to and fro throughout the earth to report their findings to God as to how depraved mankind has become so that, in combination with the success of the preaching of the gospel in all the world as a witness, God the Father will make His decision as to the appropriate timing of Christ’s Return.

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

compiled by Dave Harris

“Violence in Israel—Is this the End?” is the title of a new StandingWatch program, presented by Evangelist Norbert Link. Here is a summary:

Why did the al-Aqsa mosque incidents spark the explosion of violence? What connection is there to the prophesied building of the third temple on the Temple Mount? Why are the current developments in Jerusalem and Israel not yet THE war which would annihilate mankind, unless Christ was to return to shorten these days? Who are the elect for whom Christ will return, and why are the Jews and nominal Christians not those elect?  

“Are Jews and Christians at Odds with Jesus Christ?” is the title of a new trailer, presented by Michael Link. This video highlights our newest booklet and can be viewed on our website and on YouTube.

“Wie bitte—man kann und muss das Gesetz nicht halten?” is the title of the Pentecost German sermon, presented by Norbert Link. Title in English: “Come Again—One Cannot and Does Not Have to Obey the Law?”

“Warum lässt Gott Leid zu?” is the title of last Sabbath’s German sermonette, presented by Tahir Coban. Title in English: “Why does God Allow Suffering? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8S-PbkrPxE

“Holy War in Israel and a European Army—Comments on News and Prophecy, May 8, 2021,” the first message presented last Sabbath by Norbert Link, is now posted. Here is a summary:

The current violent situation in Jerusalem and the formation of a European Army are to be seen in a dark and foreboding context of prophesied events which will culminate in unspeakable misery and pain. Combined with the final emerging of the mark of the beast, the ongoing suppression of free speech and the rejection and persecution of Christian values in many “civilized” countries, we ought to realize that Christ’s return could not be that far off.

“Lessons from the Early Church,” the sermon presented last Sabbath by Kalon Mitchell, is now posted. Here is a summary:

The early Church was bold, quickly growing and full of faith! And yet, they experienced extreme circumstances. What enabled them to keep on going in the face of great odds? What can we take away from that time and apply it to the times we currently live in and the time that is coming soon?

On May 8, 2021, Norbert Link will present, “Comments on News and Prophecy, May 8, 2021,” and Kalon Mitchell will present the sermon, titled, “Lessons from the Early Church.”

The live services are available, over video and audio, at http://eternalgod.org/live-services/ (12:30 pm Pacific Time; 1:30 pm Mountain Time; 2:30 pm Central Time; 3:30 pm Eastern Time; 8:30 pm Greenwich Mean Time; 9:30 pm Central European Time). Just click on Connect to Live Stream.

In my last editorial on March 19th 2021 in Update 965, I wrote a piece entitled “Free Speech or No Free Speech, That Is the Question!”

One of the problems concerned with speech that many seem to have is that of taking offence.   Any trivial or trifling “slight” seems, with some, to cause hostility, agitation, upset, distress or concern.   Thus, we have the attempt by some in society to try and remove any possible offence, often by the most extraordinary means.   Try this one:

A local councillor wants Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council (in the UK) to ditch masculine and feminine terms, because she thinks they are “unnecessary and inaccurate.”   She said that a move to “Mx” is more of a general term that could replace Mr, Mrs or Miss.  Why? The answer given was that “we are just doing our best to avoid any offence.”

There are many more examples that would fit into the same category of absurdity as the example given above.

Of course, the Bible tells us not to give or take offence.  “Give no offense, either to the Jews or to the Greeks or to the church of God” (1 Corinthians 10:32) – see also Matthew 18:7; Luke 17:1.

A brief editorial is not the place to review the whole question of Christians not giving or taking offence, but suffice to say that we cannot keep people from being offended; particularly, when they are intent on being “offended”.  As Christians, we should ensure that our attitude, approach and actions are in line with our strongly-held beliefs, irrespective of whether or not this may cause offence to some.   Of course, we must always use discretion and wisdom in all of our dealings with others but we cannot just succumb to the latest linguistic fad in order not to offend those who seem to be offended by almost anything.

In society, it has been taken to a new level.   We have people “cancelled” because their views, which they are allowed to have in a free society, do not conform to those who have differing views.

It should be obvious that today, many people are far more easily offended now than they ever have been.   We can sit on the sidelines and smile at such silliness and stupidity, but we are not going to be able to change the culture, even if we wanted to.

We have a far bigger job to do than try to right the wrongs of a society that is going downhill at a rate of knots [for our non-British readers: “very quickly”].   As society continues in its antipathy to the ways of God, and where offence can be caused by quoting the Bible on a number of topics which oppose the prevailing cultural practice, we know that there will be many who will be offended by what we have to say.

We have over 50 booklets available and a recent one in particular, “God’s Teaching on Sexual Relationships”, is at odds with society throughout the pages of this 133-page booklet.   Another is entitled ”Obeying God Rather Than Men”, and these are available free of charge to anyone requesting them.

We have a job to do and our preaching the news of the soon-coming Kingdom of God may offend some, although most will not be in the least bit interested.   But when the Great Tribulation starts, many attitudes may change as they seek some skin-saving solutions.   We do not seek to offend, but the Truth of God will usually alienate people and cause offence.  Satan will see to that.  But that must not stop us from getting the message out.

Jesus Christ caused offence as did His disciples, and we will get negative responses today.  But that should not deter us.

Do we cause offence?   If we don’t, we will not be doing our job.   It’s not that we are looking to cause offence but the Truth of God offends many people. That must not stop us from doing our job to “Cry aloud, spare not; lift up your voice like a trumpet; Tell My people their transgression, And the house of Jacob their sins” (Isaiah 58:1).

by Norbert Link

We begin with North Korean warnings for the USA; the deteriorating relationship between Russia and the West; and the problematic withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan.

We continue with strong criticism of prominent Catholics and voters in general regarding Joe Biden; [in this context, please view our new StandingWatch program, titled, “Catholic Politicians’ Hypocrisy on Abortion Rights” ]  the unconstitutional raid of Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani; and new comments by Trump pertaining to the 2020 election and his plans for the future, as well as a decision by Facebook’s “Oversight Board” to uphold, for the time being, an indefinite ban on Donald Trump.

We speak on Europe’s plan to spend almost 8 billion dollars on military projects; and report on the fear of civil war in France, as well as a holy religious war in Jerusalem.

We speak on Europe’s plan to spend almost 8 billion dollars on military projects; and report on the fear of civil war in France, as well as a holy religious war in Jerusalem.

We report on ongoing religious persecution in Canada; and the ever-changing prognostications and measures of governments and scientists pertaining to COVID-19, including mask mandates, vaccine passports and herd immunity.  

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

North Korea “Warns” USA

The Associated Press wrote on May 2:

“North Korea on Sunday warned the United States will face ‘a very grave situation’ because President Joe Biden ‘made a big blunder’ in his recent speech by calling the North a security threat and revealing his intent to maintain a hostile policy against it…

“The White House said Friday… Biden plans to veer from the approaches of his two most recent predecessors as he tries to stop North Korea’s nuclear program. Press secretary Jen Psaki did not detail findings of the review, but suggested the administration would seek a middle ground between Donald Trump’s ‘grand bargains’ and Barack Obama’s ‘strategic patience’ approaches.

“After a series of high-profile nuclear and missile tests in 2016-17, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un launched summit diplomacy with Trump on the future of his growing nuclear arsenal. But that diplomacy remains stalled for about two years over differences in how much sanctions relief North Korea could win in return for limited denuclearization steps…

“In January, Kim threatened to enlarge his nuclear arsenal and build more high-tech weapons targeting the U.S. mainland, saying the fate of bilateral ties would depend on whether it abandons its hostile policy. In March, he conducted short-range ballistic missile tests for the first time in a year, though he still maintains a moratorium on bigger weapons launches.”

North Korea remains a foe to be reckoned with.

Russia-West Ties Hit Low

Deutsche Welle wrote on May 1:

“Relations between Russia and the West have reached a new low… In April, about a dozen countries expelled Russian diplomats in protest against the country’s secret service operations… Russia… declared a total of seven diplomats from Slovakia and three Baltic states persona non grata, after those countries expelled Russian personnel. Romania and Poland have told Russian diplomats to pack up and leave. So, too, have Slovakia and the Baltic states in show of solidarity with the Czech Republic. In mid-April, the Czech government [accused Russia] of being responsible for explosions at Czech munitions depots in 2014, which left two dead. Media reports claim Russia orchestrated the attacks to stop arms deliveries to Ukraine via Bulgaria. Czech authorities consequently expelled 18 Russian diplomats.

“Russia, denying the accusations, in turn expelled 20 Czech embassy workers… Several days earlier, the US declared that 10 Russian diplomats would be expelled in response to Russian meddling in the 2020 presidential election and for hacking. Moscow rejected the accusations and responded in kind. President Joe Biden’s tough rhetoric directed at Russian President Putin has further strained relations between both countries. Russia has now recalled its Washington ambassador Anatoly Antonov for consultations and urged the US to likewise withdraw its ambassador. This pattern of tit-for-tat retaliations can be observed in numerous countries. In late March, for instance, Italy expelled two Russian diplomats accused of military espionage. Russia responded by sending one Italian home.

“… The US embassy in Russia has now said it will stop issuing visas as of mid-May. This does not bode well for US-Russia relations.”

Even though the relationship between the USA and Russia might continue to deteriorate, it is more the fragile situation involving Russia and Europe which is of prophetic significance.

US Orders Non-Essential US Embassy Workers to Leave Afghanistan

The Daily Mail wrote on April 27:

“The State Department is ordering home most remaining staff at the U.S. embassy in Kabul due to security concerns after President Joe Biden announced earlier this month a full troop withdrawal from Afghanistan by September 11, 2021. All personnel have been instructed… to depart Afghanistan unless their jobs require them to be physically located there…

“Guidance from State also says American citizens should not travel to Afghanistan and those already there ‘should leave as soon as possible on available commercial flights.’…

“The new order also comes after footage of an Afghan woman being lashed 40 times by the Taliban has emerged in a stark reminder of the state of the region as the U.S. pulls out of the country. The Islamists [have been] emboldened by Joe Biden’s decision to pull troops out of the country… Video of the woman being whipped, for reportedly having a phone call with a man, serves to underline the power which the Taliban still holds over the country despite Washington’s two decades of military intervention and trillions of dollars poured into trying to improve life for Afghans. Dozens of local men watched the punishment being meted out as villagers turn to the Taliban to enforce justice, having no faith in the toothless government in Kabul…

“Politicians on both sides of the Atlantic have warned that Biden’s plan to withdraw risks creating a power vacuum which the Taliban is already seeking to fill… The United States’ nearly two decades of fighting and trillions of dollars spent on Afghanistan has done little [to] put an end to the suffering of women in the country…

“Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has called Joe Biden’s plan ‘reckless’ and ‘a grave mistake. It is retreat in the face of an enemy that has not yet been vanquished and abdication of American leadership.’ Others argue that it is the only possible conclusion to a fruitless effort to bring peace to a country which has claimed thousands of American lives, as well as those of their allies in Nato including British troops.”

The article points out accurately the dilemma of countries which have sent troops to Afghanistan to create peace and which now withdraw the troops after having failed to do so. In either case, bloodshed has been and will be the result.

“Joe Biden is dividing Americans even more than Donald Trump”

The British tabloid Express wrote on April 30:

“JOE BIDEN is an even more divisive President than Donald Trump after 100 days in office, according to a new Gallup poll. The new US President came to power promising to be a leader who would govern for all Americans and ‘who seeks not to divide, but to unify.’ However, the survey found that Mr Biden was seen as anything but a unifying figure by disillusioned Republican voters. According to the poll, 94 percent of Democrats approved of the new President’s performance, while only 11 percent of Republicans did. By contrast, Mr Trump received 87 percent approval ratings from Republicans and 12 percent from Democrats at the same stage.

“On Wednesday, the new US President addressed both Houses of Congress to mark the first 100 day[s] of his administration… His speech was greeted by enthusiastic applause from Democrats but stony silence from Republicans. The Republicans called the speech ‘the most radical socialist agenda in American history’.

“Former Presidential candidate Mitt Romney tweeted: ‘The President says he wants unity, but it’s impossible to unify America if you’re only appealing to the liberal wing of your own party….’”

Romney has been an outspoken critic of Trump. He barely missed being censured for his vote to impeach Trump by his own party during a GOP convention in Utah. CNN wrote that even though the censure failed, it was a reminder of the fracture in the GOP. Likewise, the Democrats are fractured as well. How can we expect unity in the country under those circumstances?

US Catholics against Biden

Breitbart wrote on May 3:

“Prominent Catholic thinkers have handed Joe Biden a failing report card following the president’s first hundred days in office. Robert Royal, a well-known author and president of the Faith & Reason Institute in Washington, D.C., has compared Biden to the Chinese Communist Party, noting that both talk a lot about the common good while their actions betray it at every turn… Catholic Social Doctrine… ‘warns of potential tyranny and demoralization of people and civic institutions when government seek to assume authority over everything – family, faith, morals, even personal attitudes.’

“… As usual, Biden’s promotion of abortion rights is front and center in Catholics’ minds. ‘Abortion is a clarifying issue because it gives a sharp edge to these and a host of other questions about politics and the moral order,’ Royal observes, and on this vital issue Joe Biden holds a position the Catholic Church finds untenable… The slaughter of the innocents through abortion is happening today to the tune of about 150,000 globally, Royal writes, ‘the equivalent of killing everyone in Cambridge, Massachusetts plus the entire faculty and staff at Harvard, every day.’

“For this reason, he asserts, the American bishops ‘find themselves at a crossroads,’ since to let things go on as they have ‘would give the impression that they’re just fine with a self-proclaimed “devout” Catholic politician acting this way… As Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League, noted last Friday, there is nothing ‘right wing’ about ‘addressing public figures who boast of their “devout Catholic” status while constantly undermining what the Church teaches, especially on life and death issues.’”

This is not just referring to devout Catholic Joe Biden. The number of Catholic Democrats who are supporting abortion is staggering, including leading politicians like Pelosi and Schumer. Their sheer hypocrisy is breathtaking!

Raid of Giuliani Unconstitutional for Numerous Reasons

Newsmax wrote on May 2:

“The FBI raid this week of former President Donald Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani violated the ‘spirit and the letter of the Constitution,’ because it permitted prosecutors to read privileged information without permission, according to legal expert Alan Dershowitz…

“‘This was just a misuse of the search and seizure power… Initially it was turned down; now it was approved, both by a judge and by the attorney general of the United States…  It just shouldn’t be done this way… It should be done through subpoena, and that is the constitutional route to getting evidence… To conduct a search warrant is to imply that Rudy Giuliani and the other lawyers who are subject to the search warrant would destroy evidence… Now, Giuliani knew they were after the cell phones and the computers for months and months and months, and he didn’t destroy anything, so what’s the basis for the search warrant rather than the subpoena?

“‘The 4th Amendment demands a subpoena in these situations, not a search warrant. What they did in this case was unconstitutional… The 4th Amendment doesn’t protect you only against criminal prosecution, it protects your privacy… They’re looking hard. I don’t think they have anything on this registration because, really, Giuliani was representing an American; he was representing the president. He was doing investigations in the Ukraine to see if it can help his president….’

“There is a lack of ‘compelling evidence’ of potential obstruction of justice by a former federal prosecutor like Giuliani, Dershowitz said.”

In addition, Dershowitz also said that the search warrant violates the attorney-client privilege between Trump and Giuliani, and this privilege belongs to Trump as the client. He did not agree to a waiver and so, arguably, he could sue the FBI and the Justice Department for their unconstitutional action against him.

“The Big Lie” of 2020 Election Results

Newsmax wrote on May 3:

“Former President Donald Trump shot back at opponents and the mainstream media Monday, saying the 2020 election result [will] forever [be] known as ‘The Big Lie.’… The mainstream media has called Trump’s claim the 2020 election was stolen due to voter fraud as ‘the big lie.’… Trump last week called the 2020 election a ‘disgrace to our country.’ He said, ‘at 10:30 in the evening, everyone thought the election was over and that we had won. All of a sudden, late in the night, they closed up the tabulation centers and they came out with new numbers. This election is a disgrace to our country. And the whole world knows it and they’re watching.’

“Trump added he was ‘100%’ thinking about running again for the White House in 2024. ‘The polls show it and everybody wants me to do it: 100% I’m thinking about running and we will I think be very successful,’ Trump told Fox Business…

“Also last week, Trump said Democrats fighting an audit of Arizona’s election result… was an admission of using ‘unconstitutional’ election processes… ‘They sent a team of over 100 lawyers to try and stop it because they know what the result of the Arizona Senate sponsored audit will be — and it won’t be good for the Dems.’

“The Arizona state Senate used its subpoena power to take possession of all 2.1 million ballots in Maricopa County and the machines that counted them, along with computer hard drives full of data.”

So, it’s still not over?

Trump Continues to be Banned on Facebook

Deutsche Welle wrote on May 5:

“Former US President Donald Trump will be suspended from Facebook and Instagram for at least another six months. He was banned from the platform following the January 6 siege of the US Capitol by his supporters. The social media giant’s independent oversight board upheld the ban on the former US president, but said the decision should be reviewed in six months. The board said Trump ‘created an environment where a serious risk of violence was possible… Given the seriousness of the violations and the ongoing risk of violence, Facebook was justified in suspending Mr. Trump’s accounts on January 6 and extending that suspension on January 7,’ the board said after its review.

“The review board was established recently and includes academics, lawyers and rights activists. Its decisions are binding on the company… Trump responded to the announcement by repeating his… claims of voter fraud  in the 2020 US election. ‘Had gutless and clueless MINORITY Leader Mitch McConnell… fought to expose all of the corruption that was presented at the time, with more found since, we would have had a far different Presidential result,’ Trump said in a statement.”

Conservatives Respond

Fox News wrote on May 5:

“Conservatives blasted Facebook and its Oversight Board for upholding an indefinite ban on former President Trump on Wednesday… ‘Facebook’s decision to uphold its ban on President Donald Trump is extremely disappointing. It’s clear that Mark Zuckerberg views himself as the arbiter of free speech,’ Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., said in a statement…

“The news prompted swift reaction from Republican lawmakers. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy had a warning for Big Tech. ‘Facebook is more interested in acting like a Democrat Super PAC than a platform for free speech and open debate,’ McCarthy wrote on Twitter. ‘If they can ban President Trump, all conservative voices could be next…’ ‘Big tech thinks it can control everything. Companies that censor Americans while giving brutal dictators a pass should not have free rein over your personal data to use for their benefit…’, Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., wrote on Twitter. ‘Disgraceful. For every liberal celebrating Trump’s social media ban, if the Big Tech oligarchs can muzzle the former President, what’s to stop them from silencing you?’ Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, wrote on Twitter…

“Former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley… also criticized Big Tech. ‘Facebook and Twitter ban a former U.S. President, yet, some of the world’s worst dictators, terrorists, and bad actors still have a platform,’ Haley wrote on Twitter. ‘This is a gross double standard and it’s why most Americans don’t trust big tech.’ ‘The Facebook Oversight Board is a dumb distraction from the actual issue of Facebook’s hegemonic control over global political speech, reinforced today by the platform anointing itself with the moral authority to memory hole future world leaders at their own discretion,’ Rachel Bovard of the Conservative Partnership Institute wrote on Twitter…’

“The board’s decision comes after Trump rolled out a new communications platform, ‘From the desk of Donald J. Trump.’ The space allows Trump to post comments, images and videos, and allows followers to share the former president’s posts to Twitter and Facebook, though it does not have a feature letting users ‘reply’ or engage with Trump’s posts.”

What Is Facebook’s “Oversight Board”?

Breitbart wrote on May 6:

“Facebook has released a list of the first 20 members of its ‘Oversight Board,’ a semi-independent body the social network is setting up that will have the power to decide whether content banned by Facebook stays banned or is restored on appeal. Members include the former editor-in-chief of the Guardian and a ‘human rights expert’ who is part of George Soros’ Open Society project. Colloquially known as the ‘Facebook Supreme Court,’ the idea for the body was hatched by Harvard Law professor Noah Feldman, a liberal academic and one of the Democrats’ ‘expert witnesses’ during the impeachment hearings… The 20 members announced by Facebook today include progressive, left-wing, and mainstream media figures who have been highly critical of President Trump.

“One addition is Alan Rusbridger, formerly editor-in-chief of the Guardian, the U.K.’s leading left-wing newspaper. His appointment to Facebook’s Oversight Board — and the lack of any figures from conservative media — has already drawn condemnation from Conservative Party MPs in the U.K…. the former editor-in-chief is no fan of Trump. In September 2017, he expressed his support for Robert Mueller’s ‘obstruction of justice’ investigation against Trump.

“The Oversight Board also includes Nicolas Suzor, who once said he ‘loved’ an article comparing President Trump to Adolf Hitler… Other members of the Oversight Board include Helle Thorning-Schmidt, former Prime Minister of Denmark for the left-wing Social Democrat party…  Pamela Karlan, who worked in the civil rights division of President Obama’s Justice Department, and Evelyn Aswad, who served as director of human rights in Hillary Clinton’s State Department…

“There appears to be no major Trump-supporting figures in Facebook’s list of Oversight Board members…”

Even though the Oversight Board is represented as being “independent”, Breitbart points out that the salaries of all its members are being paid by Facebook.  Daily Mail added that the “oversight board has 20 highly paid, left leaning members who make the decisions. They get paid six figure salaries for approximately 15 hours of work a week.”

Facebook Permanently Bans LifeSite News

Breitbart wrote on May 5:

 “LifeSite News, a major pro-life news website, reports that Facebook has permanently blacklisted its page over ‘false information about COVID-19’ and ‘vaccine discouraging information.’…

 “LifeSite News has been censored by Big Tech companies on numerous occasions. In 2019, LifeSite was locked out of its Twitter account for using the ‘birth name’ of a far-left transgender activist in Canada. Earlier this year, the site was permanently banned by… YouTube.” 

Almost 8 Billion Euros for EU Military Projects

Science Business wrote on or about May 2:

“MEPs signed off on the controversial European Defence Fund on Thursday, clearing the way for a… budget of €7.9 billion to go to new military research projects across the EU between now and 2027. The programme is a pandemic casualty, losing some €5 billion in budget pledges since it was first announced in 2018…

“With both Russia and China investing in new missiles, nuclear capability, drones, unmanned weapons and artificial intelligence, Europe has to act, [Thierry Breton, EU commissioner for the internal market,] said…

“Despite being voted through today, the programme has attracted a large amount of criticism. Some MEPs complained that its investments would lack transparency and parliamentary control. Others, pointing to the Commission’s much-criticised efforts in procuring COVID-19 vaccines, said centralising more power in Brussels at this time was a bad move. German Green Henrike Hahn said she worries about handing a “blank cheque” to industry. ‘For the next seven years, the European Parliament won’t be involved in scrutinising the spending,’ she noted. One of the strongest attacks on the programme came from Irish socialist Clare Daly. The initiative is, ‘a slush fund for weapons of slaughter,’ she said, urging MEPs to, ‘Reject this madness.’”

Even though it is being denied that these steps have anything to do with the creation of a European army, one must indeed be blind for not seeing and recognizing the opposite.

Military Intervention and Civil War in France?

Breitbart wrote on May 1:

“49 per cent of the French public would support the military intervening to restore order and safety in France, even without government orders to do so, according to a poll conducted by Harris Interactive… a letter signed by 20 former French generals and an estimated 1,000 former and active-duty military members… warned of potential civil war and military intervention…

“Around six in ten — 58 per cent — of respondents said they support the military and ex-military members who signed the letter, with those who support right-wing parties such as Marine Le Pen’s National Rally (RN) showing the most support.

“… the French Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, General François Lecointre announced that active-duty members of the military who signed the letter would face removal or disciplinary actions.”

As dictatorships expand in Europe, even such prospects are no longer inconceivable.

Religious War in Jerusalem

Israel 365 wrote on May 2:

“Fatah is apparently determined to upgrade the recent violence into a religious war..

“Fatah Movement Central Committee member Tawfiq Tirawi… called the rioters Jerusalem’s ‘pure-hearted protectors’ and its ‘true ‎defenders,’ and repeated one of the PA’s excuses for the violence, claiming Israel ‎is ‘Judaizing’ Jerusalem, ‘making it Israeli,’ and ‘preventing its original residents ‎from enjoying freedom of worship’ during the Ramadan.‎

“Tirawi called on the ‘Palestinian forces and factions’ to honor their duties toward ‎Jerusalem and called on all Arabs and Muslims to ‘act to save the holy city from the ‎clutches of the occupation and its colonialist occupying racist policy.’”

An outright war for the “ownership” of Jerusalem is prophesied.

Further Religious Persecution in Canada

Breitbart wrote on May 1:

“A judge in Woolwich Township in Ontario, Canada, has ordered parishioners at Trinity Bible Chapel to be locked out of the church to prevent Sunday worship services [ruling] that the church, its pastors, and elders were in contempt of prior court orders to halt in-person worship by gathering a[t] the church last Sunday.

“… last Sunday nine tickets were issued to people for attending a gathering that exceeded the government’s attendance limit… church elders and the church have been charged with violations ‘several times’ in recent weeks. This is the first time parishioners have been ticketed.”

Canada’s persecution of churches is continuing. In the last Update, we reported on other unconstitutional actions against churches in Alberta and elsewhere. Also note the next article.

LiveSiteNews wrote on April 30:

 “A Canadian church will for now at least not have its doors closed to its faithful by police and health officials after a judge today denied an Ontario Attorney General’s request to shut the church doors because it has stayed open contrary to draconian COVID-19 health rules.  Pastor Henry Hildebrandt of the Church of God located in Aylmer, Ontario, announced the news… today…

“Justice Thomas also found today in contempt the Church of God (Restoration) as a corporation, Hildebrandt, and Peter Wall – who works as an assistant pastor and church director at the church – because they defied a February court injunction on the church…

“At the packed Sunday, April 25 service, Hildebrandt said he was ‘very ashamed of many, many pastors in this land’ for… going along with COVID-19 restrictions limiting church size. Independent MP Derek Sloan and Independent Ontario MPP Randy Hillier both attended the service at the Church of God and spoke briefly from the pulpit. The pair have been charged by Aylmer Police for attending…

“Ontario Premier Doug Ford on April 16 introduced extended ‘stay at home orders’ that placed a 10-person limit on church service attendance size, closed playgrounds, implemented provincial border checks, and gave police the power to stop anyone outside his or her home without cause. After public backlash, the Ford government walked back some of its coronavirus rules less than a day later. Playgrounds were allowed to stay open, and police had to have ‘reason to suspect that you are participating in an organized public event or social gathering’ in order to question people. “

Rebel News added on May 3:

“The [Attorney General’s] application [to lock down the church] will be re-examined on May 13… Pastor Hildebrandt… recounted that during the hearing, a representative from the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF) argued that the ‘government is making criminals out of law-abiding citizens’… Pastor Hildebrandt asked, ‘what’s next… underground church services?’ He drew attention to the fact that our current prime minister’s own father is the one who signed the Constitution Act of 1982, bringing into effect the Charter of Rights and Freedoms…

“When asked if he would be willing to go to jail over the ability to hold religious services, like Pastor James Coates of Grace Life Church, Pastor Hildebrandt said ‘absolutely.’ ‘If I’m not willing to do that, then I question my calling, I question being a pastor,’ he said, while reiterating that he hopes it doesn’t come to that.”

The dictatorial governmental measures in Canada are beyond belief.  Note the next article as well.

Montreal Police vs. the Jews

Rebel News wrote on May 3:

“… last Friday night in Montreal, it was raining cats and dogs… But despite the prevailing downpour, Montreal’s ever-vigilant members of law enforcement were patrolling the streets of the Jewish neighborhoods looking for those who would have the temerity to walk home post-curfew time. After all, inclement weather aside, there are quotas to make…

“And sure enough, as we casually drove around the neighbourhood, it didn’t take long before we happened upon yet another Jewish family getting ticketed by police. From what we could gather, the tickets were for breaching curfew (because that makes for a super-spreader event). Apparently the family did not have any identification papers with them, which is also an actionable offence. All of which brings up some very unpleasant imagery of law enforcement in a different place and a different time requesting: ‘Your papers, please! Schnell! Schnell!’

“We tried to interview the police officers and ask why they were determined to hand out tickets so diligently, but alas, there were no comments forthcoming to the ‘Jew Media,’ as certain Montreal police officers inexplicably call Rebel News these days. In any event, the police officers eventually drove away into the soggy night, ticket books in hand, ever diligent to pounce upon other Jewish people who might be walking the streets of Montreal sans canine i.e., without dogs].”

Terrible memories do in fact arise.

It Never Stops… TSA extends Mask Mandates for all Travels

npr wrote on May 1:

 “Wearing a face mask will continue to be a requirement at airports, aboard commercial flights and on other public transportation across the country through the summer. The federal mask mandate, which was set to expire on May 11, will remain in effect through Sept. 13, according to updated guidance issued by the Transportation Security Administration on Friday.

“The rule, which also applies to buses and rail systems, was first put in place by President Biden shortly after he took office in January. For about a year, major U.S. commercial airlines have required all passengers who are older than 2 to wear face masks on flights…

“… senior TSA official Darby LaJoye said… ‘We will continue to work closely with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to evaluate the need for these directives…’ Just this week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said people who are fully vaccinated do not need to wear a mask when they’re outdoors unless they’re in a crowd.”

The left hand does not know what the right hand is doing, and vice versa, and neither provides convincing and logical answers.  

Vaccination Passports and Totalitarian Control

Life Site News published an article by America’s Frontline Doctors on April 29:

“Former Pfizer Vice President and Chief Science Officer Dr. Michael Yeadon has issued a dire warning to the world regarding vaccination programs and related political measures, arguing that it is likely designed to bring about ‘utterly totalitarian control of the entire population forever.’

“Yeadon cited many examples of what is already built into Green Passport systems imposed upon Israel and expanded around the world. In addition, he provided the link to a video report that demonstrates how ‘the situation we are experiencing right now, the fear of a virus and ensuing measures that restrict liberties is exactly the situation that has been repeatedly and intensely trained and rehearsed in the past years with all kinds of infectious disease simulations.’

“‘Vaccination protects those who need it. Vaccine passports protect nobody. But vaxpass is useful to our overlords… Who controls that database and any algorithm governing what it permits and denies has absolutely totalitarian control over every aspect of your life. Imagine a future in which a valid Vaxpass is required to enter a sport ground or museum. Invalid Vaxpass, no entry. Now imagine the rules are hardened up (they will be). Now you can’t enter large shopping malls or hotels without a valid pass…”

This is a very accurate and serious prognostication. Satan’s underlying motive of having governments impose coronavirus restrictions and vaccination passports on unsuspecting people IS the creation of a worldwide dictatorship.

Your Personal Decision

Fox News published on May 4 the following commentary by Tucker Carlson:

“As important as vaccines may be, the question of whether to take them, whether to have powerful drugs injected into your body is the most intimate kind of personal health decisions. Politicians and bureaucrats should have no role in a decision like that. These decisions are for the individual alone to decide, in consultation with family, physicians and clergy. When it comes to medical care, it is your body, your choice…

“Soon, virtually all college students in America will be required to take the COVID vaccine. In effect, it is a national mandate… From a medical standpoint, it’s hard to understand the reasoning behind this. As a group, young people are not at risk of dying from COVID. Maybe more significant, huge numbers of college students have already been infected with the coronavirus. We know that, and therefore they have a natural immunity to it. Why do these kids need a vaccine?… In no other circumstance do we immunize people against a virus for which they already have antibodies…

“At this point, the people who haven’t been vaccinated against COVID are the ones who’ve affirmatively decided they don’t want to be vaccinated. In that, they’re exercising what they assumed was a fundamental American right: the right to choose which medicines you put in your own body. Until recently, all of us assumed that we had that right…

“So what is next? It’s not a question of the vaccine. You may want the vaccine for yourself and your children, you may not. It’s a question of being forced to take it. And if we allow ourselves to be forced to take it, what next? Anything is the answer to that question. If the authorities are permitted to control a health care decision this intimate — if they can force you and your children to take a vaccine you don’t want and are afraid of — what can’t they do? Nothing. They’ll have total power over your body and your mind, forever. What’s the limit to their power? There isn’t one…”

Never Herd Immunity in the USA?

Newsmax Health wrote on May 3:

 “COVID-19 is here to stay, say experts, who believe emerging variants coupled with vaccine hesitancy is likely to make it impossible to achieve herd immunity in the U.S…. What they predict is that COVID-19 will remain for many years to come, causing hospitalizations and deaths, but to a much lesser degree than experienced so far… Experts say that with the current mutations of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, the herd immunity threshold is 80%… Surveys show that 30% of Americans are hesitant to get vaccinated which pushes back the goal of achieving herd immunity even further.

“Epidemiologists say COVID-19 will become an endemic disease, much like the seasonal flu… According to Nature, there are other reasons why herd immunity is unlikely. Experts point out that the vaccines that prevent severe illness from COVID-19 may not prevent transmission of the disease… ‘If the coverage is 95% in the United states as a whole, but 70% in a small town, the virus doesn’t care,’ Dr. Marc Lipsitch… the director of the Center for Communicable Diseases, told the [New York] Times. ‘It will make its way around the small town.’’

And that, after all the contrary promises by scientists.

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.

We have written much about the mark of the beast in our Q&As and booklets, and we have given numerous sermons on the issue. As questions have arisen as to whether the mark of the beast applies to the governmental command or “encouragement” to wear masks or to get vaccinated, especially against the coronavirus, we are setting forth below, at first, a synopsis of what we have published about the mark of the beast.

Revelation 13:16–17 explains that people will accept “a mark” of the ancient Roman Empire and its ten European revivals (the “beast” power) “on their right hand” or “on their foreheads.” Without it, they cannot buy or sell (compare Revelation 14:9). This mark is associated with the violation of God’s Sabbath commandment (compare Exodus 31:13; Ezekiel 20:20; Isaiah 56:2; Isaiah 58:13; Amos 8:5; Exodus 16:23, 26; Exodus 31:15). In the Bible, the “right hand” is associated with work (Psalm 90:17; 137:5). The “forehead” is the seat of thoughts (Ezekiel 3:8; 9:4; Revelation 7:3).

The Roman Catholic Church tried to “change times and law” (Daniel 7:25)—that is, God’s law regarding holy time. It has changed the calendar in Europe in 1976, which identifies Sunday as the last day of the week, rather than the 7th-Day Saturday-Sabbath. It has inspired worldly governments to enact laws commanding Christians to rest on Sunday, while working on Saturday. Many of these “blue laws” are “on the books,” even though they might not be enforced everywhere at this time, but this will change soon, when the final European revival of the ancient Roman Empire has manifested itself on the world scene.

As early as 364 A.D., the Catholic Church decreed that Christians must work on the Sabbath, and that they must rest on Sunday. Canon 29 of the Council of Laodicea stated the following: “Christians must not judaize by resting on the Sabbath, but must work on that day, rather honouring the Lord’s Day [Sunday]; and, if they can, resting then as Christians. But if any shall be found to be judaizers, let them be anathema from Christ.”

Will Durant said in The Story of Civilization about the Code of Justinian: “This Code… enacted orthodox Christianity into law… It acknowledged the ecclesiastical leadership of the Roman Church, and ordered all Christian groups to submit to her authority…. Relapsed heretics were to be put to death… and other dissenters were to suffer confiscation of their goods, and were declared incompetent to buy or sell, to inherit or bequeath; they were excluded from public office, forbidden to meet, and disqualified from suing orthodox Christians for debt.”

In other words, those who were not orthodox Catholics were forbidden from buying and selling—i.e. conducting business. This will be reinforced again, with unparalleled severity, all over the world within the next few years.

In addition to the rejection of the weekly Sabbath, the mark of the beast includes also the rejection of God’s annual Holy Days [which are also called Sabbaths in the Bible, compare Leviticus 23, including the Feast of Tabernacles]. Governments in certain Catholic countries, such as Germany, are already prohibiting children to celebrate the Feast, while unlawfully insisting that they must attend school during that time.

At the same time, the Catholic Church caused and is causing governments to enact laws enforcing the celebration of man’s pagan holidays, falsely so-called “Christian,” such as Christmas days, Good Friday, Easter days and New Year’s, just to name a few.

God specifically warned ancient Israel not to incorporate pagan elements in their worship of Him (Deuteronomy 12:30-32). The early Roman Church absorbed pagan elements into their worship to make the new faith attractive to Gentiles who were already steeped in pagan customs. This was also done because of anti-Semitism and the desire to appear different from the Jews.

These pagan customs were placed under a “Christian” mantle so that they would have the appearance of being godly. Traditional Christianity has clearly violated God’s command to not learn pagan ways of worship from the Gentiles, to not add pagan elements to holy worship, and to not delete godly elements that are to be observed, such as the weekly and annual Holy Days. Therefore, it has, in effect, accepted for a long time the mark of the beast by embracing human religious traditions that violate God’s laws of proper worship.

The mark of the beast is tantamount to a religious philosophy detrimental to the true worship of God. It includes the mandatory and legally enforced celebration of pagan religious holidays and the practical and/or legal prohibition of the observance of God’s sacred days. It also includes humanly devised and ungodly ideas supporting and embracing a religion which preaches a false God, a false Jesus or a false gospel (Galatians 1:6–9; 2 Corinthians 11:3–4).

As mentioned, the mark of the beast has been in existence for a long time and even though it will reach its climax in the days ahead, it cannot possibly be a reference to microchips or cryptocurrencies or, as we will show, to vaccinations or a vaccine certificate, as these did not even exist in times past.

Rather than referring to a chip or some other tangible “evidence,” the commentary of Jamieson, Fausset and Brown states that, “The mark may be… not a visible mark, but symbolical of allegiance.” This “allegiance” can be seen today in many different ways, if we analyze what laws and regulations governments have already enacted or are in the process of enacting.

In our booklet, “Obeying God Rather Than Men,” we said this:

“True Christians understand that the Sabbath and the Holy Days must be kept, and that they must not instead accept the mark of the beast by worshipping on Sunday and pagan holidays, and by refusing to worship on God’s weekly and annual Sabbaths.

“But how does this play out in practice when the government prohibits Christian churches to meet and assemble on the Sabbath? They might not even place this prohibition under a religious mantle, but they might give some other reasons, such as the outbreak of a pandemic that would require people to stay at home. The weekly Sabbath and the annual Holy Days are commanded biblical holy assemblies or holy convocations (compare Leviticus 23). We should ask ourselves whether refusing to follow God’s command, because the government says so, would be pleasing to God (compare Hebrews 10:25; the Living Bible states: “Let us not neglect our church meetings, as some people do, but encourage and warn each other, especially now that the day of his coming back again is drawing near”).

“… God’s ministers are commanded to feed the flock. Zechariah 11:16 warns us of a worthless shepherd who will not feed or heal Church members. Ezekiel 34:4 applies this to other shepherds as well. God’s true ministers have a duty to anoint those with oil who are sick (James 5:14), which includes the laying on of hands (Luke 4:40; Mark 16:18; Acts 28:8). But in times of the existence of a real or perceived virus that is allegedly being transferred through touch or close proximity (‘social distancing’ is supposed to prevent this from happening), a government might prohibit such a practice of anointing…

“Conflict may arise when a government, perhaps due to fear of a virus which might allegedly be transmitted by touch or close proximity, prohibits the practice of baptizing or ordaining a person, which requires the laying on of hands by the minister on the person (compare Acts 8:12–17; 19:5–6; Acts 6:2–6; 1 Timothy 4:14; 1 Timothy 5:22; 2 Timothy 1:6). In addition, a government might prohibit Church ministers to bless little children (Mark 10:16; compare Matthew 19:13–15) or to conduct marriages, as all these procedures require the laying on of hands to set the persons aside for a holy and righteous purpose. Already in Old Testament times, it was understood as symbolizing the imparting of godly blessings (Genesis 48:13–20), His authority and spiritual power (Numbers 27:18; Deuteronomy 34:9).

“… A government might also prohibit God’s Church from preaching the gospel of the Kingdom… a government might not prohibit the preaching entirely, but it might seriously limit it to only those statements that are deemed politically correct. It might prohibit preaching God’s Truth about sin, including homosexuality, abortion, voting, jury duty or fighting in war… [God’s Church must] preach the ‘full counsel of God’ (Acts 20:27), no matter how ‘offensive’ it might be to other people and to the government…

“What if a government would issue a decree prohibiting the worship of the true God, or enjoining the worship of the ‘god’ of their choosing?… [In the past, people were forced to accept the Trinity and were declared “anathema from Christ” if they rejected this false concept. Also, Catholics must pray to the “Virgin Mary”—another false teaching.]

“In the future, God’s Church is described as fleeing to a place of safety here on earth from governmental authorities. Even though we do not know exactly how this flight will transpire, the point is that it is God who will set in motion such a ‘flight’ to protect His people from governments under Satan’s control, and He will even intervene when the governmental armies are trying to capture and kill God’s people. If someone, falsely understanding the relationship between God’s and men’s prerogatives, would feel that he cannot flee as this would violate the government’s orders, he would most certainly not be taken to the place of safety, but he would be left behind and suffer the terrible consequences of his misguided and faulty perception.”

What should have become clear from the foregoing is that the mark of the beast PREVENTS the true worship of God, including the observance of and proper assembly and worship on His weekly and annual Holy Days, accompanied by prayer and singing out loud without a mask to praise God, and other commanded activities, such as baptism, anointing of the sick, blessing of little children, conducting marriages, etc.

Anything which does not prevent true Christians from worshipping God in the right way, or which even assists them in doing so, could not possibly be described as (part of) the mark of the beast.

This means, then, that a Christian who does not buy or sell goods on Sunday or who is not working on that day, is not, per se, accepting the mark of the beast, as long as he does not keep Sunday holy as the day of worship towards God. The Bible does not command us to buy or sell goods on Sunday or to work (doing our business) on that day. On the other hand, a Christian who refuses to keep God’s Sabbath holy and conducts instead his business on that day does thereby accept the mark of the beast, as he violates God’s command to refrain from his ordinary customary work and to worship God on that day.

The same is true, of course, for God’s annual Holy Days and man’s pagan holidays. To not work or do business on Christmas or Easter is not, per se, accepting the mark of the beast, as long as the Christian does not participate in man’s pagan worship services on these days. On the other hand, to work or do business on God’s annual Holy Days, while neglecting to assemble on these days to worship God, would in fact constitute the acceptance of the mark of the beast.

Applying these principles to the issues of wearing masks or of vaccinations, the answer becomes clear: As long as none of these activities prevent us from worshipping or following God in the way which is pleasing to Him, they do not constitute the acceptance of the mark of the beast. This is even more obvious if those governmental measures constitute the government’s approval, enabling us to worship God in the proper way.

Wearing or not wearing a mask, or getting or not getting vaccinated is not, per se, tantamount to accepting the mark of the beast, as long as they do not prevent us from worshipping God in the right way (However, wearing a mask in church services might very well prevent us from worshipping God in a proper way). Otherwise, these are personal decisions, based on one’s individual situation. If a minister ought to travel overseas to visit the church or baptize or preach the gospel, but could only do so if he is vaccinated first, then vaccination does not prevent him from worshipping God and fulfilling his job as a minister; in fact, it might enable him to do so. If air travel in such a case would require the wearing of a mask, and if there was no other way to travel, then doing so would not constitute accepting the mark of the beast. This does not mean however that he must travel under those circumstances, because additional considerations, personal and otherwise, might have to be taken into account.

These principles, discussed above, do not just apply to ministers. If one has to wear a mask or has to be vaccinated to be able to keep his or her job or to go shopping, then a decision to do so would not constitute the acceptance of the mark of the beast, as it has nothing to do with worshipping or not worshipping God in the right way.

In this Q&A, we are primarily addressing the concept of the mark of the beast, and what it does and does not constitute. We are not speaking, in general, about the advisability or inadvisability of wearing a mask or becoming vaccinated. In particular, we are not addressing here whether or not vaccinations are safe; whether or not they will cause short-term or long-term (genetic) side effects; whether or not it is advisable to become vaccinated because of one’s health or age; or whether or not vaccinations are morally and ethically questionable because they were originally developed from cells of aborted fetuses. (We would like to add in this context, however, that today’s vaccinations are not manufactured from cells of aborted fetuses.)

A decision to get vaccinated or not is an individual decision, but it must be based on one’s individual conscience and conviction, because whatever is not of faith is sin (Romans 14:23). We must be persuaded or fully convinced in our own mind (Romans 14:5). It is important, however, that our conviction is based on a sound mind and not on speculation, unproven narratives or political propaganda. (For instance, a concept that wearing a mask is our patriotic duty or responsibility is as wrong as the idea that wearing a mask is sinful and constitutes acceptance of the mark of the beast.)

However, God commands us to work, earn money and support our family, and we should consider in this context whether or not a commanded activity, enabling us to do so, is “neutral” in that it does not violate God’s command to worship Him properly. Health concerns should be taken into consideration as well, when it comes, for instance, to wearing masks or getting vaccinated, such as difficulties with breathing, allergies, a compromised immune system, reactions to vaccinations, etc. But health concerns must not become our main priority if this means neglecting other and perhaps even more demanding duties. We read, for example, that Epaphroditus became sick because he worked so hard in the Work of God (Philippians 2:25-30). Paul said: “For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s” (Romans 14:8).

It is true, of course, that we are not to put God to the test. On the other hand, we must also recognize that time and chance do not rule over a Christian, but that he is in God’s hands. It is therefore important that we always pray to God for His lead, guidance, inspiration and protection (Psalm 48:14; Proverbs 16:9; Jeremiah 10:23 and Isaiah 58:11), and that we do not judge or condemn anyone who might decide in a way other than what our preference would be, because our situation might be quite different from the situation of our next-door neighbor, relative or friend.

James asks this question: “Who are you to judge another?” (James 4:12). We are all God’s servants, and so, Paul asks this question: “Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls…” (Romans 14:4). In 1 Corinthians 4:5, he says: “Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will… reveal the counsels of the hearts…” He also states in 1 Corinthians 10:29: “For why is my liberty judged by another man’s conscience?”

Whatever our individual decision will be, especially when it comes to getting or not getting vaccinated, God’s Church will back us up, honoring our individual conviction, based on our circumstances. Wearing a mask or getting vaccinated is not tantamount to accepting the mark of the beast, nor do they constitute sinful conduct (unless wearing a mask prevents us from worshipping God in a proper and righteous way.) Neither is it sinful conduct not to get vaccinated.

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

compiled by Dave Harris

“Catholic Politicians’ Hypocrisy on Abortion Rights” is the title of a new StandingWatch program, presented by Evangelist Norbert Link. Here is a summary:

High-ranking Catholic politicians may speak against abortion in private, but support it in public. The Catholic Church condemns abortion and is highly critical of “devout” practicing Catholics, such as Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, Andrew Cuomo, Patrick Leahy and others, who officially uphold a pro-choice position. But is abortion really wrong, and does God prohibit it?

A Tech Team Meeting was conducted via SKYPE on May 2, 2021. Hosted by Eric Rank, development of the Church website theme, provisional back-ups for YouTube, Google Ads and Sabbath Service presentations along with Conference plans were among topics discussed.

“Was das Malzeichen des Tieres (nicht) ist!” is the title of this coming Sabbath’s new German sermon, presented by Norbert Link. Title in English: “What the Mark of the Beast is (not).”

“Jesus Christus—der Erlöser der Menschheit,” the sermonette presented last Sabbath in Germany by Marc Voeller, is now posted. Title in English: “Jesus Christ the Redeemer of Humanity.”

“Governmental Attacks on Freedom to Speak and to Worship, Comments on News and Prophecy, May 1, 2021,” the first message presented last Sabbath by Norbert Link, is now posted. Here is a summary:

In this message, we will discuss attacks by governments and the mass media on our freedom to speak and to worship, as well as persecution and unconstitutional actions, in Germany, the USA, Canada and the UK. What all of this has in common is the creation of an autocratic and dictatorial climate in these countries.

“Paul’s Challenges,” the sermon presented last Sabbath by Michael Link, is now posted. Here is a summary:

What can we learn from Paul’s life with all the challenges he went through?