On March 1, 2025, Michael Link will present the sermonette, titled, “In All Honesty,“ and Norbert Link will present the sermon, titled, “Europe’s Corrupt Economic System.”

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.

Vice President JD Vance recently said in Germany: “We have a new sheriff in town,” referring to President Donald Trump in Washington. But is there also now a new sheriff in Berlin? Some might think so.

I’m talking about Friedrich Merz (CDU) who is to become the new German Chancellor, replacing the deeply unsuccessful Olaf Scholz (SPD). Trump congratulated Merz, and so did many other leaders. Trump also congratulated the AfD, as some other populist leaders on the right did as well. In Germany’s election last Sunday, the AfD reached a strong second place [one of five Germans voted for it], so that the CDU and the AfD would hold enough seats for a majority in Parliament. But Merz said he would not enter into a coalition with the “far-right” AfD.

Meaning, “the legacy globalist-right conservative Christian Democrats” would have to enter into a “grand” coalition with the left-leaning SPD to be able to rule Germany… the same SPD which under Scholz has been largely responsible for the terrible demise Germany is in.

In an insightful article following the election, Breitbart wrote on February 24:

“But as Germany experienced in the Angela Merkel era of such grand coalitions between left and right, ultimately, the government is dragged left — very left — as the junior partners hold the senior hostage with the threat that they can, at any moment, collapse the government if not indulged…”

So will Merz, in time, stick to or abandon his pledge to uphold the “firewall” or “Brandmauer” against the AfD? The AfD is open to a coalition with the CDU. In fact, the AfD stated in the past that Merz is even more right-wing than they are. They also state now that the CDU has effectively adopted most of the AfD’s manifesto in order to attract voters who might otherwise have voted for the AfD. Merz, it is stated, thereby shifted his party to the right, abandoning Angela Merkel’s politics.

Merz’s victory has been described as “one of the most remarkable comebacks in recent political history,” and Merz was referred to as “a corporate king in conservative clothing.” It has been known that Merz has long represented the interests of some of the world’s most powerful corporate and financial elites, most notably BlackRock in Germany until 2020. Germany will become the first country to be ruled by a former BlackRock official. BlackRock profits from sectors including pharmaceuticals, entertainment, media and, of course, war. BlackRock is the biggest asset management corporation in the world, which controls some $6.3 trillion in assets — twice Germany’s gross domestic product. 

As first and foremost a businessman, Merz’s victory, we are told, will be celebrated in the boardrooms of BlackRock and other major corporations, granting them unprecedented control of Europe’s largest economy.

What political views does Merz have? Actually, this is very difficult to decipher. During a debate shortly before the election, Merz asked rhetorically whether people would continue to talk about NATO in its “current form” rather than about establishing an “independent European defense capability.”

Merz has been described as anti-American and anti-Trump. He said: “The EU must not come to Washington as a dwarf — because then it will be treated as one.” He also noted that America’s intervention in German elections was as brazen as Russia’s intervention. He sharply criticized Donald Trump’s administration and urged Europe to distance itself from Washington during a post-election panel.

But is this an accurate picture which really describes Merz’s position? It has been suggested that any disagreements in public would largely be a façade, as Trump’s and Merz’s interests and visions are allegedly similar. Merz aligned with the US on issues such as the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, calling for the project’s cancellation long before the escalation of the Ukraine crisis. There may be disagreements as to how to deal with Russia and Ukraine… but we know from prophecy that both countries will unite in the end. Trump and Merz want Europe to spend more—a lot more—on defense, and both support the global “corporate elite.”

From a philosophical standpoint, Merz and the AfD are much more similar than Merz and the SPD. Will the push of the SPD in a grand coalition become so unbearable that the Germans will demand a dramatic change… which will ultimately end up in a coalition between the two right-wing parties?

Merz also made clear that he wants to become the conservative leader of Europe—thereby challenging Merkel’s protégée, Ursula von der Leyen. Will America’s withdrawal from European affairs give Germany, perhaps under Merz, the opportunity to become much more influential in Europe? Is Merz going to be used as an architect in that regard to allow end-time prophecy to develop in due course?

We will have to see how all of this will play out.

by Norbert Link

In this issue, we address the ongoing and ever-increasing national and international uproar over Donald Trump’s “unwise” statements pertaining to Ukraine and his actions towards Zelensky and Russia; address developments in Brazil and Gaza; and report about long-overdue actions by RFK on vaccinations.

We dedicate a large portion of this issue to the election in Germany and introduce to you Friedrich Merz, presumably the next German Chancellor, addressing his past and his plans for the future. We also predict, however, that the new German government under Merz may just be a continuation of the past and still present disastrous government under Scholz.

Please view our new StandingWatch program, titled, “Is Germany Now on the Brink of Change?”   

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

Boris Johnson vs. Trump 

Daily Mail published the following article by Boris Johnson on February 21: 

“They know full well that saying Ukraine ‘started the war’ is like blaming the defenceless young woman at the beginning of the movie Jaws and claiming that she takes off her clothes and skips into the moonlit sea with the specific intention of attacking the great white shark. It’s like saying that American ships brutally fired on Japanese Zeroes at Pearl Harbor. It’s Orwellian, bonkers, an inversion of the truth, and they know it. It’s victim-blaming rubbish to say that Ukraine was in any way responsible for the three years of carnage, and it is also rubbish to say that Vladimir Putin was ‘provoked’ by Nato…

 “Putin launched his war not because he was worried about Nato – that’s pure Kremlin propaganda – but because he is a ruthless opportunist, who had been in power for two decades, and who thought he could revive his political fortunes with a short, sharp war to rebuild the Russian empire.  He thought that the Ukrainians would rapidly surrender, and that the West would spinelessly acquiesce, as we had during the annexation of Crimea in 2014.

 “… everybody can see that Volodymyr Zelensky is not a dictator but a democrat courageously defending his country against an aggressor… we need to remember whose side the Ukrainians are on. They are on our side. They are on the side of freedom… In this war there is not a shred of moral equivalence between Ukraine and Russia…’

 Trump needs to be careful that he is not losing the support of his closest allies.

 Words of War Intensify

 The Daily Mail wrote on February 21: 

“Trump has claimed Sir Keir Starmer [and Emmanuel Macron]  ‘didn’t do anything’ to end the Ukraine war. The US President lashed out at Sir Keir and … Emmanuel Macron amid a transatlantic spat over Mr Trump branding Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky a ‘dictator’. Those comments riled both the PM and French President, who hit back at Mr Trump’s attack on the Ukrainian President and doubled down on their support for Kyiv… This comes after Mr Trump said in an interview with Fox News he didn’t think it was ‘very important’ for Zelensky to be involved in peace talks as ‘he’s been there for three years’ and that he ‘makes it very hard to make deals’… he suggested the Russian President ‘doesn’t have to make a deal’ because he could complete a total invasion of Ukraine ‘if he wanted’… 

“In his radio interview, Mr Trump also appeared to move away from his previous astonishing remarks in which he falsely blamed Kyiv for having ‘started’ the conflict. ‘Russia attacked, but there was no reason for them to attack.’ Mr Trump said… Billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk, an ally of Mr Trump, yesterday joined attacks on Mr Zelensky by claiming he runs a ‘fraud machine feeding off dead bodies of soldiers.’ [He also called him a “despised dictator.”] 

“But Keith Kellogg, the US President’s envoy to Russia and Ukraine, struck a different tone today following a trip to Kyiv. In a post on Mr Musk’s social media site X, the retired lieutenant general said he had had a ‘long and intense day with the senior leadership of Ukraine’. This included ‘extensive and positive discussions’ with Mr Zelensky, who he praised as ‘the embattled and courageous leader of a nation at war.”’ 

What is really going on behind the scenes? 

Very Personal 

The Sun in the UK wrote on February 21: 

“As negotiations have continued over finding a peace deal in Ukraine, the relationship between the two have only worsened. Their personal spats have spilled over into the public eye in recent weeks. 

“Zelensky has even been urged to flee Ukraine ‘immediately’ amid escalating tensions between Washington and Kyiv, insiders in the White House warned… 

“Asked about the growing tensions between the US and Kyiv, another source close to the White House said the public spat was a long-time coming… Trump’s smearing of the Ukraine regime as scam artists who provoked a war using US taxpayers’ money is a rant beneath the dignity of his office. Almost nothing in it is true… 

“It is an unprecedentedly shocking statement from the President of the United States… It is troubling and short-sighted in the extreme for the so-called leader of the free world to have no interest in a war ­raging in Europe because he is separated from it by the Atlantic. America is not a business…  is the most powerful democracy on Earth with global responsibilities and — let’s be frank — a duty to discern right from wrong with absolute moral clarity.” 

Even the pro-Trump media and pro-Trump commentators are standing up to Trump. 

Mark Levin Defies Trump 

Mediaite wrote on February 20: 

“Fox News’ Mark Levin delivered an implicit rebuke of President Donald Trump’s rhetoric about the ongoing war between Russian and Ukraine on Wednesday, debunking a series of false and misleading claims made by the president. On his radio show, Levin delivered a history lesson on Russian dictator Vladimir Putin’s rise to power and various crimes, while going to bat for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky… 

“‘Now look, I don’t have a problem if it’s the position of our administration to cut back on support for Ukraine — which I oppose, by the way — then so be it. Elections have consequences, so be it. But I want to make sure the facts are on the table and you, the American people, draw your own conclusion,’ began Levin, submitting that ‘MAGA doesn’t support Putin.’ ‘Zelensky ordered martial law — that’s what the constitution there compelled. Zelensky hasn’t called for an election — that’s what the constitution there compels. he continued. ‘Now, I’m waiting for the first free election for Vladimir Putin. I mean, this is almost comical in a sick way that Putin is demanding an election. Why is he demanding an election in Ukraine when he doesn’t have free and real elections in his own country? And why does he-, why does he get to call the shots when in fact, he murders people who dare to challenge him?’… 

“‘Zelensky’s latest poll, he’s at 57%,’ noted the conservative commentator just one day after Trump claimed that Zelensky’s approval rating sat at 4%. ‘The parliament — with all parties in the parliament — support what he’s doing. They’re trying to survive. Ukraine did not invade Russia. Russia invaded Ukraine… Eighty-one percent of the American people do not trust Putin because 81% of the American people are smart,’ continued Levin… 

“Trump’s comments have been criticized a wide range of voices, including many on the right. But Levin’s remarks are particularly notable given his long history of supporting the president…” 

The New York Post Draws the Line 

Mediaite wrote on February 21:

“The New York Post pushed back on President Donald Trump’s quip that Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky is a ‘dictator’ with a full front cover image of Russian President Vladimir Putin and an all-caps headline declaring: “THIS IS A DICTATOR.”… The Post… a conservative powerhouse and Trump-ally Rupert Murdoch’s flagship newspaper, has drawn a sharp line in the sand over Ukraine… The cover was praised by other Trump-supporting media personalities who have taken issue with the Ukraine pivot, like journalist Piers Morgan… 

“The move follows a week of criticism from The Post’s editorial board itself, taking direct aim on Trump comments beginning Wednesday… ‘Whatever negotiating tactics Trump cares to use, turning the truth completely upside down ought to be beneath him.’”

No Minerals Deal… USA Blames Zelensky 

The Sun wrote on February 22: 

“Zelensky is reportedly not ready to accept the ‘problematic’ offer from the US. The [minerals] deal proposed by Trump’s team would see Kyiv hand over billions of dollars of minerals to Washington DC in exchange for weapons… And it comes as the split between the US and Ukraine is widening, with some White House officials raging Zelensky would be ‘six feet under’ without them… 

“Kyiv officials are however standing firm, reports Sky News, with some sources saying US and Ukrainian officials had spent ‘all night’ negotiating on Thursday into the early hours of Friday. A source said: ‘The agreement is not yet ready to be signed, there are a number of problematic issues, and in the current form of the draft, the president is not ready to accept it. Today, the drafts do not reflect a partnership in the agreement and contain only unilateral commitments by Ukraine.’ 

“The White House view is that Zelensky grew too accustomed to unwavering support under former President Joe Biden, including billions in military aid and NATO backing. Now, Trump’s inner circle believes the Ukrainian leader has overstepped, reports Axios. ‘We created a monster with Zelensky,’ another administration official said. ‘And these Trump-deranged Europeans who won’t send troops are giving him terrible advice.’… 

“‘In the course of a week, Zelensky rebuffed President Trump’s treasury secretary, his secretary of state and his vice president, all before moving on to personally insulting President Trump in the press,’ one official said. The US President also blasted Zelensky’s wartime leadership, calling him a ‘modestly successful comedian’ who must ‘move fast or he is not going to have a country left.’

“Russian President… Putin wasted no time seizing on the growing US-Ukraine rift, praising Trump for ‘changing his position’…”

Trying to appease Putin would be a colossal mistake. 

No Guarantees for Ukraine

The Daily Mail added on February 22:

“Ukraine claims to have Europe’s largest reserves of titanium – used to produce alloys for aircraft and naval vessels, and lithium, a commodity that is becoming increasingly valuable amid global demand for batteries – particularly in electric vehicles. The war-torn country also has deposits of rare earth minerals that are essential in high-tech industries, including defense and clean energy. The minerals are especially valuable to the US amid growing tensions with China, which controls vast portions of the global supply. 

“Zelensky furiously lashed out at the initial proposal, claiming that it was too vague and demanded a 50 percent share of Ukraine’s mineral deposits. He said that Trump was demanding $500 billion worth of the minerals – which was far beyond America’s total contribution to the Ukraine war effort of $100 billion. … Ukraine has trillions of dollars worth of natural resources… though many are found in the industrial heartlands in the east, currently occupied by Russia… Zelensky told reporters later Monday that any US-Ukraine economic treaty must see security guarantees… adding that his country was not just a ‘simple supplier of raw materials’… 

“An analysis of the contract’s terms by the Telegraph concluded that, if the terms of the draft dated February 7, 2025 draft were accepted by Ukraine, Trump’s demands would amount to a higher share of Ukrainian GDP than reparations imposed on Germany following World War I…

“Reuters also reported that American negotiators said they may cut Kyiv’s access to Elon Musk’s Starlink, which has been heavily relied on for civilian and military use, if it did not agree to the mineral rights deal… ‘Ukraine runs on Starlink. They consider it their North Star,’ said the source. ‘Losing Starlink … would be a massive blow.’…”

Ukraine Agrees to Mineral Deal… Sort of…

The Financial Times wrote on February 25:

“Ukrainian officials say Kyiv is now ready to sign the agreement on jointly developing its mineral resources, including oil and gas, after the US dropped demands for a right to $500bn in potential revenue from exploiting the resources.

“Although the text lacks explicit security guarantees, the officials argued that they had negotiated far more favourable terms and depicted the deal as a way of broadening the relationship with the US to shore up Ukraine’s prospects after three years of war…

“The final version of the agreement, dated February 24 and seen by the FT, would establish a fund into which Ukraine would contribute 50 per cent of proceeds from the ‘future monetisation’ of state-owned mineral resources, including oil and gas, and associated logistics. The fund would invest in projects in Ukraine….

“However, the agreement omits any reference to US security guarantees which Kyiv had originally insisted on in return for agreeing to the deal. It also leaves crucial questions such as the size of the US stake in the fund and the terms of “joint ownership” deals to be hashed out in follow-up agreements.

“Ukrainian officials said the deal had been approved by the justice, economy and foreign ministers, and held out the prospect of Zelenskyy travelling to the White House… for a signing ceremony with Trump…”

We will wait and see what is coming out of that one…

USA Declines to Sponsor UN Resolution

Newsweek wrote on February 20:

“The United States is declining to co-sponsor a draft [UN] resolution… [which] reaffirms the need for full implementation of past U.N. resolutions, particularly the demand for Russia to immediately and unconditionally withdraw its military forces from Ukraine’s internationally recognized territory. Russia currently controls about 20 percent of Ukraine and continues to gain ground in the east.”

The USA submitted their own version, greatly exonerating Putin. It does not refer to Putin as an “aggressor,” and it does not demand Russia to withdraw from Ukrainian territory nor does it establish Ukraine’s independent sovereignty. This version will have no chance of acceptance. The irony is that we know from the Bible that ultimately, Russia and Ukraine will unite.

Trump’s Attacks on Ukraine So Wrong!

Die Welt wrote on February 23:

“On Monday it will be three years since Russia unleashed a war.

“Donald Trump’s attacks on Ukraine and its president are so wrong that from now on we have to reckon with everything. And they lead to historical comparisons that hurt.”

RFK Issues Two Bombshell Orders on Vaccines 

Daily Mail wrote on February 21: 

“Robert F Kennedy Jr has pulled promotional ads for vaccines and postponed a meeting of key vaccine advisors, in one of his first moves as health secretary.

“Kennedy ordered the CDC to scrub its digital ‘Wild to Mild’ flu vaccine campaign that juxtaposed a lion next to a kitten as an analogy for how the shot ‘tames’ the virus. But Kennedy wants the CDC to move away from nudge tactics and focus its vaccine communications on ‘informed consent’ – which involves telling the patient the medical risks and benefits and letting them come to their own decision.

“Meanwhile, the year’s first meeting of the CDC’s influential panel of vaccine experts has been delayed indefinitely, marking the first time the meeting has been postponed in over 40 years, except for during the emergency Covid pandemic… Mr Kennedy told HHS staff that ‘nothing is off limits’ when it comes to pinpointing the leading causes of chronic illnesses in children, including alterations to national vaccine recommendations.”

This is a good start. Hopefully, it will continue at full speed. 

Another Trump “Plan” to Deal With Immigrants

Newsmax wrote on February 25:

“Illegal immigrants in the U.S., including children 14 and older, will be required to submit personal information, such as fingerprints and home addresses, to a registry under a plan being considered by the Trump administration… Previously, illegal immigrants were committing a civil offense and could be detained and deported but weren’t considered to have committed a crime…

“A law passed in 1940 created an immigrant registry to catch suspected communists, and the government aired TV ads reminding all immigrants, including permanent residents, to register annually at local post offices… By the 1960s, the government decided it was too costly and provided little benefit.

“Trump’s planned registry would require anyone in the country illegally who hasn’t interacted with the government, such as by applying for asylum or a work permit, to come forward. The administration plans to create a registration form and give them 30 days to complete it after the registry is established…

“President George W. Bush created a similar immigration registry after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, when his administration required men and boys from predominantly Muslim countries to submit photographs and fingerprints to the federal government… Tens of thousands of people who registered under that program were arrested and deported.”

These are frightening developments. 

Brazil Censors Rumble 

Deutsche Welle wrote on February 22:

“Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered video sharing platform Rumble to be taken offline in the Latin American country within 24 hours. In his decision, Moraes said Rumble has not complied with court orders, such as appointing a legal representative for Brazil…

“In response, Rumble said the platform is experiencing ‘unprecedented censorship in Brazil.’ The company, which has headquarters in both Canada and Florida, said Morae’s orders are ‘in response to our refusal to censor political dissidents residing in the United States.’… Rumble is responsible for the back-services for [Trump’s] Truth Social media site…. A venture capital company co-founded by current Vice President JD Vance invested in Rumble in 2021…

“The crackdown on Rumble in Brazil comes after Moraes ordered the suspension of Elon Musk’s x, also for failing to appoint a legal representative in the country.  Although Musk was angered by the order, the company eventually complied with Moraes’ demands around a month later, with X being brought back online in Brazil… Moraes is a powerful figure in Brazilian politics.” 

Trump Backpedals on Gaza

JTA wrote on February 21:

“President Donald Trump said Friday he would ‘recommend’ — but was ‘not forcing’ — his plan to depopulate the Gaza Strip and have the United States take it over, as Arab states have roundly rejected the idea and tensions mount over the Israel-Hamas ceasefire and hostage release deal… ‘I think that’s the plan that really works,’ Trump said. ‘But I’m not forcing it. I’m just going to sit back and recommend it’…

“Trump has predicted that Arab states would come around to the idea of depopulating Gaza, but they have not…” 

Our Politics Is a Disgrace 

Bild Online wrote on February 21:

“The Palestinians of Hamas know no boundaries: the planned, annihilating terrorist slaughter of October 7, 2023. The display of corpses and hostages, the triumphal processions for child butchers in the Gaza Strip. Medieval gauntlet running for the kidnapped and abused. Dark bunker dungeons for more than a year. Then the ‘release’ by Hamas as the ultimate humiliation: the hostages were used as propaganda puppets. And on German streets, from the far left to the center, they are demonstrating FOR Hamas and the Palestinians. FOR terrorists. AGAINST Jews, AGAINST the State of Israel. And our state is still giving money there – directly and indirectly. We are still handing out double passes to the enemies of Israel and our way of life…

“Now the German-Israeli Bibas family has been wiped out. Two small children: murdered by Hamas while they were being held hostage ‘with their bare hands,’ as the Israeli army now says. Cold-blooded. Who can do that? Who has the heart to do that? They are the barbarians who killed babies in the womb on kibbitzes so that no Jews would grow back. And these barbarians hand over the wrong body – it’s not the mother… [But the dead mother, brutally murdered by Hamas, allegedly while in captivity, was subsequently handed over to Israel.]

“If their abduction did not lead to any recognizable action by our federal government, then what does their death lead to, and what follows from the disgusting game with Shiri’s remains? Audible: nothing. Once again nothing concrete…

“As Foreign Minister, Frank-Walter Steinmeier was one of these political moral preachers. As our Federal President, he regularly and quite rightly speaks of… Israel’s right to exist. But what does all this mean? How far is he willing to go? Is there more than just Sunday speeches? When will the man… demand real consequences from the federal government?” 

Not Like Germany, Please!

The New York Post wrote on February 21:

“The First Amendment is our sacred safeguard against becoming a censorious hellscape — like Germany, where insulting a politician can land you in prison. Even supposedly ‘free’ Western countries are liable to crack down on free speech at a moment’s notice… It should make us all grateful that expressive rights are enshrined in our Constitution. But it’s also a reminder of how vigilant we need to be to ensure we don’t succumb to the same censorious fate. As Germany demonstrates, banning ‘hate speech’ is a slippery slope to abandoning free speech altogether…. 

“… once you open the door to prosecuting ‘hate speech,’ you no longer actually have free speech. ‘Hate speech’ is an amorphous term that can be defined differently by every judge, every prosecutor, and every individual. The crackdown on ‘hate speech’ in Germany has been applied in some pretty laughable contexts…”

These concerns are justified. It starts with censoring and prohibiting free speech, burning books, and what is next?

Needed: A European Army 

Vg-no wrote on February 25:

“We have no choice. The EU must become one united state. Should we have 27 different armies, and be feared by no one, or should we unite into a superpower that no one dares to threaten. That’s what Guillaume Ancel asks. He has fought as a French military officer in Rwanda, Cambodia and Bosnia for over 20 years. Now he wants to use his legitimacy as a military expert to promote a European federation , the United States of Europe, or USE.

“We knew we were threatened by Putin’s Russia, but now we discover we are threatened by Trump’s USA. And tomorrow it will be Xi Jinping’s China, he says… So the answer is simple, he believes: A federal structure, a democratically elected president, and a joint army. Under this force, France’s nuclear weapons would become Europe’s nuclear weapons, Ancel says… Ancel believes it will take courage for EU countries to give up their sovereignty , but that it is the only option.”

Germany’s Next Government

The Guardian wrote on February 23, 2025:

“… veteran political ­analyst Herfried Münkler… wrote in the newspaper Die Zeit… ‘The next government will have to take great pains to reassert German leadership in Europe.’… Merz (CDU) has said he aims to build a new ­governing ­alliance by Easter, setting up long weeks of tense negotiations in which Germany will be focused inward.

“His most likely partner will be Scholz’s Social Democrats…”

Report 24 speculated on February 23 that sooner or later, the CDU will collaborate with the AfD. In the past, the AfD claimed on occasion that Merz is more right-wing and conservative than even the AfD.

Trump Does Not Care For Germany

Bild Online wrote on February 22:

“US President Donald Trump has a new message for the Germans. And it goes something like this: I don’t care about you – nor about your new government… When he was asked in the White House on Friday afternoon to comment on the federal election, he shrugged off: ‘I wish you luck.’ Then he added with a grin: ‘We have our own problems here.’…

“No other US president in post-war history has ever made such a succinct statement about the Federal Republic or made it so obvious that Germany is a side note for them. This makes it clear: Germany cannot expect any leniency in the impending tariff war and must fear for the military protection of the USA.

“Trump doesn’t like Germany… He certainly didn’t like Angela Merkel… He said about the Chancellor: ‘She’s crazy. She is ruining Germany.’ What was meant was her asylum policy.”

Or Does He?

Deutsche Welle wrote on February 23:

“US President Donald Trump on Sunday said that a victory by conservatives was a good thing for Germany and the world. Writing on his Truth social platform, Trump said, ‘Much like the USA, the people of Germany got tired of the no common sense agenda, especially on energy and immigration, that has prevailed for so many years.’

‘‘This is a great day for Germany, and for the United States of America under the leadership of a gentleman named Donald J. Trump,’ he continued, adding, ‘Congratulations to all — many more victories to follow!!!’…”

However, Germany’s immediate future does not look rosy.

What Now?

Deutsche Welle wrote on February 23:

“Alice Weidel, leader of the AfD… said the AfD is prepared to enter a coalition government… But given that the CDU and other major parties have ruled out working with the AfD…, Weidel claims that the CDU have effectively adopted most of the AfD’s manifesto and says: ‘They’re going to have to explain to their voters how they’re going to implement those promises while working with left-wing parties. If they form a government with the SPD and Greens, then interim chancellor Merz won’t last four years.’…

“To form a government, a majority of at least 316 seats out of the 630 seats in the Bundestag is needed. A coalition between CDU and AfD would have been possible numerically, as both parties easily pass this threshold, adding up to 358. But according to conservative leader Friedrich Merz, this is out of the question. That leaves Olaf Scholz’s SPD as a possible partner, which together with CDU scrape by with 328 seats. A bigger majority could be formed if CDU were to add the Greens to the mix, reaching 416. But the CDU’s junior partner CSU has repeatedly ruled out governing with the Greens…  Theoretically, the CDU could also lead a 3-party coalition that includes SPD and the Left party, but this is highly unlikely given very deep ideological differences between the conservatives and the far-left faction…”

“Friedrich Merz sharply criticized Donald Trump’s administration and urged Europe to distance from Washington during a post-election panel airing on state broadcaster ARD….”

The CDU won, followed by the AfD, the SPD, the Green party and the Left. The left-leaning BSW [under Sahra Wagenknecht; the BSW is different from the Left party and broke away from it] and the FDP did not make the 5% hurdle. Current Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) announced that he would be willing to negotiate about a leadership role within a new government. The SPD under Scholz suffered the most devastating defeat since World War II. The CDU did not do as well as they had hoped.

However one wants to look at it… this election hasn’t changed much and Germany’s current downfall may continue for a while. Bottom line: Another disaster! No wonder that according to Focus, many Germans complain that their lives won’t be better after the election.

AfD’s Big Success

Reuters wrote on February 23:

“The Alternative for Germany, which has morphed since it was founded in 2013 from a party of libertarian economists to an anti-immigration, pro-Russia group, [has] won the backing of one-in-five Germans… AfD leader Alice Weidel told supporters… that it would be tantamount to ‘electoral fraud’ if the first-placed conservatives chose to govern with left-wing parties rather than them. If that happened, she said, ‘next time we’ll come first.’ Weidel, the leader of a nativist party that preaches traditional family values while raising her children with a Swiss-based woman of Sri Lankan background, said the AfD was now ‘a mainstream party’…

“One leading figure is regional boss Bjoern Hoecke… [The AfD] became the largest party in Hoecke’s home state of Thuringia last year, and did sufficiently well elsewhere that only improbable and tricky coalitions of centre-right and far left could keep them out of office…

“The president of Germany’s Central Jewish Council, Josef Schuster, told Welt newspaper he was shocked at the strength of the AfD’s result…”

Even though the positions of the AfD change from time, they recently announced that they are for the reinstatement of a mandatory 2-year military service, and, according to the article above, “drastically restricting migration, disbanding the European Union and dropping support for Ukraine in its war with Russia.” They have also suggested, however, to replace the EU with a more limited group of like-minded core nations.

Austria’s FPÖ Congratulates

Report 24 wrote on February 23:

“FPÖ leader Herbert Kickl sent… a heartfelt congratulation [to Alice Weidel from the AfD]…

“’The patriotic turnaround is well underway and it cannot be stopped, but only delayed, because it is supported by honest love for the homeland, for one’s own people, for freedom and for the truth!'”

Merz Backtracks on Borders

Breitbart wrote on February 25:

“Hours after his party’s victory in Germany’s federal elections, likely incoming chancellor Friedrich Merz began to soften his stance on immigration as he looks to form a coalition with leftist parties rather than the anti-mass migration Alternative for Germany…

“While Merz campaigned as a supposed immigration hardliner, [he] appears to be following the tradition of notionally right-wing politicians abandoning their election-time promises once the votes have been counted.”

Merz— Corporate King in Conservative Clothing

UnHerd wrote on February 22, 2025:

“At the ripe age of 69, Friedrich Merz has waited decades for this moment… he is Germany’s chancellor-in-waiting… He’ll have to cobble together another coalition of disparate parties, but Merz won’t mind. Come Monday morning, he will have completed one of the most remarkable comebacks in recent political history… he is effectively running on a ‘Make Germany Great Again’ platform — a calculated attempt to win votes from the Alternative for Germany (AfD) by shifting his party to the Right on issues such as immigration. His cynicism here shouldn’t be underestimated: like Donald Trump in America, the millionaire Merz is a corporate king in conservative clothing.

“Merz… has long represented the interests of some of the world’s most powerful corporate and financial elites, most notably as a key representative of BlackRock in Germany between 2016 and 2020. Indeed,… Germany will become the first country to be ruled by a former BlackRock official. But his ties to elite institutions go back much further: for over two decades, even before joining BlackRock, he embodied the revolving door between politics, business and finance… Pharmaceuticals, entertainment, media and, of course, war — there is virtually no sector that BlackRock won’t try and profit from… Under Merz’s influence, for instance, BlackRock became one of the largest non-German shareholders in many of the country’s most important companies — from Deutsche Bank to Volkswagen, BMW to Siemens. Yet his work wasn’t just about increasing profits for shareholders; it was also about shaping a political environment where corporate interests were aligned with government policy…

“But then it’s hard to truly believe that ordinary Germans are Merz’s concern. Once a Davos Man, always a Davos Man — and his long history of representing powerful industries, including the chemical, financial and metallurgic sectors, suggests he will have other priorities. As chancellor, for instance, Merz could be called upon to regulate sectors with which he has long been associated…

“Recall, too, that under Merz’s leadership the CDU has received millions of euros in campaign donations from the very business interests he represented in the past… For both German and global corporate lobbyists, then, having Merz — a former colleague — as chancellor would be a dream come true. Or, as [finance expert Werner] Rügemer puts it: ‘This is putting the fox in charge of the henhouse.’

“Merz’s corporate connections shape his foreign policy as well. At heart, he’s… a firm believer in America’s role as the guarantor of the global order. This ideological stance has led Merz to align with the US on issues such as the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, calling for the project’s cancellation long before the escalation of the Ukraine crisis… Now, of course, Washington has a very different Ukraine policy. So will Merz be forced to abandon his Atlanticist beliefs? Not necessarily. Though his strong anti-Russian stance and militaristic tendencies seem at odds with Trump’s efforts to de-escalate the conflict, the reality is that their visions are more aligned than might initially seem to be the case.

“What, in the end, does Trump demand from Europe? Higher defence spending and a significant role in shouldering both the financial and strategic responsibilities for post-war security in Ukraine, something which could even involve the deployment of a European ‘peacekeeping’ force. These policies align neatly with Merz’s own vision. He has long advocated boosting Germany’s defence budget, a stance welcomed by his corporate allies in the German military-industrial complex. Now, in fact, he has joined the chorus calling for Europe to ‘take its security into its own hands’. Trump couldn’t ask for more. This strategic convergence, coupled with Merz’s conservative leanings, deep ties to the US financial and corporate sectors, and ingrained Atlanticism, all make him well-placed to become America’s European ‘vassal-in-chief’ in our post-liberal era. This would place Germany back at the helm of a European Union that is both economically weaker and militarily emboldened — even as it remains strategically adrift.

“This arrangement will be accompanied by much rhetoric about German and European ‘autonomy’ — and possibly even heated public disagreements between Berlin and Washington. In reality, though, it would largely be a façade, for the new dynamic would merely serve European and American elites. The former would continue to stoke the fear of Russia as a means to justify more defence spending, directing funds away from social programmes and legitimising their continued crackdown on democracy. As for the latter, they would continue benefiting from Europe’s economic dependence on the US…

“Not that we should be surprised. Over the past two decades, Merz, just like Trump, has proved himself a businessman first and a politician second. Yet unlike Trump, who at least has some populist credentials, Merz’s victory will be celebrated in the boardrooms of BlackRock and other major corporations, which can expect to see their bank balances start ticking steadily upwards. As so often, though, ordinary voters should not expect this bounty to flow their way.”

We are citing below the following article about Merz, which was published in 2018, but which is as relevant today as it was then.

Friedrich Merz and BlackRock

On November 29, 2018, Deutsche Welle wrote about Friedrich Merz who tried to replace Angela Merkel as Chancellor before, but his attempt failed:

“The sheer scale of BlackRock’s finances makes its influence on the world unlike that of any other company. Now one of its board members in Germany, Friedrich Merz, wants to succeed Chancellor Angela Merkel… If successful, he would be the first German leader to come directly out of the so-called shadow banking system, and the first leader to have previously been a highly paid lobbyist for a global financial institution.

“Shadow banks are generally defined as financial institutions that work like banks but aren’t subject to the same regulatory systems. Their growing power, which dwarfs the likes of Amazon, Facebook and Google (all of which BlackRock invests money in) means that financial market speculation has become one of the biggest movers of money in the world. Many critics of the market system believe this destabilizes the world economy by incentivizing risk, the trade in bad loans, and investing via unregulated markets, known as ‘dark pools.’ The rise of shadow banking has been blamed for causing the subprime mortgage catastrophe of 2007-2008 and the global recession that followed.

“Merz heads the supervisory board of the German branch of BlackRock, the biggest asset management corporation in the world, which controls some $6.3 trillion (€5.56 trillion) in assets — twice Germany’s gross domestic product. Two venerable German researchers, political scientist Peter Grottian and finance expert Werner Rügemer, appeared in Berlin on Wednesday to warn against letting Merz take control of the German government…

“BlackRock’s activities have attracted the attention of the authorities. Police searched BlackRock’s offices in Munich earlier this month as part of an investigation into the ‘cum-ex’ tax evasion scandal, which cost European taxpayers some €55 billion. That investigation is related to the period from 2007 to 2011, five years before Merz joined the company…

“‘There has never been a company like BlackRock before,’ said Heike Buchter, who published a book on the company in 2015, in a recent interview with the IPG Journal. ‘No one else has comparable access to companies, governments, regulators and central banks than BlackRock.’… During his career as a Bundestag member, he opposed the minimum wage and argued for cutting social benefits and limiting the power of trade unions. His possible ascension to the chancellery would therefore grant the financial power broker unprecedented control of Europe’s largest economy.”

Merz Challenges von der Leyen

Politico wrote on February 21:

“Ursula von der Leyen is about to face the most serious challenge to her leadership since she became European Commission president six years ago… ]Merz] has made no secret of his plans to weigh in much more heavily on EU affairs than his predecessor, Olaf Scholz…  ‘The EU must not come to Washington as a dwarf — because then it will be treated as one,’ Merz told a recent campaign event in Germany.

“The signal from Berlin that Germany is ready to take on more leadership in the European Union should be welcome news for von der Leyen, who stands to gain a powerful conservative ally that happens to be well versed in EU affairs (Merz was a European lawmaker from 1989 to 1994). In Brussels, you’ll even often hear grumbling that a victory for Merz will simply mean that the EU will be run by two German Christian Democrats.

“But a closer look suggests that ‘Queen Ursula’… is unlikely to share the stage easily with the CDU leader. Von der Leyen, 66, has reigned supreme in Brussels ever since former German Chancellor Angela Merkel, her political patron, helped to catapult her into the powerful executive role in 2019. Indeed, while von der Leyen was promoted to defense minister under Merkel, Merz was shunted aside and quit politics to work as a corporate lawyer.

“Von der Leyen has taken advantage of French President Emmanuel Macron and Scholz’s relative weakness to accrue influence, centralizing the bloc’s response to the Covid pandemic and Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Now she’ll have to contend with one of Merkel’s fiercest rivals in the CDU, a connoisseur of EU affairs who will loom large as the most powerful conservative at the European leaders’ table, where he intends to increase the power of capitals at Brussels’ expense…” 

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.

It is useful to appreciate who Ezra was. What was his family line? This is listed in Ezra 7:1-5. In this list, certain names stand out, Hilkiah, who was the high priest in the days of Josiah, 2 Chronicles 34:9, Zadok the priest in the days of David and Solomon, and going back further, Phineas, Eleazar and Aaron, the chief priest. So, Ezra was of the priestly line; in fact, going by his ancestors, very distinguished in the priestly line. He was one of over four thousand priests in Judea, most of whom had already returned to Judea years before Ezra. But he was the one selected by God to restore the true religious observance and worship in the country. He is reputed to have written three books of the Bible, Ezra, and the last two books of the Jewish Scriptures, 1 and 2 Chronicles. He also arranged the books of the Old Testament in the order in which we have them today in the Hebrew Bible, but not in the English Bible (compare “The Authority of the Bible”, page 85). So important was he in the eyes of his people that later tradition regarded him as no less than a second Moses. It is interesting that Ezra himself is not even mentioned in his book until the seventh chapter.

He was sent back by the king to investigate the spiritual condition of the Jews in Judea. This is mentioned in Ezra 7:14. The time setting of his return is mentioned in Ezra 7:1: “Now after these things, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia…” These things were the building and dedication of the temple and the keeping of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, mentioned in Ezra, chapter 6. These events had occurred over fifty years earlier before Ezra came to Jerusalem, so the term “after these things” does not mean immediately after them.

The people of Israel had had a great amount of zeal during the building of the temple with the encouragement of the prophets Haggai and Zechariah. In Haggai 2:6-7, we read, “For thus says the LORD of hosts: ‘Once more (it is a little while) I will shake heaven and earth, the sea and dry land; and I will shake all nations, and they shall come to the Desire of All Nations, and I will fill this temple with glory,’ says the LORD of hosts.” However, after the fifty-plus-years-period since completing the temple, nothing in this prophecy had occurred and there was the strong probability that the people had become slack concerning the observance of God’s Law.  

This was a reason for the king to send Ezra to Judea to inquire about their spiritual condition which is stated in Ezra 7:23: “Whatever is commanded by the God of heaven, let it diligently be done for the house of the God of heaven. For why should there be wrath against the realm of the king and his sons?” He did not want the God of heaven to be displeased about what was happening in Judea and bring wrath on the king’s and his sons’ kingdom.

Ezra was fluent in two languages, Aramaic and Hebrew. In fact, parts of the book of Ezra were written in Aramaic (Ezra 4:8 to 6:18 and 7:12-16), but the majority of the book was written in Hebrew. At the time of Ezra, it is claimed that the language commonly spoken by the ordinary people was Aramaic, not Hebrew, although the religious, governmental and upper class did use Hebrew. The two languages have similarities but are not identical.

Ezra was an expert in the Law of Moses, commonly called the Torah, which made him a scribe as well as a priest. But why did he have to be skilled? This is mentioned in Ezra 7:6, “… this Ezra came up from Babylon; and he was a skilled scribe in the Law of Moses, which the LORD God had given. The king granted him all his request, according to the hand of the LORD his God upon him.” This is reinforced in Ezra 7:11, “This is a copy of the letter that king Artaxerxes gave Ezra the priest, the scribe, expert in the words of the commandments of the LORD, and of His statutes to Israel.”

The language of Hebrew has a number of features which, to be understood fully, require much instruction, training and knowledge. The first obstacle to be overcome is that the writing of the official scrolls in the temple or synagogues had no vowels. If we were to look at a modern printed Hebrew Bible, we would see marks under the letters suggesting which vowels, accents and pronunciations to employ for the text to make sense. However, these markings were added around the time of the Masoretes, somewhere around the eighth or ninth centuries CE. While the Masoretes were extremely accurate in copying the consonants in the scrolls, their additions as mentioned were according to their best understanding at the time.

To understand why skill was needed, we could look at a simple Hebrew word like “dm,” using English letters. It basically means “red”. When vowels are added, it can be either Adam or Edom, depending on context. The Masoretes added the required vowel marks to suggest which was the correct meaning. However, Ezra had to know what the correct meaning was because when he read it, there were no added prompts or markings for him to use at that time.

To complicate the situation further, there were no word breaks between words. The word breaks had been added more recently, probably again in the time of the Masoretes. Ezra had to determine where words started and finished among a continuous row of letters. As an English example, we might read “gtthntyslggrd” and after some thought realise it was “Go to the ant you sluggard,” by adding vowels and word breaks. However, the word breaks are usually correctly inserted but in extremely rare cases they are not in the correct position.

An example of this is in Proverbs 26:23: “Fervent lips with a wicked heart Are like earthenware covered with silver dross.” When analysed, fervent lips and a wicked heart are opposites, designating hypocrisy. However, with an earthenware pot covered with silver dross, both are of little value, silver dross, commonly called slag, being what’s left after the silver has been refined and removed from the ore. But if the word breaks are slightly modified, and the correct vowels added, “silver dross” becomes “glaze”, which has the effect of making something cheap and common look valuable, thus redefining the sentence into two opposites: “Fervent lips compared with a wicked heart” and “Cheap earthenware compared with a beautifully glazed item of pottery.” The glaze hides the cheapness of the item, in a similar way that fervent lips hide the wickedness of the heart.

The reason the word break was placed in the wrong position in that passage by the Masoretes was that the Hebrew word referring to glaze was unknown in the period when they finalised their text, but the words for silver and dross were known. By making the word breaks in particular positions and inserting the corresponding seemingly appropriate vowels, they could make some sort of sense, although not giving the correct meaning. More recent translations have corrected this error and, as an example, the Good News Version renders this proverb as “Insincere talk that hides what you are really thinking is like a fine glaze on a cheap clay pot.”

Aside from adding the correct vowels and word breaks, Ezra also had to be very familiar with the Oral Law. It refers to Jewish legal traditions and interpretations that are not part of the written Torah. They were passed down orally. Some of those were adopted to enable one to correctly obey many written laws, the details of which were not revealed in the written Law. However, many of those were added to “make a fence for the Law,” especially when referring to the Sabbath. Their additions and interpretations were rejected by Jesus Christ (compare “God’s Commanded Holy Days,” pages 17 following).

It is intended in a future Q&A to explain the necessity and history of the Oral Law.

So, we see that for Ezra to carry out the commission that God gave to him to restore true religion to the land of Judea, he had to understand the Scriptures in fine detail, including pronunciation and providing correct word breaks. He would have needed much instruction and training and inspiration from God. Also, he needed to know in minute detail the correct oral laws necessary to be able to apply God’s Law in the right way. Therefore, he needed to be a highly “skilled Scribe,” and an “expert in the words of the commandments of the LORD.”

Lead Writer: Paul Niehoff (Australia)

compiled by Dave Harris

“Is Germany Now on the Brink of Change?” is the title of a new StandingWatch program presented by Evangelist Norbert Link. Here is the summary:

With Friedrich Merz’s election victory, will there be a new sheriff in Berlin? It is assumed that he will become the new Chancellor, and coalition negotiations with the defeated left-leaning SPD are underway; because he currently does not want to enter into a coalition with the right-wing AfD. But what might happen in the future? And who is Merz anyway? What does he stand for, and what is his past?

“Steht Deutschland jetzt vor der Wende?” is the title of a new AufPostenStehen program presented by Norbert Link. This German program covers the same topic as described above.

“Cain and Abel – The First Murder” is the latest video published in our Bible Stories series on YouTube.

“Angst und Gier,” last Sabbath’s first split German sermon presented by Andreas Raetz, is now posted. Title in English: “Fear and Greed.”

“Wandeln mit Gott,” last Sabbath’s second split German sermon presented by Daniel Blasinger, is now posted. Title in English: “Walking with God.”

“With Raised Hands,” last Sabbath’s sermonette presented by Kalon Mitchell, is now posted. Here is the summary:

What can we learn from an event found in the Old Testament? The Bible includes stories so that we can think about them and use them for edification.

“Europe in Biblical Prophecy,” last Sabbath’s sermon presented by Norbert Link, is now posted. Here is the summary:

Many do not understand that, according to the Bible, the ancient Roman Empire would be revived ten times in Europe, and that the last seven resurrections would be a collaboration between the Catholic Church and the European Empire. All of these revivals have already taken place…except for the last one, which is unfolding before our eyes today and will culminate in the Great Tribulation and the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. This sermon examines the European resurrections of the ancient Roman Empire in history, including the blasphemous mark of the beast and the demonic nature of the European revivals.

On February 22, 2025, Kalon Mitchell will present the sermonette, titled, “With Raised Hands,” and Norbert Link will present the sermon, titled, “Europe in Biblical Prophecy.”

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 April 2024, a new concept was introduced for the first 15-minute micro service at a church in Swansea, South Wales in the UK.  The news report stated that “Regular worshippers were joined by commuters and families who had popped in to sample the first micro service being led by… John Gillibrand the vicar of Pontarddulais with Penllergaer.  The aim is to make church more accessible by drawing in people with busy lives for whom an hour-long service doesn’t fit into tight schedules.”

“‘We’re very mindful of work pressures on family and working life in contemporary society,’ he said. ‘So the idea is to provide people with an opportunity to have a full engagement with the church, but within 15 minutes.’”

It was interesting to read how this was accomplished.  “Gillibrand propped up an office clock against the front pew facing away from the congregation and he was off. The reading was from the Gospel of Mark.  Gillibrand said Jesus was a ‘very busy bloke’ and in the episode he focused on [that He] had got up early, gone off to a ‘solitary place’ and prayed. When the disciples found Jesus, they told Him: ‘Everyone is looking for You.’

“Gillibrand said the feeling Jesus must have experienced was familiar to busy people. ‘It’s coming at you from all directions.’ He asked the congregation to ‘keep silence together … still ourselves … if thoughts pop into our heads, turn them into prayers.’ There were a few moments of deep quiet before the clock ticked to the hour and Gillibrand declared: ‘Fifteen minutes bang on. Thank you God. Mission accomplished.’”

There are those, this gentleman included, who feel that this is appropriate in this day and age of hustle and bustle.   But does this approach have the approval of God?   The phrase “people with busy lives for whom an hour-long service doesn’t fit into tight schedules” is an interesting one.

The problem with this approach is that God has to fit in with all of the other demands on a person’s life.   We’ll squeeze Him in with a short prayer here or a micro service there once a week or maybe once within a few weeks.   That’s not good enough as the Bible clearly reveals.

Putting God first means just that, and it is not achieved by just squeezing a 15-minute micro service in a day when most of the waking time is involved in many other matters.  Loving God more than anyone or anything else is what He expects of His people. He must be the most valued relationship that we have in our lives.  

In Matthew 22:36-38, we read Jesus reply to a question a lawyer asked Him: ‘“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?’ Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” This is the first and great commandment.”’”   That is not manifest in a person’s life just by attending on occasion a micro service.  Putting God first in our lives should be our most important consideration and concern as true Christians.  God must be at the top of our list and first in our lives.  Our lives must be centered on both the Father and Jesus Christ and only then are we fulfilling this most important Commandment.  

The outcome of this approach can be seen in Matthew 6:33: “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”   God has to be first in our lives, not just an addendum to our normal routine.  In Matthew 6:21 we read: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”  

How much can anyone learn about God and His Ways in just 15 minutes?   It may temporarily “salve” some people’s consciences but such micro services, fitting in with other people’s schedules, is not the worship that God expects.

In the Church of the Eternal God, we conduct weekly Sabbath services which are also broadcast live. They last approximately 2 hours. In addition, we have the Holy Day season which we are instructed to keep.   In Leviticus 23:2, God tells us: “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘The feasts of the LORD, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, these are My feasts.”   We keep the days that God says are His!   

On our annual Holy Days, there will be no 15-minute micro services during these most important times in God’s calendar.  It will be a time of real commitment for members and their families with these days highlighting what is to happen in the foreseeable future in God’s Master Plan for mankind. We are conducting daily worship services during that time which again last at least 2 hours.

How blessed are we to have been called by God at this time and to have the Truth fully expounded in due season.   Let us always look forward to the weekly and annual Holy Days and make the most of them at a time when the true knowledge of God and His Ways are simply not understood in this world.

by Norbert Link

We begin with Zelensky’s plea for a European Army in view of perceived Russian aggression towards NATO; and continue with the incredible hostility of hypocritical Europeans towards JD Vance and Donald Trump for pointing out the real dangers of censorship and dictatorship developing in Germany and other European countries. Vance’s speech in Munich has been described as “brilliant” and “glorious,” as well as “unacceptable” and posing “an extreme threat.”

Europe has also been “offended” by being told that a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine would not be dictated and decided by Europe. At the same time, it became obvious that Europe is deeply divided regarding the question as to how to proceed in the Ukraine matter. The alienation between the USA and Europe has never been deeper since the end of World War II. But there is also great concern regarding Trump’s wrong comments about Zelensky.

In other news, we report on Robert F Kennedy’s appointment as US Secretary of Health and Human Resources (HHS) and some positive movements towards ending mandatory vaccinations.

We close with an interesting article about “heaven.”

Please view our new StandingWatch program, titled, “America and Europe at Loggerheads.”

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

Zelensky Calls for Creation of ‘European Armed Forces’ at Munich Security Conference 

Breitbart wrote on February 16: 

“While the Trump administration has drawn feigned outrage throughout European capitals for daring to suggest that they meet their NATO defence spending obligations, President Zelensky was hailed with applause at the Munich Security Conference as he called for an international European army. Zelensky argued that a European army would be necessary for Europe to take back its own destiny and to ensure its safety if America refused to come to its rescue. ‘Let’s be honest, now we can’t rule out the possibility that America might say “no” to Europe on an issue that might threaten it. Many leaders have talked about a Europe that needs its own military, an army of Europe. And I really believe that the time has come for the Armed Forces of Europe to be created,’ Zelensky said. 

“The Ukraine leader said per the AP that ‘three years of full-scale war have proven that we already have the foundation for a united European military force. And now, as we fight this war and lay the groundwork for peace and security, we must build the armed forces of Europe.’..  ‘A few days ago, President Trump told me about his conversation with Putin. Not once did he mention that America needs Europe at the table. That says a lot,’ he added. ’The old days are over when America supported Europe just because it always had.’… 

“Although many European nations have long failed to meet their NATO spending requirements, a key point of contention between Europe and President Trump, the notion of creating a European Army has been a long-held aim of key globalists on the continent, such as French President Emmanuel Macron, EU chief Ursula von der Leyen, and former Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt. Such a project may force Europeans to invest far more in their defence spending. However, concerns have also been raised about further deteriorating national sovereignty for EU member states…” 

Zelensky said verbatim: 

“Armed Forces of Europe must be created… As we fight this war and lay the groundwork for peace and security we must build the Armed Forces of Europe so that Europe’s future depends only on Europeans and decisions about Europe are made in Europe. Europe has everything it takes but it needs to come together. We need confidence in our own friends so that others have no choice but to respect Europe’s power and without a European army that is impossible.” 

That is very true. 

Putin to Attack NATO Within a Year or Six Months? 

The Sun wrote on February 14: 

“Zelesnky warned the West that Vladimir Putin is preparing to unleash a war against Nato in the next 12 months. In a press conference on Friday morning, he said Vlad was readying a conflict with Nato in 2026 and that giving away Ukrainian land would not appease him. Zelensky said: ‘Based on all the information I’ve gathered from intelligence and other sources, I think he (Russian President Vladimir Putin) is preparing for war against NATO countries next year…. 

“He also believes… Vlad is preparing to send 15 divisions – some 150,000 soldiers – to Belarus… ‘And I’m not sure this group will move towards Ukraine,’ he added. From Belarus, Putin’s murderous army could easily invade Ukraine, Poland or the three Baltic countries – sparking all out chaos on the continent. 

“Spy intel released from Denmark on Wednesday warned that Russia’s military capacity could see Putin ready to spark wars with neighbouring regions in a just six months as he eyes fractures in Nato. An unclassified assessment from the Danish Defence Intelligence Service [DDIS] says: ‘Russia perceives itself as being in conflict with the West and is preparing for a war against NATO.” 

Some accuse us, wrongfully, of hateful anti-Russia propaganda when we are reporting the news, in the light of biblical prophecy. The Bible says clearly that Russia will retaliate against Europe after Europe has attacked Russia, due to disturbing rumors stemming from Russia. The scenario reminds us of the situation during World War II, involving Hitler and Stalin.  Both were preparing for war against each other, but Hitler was faster, ending in total defeat of Germany. The same will happen again. 

Europe Can’t Assume US Help Will Last Forever 

AFP wrote on February 14:

“US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Friday warned NATO allies in Europe against assuming that the American troop presence on the continent would ‘last forever’, as he urged them to spend more on defence… 

“Trump has repeatedly called on NATO members to increase their military expenditure… Trump has previously said that [the alliance’s current minimum level of two percent] should be more than doubled to five percent of gross domestic product (GDP).” 

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and others declared that this was unacceptable and impossible to achieve. 

Steinmeier Attacks Trump 

AFP wrote on February 14: 

“German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier (SPD) on Friday said: ‘… The new American administration has a very different world view to ours… One that has no regard for established rules, partnership and established trust…’ 

“The German head of state urged European leaders to keep calm in the face of a blizzard of disruptive policy announcements from Washington since Trump returned to the White House. ‘We must not allow ourselves to be paralysed by the flood of announcements,’ he said… 

“Steinmeier added: ‘It makes a difference when the leading democracy and world power says: we can do without rules.’” 

We did not have to wait very long for a response. Note the next articles. 

Vance Blasts Europe 

The Sun wrote on February 14: 

“Donald Trump’s number two blasted the continent at today’s Munich Security Conference just a day after a horror attack in the city left 36 people injured – including children [One child and her mother died in the meantime]… Suspect [Afghan] Farhad N is being investigated by terror cops after he allegedly rammed a Mini Cooper into a group of demonstrators in the Bavarian capital on Thursday… Vance… used it as just one example of a concerning number of recent incidents across Europe… [he] lectured the audience by saying their nation’s citizens ‘didn’t vote to open floodgates to millions of unvetted immigrants’. 

“VP Vance also took aim at Britain as he heavily criticised the government for its ‘backsliding’ free speech laws… He said: ‘In Britain, and across Europe, free speech I fear is in retreat…” 

Vance: Europe Engaged in Censorship 

Daily Mail wrote on February 14: 

“Vice President J.D. Vance took his culture war to Europe on Friday, warning that its greatest threat came not from China or Russia but from within as he delivered a blistering attack on what he said was the continent’s retreat from its traditional values. Vance said free speech and democratic institutions were being eroded in an address to the Munich Security Conference. 

“He accused European politicians of forcing people to shut down social media accounts and urged leaders to do more to stem illegal immigration… ‘If you’re running in fear of your own voters, there is nothing America can do for you, nor, for that matter, is there anything that you can do for the American people who elected me and elected President Trump.’ 

“He accused European Union officials of ‘canceling elections (for instance in Romania) and asked whether ‘we’re holding ourselves to an appropriately higher standard’.” 

Who can honestly deny that Europe is engaged in terrible censorship? 

Vance: “There Should Be No Firewalls” 

JTA wrote on February 14: 

“In a speech in Munich, Vice President J.D. Vance scolded European leaders for boycotting populist parties, and said German politicians should abandon their policy of maintaining a ‘firewall’ (“Brandmauer”) against the far-right. 

“Vance’s speech… was greeted with murmurs from the audience and backlash from German officials. It comes as the country’s far-right party, Alternative for Germany, is polling second ahead of national elections next week. The country’s center-right and center-left parties have long refused to work with the party, known as AfD. ‘What German democracy — what no democracy — American, German or European — will survive is telling millions of voters that their thoughts and concerns, their aspirations, their pleas for relief, are invalid or unworthy of even being considered,’ Vance said. ‘Democracy rests on the sacred principle that the voice of the people matters. There’s no room for firewalls.’… 

“‘The organizers of this very conference have banned lawmakers representing populist parties on both the left and the right from participating in these conversations,’ Vance said. ‘Now, again, we don’t have to agree with everything or anything that people say. But when people represent, when political leaders represent, an important constituency, it is incumbent upon us to at least participate in dialogue with them.’ 

“Vance also championed AfD’s central issue, opposing migration to Europe… ‘Of all the pressings challenges that the nations represented here face, I believe there is nothing more urgent than mass migration,’ Vance said on Saturday. ‘No voter on this continent went to the ballot box to open the floodgates to millions of unvetted immigrants… More and more, all over Europe, they’re voting for political leaders who promised to put an end to out-of-control migration.’ 

“He also defended comments made by Elon Musk, the multibillionaire and top Trump adviser who has endorsed AfD and spoke at one of its rallies. ‘Speaking up and expressing opinions isn’t election interference, even when people express views outside your own country and even when those people are very influential,’ Vance said. ‘If American democracy can survive 10 years of Greta Thunberg’s scolding, you guys can survive a few months of Elon Musk.’ 

“Vance’s words were met with criticism from German leaders. ‘I don’t think it is right for foreigners, including those from friendly foreign countries, to interfere so intensively in an election campaign in the middle of an election period,’ a government spokesperson said. The German defense minister (Boris Pistorius) called Vance’s criticism of European democracy ‘unacceptable.’” 

Pistorius went even much further than that. According to Deutsche Welle, dated February 14, he said: 

“‘Democracy was called into question by the US vice president for the whole of Europe earlier… He speaks of the annihilation of democracy. And if I have understood him correctly, he is comparing conditions in parts of Europe with those in authoritarian regions… that is not acceptable… [Democracy means that] extremist parties such as the AfD can campaign quite normally, just like any other party… However, democracy does not mean that the loud minority is automatically right and determines the truth.” 

It is obvious that Germany and the USA do not see eye-to-eye on this. And Pistorius paints a distorted picture, as there are movements, including in his own party, the SPD,  to ban the AfD. That the reports of the mass media on the AfD are, to a large extent, untrue, misleading and exaggerated, cannot be denied.  

Vance Chastises Hypocritical Europe 

Breitbart wrote on February 14: 

“Europe is obsessed with external threats but is so morally lost it isn’t even clear what it’s defending itself for any more, JD Vance warned in an excoriating speech to the continent’s security elite on Friday. Traditionally, applause is a well-worn gauge of how well a message is going down in a conference-hall. In most cases an audience can bring itself to at least raise half-hearted, polite applause but in Munich on Friday Vance couldn’t even get that: in a room of hundreds, perhaps a thousand top military, security, and political figures at times it seemed like there can’t have been anyone more than Vance’s own team putting their hands together. 

“The response was particularly frosty mid-speech as Vance listed some particularly egregious recent cases in European states where the government has cracked down on liberties, from arresting Christians for silent prayer to cancelling elections, and when he outright accused the leaders of the continent of Soviet, anti-democratic attitudes. Worst of all, he said, they held these feelings towards their own people. 

“If Europe’s paternalist elites hated this shock therapy, populists in Europe loved it. Britain’s Nigel Farage amplified the notion Vance had better articulated the future of Europe than those elites could, while Reform MP Rupert Lowe called it a ‘brutal’ tour-de-force of ‘Truth, after truth, after truth.’ 

“Beyond a laundry list of failings by European governments to respect freedom for their own people, Vance diagnosed a continent lost for its own failure to understand what it stands for and why, and even worse one that scorns the views of its own people… 

“Of the terror attack that took place in Germany just the day before, Vance nodded at the long and shameful history of such assaults in Europe, stating: ‘How many times must we suffer these appalling setbacks before we change course and take our shared civilisation in a new direction?’… 

“Vance said: ‘I’d ask my European friends to have some perspective. You can believe it’s wrong for Russia to buy social media advertisements to influence your elections. We certainly do. You can condemn it on the world stage even. But if your democracy can be destroyed with a few hundreds-of-thousands [of dollars] of digital advertising from a foreign country, then it wasn’t very strong to begin with.’… 

“Britain’s left-wing Guardian called the speech a ‘blistering’ and ‘chastising’ attack and emphasised that it would go down well in Moscow, playing up the old idea that Donald Trump is some sort of crypto-Russian asset. Germany’s Die Welt notes the comments of politician Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann (FDP), replying: ‘Our liberal world is under extreme threat’.” 

Vance was right on far too many points. No wonder that the hypocritical European elite responded with anger and frustration. But making Trump angry is not a good recipe. Note the next article.  

JD Vance’s Glorious Speech 

The New York Post published the following “opinion” on February 14: 

“It was a delicious spectacle — a self-made millennial Yank torching the grey-faced technocrats of my sad, knackered continent. He didn’t hold back. He eviscerated the assembled dignitaries for their failings on free speech, democracy and security. He lamented ‘the retreat of Europe from some of its most fundamental values’ — words that will have resonated with millions of Europeans. I’m one of them. 

“It was on the freedom to speak that he made his most stinging comments. ‘Across Europe, free speech, I fear, is in retreat,’ he told his startled audience. He rattled off recent acts of outrageous censorship that would have made Stalin beam with pride. He mentioned police raids in Germany on citizens ‘suspected of posting anti-feminist comments online.’ Criticizing feminism is a blasphemy in woke Germany. 

“He reminded us that just two weeks ago, a Christian activist in Sweden was convicted for burning copies of the Koran — despite the fact that his friend had just been murdered for doing the same… He rebuked my homeland, Britain, for its tragic ‘backslide away from conscience rights.’ The ‘basic liberties of religious Britons’ are being throttled, he said. He gave the example of Christians being arrested for ‘silently praying’ near abortion clinics. This really is happening. This once great nation that gave the world such game-changing freedom warriors as John Milton and John Stuart Mill now erects ‘buffer zones’ around abortion clinics in which you can be nabbed by cops for praying in your own head… 

“There’s now  Soviet style censorship in Europe, he said. He chastised the EU’s ‘commissars’ — I literally whooped when he used that word — for censoring everything they don’t like. The Euro bureaucracy hides ‘behind ugly Soviet-era words like misinformation and disinformation’ to silence those who simply have an ‘alternative viewpoint,’ he said. Never a truer word. On every issue, from COVID to the gender ideology to mass immigration, what our overlords refer to as ‘misinformation’ is usually just thinking that differs from their own… ‘Dismissing people . . . shutting people out of the political process’ — this is the ‘most surefire way to destroy democracy.’… 

“Vance’s speech wasn’t so much a breath of fresh air as a hurricane of good sense. It was a storm of reason that has left many in Europe wide-eyed and wanting more. The liberal press is accusing him of ‘attacking Europe.’ He didn’t attack us. He talked to us…” 

NBC News wrote on February 15: 

“Asked about a speech Friday by Vice President JD Vance in Europe that drew alarm after he touched on migration and freedom of speech, Trump praised it as a ‘very good speech, actually very brilliant.’” 

Actually, it was. 

German Politicians Gang Up on Vance (and Trump) 

Deutsche Welle wrote on February 15: 

“After a provocative speech by US Vice President JD Vance at the Munich Security Conference, CDU/CSU chancellor candidate Friedrich Merz aired his concerns about the direction of US foreign policy and said Washington is ‘openly interfering in an election’ as the Germans prepare to go to the polls in less than 10 days… Merz said: ‘The American security guarantees are being called into question, the Americans are questioning democratic institutions, and they are interfering quite openly in an election, including in relation to democratic parties and their majorities.’.. ‘I have to say, it disturbs me… It doesn’t surprise me because they have talked about this before, but I firmly reject it. It is not the job of the American government to explain to us here in Germany how we should protect democratic institutions. And we will continue on our course.’… 

“German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has expressed his frustration after US Vice President JD Vance criticized European governments… ‘What was said is irritating and cannot simply be dismissed and played down,’ Scholz [said]… 

“German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius doubled down on his criticism of US Vice President JD Vance’s speech… ‘I’m convinced, deeply convinced, as a democrat in Germany and Europe, that our democracies are even more stable and as good as ever before,’ Pistorius said.” 

That is laughable and ridiculous.

The New York Times wrote on February 15 about hypocritical reactions of German politicians: 

“Scholz… said Germany ‘would not accept’ directives from outsiders about how to run its democracy — and certainly not to work with such a party [AfD)… Mr. Merz said: ‘Free speech remains free speech and remains part of our open, democratic society. And fake news, hate speech and offenses remain subject to legal restraints and controlled by independent courts.’” 

Not so. The government (especially the SPD and the Green) and the opposition of the “established” parties (especially the CDU) are heavily involved in suppressing what they are claiming to be “hate speech” and “fake news.” Vance showed it as it is. They did not want to hear it. They did not want anyone to say it, as it was so blatantly true. Now they are concerned about votes. They are in harmony in their effort to attack Vance. This hypocritical approach might backfire. 

Germany’s Orwellian Approach to Lunacy 

Daily Mail wrote on February 17: 

“Vice President JD Vance continued his defense of free speech on Monday, criticizing German prosecutors explaining their efforts to crack down on free speech in Germany… German prosecutors explained to the reporter how surprised German citizens are when they are arrested for posting offensive content online, but said it was necessary. But Vance disagreed.

‘Insulting someone is not a crime and criminalizing speech is going to put real strain on European-US relationships,’ the vice president said. 

“The German prosecutors explained that anyone sharing or resharing offensive or hateful content would be prosecuted and fined, seizing their phones, and even jailed…. ‘This is Orwellian, and everyone in Europe and the US must reject this lunacy,’ [Vance] replied…. 

“Vance also reacted to a video clip of CBS’s Face the Nation host Margaret Brennan after she suggested in an interview with Secretary of State Marco Rubio that lax free speech laws in Germany gave rise to the Holocaust… ‘This is a crazy exchange,’ Vance noted on X. ‘Does the media really think the Holocaust was caused by free speech?’” 

Breitbart added on February 17: 

“American broadcaster CBS followed German police as they raided homes for speech crimes, such as posting a ‘racist cartoon’ on the internet… Unlike the United States, where the First Amendment protects citizens from being arrested over so-called ‘hate speech’, it is a very different story in Germany…” 

This “lunacy” is crazy and dangerous indeed. The ignorance of Brennan is mind-boggling. If anything, censorship and prohibition of free speech contributed to the Holocaust. And once again, Germany is moving more and more towards an Orwellian dictatorship.  

The Ukraine Challenge 

Daily Mail wrote on February 16: 

“US Special Presidential Envoy for Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg, 80, has encouraged Europe to join the conversation about the Ukraine-Russia conflict – yet made clear they would not have a final say in any resolution. He has now told the Munich Security Conference: ‘That is not going to happen…’ 

“French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot today told the France Inter radio station on Sunday that a meeting in Paris would now go ahead tomorrow, with five European diplomats saying it would include France, Britain, Germany, Poland, Italy, Spain and Denmark – the latter representing Scandinavian nations. (The meeting is designed to figure out a unified strategy against Trump and “how to answer” him)… 

“Retired general Mr Kellogg said the negotiations would be between Russia and Ukraine, with Mr Trump acting as mediator – but Europe would still be able to have an input… Appearing alongside Mr Kellogg at a townhall event in Munich, Britain’s Foreign Secretary David Lammy warned that Mr Putin’s KGB history meant he could not be trusted in a negotiation. 

“Mr Lammy said: ‘There is a Tsarist tradition that he’s leaning into – Peter the Great, Nicholas I – the worst of that period, imperial in its ambitions. And there is a Soviet tradition. Let’s remember, he’s a KGB agent. He’s a man of deception, and in negotiating with him, we have to understand that and relate to that.’” 

Summit Failed 

Breitbart added on February 17: 

“The leaders of eight European nations, alongside two top EU representatives, descended on Paris on Monday for a summit on Ukraine… However, it soon became clear… that a broader consensus remains out of reach… Following the meeting, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that it was ‘highly inappropriate’ to discuss sending troops to Ukraine…. Hungary criticised the summit in Paris, which, despite sharing a border with Ukraine, was not invited to take part in the talks… 

“Indeed, despite UK Prime Minister Starmer’s stated willingness to deploy British troops in ‘harm’s way’ in Ukraine…, the former head of the British Army, Lord Richard Dannatt, said that Starmer is living in ‘fantasy-land’ if he believes the UK can sustain such a deployment.” 

All of this will change, as the ancient Roman Empire is being revived right now in Europe, and ten European core nations or groups of nations will give their power and authority to a charismatic military leader in Europe—the beast. It is absolutely astonishing that some ”Christians,” claiming to have an understanding of the Bible, do not remotely grasp those clear and compelling prophecies. 

American Soldiers Upset With Trump 

The Telegraph wrote on February 17: 

“US military volunteers fighting alongside Ukraine’s armed forces have branded President Donald Trump a ‘jackass’ over his peace talks with Vladimir Putin, saying Ukraine’s future was not a ‘business deal’… Most have reacted furiously to the news last week of Mr Trump’s private phone call to Putin, in which he apparently ruled out Nato membership for Kyiv and conceded that Moscow could keep Ukrainian territory it has currently occupied… Ex-US soldiers are believed to make up the largest national contingent of Western military volunteers in Ukraine… They regard Mr Trump’s concessions as squandering both their own military sacrifices and those of their Ukrainian comrades… The anger voiced by US volunteers reflects the wider split that the Ukraine war has caused within America’s military community, which traditionally leans Republican… 

“While neither the Biden nor the Trump administration has sanctioned US citizens going to fight in Ukraine, volunteers who have done so have often been vocal advocates for US support for Kyiv, appearing on TV shows and addressing US politicians in Washington DC… Among the keenest US advocates for Kyiv’s cause is Alex Drueke, an Iraq veteran from Alabama, who was captured by Russian forces during his first mission as a volunteer in Ukraine in June 2022. He spent nearly four months in captivity, during which time he was beaten repeatedly, subjected to torture by electric shock, and told he would be executed as a mercenary. 

“Since his release as part of a prisoner swap deal, he has given speeches to schools, community groups and policy forums, trying to convince Americans not to withdraw support for Kyiv….’The world needs to be reminded that 50 per cent of us did not vote for this horrible man [Trump], who is not only destroying his country from within, but the world outside too,” he said.” 

Wide-Ranging Concessions to Putin? 

Express wrote on February 17: 

“A Kremlin insider has claimed that Donald Trump has offered ‘unprecedented’ concessions to Russia, and will allow Vladimir Putin to strike Brussels, Paris or even London… On the Russian TV show ‘The Evening With Vladimir Solovyov,’ Mosfilm’s Director General Karen Shakhnazarov commented on the discussions between the global leaders, viewing them as unequivocally favorable. Shakhnazarov remarked, ‘The president of the United States called the president of Russia. That alone is already a major success!’ 

“He further elaborated, ‘The blockade has been broken. It means a lot to all of them that the president of the United States, the mightiest nation in the West, as great as the Roman Empire, made this call. It’s as if Julius Caesar himself telephoned a barbarian, a chieftain of some German tribe.’… 

“Political scientist Sergey Mikheyev weighed in on the situation: ‘In this situation, we should make it clear for the Europeans: now we can really strike Brussels, London or Paris, because we can forget about Article 5. You can forget the notion that Americans would step in on your behalf.’ 

“Meanwhile, Russians are pushing their military to quickly seize more Ukrainian territory, with Kremlin analysts predicting that following Putin’s talks with Trump, Russia could potentially face no repercussions for any land it annexes.” 

Peace Talks Between USA and Russia in Saudi Arabia 

The Sun reported on February 18: 

“Earlier today, a team of top diplomats from Russia and the US spoke about negotiating an end to the war in Ukraine out in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia… Present at the negotiating table was US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz… They were joined by… Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushako… 

“One of the key stumbling blocks which could dampen the negotiations would be from Ukraine’s side. They were notably excluded from Riyadh today in a move which left both President Zelensky and his European allies annoyed and frustrated… Zelensky even announced he has postponed his official visit to… Saudi Arabia until March 10 – despite him initially being scheduled to arrive tomorrow. The move has been done in order to not give any ‘legitimacy’ to the US-Russia meeting… 

“Without promises that Zelensky will never be able to enter [NATO]… Putin is unlikely to accept any terms… 

“Britain and Europe must play their part – but have no hope on their own… European leaders have tried to muscle their way into the talks to try and make sure stability in the continent can continue even if Putin gets his way in the negotiations… British Prime Minister Keir Starmer made a rallying cry to Europe urging them to ‘deploy peacekeeping troops to Ukraine… But the idea was dramatically rejected by a number of other fellow leaders. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz described Starmer’s pleas as ‘premature’ and ‘highly inappropriate’.  He then stormed out of the meeting adding that the shear thought of making decisions seemingly on behalf of Ukraine was ‘irritating.’ Poland, Spain and Italy all joined Germany in scrutinising Starmer’s plan.” 

Trump Blames Zelensky 

Politico wrote on February 19: 

“President Donald Trump mocked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as a poor negotiator and ‘grossly incompetent’ Tuesday, as tensions continued to rise over the administration’s direct talks with Russia about ending the war it launched nearly three years ago. The comments come amid criticism from European allies and many American intelligence experts that Ukraine and European nations invested in Ukraine’s defense had been excluded from negotiations that began early Tuesday between U.S. and Russian officials in Saudi Arabia… 

“‘Today I heard, ”Oh, well, we weren’t invited,”’ Trump said when asked about criticism from Ukraine, seeming to direct his response to Zelenskyy. ‘Well, you’ve been there for three years. You should have ended it — three years. You should have never been there. You should have never started it. You should have made a deal.’ 

“The comment — ignoring that it was Russia that invaded Ukraine without provocation three years ago this month — was Trump’s harshest condemnation to date of the Ukrainian side. It came as Zelenskyy and leaders across Europe are scrambling to respond to growing indications that Kyiv’s most critical ally for the last three years appears to be more interested in normalizing relations with Russia than in making sure Ukraine endures and that Russian President Vladimir Putin faces stronger deterrence after starting the first land war on European soil since 1945. 

“Trump also confirmed his interest in forcing elections in Ukraine as part of any diplomatic resolution to the war. ‘We have a situation where we haven’t had elections in Ukraine, where we have martial law in Ukraine, where the leader in Ukraine — I mean I hate to say it, but he’s down at 4% approval rating — and the country’s been blown to smithereens,’ Trump said. While Zelenskyy’s public approval rating has dropped from the early days of the war, he still has support from a narrow majority of Ukrainians — 52 percent according to a poll last month… The president also asserted that Ukrainians, who are fighting for their country’s survival, ‘are tired’ of the death and destruction and eager to see the war end… 

“That statement was at odds with the reality across Ukraine, where elected officials and much of the population have been shocked at the Trump administration’s actions that appear indifferent to the nation’s fate. Those include not only the talks with Moscow but also a U.S. proposal to claim half of Ukraine’s rare earth mineral rights as payment for aid already received, without future security guarantees.” 

Express wrote on February 19: 

The Ukrainian president has hit back… President Volodymyr Zelensky responded by accusing Trump of living in a ‘disinformation space’… 

“Zelensky’s response to Donald Trump shows a rift between the two leaders deepening and the two country’s allyship dwindling. This marks a seismic shift in tone to the US’s involvement in the war…”

Another Deadly Terrorist Attack in Austria 

Breitbart reported on February 16: 

“A Syrian allegedly stabbed six people in the Austrian town of Villach in a suspected Islamist terror attack on Saturday afternoon that left a 14-year-old boy dead. Just days after terror struck in Munich, a 23-year-old supposed refugee from Syria launched into a vicious stabbing spree in the Carinthian town of Villach on Saturday afternoon. Five people were injured during the attack, and tragically, a 14-year-old was killed after bleeding out on the street. 

“The suspect, identified by Kronen Zeitung as ‘Ahmad G.’, is reported by eyewitnesses to have laughed during the attack. He is also said to have shouted out ‘Allahu Akbar’ and made hand gestures associated with the ISIS terrorist group. The suspected terrorist may have committed more violence; however, he was driven down by a fellow Syrian delivery driver before being apprehended by police… 

“Ahmad G. arrived in Austria in 2020 and was only recently recognised by the government as a refugee. It is believed that the 23-year-old was radicalised by Islamist preachers on the TikTok social media platform. A search of his apartment found that he owned an ISIS flag…

“The leader of the Austrian Freedom Party (FPÖ), Herbert Kickl, took aim at the country’s asylum system following the attack, saying that he was ‘angry at those politicians who have allowed stabbings, rapes, gang wars and other major crimes to become the order of the day in Austria… This is a system failure… for which a young person in Villach now had to pay with his life.’… 

“Despite winning the most votes of any party in last year’s elections, Kickl’s Freedom Party has so far been unable to form a government in Vienna. Other establishment parties, notably the supposedly conservative Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP), have enacted a cordon sanitaire around the party, similar to the one imposed on the anti-mass migration AfD in neighbouring Germany. Yet, this has resulted in the FPÖ continuing to gain support in polls.”

The same as in Germany. These “Brandmauern” (“firewalls”) are just stupid and counterproductive.

Cyrus and Trump

Israel 365 News wrote on February 14:

“The  Nascent Sanhedrin published an open letter to President Donald Trump. [It stated, among other things:]

“In 2017, the Nascent Sanhedrin minted a special coin featuring your image on one side and Cyrus the Great on the other. This symbolized your historic role, likened to that of Cyrus, who was chosen by Hashem to fulfill a divine mission.  The Chinese appreciated this idea so much that they reproduced and sold millions of copies of these coins and other products featuring your image alongside Cyrus the Great. You have been elected, as Cyrus was in his time, to fulfill a heavenly mission…”

The article commented: “Many have seen similarities between the Biblical King Cyrus and President Donald Trump.”

Cyrus features predominately in the Bible because of enabling the Jews to build the Second Temple. The Bible prophesies that a Third Temple will be built in Jerusalem, prior to Christ’s return. Sadly, there are still some, claiming to be “Christians”, who do not understand and accept these clearly revealed prophecies.

USAID Financed Hamas?

Israel Today wrote on February 12:

“Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) on Monday accused the United States Agency for International Development of providing ‘vast and secret’ funding for Hamas following new revelations about USAID’s practices vis-à-vis Israel and the Palestinians….

“‘The full story of funding Hamas is vast, and much of it was done in secret,’ Cruz wrote. ‘Before and after October 7, [2023], USAID flowed uncountable hundreds of millions of dollars toward Hamas that enabled it to launch the attack and keep battling Israel afterwards. They lied about the nature of that aid in public databases, refused to disclose what groups were getting the money, and gave tens of millions in American cash to be distributed without American supervision.’

“Internally, Cruz added, USAID ‘admitted the aid would benefit Hamas, and even exempted themselves from anti-terrorism laws, but in public issued denials.’”

If true, they should be severely punished and sent to jail.

RFK: Spiritual and Physical Health Are Connected

Desert News wrote on February 14:

“In his first interview after being confirmed, new HHS Sec. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. spoke about the impact faith can have on health. ‘For 20 years, I’ve gotten up every morning on my knees and prayed that God would put me in a position where I can end the childhood chronic disease epidemic in this country,’ Robert Kennedy Jr. said in remarks Thursday at the White House — having just been confirmed as secretary of health in the White House. Kennedy went on to describe his surprising partnership with then-candidate Donald Trump as an answer to his prayers…

“‘We can’t be a strong nation if we have a weak citizenry, if people are sick,’ he said, citing other statistics that ‘77% of our children cannot qualify for military service.’ ‘We’re not just in a health crisis, but we’re in a spiritual crisis. And those things are connected,’ Kennedy said on Fox’s Laura Ingraham’s show later on Thursday… ‘We have a whole generation of kids that feel alienated, dispossessed. They are in [an] existential crisis,’ and not only because of their health… ‘There’s a purposelessness in their lives and no sense of usefulness or effectiveness…’

“Kennedy argued that this deeper spiritual alienation is what ‘drives also the chronic disease epidemic, and the epidemics we’re seeing of depression, of suicide, of alcoholism, of drug addiction… The only way to overcome that biological impulse is with a spiritual realignment, a spiritual fire.’…

“For addicts who have become isolated and withdrawn from other relationships, he said… ‘We need to get up in the morning and not think about, “What am I going to do to make myself happy today?” We have to get up and say, “What am I going to do to make myself useful today, to be useful to my friends, to my family, to my community.’” The connectedness that comes from doing good things, from being of service to others, is ultimately the path to happiness, he said…

“Kennedy… noted that although having ‘4.2% of the world’s population,’ the United States buys ‘70% of the pharmaceutical drugs on earth… We spend two to three times what other countries pay for health care, and we have worse health outcomes. We literally have the sickest population in the world… I’m not going to let the food industry and the pharmaceutical industry run health policy anymore.’

“Kennedy was also asked at the press conference how he would address concerns that some Americans may have about his stance on vaccines… he said… that a ‘common sense’ approach is that ‘vaccines should be tested, they should be safe…’”

Interesting words. It remains to be seen how RFK will deliver…especially when it comes to unconscionable MANDATORY vaccinations, including for babies and school children. The connection between drugs and vaccinations and serious sicknesses should be obvious.

No More Mandatory Covid Vaccinations

Fox News wrote on February 14:

“President Donald Trump signed an executive order Friday barring schools who still have coronavirus vaccine mandates from receiving federal funds…. It also tasks Department of HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy and the Secretary of Education to establish guidelines for compliance and to ‘provide a plan to end coercive COVID-19 vaccine mandates.’…”

“Trump also signed an executive order in January that removes federal funding from K-12 schools that teach critical race theory.”

NBC News added on February 15:

“Trump’s administration has already taken steps to end coronavirus vaccine requirements at the federal level, including for green card applicants, and reinstated service members who were discharged for refusing the vaccine… Currently, Covid vaccines are no longer required in K-12 schools across the country, according to two nonprofit health policy research organizations… 15 colleges in the U.S. still require Covid shots…

“On the campaign trail, Trump pledged to strip funding for schools that require vaccines and masks for students and said he would not allow schools to impose Covid mandates. Trump’s proposal sparked concerns at the time about funding for schools in states that require most students to be immunized from diseases like measles and polio. A Trump spokesperson clarified that he was referring to Covid vaccines.”

This is a major problem. There should be NO mandatory vaccination at all for any diseases. Will Trump have the guts to go that far? Will RFK have the guts to recommend this? Also, what will happen if there is another COVID or “related” “pandemic”, which is surely to come?  Will the current executive orders also apply to such future “threatening” scenarios? Now is the time for Trump and RFK and others to pick up the fight against pharma.

Britain’s Foreign Aid Lunacy

The Sun wrote on February 17:

“BRITISH taxes are being squandered on shrimp farms in Bangladesh, poetry workshops in Colombian jails and gender lectures in Kenya. UK workers also fund diversity training in the Jordanian army and cyber security for India — while pressure mounts to raise our military budget…

“Among the worst cases, the past three years have seen the UK hand more than £133,000 to Bangladesh Agricultural University to study shrimp health… Taxpayers are also funding woke ideology around the war-torn Third World…. The department also funded a £110,000 conference on ‘preventing gender-based disinformation’ in Kenya,.. Brits are also paying through the nose for climate initiatives in foreign countries, including £114million for ‘inclusive green enterprises’ in India…”

Where Is Heaven?

Daily Mail wrote on February 16:

 “…For Christians, the idea of the dead being in heaven or enjoying paradise often brings comfort to the bereaved and hope to those suffering or dying.  But in the Christian faith, heaven was originally more about where God lived, not about humanity’s ultimate destination if they live a righteous life.  N.T. Wright, professor of New Testament and Early Christianity at the University of St Andrews, said the way people now talk about heaven is ‘deeply unbiblical and misleading’.

“’Basically the whole western tradition took a wrong turn in imagining that the aim of the game was ‘to go to heaven when we die’,’ he told MailOnline.   

‘The whole Bible is about the God of heaven coming to make his home with us…’ 

“Lari Launonen, philosopher at University of Helsinki in Finland, said… ‘The Bible actually describes a renewed, physical world…’

“Famously, at the start of the Bible in the Book of Genesis, we are told that heaven is created by God along with the Earth (Actually, it says, “heavens”). This contradicts the theory of Big Bang generally accepted by scientists, where the universe exploded into existence from a single minute point…” 

Acknowledgement and Disclaimer:

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

In 2 Corinthians 15:29, Paul utters a statement which is difficult to understand. He wrote: “Otherwise, what will they do who are baptized for the dead, if the dead do not rise at all? Why then are they baptized for the dead?”

Many explanations have been given as to what Paul might have meant—some good, some not so good, and some blatantly wrong. We addressed some of those explanations in a Q&A, which was written in 2006, https://www.eternalgod.org/q-a-3014/, which had the following headline: “Would you please explain 1 Corinthians 15:29, speaking of ‘baptism for the dead. Are we to be baptized for those who have already died?”

In that Q&A, we showed that the concept, practiced by some, to baptize someone for a person who had died without having been baptized is totally unbiblical. We said: “This practice is not based on God’s Holy Word. Baptism only makes sense when and so long as the person to be baptized is ALIVE. Baptism for a dead person, that is, vicariously, derivatively or by proxy, accomplishes nothing.”

In this Q&A, we will explore additional possibilities as to what Paul might have meant, and elaborate on what we have stated in the above-quoted Q&A.

When it comes to “vicarious baptisms,” “The Annotated Bible” by John Henry Blunt, copyright 1932, points out the following:

“But there is no ground whatever for believing that vicarious baptisms were in use until some heretics of a much later date invented them, and justified their invention by this text (1 Corinthians 15:29).” In a footnote, the commentary stated: “The Montanists of the second century, and not a few orthodox but ill-informed Christians also of the same period, were accustomed to administer baptisms to those who had died unbaptized… and the practice of baptizing dead persons by proxy appears to have been adopted by the later Marcionites as an improvement upon the earlier custom.”

The Ryrie Study Bible adds that this view and practice is “heretical.”

Returning to our above-mentioned Q&A, we then explored the idea, advanced by some commentaries, that Paul might not have been talking about a practice in the Church, but by others outside the Church, in which some Church members participated. Paul allegedly made the argument that if even those people practiced baptism for the dead because they believed in a resurrection from the dead (compare verse 20), why wouldn’t the Corinthians do so. We said: “… some commentaries advance the idea that a few within the Corinthian Church might have been involved in the practice of getting baptized for a dead relative…. as Paul… used ‘they’ rather than ‘we’ when speaking of it… To deny the resurrection, as the Corinthians did, and yet be involved in such baptism activities made no sense.’”

This presupposes, of course, that such practice was indeed known to the Corinthians, which is doubtful in light of Blunt’s above-quoted statements. In addition, it is also doubtful that Paul would have referred to (pagan) practices outside the Church to prove the resurrection.

We also mentioned the opinion, advanced by some, that the Greek can also mean “baptized because of the dead,” i.e. the reference is to the baptism of those influenced by the testimony of a Christian who had recently died, and in the hope of being re-united with him at the resurrection. This opinion is also given, as a possibility, by the Ryrie Study Bible, and it has some merit. The MacArthur Study Bible states:

“A reasonable view seems to be that ‘people baptized’ refer to living believers who give outward testimony to their faith in baptism by water.. who had subsequently died. Paul’s point is that if there is no resurrection…, then why are people coming to Christ to follow the hope of those who have died?”

Finally, we explained that in the phrase in verse 29 (“baptized for the dead”), the word “for” is “huper” in the original Greek. This word can also mean, “for the hope of” or “for the realization of.”  1 Corinthians 15:29 can be translated: “Otherwise, what will they do who are baptized for [the realization of, or the hope of] the dead, if the dead do not rise at all? Why then are they baptized for [the realization of, or the hope of] the dead?”

We said: “When people were baptized, they were not dead, but still alive. At the time of their baptism, they were looking forward to their resurrection. Baptism was the first necessary step toward the realization of their goal–the resurrection of the dead. Without that hope, there would not have been a reason to be baptized in the first place. Subsequently those who were baptized died, sleeping in their graves and awaiting, in hope, so to speak, their resurrection from the dead.”

The Ryrie Study Bible offers another possibility as to how to understand this passage, which they describe as “most likely,” saying, “… it means being baptized in the place of those who had died; i.e., new converts taking the place of older ones who had died. Paul’s point is: unless one believes in the resurrection of the dead (rather than the Greek idea of ‘immortality’) what’s the point of such a practice?”

This is a valid observation. God’s Church will not die, and it has a Work to accomplish. Many have gone before us, doing their part of the Work, and have died. Others had to be appointed to take their place, to continue in the Work which has to be done. The Elberfelder Bible states in an annotation that the Greek word, translated “for,” can also mean “in place of.”  

There is, however, another and perhaps most plausible explanation as to what Paul might have meant, when talking about baptism for the dead. Baptism symbolizes our death. As we said in our above-mentioned Q&A: “As Romans 6:3-4 explains, baptism–the total immersion of the person under water–points at the figurative death of the person. He ‘dies,’ spiritually speaking, in the watery grave. His old man dies (verse 6), and a new man arises out of the watery grave (Colossians 3:9-10). In a sense, the new man is ‘resurrected,’ figuratively speaking, from the spiritual dead.”

So we were dead before our baptism. But notice what happened when we became baptized. Ephesians 2:1 says: “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins…” Verses 5 and 6 continue: “… when we were dead in trespasses, [God] made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together…” And Ephesians 5:14 adds:“ Therefore He says: ‘Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light.’”

The concept that we were dead in sin and are now alive, after having been properly baptized, is stated time and again in Scripture. We read in Romans 6:13:  “And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.”

Colossians 2:13 expresses the same thought: “And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses…”

The Bible explains that those who are not led by and have not received God’s Spirit, which is only given through the ritual of baptism, are “dead.” Christ said in Matthew 8:21-22: “Then another of His disciples said to Him, ‘Lord, let me first go and bury my father.’ But Jesus said to him, ‘Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.’” Apparently, Christ was calling the person to the ministry, but he wanted to wait until his father had died, who was still alive but might have been advanced in years. Christ’s retort was that the time of the person’s calling was now, and that his spiritually “dead” relatives could look after and bury his spiritually “dead” father, once he had died.

We also find this statement in 1 Timothy 5:6: “But she who lives in pleasure is dead while she lives.”

Something similar might be expressed in 1 Peter 4:6, where we read: “For this reason the gospel was preached also to those who are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.” This could refer to Christians who died after the gospel had been preached to and accepted by them; it could also refer to the spiritually “dead” who accepted the gospel when it was preached to them, following God in the spirit, while being condemned by [unconverted] men in the flesh.

Paul’s statement, then, that there is baptism for the dead is indeed to be applied to those being spiritually dead. Baptism is for them; they cease to be spiritually dead and become spiritually alive, as he explains in Ephesians 4:22-24:

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

Let us conclude with these marvelous words by Paul in Romans 6:2-6:

“How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.”

We were dead, but through the “baptism for the dead” (that is, the baptism for us), we became alive, now waiting for the first resurrection when Christ returns.

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

compiled by Dave Harris

“America and Europe at Loggerheads,” is the title of a new StandingWatch program presented by Evangelist Norbert Link. Here is the summary:

JD Vance’s “glorious” speech during the Security Conference in Munich about some terrible conditions has angered many German and European politicians. He showed them a mirror, but they were unwilling to look into it. The alienation between the USA and Europe deepened when Trump called Putin and when the Americans and Russians met in Saudi Arabia, but without the Europeans and Zelensky. It reached a boiling point when Trump accused Ukraine of having started the war with Russia. The writing is on the wall. Can you read it?

“Amerika und Europa auf Kriegsfuß,” is the title of a new AufPostenStehen program presented by Norbert Link. This German program covers the same subject as described above.

“Überwinden Sie Ihre Lust, Begierde und Trieb,” last Sabbath’s German sermonette by Dmitrij Niemann, is now posted. Title in English: “Overcome Your Lust, Desire and Urges.”

”A Few Random Thoughts on the Stupidity of Evolution,” last Sabbath’s sermonette presented by Brian Gale, is now posted. Here is the summary:

It is a worthwhile exercise from time to time to review this theory which many just accept without much thought at all.   The Bible states that God spoke and it was done – that is something that only a supernatural being could achieve, not mere mortal men – and even less by blind chance!

“The Commandments and the Sabbath of the Most High God,” last Sabbath’s sermon presented by Rene Messier, is now posted. Here is the summary:

Faithfully keeping the commandments and the Sabbath, including the annual Sabbaths, helps to cement our relationship with God and to stay engaged in the completion of the Work  we have to do prior to the tribulation and return of Jesus Christ.

On February 15, 2025, Brian Gale will present the sermonette, titled, “A Few Random Thoughts on the Stupidity of Evolution,” and Rene Messier will present the sermon, titled, “The Commandments and the Sabbath of the Most High God.”

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.

Someone who says “thank you” in a timely and respectful manner enriches our lives! That stands out as being true, because, too often, we experience indifference or insincerity in our daily lives.

It is especially gratifying to watch young families in which their children are taught and then reminded to say, “thank you.” This is such a simple practice to instill as a part of parenting, and the lesson can have a broad impact on the overall character of a person throughout his or her life.

Saying “thank you” can help instill and then build an enduring sense of true gratitude and thankfulness. It is especially important that we acknowledge God to show our appreciation for His guidance and blessings in our lives. Sadly, very few people are truly mindful of God. The Apostle Paul writes, “…because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened” (Romans 1:21).

Jesus Christ did many miraculous things, including healing people, but His mighty works were taken for granted at times. Ten men who were lepers asked Jesus to heal them, and He did. Consider their reactions:

“And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan. So Jesus answered and said, ‘Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?’” (Luke 17:15-18).

How, then, was God glorified by the one who was healed? It was done because he was thankful and expressed it. King David also glorified God through praise and thanksgiving, and his Psalms virtually ring out with his worship of God. In celebration of having the Ark of God placed in the tabernacle he had set up, David wrote a Psalm which contains these words:

“Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever” (1 Chronicles 16:34).

Several of the later Psalms begin with these beautiful words of praise (See Psalms 106, 107, 118, 136 (comp. Jeremiah 33:11). David was thankful, and he did not forget to praise God for His mercy and blessings. We are also reminded to honor God by glorifying Him with our thanksgiving, as the Apostle Paul writes:

“And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him” (Colossians 3:17).

by Norbert Link

We begin with Trump’s proposed Ukraine deal (as it is being alleged and reported) and Germany’s reaction; Trump’s plans regarding Gaza; Hamas’s holocaust; Trump’s sanctions of the ICC and international reactions; and Europe’s desire to send troops to Greenland; and Trudeau’s take on Trump’s threat of tariffs against Canada, as well as Canada’s new perspective towards the USA.

We continue with Trump’s (current) defeat in court regarding some of his executive orders; an interesting observation about America’s destiny; and some deeply troubling developments pertaining to Trump’s new White House Faith Office being led by extremely controversial “Pastor” Paula White.

We conclude with an article about the current situation in Austria and Germany, as well as with (dubious) mass protests against Germany’s AfD and revealing statements by Germany’s weapons manufacturer Rheinmetall.

Please view our new StandingWatch program, titled, “Trump’s Plans with Gaza—What Does the Bible Say?”

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

Trump’s Contemplated Deal With Ukraine

The New York Post wrote on February 7:

“The US won’t repeat the mistakes of the Iraq War by failing to secure valuable resources from Ukraine in exchange for help ending Russia’s nearly three-year-old invasion, President Trump’s special envoy to the conflict exclusively told The Post. ‘When you look at the mineral deposits in that country, we’re not talking millions of dollars. We’re talking — virtually every region, we’re talking about billions, and then some regions are [worth] trillions,’ retired Gen. Keith Kellogg said this week…

“Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday signaled support for a reciprocal resource deal with the US in exchange for security guarantees as part of a potential peace settlement…

“Ukraine is home to roughly 5% of the world’s mineral resources, with rich deposits of titanium, uranium, iron, manganese and lithium — as well as rare earth minerals that are considered vital to US national security… Ukraine holds about 7% of the world’s supply of titanium — the largest reserves of any European country — which is needed for the production of everything from aerospace and defense materials to medicine and jewelry. It is also used in other industries such as energy and construction…

“Ukraine also has one of the continent’s largest confirmed reserves of lithium — a vital component in batteries and used in everyday products from ceramics to medicine — at roughly 500,000 metric tons… Ukraine is also known as the ‘breadbasket of Europe’ due to its strong grain exports… They have the most fertile soil in the entire world…”

Daily Mail wrote on February 7:

“US president Donald Trump will try to force Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky to agree to a ceasefire with Russia by Easter under a peace plan, according to a report. 

“Trump, who has long claimed that he would be able to negotiate an ending to the brutal invasion of Ukraine in a single day, is said to be working to end the war within 100 days.  The unconfirmed plans, reported by Ukrainian outlet Strana, have been doing the rounds in ‘political and diplomatic circles’ in Ukraine, and will include a ceasefire by April 20 that would freeze Russia’s steady advance, and a ban on Ukraine from joining NATO.

“According to Newsweek it would include a demand for Kyiv to accept Russian sovereignty on annexed land…  On top of this, Ukrainian troops will be made to leave Russia’s Kursk region, where it launched a counteroffensive in August, while a contingent of European soldiers, which could include British troops, would be asked to police a demilitarised zone. American troops will not be involved in this contingent.  The EU will reportedly be asked to assist Ukraine in its reconstruction efforts, which may cost as much as $486billion (£392billion) over the next decade…”

Scholz Rebukes Trump

Deutsche Welle wrote on February 7:

“German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has derided Trump’s foreign policies in regard to aid for Ukraine and trade. ‘Ukraine is under attack, and Germany is helping without expectations of getting paid for it later. That should be everyone’s attitude,’ Scholz told the German media group Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland… Scholz has labeled this move by Trump as “selfish” and “self-centered.”

“The German chancellor also rebuked Trump’s tariff policies… Scholz… suggested that if Trump enacts tariffs on EU goods, ‘the European Commission is able to react within hours.’” 

Scholz is a lame-duck chancellor with no prospects of reelection by the end of February. Still, unless a new government is formed, Scholz will continue in a caretaker function. And even a lame duck can make lots of noise.

Many Ukrainians Want to Be Russian?

AFP wrote on February 11:

“The Kremlin said Tuesday a ‘significant part’ of Ukraine ‘wants to be Russia,’ hours after President Donald Trump floated the idea that Ukraine ‘may be Russian someday.’

Addressing the three-year conflict between Moscow and Kyiv in a Fox News interview that aired Monday, Trump said: ‘[Ukraine] may make a deal, they may not make a deal. They may be Russian someday, or they may not be Russian someday.’

“Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday… ‘The fact that a significant part of Ukraine wants to become Russia, and has already, is a fact’… referring to Moscow’s 2022 annexation of four Ukrainian regions.’”

Newsmax added on February 12:

“Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told the Guardian newspaper he planned to offer Russia a straight territory exchange to help bring an end to the war, including offering pockets of Kursk that Ukraine holds… ‘We will swap one territory for another,’ Zelenskyy said, adding he did not know which part of Russian-occupied territory Ukraine would ask for back…

“Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow categorically rejects all offers to trade territory. ‘This is impossible,’ he told reporters at a daily briefing. ‘Russia has never discussed and will not discuss the exchange of its territory’…

“President Donald Trump said he spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin Wednesday about starting negotiations ‘immediately’ to end the war in Ukraine… It was unclear how closely Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy would be involved… Trump held a phone call with him Wednesday… Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Trump’s special Russia-Ukraine envoy, retired Gen. Keith Kellogg, will all be in Germany later this week for the annual Munich Security Conference, which Zelenskyy will also attend.

“However, in a blow to Ukraine’s aspirations, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said earlier Wednesday at NATO headquarters in Brussels that NATO membership was not realistic for Ukraine and said that any security guarantees for the country would have to be born by European countries.”

US to Take Gaza? Confusion Amounts!

Daily Mail wrote on February 10:

“President Donald Trump doubled down on his pitch for the U.S. to takeover Gaza and said Palestinians would not have the right to move back. The 78-year-old president was asked about his stunning call for the U.S. to control Gaza during his flight to the Super Bowl on Sunday. Questions had mounted after his administration scrambled to clarify his suggestion last week. ‘I’m committed to buying and owning Gaza,’ Trump said on Air Force One. 

“But the president suggested as far as rebuilding, the U.S. could give sections to ‘other states in the Middle East’ to develop. In a separate interview with Fox News taped before the Super Bowl, Trump suggested the communities would be build ‘a little bit away from where they are where all of this danger is.’… But when Bret Baier asked if Palestinians would have the right to return, Trump told him ‘no they wouldn’t because they’re going to have much better housing.’

He claimed he was talking about ‘building a permanent place for them’ but if they returned now, the area is not habitable.

“Speaking on Air Force One on Sunday, Trump once again called the strip a demolition site and declared what does remain will be demolished. ‘We’re committed to owning it, taking it, and making sure that Hamas doesn’t move back,’ he said. ‘We’ll make it into a very good site for future development by somebody,’ the president added. Trump argued it would be beautiful and people could come live there from all over the world. But he also vowed to take care of the Palestinians and make sure they ‘live beautifully and in harmony and in peace and that they’re not murdered.’

“His latest remarks come after Trump declared during a press conference last week, alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, that the U.S. would take over Gaza.  Critics seized on the comments and accused Trump of calling for an ‘ethnic cleansing’ as leaders in the Middle East warned Palestinians would not be moved from their land.  Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill also rejected the U.S. takeover of Gaza and raised concerns over using U.S. tax dollars or putting Americans on the ground. The White House scrambled to clarify less than 24 hours later suggesting Trump did not mean putting U.S. boots on the ground even though the president himself did not rule it out. 

“But Trump’s in-flight press conference raised further questions about how world leaders should address the region moving forward. ‘Think of it as a big real estate site, and the United States is going to own it, and we’ll slowly, very slowly, we’re in no rush, development it,’ Trump said. ‘We’re going to bring stability to the Middle East, a totally war-torn part of the Middle East,’ the president said. Trump said it would be a ‘big mistake’ to let Palestinians return to the area as thousands have begun to travel back to the rubble left behind since a ceasefire deal was reached with Israel last month.  ‘We don’t want Hamas going back,’ Trump warned. 

“Trump previously suggested both Egypt and Jordan would take the Palestinians in, but both countries rejected his resettlement proposal…”

Even CNN suggested that Trump is right with his description of the terrible Gaza scenario, but that he is wrong with his approach as to how to fix it—admitting that there are really no plans as to how to fix it.

US and Jordan Walk Tightrope Over Gaza

Deutsche Welle wrote on February 12:

“The much-anticipated meeting between Jordan’s King Abdullah II and US President Donald Trump in the White House on Tuesday could have led to a falling-out between the two close allies. Instead, it turned out to be a bilateral tightrope walk. ‘One of the things that we can do right away is take 2,000 children, cancer children who are in a very ill state. That is possible,’ Abdullah II told Trump in Washington. ‘That is a really beautiful gesture,’ Trump answered.

“Much to the relief of Jordan, which is heavily dependent on US aid, Trump also retreated from previous threats to halt or cut aid to Jordan, even though the Jordanian king remained steadfast in his refusal to take in Palestinians from Gaza…

“According to the UN, Jordan already hosts more than 2 million Palestinian refugees. Observers furthermore assume that around half of the 11 million population in Jordan has Palestinian roots. Taking in Palestinians is also widely considered as the end of a two-state-solution with an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel…

“The Jordanian king also urged Trump to show more patience in light of the upcoming emergency Arab summit in Cairo on February 27. ‘Let’s wait until the Egyptians can come and present it to the president and not get ahead of ourselves,’ Abdullah told Trump. Cairo’s Foreign Ministry meanwhile stated ‘its intention to present a vision for Gaza reconstruction that ensures the Palestinian people remain in their homeland.’”

However, Trump reiterated that Gaza must become America’s property, clarifying that the USA will not buy it, but take it.

Hamas’ Holocaust

The Jerusalem Post wrote on February 8:

“Hundreds of social media posts are drawing comparisons between the freed hostages and Holocaust survivors who endured extreme starvation…

“The release of Israeli hostages Or Levy, Ohad Ben Ami, and Eli Sharabi on Saturday morning has ignited a storm of reactions online. Many users are making chilling comparisons between the hostages’ frail condition and the Muselmann, a term used during the Holocaust to describe Jewish prisoners in Nazi concentration camps who were starved to the brink of death.

“The three hostages appeared exhausted and dangerously underweight, with protruding bones, sunken faces, and sharply defined clavicles and Adam’s apples—clear signs of severe malnutrition and muscle wasting… The haunting resemblance between the Muselmann of the Holocaust and the hostages released today is undeniable… Many are questioning how the world can witness such horrors again…”

Rather than taking a clear stance on the Hamas mass murderers, the world is ganging up on Israel.

Trump Hits ICC With Sanctions

The Times of Israel wrote on February 7:

“Dozens of countries expressed their ‘unwavering support’ for the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Friday, a day after US President Donald Trump authorized potentially far-reaching economic and travel sanctions against the court’s staff… The 79 signatories came from all parts of the world, but make up only about two-thirds of the 125 member states of the permanent court for the prosecution of war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and crimes of aggression.

“Among the countries who agreed to the statement were France, Germany and Britain. Among those absent were Australia, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Italy. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban had earlier on Friday made it clear he supported Trump’s move, which coincided with a visit to Washington by Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is wanted by the ICC over the war in Gaza.

“Trump’s sanctions target people who work on ICC investigations of US citizens or US allies, such as Israel… The Czech and Italian governments had no immediate comment on why they had not signed the declaration…

“German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and other EU leaders said Trump was wrong to impose sanctions on the ICC… ‘They jeopardize an institution that is supposed to ensure that the dictators of this world cannot simply persecute people and start wars, and that is very important.’…

“The US sanctions include freezing any US assets of those designated and barring them and their families from visiting the United States. It was unclear how quickly the US would announce names of people sanctioned…

“The United States, China, Russia and Israel are not members of the ICC. Trump signed the executive order after US Senate Democrats last week blocked a Republican-led effort to pass legislation setting up a sanctions regime targeting the war crimes court…

“Russia has also taken aim at the court. In 2023, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for President Vladimir Putin, accusing him of the war crime of illegally deporting hundreds of children from Ukraine. Russia has banned entry to ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan and placed him and two ICC judges on its wanted list.”

The ICC and ICJ Clown Courts

The Sun wrote on February 7:

“Donald Trump’s war on the International Criminal Court (ICC)  is a reckoning long overdue. Its credibility was already shot before it blew it up with its fact-mangling assault on Israel and arrest warrant for… Netanyahu over ‘war crimes’…. The ICC failure to recognize Israel as a democratic nation justifiably defending itself against racist terrorist still holding Jewish hostages betrayed a repugnant bias obliterating any legitimacy it had…

“And the same flaws are evident at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) too. The ICJ has no power over the UK in disputes with Commonwealth nations like Mauritius.  And its edict that Mauritius should be given our Chagos Islands despite having no valid claim to them is straightforwardly ludicrous.”

Biden Could Have Acts But Refused!

The Editorial Board of the New York Post wrote on February 7:

“Border Patrol chief Michael Banks announced Thursday that illegal border-crossing attempts have dropped 90% since President Trump took office less than three weeks ago. Which is the final proof that the Biden crew could’ve gotten the same results anytime in the last four years — had they actually wanted to. Instead, they fed the nation nonstop nonsense about how the border being ‘under control’ even as they manufactured more ways to speed up illegal entries and created new paths to ‘legalize’ border-jumping, at least as far as their official statistics were concerned.

“For the last year, including all during the presidential campaign, Democrats insisted it was all Republicans’ fault, for refusing to pass a supposed ‘bipartisan’ bill. Hours after being sworn in, Trump declared a national emergency at the border, ended ‘catch and release,’ reestablished ‘Remain in Mexico,’ ordered construction on the wall to resume and sent 10,000 US troops to the border to help beef up security.

“Within a week, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, with the full support of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, started rounding up and shipping out illegal migrants busted for vile crimes…

“Biden could have closed the border down at any time, but chose not to — and to lie about it instead. [He] could have issued the same executive orders Trump did — or just left in place the Trump policies that were working, instead of tossing them on Day 1. Border towns, along with cities and suburbs across the nation, paid the price; the border chaos also eased the way for fentanyl smugglers… The Biden team caused the border crisis and intentionally let it go on for four years…”

Biden’s border policy was a catastrophe indeed. His administration WAS greatly responsible for the border crisis. But of course, there will not be any accountability or reckoning. That’s what is wrong, among many other things, with our political system.

Chinese Spy Balloon Transported American Technology

Fox News wrote on February 11:

“A Chinese spy balloon that floated across the U.S. before being shot down off the South Carolina coast in 2023 was carrying technology from at least five American companies… Among the equipment recovered from the balloon were a satellite communication module, sensors and other sophisticated surveillance equipment… The Chinese spy balloon flew from Alaska to the East Coast, where it was shot down by the military over the Atlantic Ocean on Feb. 4, 2023…

“Beijing claimed it was a weather balloon, though an investigation by U.S. intelligence agencies found the balloon was used for spying… The identification of U.S.-made technology inside the balloon raises questions about commercially available equipment that can be sold to, or in some cases resold, to America’s adversaries.”

Sending EU Troops to Greenland?

The Telegraph wrote on February 7:

“Nato countries discussed deploying troops to Greenland in response to Donald Trump threatening the use of US military to seize the Danish island. Germany was among dozens of European allies understood to have held informal talks over ‘what Nato troops would do’ if the US president followed through on his threats, diplomatic sources told The Telegraph…

“Berlin’s involvement in the clandestine discussions has attracted criticism from some of Nato’s most ardent backers of Ukraine given the refusal of Olaf Scholz, the German chancellor, to consider a deployment of troops there… Mr Scholz has been Europe’s most vocal critic of Mr Trump over Greenland…

“France and Germany have openly touted sending European troops to join the Americans already stationed there, but some European leaders have suggested staging a more robust ‘fight back’ against the US president’s overtures.

“In discussions inside Nato’s headquarters in Brussels, member states have pondered whether Article 5, which states that a military attack on one ally is considered an attack on all, could be invoked if Mr Trump does sanction an invasion of Greenland. However, the option was quickly ruled out because it would require the unanimous backing of Nato’s 32 member states, including the US. The mutual defence has only been triggered once in the alliance’s history, after the 9/11 attacks on America….”

Scholz hopes to score some points in Germany when attacking deeply unpopular Donald Trump. But this will not change the inevitable outcome—that Scholz will be gone soon.

EU Looks For Alternative to NATO

Blitz wrote on February 11:

“European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has reignited the debate on Europe’s defense autonomy by calling for an alternative to NATO. Her remarks, delivered during a press briefing in Lithuania on February 9, underscore growing concerns among EU leaders over reliance on the United States for security. As Washington increasingly pressures its NATO allies to ramp up defense spending, and amid uncertainty surrounding future American support for Ukraine, von der Leyen’s call signals a potential shift in European strategic thinking.

“Von der Leyen, while reaffirming NATO’s foundational role in European security, argued that the continent must bolster its own defense capabilities. ‘NATO remains the foundation of our defense. But it is evident that we need a pan-European defense,’ she stated, stressing that modern warfare requires cooperation on a scale no single European nation can manage alone. She called for increased defense investment, both from public coffers and private sources, and announced that a comprehensive European defense strategy would be presented to EU leaders by mid-March.

“The idea of a European defense force independent of NATO is not new. France and Germany have historically been its most vocal proponents, with French President Emmanuel Macron and former German Chancellor Angela Merkel pushing for ‘strategic autonomy’ from Washington. In 2019, Macron famously declared that NATO was ‘brain dead’ and advocated for a ‘true, European army.’ His sentiment echoed Germany’s push for greater military integration within the EU framework…

“Europe’s unease about US commitment to the continent’s security is not unfounded… the debate over European defense autonomy is unlikely to dissipate. The unpredictability of US foreign policy, combined with the growing perception that Europe must take greater responsibility for its security, will keep the issue at the forefront of EU policy discussions…

“For now, the EU stands at a crossroads, balancing between its long-standing reliance on NATO and the growing calls for strategic self-sufficiency. Von der Leyen’s remarks mark a significant step in that ongoing conversation—one that could reshape European security policy for years to come.”

Von der Leyen’s “politically correct” lip service towards NATO’s [disputed] “foundational role in European security” notwithstanding, it is clear what she is REALLY suggesting.

Trump’s Threats Towards Canada Are Real

Deutsche Welle wrote on February 7:

“Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told a group of business and labor leaders that [Trump’s] desire to control Canada ‘is a real thing’…  Trudeau made the remarks in a closed-door setting, but they were mistakenly transmitted via loudspeaker… ‘They’re very aware of our resources, of what we have and they very much want to be able to benefit from those,’ Trudeau said. ‘But Mr. Trump has it in mind that one of the easiest ways of doing that is absorbing our country. And it is a real thing.’

“Canada has oil, natural gas, diamonds and many other natural resources. The country is also a major potash producer, which is used in fertilizer to grow crops…”

In an interview on February 9 with Fox News, Trump expressed again his desire that Canada will become the 51^st state of the USA.

Canada Looks at EU For Trading Partner

Reuters wrote on February 9:

“Canada wants to deepen its economic ties with the EU and uphold global trading rules in the face of threatened US tariffs, its trade minister Mary Ng told Reuters on February 8, 2025. The EU and Canada have benefited from a free trade agreement since 2017, which has boosted bilateral trade by 65%, and set up a raw materials partnership in 2021… She said critical minerals and smaller businesses would be among the focus areas with the EU. The EU, in particular, is keen to forge partnerships to secure metals that are key for the energy transition – cobalt, lithium and nickel – to reduce its dependence on China.
“Canada is also pushing to diversify its exports and set itself a target in 2018 of increasing non-U.S. exports by 50% by 2025. Ng said the country was on track to meet or exceed the target. Canada struck trade deals with Indonesia in December and Ecuador last week and is pushing hard in the Indo-Pacific region. The minister is leading a delegation including more than 200 businesses to Australia, Singapore and Brunei next week. ‘We are at the table with the countries in Southeast Asia, so the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. I took a very large delegation of Canadian businesses to the Philippines in December, to Indonesia, to markets like Vietnam, Malaysia, Japan, Korea,’ Ng added.

“Ottawa threatened retaliatory duties and legal action against the United States after President Donald Trump announced tariffs on Canada and Mexico a week ago and before he paused their imposition for 30 days. Ng said Canada could challenge Washington at the WTO if tariffs were imposed. ‘We would consider all of the options [which] are available to Canada because Canada is a country that believes in a rules-based trading system,’ Ng said.”

The USA is modern Manasseh, and Canada is part of modern Ephraim. The Bible prophesies that both will be fighting each other (compare Isaiah 9:21).

Trump’s Tariffs Plans

Newsmax wrote on February 12:

“President Donald Trump is likely to dust off a 1930 trade law largely forgotten for decades to back his new reciprocal U.S. tariffs that will match other countries’ higher import taxes, trade and legal experts say.

“Trump has said the new U.S. tariff rates would take effect ‘almost immediately,’ and Section 338 of the Trade Act of 1930 would give him a quick path to imposing them.

The law, threatened but never used to impose tariffs, appears only sporadically in government records. It allows the president to impose duties of up to 50% against imports from countries that are found to discriminate against U.S. commerce.

“Trump… has long complained about the U.S. charging lower tariff rates than most other countries… European Union’s 10% autos tariff, four times the 2.5% U.S. passenger car rate, is a particular sore spot for the president. ‘I think that is exactly the path that they’re going to follow,’ Dan Cannistra, a partner in the Crowell & Moring law firm, said of Section 338. ‘They’re going to tell the EU: “You’re giving Korea 0% on cars, you’re giving 10% to the U.S. You’re discriminating against us.”’…

“So far in his new term, Trump has favored tools that allowed immediate action on tariffs. These included a first-ever use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to impose tariffs – 10% on Chinese goods and a March deadline for 25% tariffs on Mexican and Canadian goods over fentanyl and border security. Trump simply modified his previous Section 232 metals proclamation Monday to quickly raise aluminum tariffs to 25% – matching steel tariffs – and to cancel all exemptions from steel and aluminum duties, effective March 12.”

“Judge Pauses Trump Plan to Put USAID Staff on Leave”

CNBC wrote on February 7:

“A federal judge on Friday said he would temporarily pause the Trump administration’s plan to place thousands of workers at the U.S. Agency for International Development on administrative leave. About 2,200 USAID employees were set to be placed on leave Friday night…

“Judge Carl Nichols, a Trump appointee, delivered the ruling after hearing arguments from the Trump administration and two groups representing federal workers in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. The workers’ groups… had argued [in] a court filing earlier Friday that USAID ‘is suffering an onslaught of unconstitutional and illegal attacks, leaving its workers, contractors, grantees, and beneficiaries deserted in the wreckage and a global humanitarian crisis in the wake.’…”

The judge was wondering why there was such a rush.

Ending Birthright Citizenship On Hold

Newsmax published the following article on February 6:

“A second federal judge in two days has blocked President Donald Trump’s effort to end birthright citizenship for the children of parents who are in the U.S. (without being citizens or green card holders), decrying what he described as the administration’s attempt to ignore the Constitution for political gain.

“U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour in Seattle on Thursday put Trump’s order on hold for the duration of lawsuits brought by four states and an immigrant rights group challenging it. His ruling followed one by a federal judge in Maryland in a separate but similar case involving immigrants’ rights groups and pregnant women whose soon-to-born children could be affected.

“Late Thursday the Justice Department appealed his order to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. It did not appear that the DOJ had yet appealed the Maryland ruling to the 4th Circuit…

“The president’s executive order seeks to end the automatic grant of citizenship to children born on U.S. soil to parents who are in the country illegally or who are here on a temporary, but lawful basis such as those on student or tourist visas…

“At the heart of the lawsuits is the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, ratified in 1868 after the Civil War and the Dred Scott Supreme Court decision, which held that Scott, an enslaved man, wasn’t a citizen despite having been brought to a state where slavery was outlawed. The amendment holds that ‘all persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.’

“The Trump administration, which has sought to curtail unlawful immigration, has asserted that noncitizens are not ‘subject to the jurisdiction’ of the United States and their children born in the U.S. are not entitled to citizenship…

“The plaintiffs call that ludicrous, noting that illegal immigrants are required to pay taxes and follow the law, and that men ages 18 to 26 who are in the country illegally are still obligated to register for the U.S. Selective Service System, meaning they could be drafted to fight for the U.S. in a war. ‘It is patently absurd for defendants to contend that a person who can be conscripted into the military — forced to fight for this country — is not subject to its jurisdiction,’ Matt Adams, legal director for the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, told Coughenour.

“The plain meaning of the 14th Amendment has been recognized since it was ratified, notably in an 1898 U.S. Supreme Court decision. That decision, United States v. Wong Kim Ark, held that the only children who did not automatically receive U.S. citizenship upon being born on U.S. soil were children of diplomats, who have allegiance to another government; enemies present in the U.S. during hostile occupation; those born on foreign ships; and those born to members of sovereign Native American tribes.

“In 1924, Congress passed a separate law granting birthright citizenship to Native Americans.”

The Associated Press wrote on February 10:

“A third federal judge on Monday blocked President Donald Trump’s executive order ending birthright citizenship for the children of people in the U.S. illegally [this is again a wrong characterization of the issue, but the mass media does not seem to get it straight].

“The ruling from U.S. District Judge Joseph N. Laplante in New Hampshire (he was nominated by George W. Bush in 2007) comes after two similar rulings by judges in Seattle and Maryland last week.

“A lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union contends that Trump’s order violates the Constitution and ‘attempts to upend one of the most fundamental American constitutional values.’”

An illegal alien who breaks the law is not under US jurisdiction—meaning, he cannot be punished???? This is ludicrous indeed. Trump is bound to lose this one… IF the US Supreme Court upholds the Constitution.

“God Ordained America to Be Most Exceptional Nation Ever”

Breitbart wrote on February 6:

“President Donald Trump said Thursday at the National Prayer Breakfast that Americans are a ‘people ordained by God’ to live in the ‘freest and most exceptional nation’ in the world’s history. Trump said that Americans are reclaiming their rightful identity, touching on themes of Manifest Destiny and American exceptionalism… ‘We believe in our destiny, and trust in the providence of Almighty God.’”

Ancient Israel and modern America (as part of the descendants of the ancient House of Israel) had and have indeed a God-given destiny. Sadly, neither have been living up to their obligations.

Paula White to Lead New White House Faith Office

Israel 365 News wrote on February 7:

“U.S. President Donald Trump announced Thursday at the National Prayer Breakfast that he would create a White House Faith Office… ‘led by Pastor Paula White, who is so amazing,’ Trump said. Paula White is an outspoken supporter of Israel who has been at the forefront of advocating for the Jewish State since October 7^th…

“‘Pastor Paula is like an Esther figure, who God put in the palace of the king “for such a time as this”’ said Rabbi Weisz. ‘We pray for God’s blessings upon Paula and Jonathan, and her children Brad and Rachel for their continued leadership advocating for a renewal of faith in the United States. May God grant Pastor Paula wisdom and strength to fulfill President Trump’s vision for America, and for peace through strength in Israel and the region.’”

Who is Paula White? The following articles explain.

Business Insider wrote about White on November 5, 2020:

“President Donald Trump’s spiritual advisor Paula White led a passionate prayer event on Wednesday in a bid to secure his reelection. During a [livestreamed] prayer broadcast… White claimed that ‘demonic confederacies’ were attempting to steal the election from Trump. ‘I hear victory, victory, victory, victory in the quarters of heaven,’ White said as she closed her eyes and gestured passionately.

“At one point White proclaimed that ‘angels are being dispatched right now’ and appeared to speak in tongues. ‘Angels are being dispatched from Africa right now,’ she said, adding, ‘They’re coming here.’”

“Speaking in tongues, in which a person utters sounds thought of as a secret language unknown to the speaker, features in Pentecostal and charismatic Christianity,  as well as other religions.”

The video of her prayer broadcast can still be viewed on the Internet. It is something to behold. To follow such a lady and place her in charge of the “White House Faith Office” and view her as spiritual advisor is shocking, to say the very least. In her prayer broadcast, she appeared to be under some influence.

Christians in Shock Over Heretic Preacher Paula White Leading White House Faith Office

Daily Mail wrote on February 8:

“Trump has sparked a backlash from leading Christians over his appointment of a controversial televangelist to the White House. The president on Friday signed an executive order to open a White House Faith Office to be led by Paula White, his longtime spiritual adviser… But the move sparked fury from Christian leaders who believe that White, a megachurch pastor from Florida, preaches an interpretation of the gospel that critics argue exploits the most vulnerable.

“White teaches followers that God will reward them if they donate to her church, going as far as to suggest precise sums over a thousand dollars to ensure their ‘salvation’. ‘This is an abomination,’ wrote Christian motivational speaker Scott Ross on X…. ‘Worse, she has lived a life of scandal, with multiple husbands, twisting the Gospel for profit.’

“The teachings of the minister, who is married to rockstar and Journey lead singer Jonathan Cain, have nevertheless rubbed off on Trump who first contacted her by phone in 2002 after watching one of her TV shows… Ross… went as far as to argue that White’s appointment was the ‘worst and most dangerous thing’ Trump could have done. ‘Lord, have mercy on our country and this administration,’ he wrote on X.  

“Christian blogger Chris Hohnholz wrote on X: ‘Not every choice he makes will be a home run, we understand that. But this? This is a train wreck… sir, you need to reverse course on this ASAP. Not only is Paula White not biblically qualified to be a pastor, she is a false teacher leading people to Hell. Do not do this, sir.’

“A MAGA fan called TexasClare on X wrote: ‘True evangelicals who have Trump’s ear (like @Franklin_Graham ) need to get him off the “Pastor” Paula White train.’ John Mason, host of the Living God’s Truth podcast, stated: ‘Even though President Trump is enforcing laws that line up with our values, that doesn’t mean he has any clue what biblical Christianity is or why it matters. Paula White is a known heretic and known false teacher who has no regard for the Gospel of Jesus Christ.’

“Jon Root, a conservative YouTuber, stated: ‘This is the worst decision President Trump has made since taking office… Paula White is a heretic, who peddles the prosperity gospel. Plus, women should not be pastors according to The Bible.’…

“Southern Baptist theologian Russell D. Moore told the Washington Post in 2017 that ‘Paula is a charlatan and recognized as a heretic by every orthodox Christian, of whatever tribe.’…”

Paula White is wrong in many respects when it comes to her understanding of the Bible. The next article is quite illuminating in this regard. We actually could not care less if it wasn’t for her tremendous (negative) influence on Donald Trump who, as America’s President, is obviously adopting many of her wrong concepts.

Paula White’s Wrong Teachings on Immigration

Vox wrote the following in an article, dated July 11, 2018, which recently surfaced:

“In recent weeks and months, a number of prominent evangelical leaders associated with President Donald Trump’s unofficial evangelical advisory council, as well as members of Trump’s administration, have used Biblical precedent to defend Trump’s policy of family separation at the US-Mexico border. Few, however, have been as brazen as Paula White… who told the right-leaning faith-based (CBN) that Jesus could not have broken any immigration laws during his family’s flight to Egypt because Jesus, who was without sin, could not therefore have broken the law.

“White spent the interview defending Trump on his policy of family separation, calling the camps in which migrant children are being detained ‘amazing.’ She argued for the Biblical precedent of family separation…

“In recent weeks, the Southern Baptist Convention passed a resolution in favor of the dignity of refugees, the United States Council of Catholic Bishops has condemned family separation, and the United Methodist Church has initiated formal expulsion proceedings against Attorney General Jeff Sessions for his role in the family separation crisis…

“This is not the first time that White has argued for the inalienable, divinely ordained precedence of GOP government authority, nor used the Bible to justify a broad view of government intervention. Last year, she made headlines for telling an interviewer that Trump was ‘raised by God.’ (She later walked back her comments under direct questioning, declaring that God chooses every human leader.)

“More broadly, Trump’s evangelical allies frequently use the language of Christian nationalism to code Trump as a divinely chosen figure whose will is therefore no less divinely sanctioned… The idea of laws being inflexible and authority being absolute — the kind of mentality suggested by the Trump administration’s devotion to one interpretation of Romans 13 — is central to the conflation of GOP party politics and white evangelicalism. Even when it doesn’t hold up to Biblical scrutiny.”

White is totally wrong when she says that Jesus could not have broken HUMAN laws; otherwise, He would have sinned. See our free booklet “Obeying God Rather Than Man.” White is also totally wrong when she says that God chooses every human leader. It is SATAN who rules this world and he gives his throne, might and authority to whomever HE wills (compare Luke 4:5-6-7; Revelation 13:2). Finally, the concept that Romans 13 makes Trump somewhat of a pope who can’t do wrong and that he has to be obeyed even if he was wrong, is absolutely appalling. Compare our Q&As on Romans 13, https://www.eternalgod.org/q-a-12272/ and https://www.eternalgod.org/q-a-4056/

Austria Can’t Get It Done

Deutsche Welle wrote on February 12:

“Coalition talks between Austria’s far-right Freedom Party and the conservative Austrian People’s Party have buckled, with the two parties deadlocked over how posts should be assigned. FPÖ leader Kickl… on Wednesday said talks with the conservative People’s Party (ÖVP) had failed after a meeting with Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen in Vienna…

“The FPÖ emerged from the parliamentary elections in September as the strongest force. No one had initially wanted to form a coalition with it, so the second-placed ÖVP was given the mandate to form a government. However, the three-way coalition talks that followed, between the conservatives, the Social Democrats (SPÖ) and the centrist, liberal NEOS failed. Van der Bellen then commissioned… Kicks to try to form a government in the now-failed negotiations with the ÖVP…

“The two parties appear hopelessly at odds over numerous areas, including EU policy and the treatment of asylum seekers. The conservatives want the far right, which has slammed EU sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, to clarify its position on Moscow…

“What might happen now? One likely possibility is President Van der Bellen instructing the ÖVP to lead new coalition talks aimed at forming a centrist government… A coalition of the ÖVP and SPÖ would have a majority of just one seat, which is widely seen as impractical because it would mean that a single lawmaker’s absence could jeopardize the government’s agenda…

“Alternatively, there could be new elections. Then, according to polling, the FPÖ could extend its lead over the other parties. In September’s election, it garnered nearly 29% of the vote, ahead of the ÖVP on 26.3%…”

Majority of German Voters Want a Government Coalition of AfD and CDU

Apollo News wrote on February 11:

“According to a new survey, a majority of voters want an end to the firewall – they are in favor of a black-blue government coalition after the federal election. Alliances between the Union and left-wing parties are met with significantly less approval. ‘The Union would “sell its soul” – that is what Friedrich Merz keeps saying when he is asked about the possibility of a coalition with the AfD. The Union’s candidate for chancellor wants to hold on to the firewall… According to a new analysis by the polling institute Ipsos, however, he is acting against the will of the voters.

“The survey, which was published last Thursday, shows that a black-blue coalition would be the most popular government option among voters. 23 percent of citizens would like the AfD and CDU to work together. Meanwhile, significantly fewer people favor a coalition between the Union and a left-wing party.

“Neither a black-green coalition (five percent) nor a black-red [SPD] coalition (19 percent) achieve the popularity ratings of a possible black-blue government…

“In the last Ipsos poll, which was published a few weeks ago, a new grand coalition between the CDU/CSU and SPD was the most popular coalition option. Since then, however, the black-blue coalition has gained five percentage points in support among voters.

“In the Ipsos Sunday question, the CDU/CSU lost a little in support. Compared to the last poll, it fell by one percentage point and is now at 29 percent. The AfD, meanwhile, has gained significantly and is at 21 percent. The SPD (16 percent) and the ailing Greens (13 percent) follow a long way behind…

“Both the BSW, FDP and the Left Party are now worried about entering the Bundestag. According to the latest figures from Ipsos, of the three parties, only Wagenknecht’s BSW would narrowly clear the five percent hurdle. The other two parties each have [only] four percent of voter approval.”

Some of the published comments on this article are interesting:

“What the population wants is irrelevant to the red-green-black-yellow unity party. The desire for a different migration policy continues to be ignored… In a coalition with Merz, the AfD will lose its soul…. Perhaps we will vote again in the fall.”

Mass Protests Against AfD… Who Is Behind Them?

Breitbart wrote on February 9:

“Hundreds of thousands of protesters took to the streets of Germany over the past week to demonstrate against the so-called ‘far-right’, however, a top publication has reported that activist groups involved have been funded by the left-wing government in Berlin.

“A supposedly organic outpouring of opposition to the surging Alternative for Germany (AfD) ahead of the federal elections on February 23rd has been called into question by a report from Bild, the highest circulation newspaper in Europe, which quipped that the ‘distances from the government district to the mass demonstrations are quite short.’

“Last Sunday, around 160,000 people demonstrated in Berlin over the decision by the centrist Christian Democratic Union (CDU) to join with the populist AfD on an immigration vote (The Associated Press reported on February 8 that “more than 200,000 protestors rallied in Munich on Saturday” against the AfD).

“One of the main organisers of the event was the ‘Together against the right’ activist network, which was identified by Bild as being a cutout for the leftist group Campact. According to the paper, Campact is the main shareholder in the NGO HateAid, which has received nearly 2.5 million euros from the federal government since 2020.

“The Association for Environmental Protection and Nature Conservation (BUND), which has also been active in organising against the rise of the political right in Germany, was found by the report to have secured around two million euros in funding from the Ministry of Economic Affairs, led by Green chancellor candidate and outgoing finance minister Robert Habeck. The left-wing environmentalist group is also said to have received six-figure handouts from both the Ministry of the Environment and Education in 2023…

“Another group active in organising against upswell in support of the AfD has been the ‘grandmas against the right’, which was involved in a demonstration of around 24,000 people in Hanover on Saturday. The group has reportedly received at least 23,000 euros from the federal government.

“It is not the first time that left-wing organisations funded by the German government have targeted the anti-mass migration party. In 2023, the taxpayer-subsidised and Soros-funded non-profit Correctiv published an ‘undercover’ investigative report claiming that a conference attended by AfD members and Austrian identitarian activist Martin Sellner had seen calls for the ‘deportations of people from Germany based on a set of racist criteria, regardless of whether or not they have German citizenship.’ Attendees, including a member of the centrist Christian Democratic Union (CDU), denied the leftist organisation’s claims, which were based on hearsay rather than in-person journalism.

“Nevertheless, the ensuing scandal resulted in millions of protesters taking to the streets and the AfD suffering a setback in the polls. In addition to facing government-funded activism, there have been calls [to] ban the [AfD] party altogether to supposedly protect democracy. Despite this, the party has continued to grow in support, particularly in the wake of multiple terror attacks over the past year committed in Germany by migrants.

“This has coincided with a drastic decline in support for the governing leftist Social Democratic Party (SPD). According to a poll by the Tyson Group, conducted on behalf of the American-based EU-US Forum, a ‘staggering’ 70 per cent of Germans disapprove of SPD Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s job performance. Tyson Group Vice President Alex Alvarado noted that it comes amid a broader pushback against leftist governments throughout the European Union, with the survey finding that a majority in France, Germany, and the Netherlands believe the EU is heading in the wrong direction…”

“We Produce More Ammunition Than the Americans”

Handelsblatt wrote on February 7:

“At the Handelsblatt ‘Security and Defense’ conference, the arms industry is calling for better planning and long-term orders… So far, the production of important armaments such as battle tanks is lagging behind, which is due to the low order quantities and the fact that there are no long-term commitments for financing… According to EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, Russia could be in a position to attack a NATO country in Europe as early as 2028.

“The Russian army is continuing to arm itself, says Inspector General Breuer. New weapon systems such as tanks and artillery ammunition are not going to the front in Ukraine, but are being used to equip new units that are facing west. ‘I am convinced that Putin will never be satisfied with Ukraine,’ says Breuer…

“But it is also clear that with US President Trump taking office, Europe can no longer rely on the unconditional support of NATO’s largest member… there are things in which Europe is even better than the Americans, says Papperger. The Rheinmetall boss primarily refers to tanks and armored vehicles as well as ammunition. However, Europe often gets in its own way with its complicated procurement processes and national egoism…

“’If we don’t have any big players in Europe, we can’t compete with the USA, China or Russia,’ says Papperger. In his view, Europe must orientate itself towards the USA in terms of consolidation. There are the ‘Big Five’ there with the companies Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, Boeing, Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems… ‘I am convinced that things have to go in a similar direction in Europe,’ he says.”

And they will… very soon.

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.

Have you ever noticed an interesting phenomenon, when reading a passage in Revelation 22:19, depending on the translation you may use?

The New King James Bible states: “… if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.” Similar to the Authorized Version and the German Luther Bibles from 1891, 1984, 2009 and 2017.

However, most translations render the verse in this way (using the New International Version as an example): “And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll.”

Rather than saying, God shall take away his part from the “Book of Life,” they say, God will take away his share in the “Tree of Life.”

Both statements make sense. When somebody tempers with God’s Word, God may take away the Holy Spirit which had been given to the person (symbolized by the Tree of Life), and when that happens, his name will be blotted out from the Book of Life (symbolizing the gift of eternal life; Revelation 3:5). Such a person will not inherit eternal life (Hebrews 6:4-6, 9; 10:26-27). So we see that the warning in Revelation 22:19 is extremely severe.

Still, can we determine which rendering is correct? Could it even be possible that the translation of the Authorized Version, the King James Bible and the Luther Bibles is incorrect?

To trace the history as to how and why the translations were included in the King James and Luther Bibles is a fascinating story. But before exploring this, let us consider a few examples where the King James and Luther Bibles ADDED disputed passages which should have been left out, or OMITTED passages which should have been included.

One example is Matthew 28:19.

In our Q&A, “Why do you not baptize by using the words, ‘I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost’? (Part 3),” we pointed out that many have questioned the authenticity of Matthew 28:19, which is contained in the King James  and  Luther Bibles, concluding that it was a later addition which was not part of the original New Testament.

We stated the following, among other things:

“David Stern, Jewish New Testament Commentary, states on page 86: ‘Although nearly all ancient manuscripts have the trinitarian formula, Eusebius, the church historian [who died in 340 AD] … in his writings preceding the council of Nicea in 325 C.E., quotes the verse without it.’…

“Fred C. Conybeare, ‘The Eusebian Form of the Text Mt. 28, 19,’ in ‘Zeitschrift fuer die neutestamentliche Wissenschaft und die Kunde des Urchristentums,’ (1901), pointed out that Eusebius had quoted Matthew 28 seventeen times [others say, eighteen times] BEFORE the Council of Nicea, OMITTING the disputed words, and three times AFTER the Council of Nicea, including the disputed words (at p. 282). He also stated on pages 284-287: ‘[Neither Clement of Alexandria nor Origen give any] hint of the important precept to baptize in the triune name which in our texts intervene…’

“E.W. Bullinger writes in ‘Word Studies on the Holy Spirit,’ on pages 47-49: ‘It is difficult to suppose that there would have been this universal disregard of so clear a command (in Matthew 28:19), if it had ever been given; or if it ever really formed part of the primitive text. It is a question therefore whether we have here something beyond the reach of science, or the powers of ordinary Textual Criticism. As to the Greek MSS, there are none beyond the fourth century, and it seems clear that the Syrian part of the church knew nothing of these words. Eusebius quotes this verse no less than eighteen times, and always quotes it in this form, ‘Go ye into all the world and make disciples of all nations.’ He omits the reference to ‘baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost.’ Now, Eusebius, the great Ecclesiastical historian, died in 340 AD, and his work belonged, therefore, in part to the third century. Moreover, he lived in one of the greatest Christian libraries of that day. If the Greek MS there contained these words, it seems impossible that he could have quoted this verse eighteen times without including them.

“Professor Lake… and Mr. Conybeare have called attention to this fact, and shown that neither Justin Martyr (who died in 165 AD), nor Aphraates of Nisibis (who flourished in Syria, 340 AD), knew nothing of these words. It looks, therefore, as though the words got into the text (perhaps from the margin) in the church of North Africa; and that the Syrian Churches did not have them in the MSS at their disposal. The point is interesting. The difficulty is there.”

The Church of the Eternal God takes the approach that even IF the passage in Matthew 28 is genuine, it does not set forth a formula which needs to be used when baptizing a person. Therefore, Church ministers, following the example of the early apostles, are baptizing in the name of Jesus Christ and, with the laying on of hands, are asking the Father to give the baptized person the Holy Spirit. But more likely than not, the passage in Matthew 28:19 does not appear to be genuine, which would mean that it was inserted in the Bible without authority.

There is another famous example where a verse was added which does clearly not belong in the Bible. We are referring to 1 John 5:7-8. The disputed passage can be found in the King James Bible, as well as in the Luther Bible of 1891. However, it has been omitted in the Luther Bible of 1984 and in all subsequent editions, except for the neue Lutherbibel 2009 which has still retained it. 

Quoting from our booklet, “IS God a Trinity?”:

“The New King James Bible translates it this way: ‘For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness on earth: the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree as one.’

“… most scholars agree that the words in verse 7, ‘in heaven: the Father, the Word and the Holy Spirit, and these three are one,’ were later added by the Catholic Church to ‘prove’ the Trinity, and that these words were not in the original writings. Many Bible translations and commentaries state that this particular phrase, referred to as the ‘Comma Joanneum,’ is ‘not contained in the best authorities and constitutes a late addition in the Latin Text’ [Pattloch Bible, Appendix, page 85].

“The Zürcher Bible comments in a footnote that ‘this passage was added in the fourth century in the Latin Text, and only in the 15th century in some Greek Texts.’ The NIV adds in a footnote that this particular phrase is only contained ‘in the late manuscripts of the Latin Bible and that it is not found in any Greek manuscripts before the 16th century.’ Other commentaries point out that these words are clearly a falsification and that they have therefore been correctly omitted, even as a footnote, in many modern translations.”

In another example, we find that a verse in Matthew 27:49 was left out which needs to be included, but neither the King James Bibles nor the Luther Bibles include it.

In our Q&A, titled, “How, exactly, did Jesus Christ die? Why did a soldier pierce Him with a spear when He was already dead?”, we said the following:

“When we read Matthew’s account, in the New King James Bible, we will not find exactly how Christ died. The reason is that this translation omits a crucial verse, at the end of Matthew 27:49. Several translations, as well as many old manuscripts, have retained this missing verse. For instance, verses 49 and 50 read in the Moffat translation: ‘But the others said, “Stop, let us see if Elijah does come to save him!” (Seizing a lance, another pricked [better, pierced] his side, and out came water and blood.) Jesus again uttered a loud scream, and gave up his spirit.’

“The Fenton Bible translates the missing verse as follows: ‘But another taking a spear pierced His side, when blood and water came out.’

“A.T. Robertson, Harmony of the Gospels, states in a footnote to Matthew 27:49: ‘Many ancient authorities add: And another took a spear and pierced his side, and there came out water and blood.’

“The Revised Standard Version, and the New Revised Standard Version, add the following footnote: ‘Other ancient authorities insert, And another took a spear and pierced his side, and out came water and blood.’

“The Vaticanus–a Greek New Testament written in the 300’s A.D.–contains the missing verse as well. It reads: ‘And another took a spear and pierced his side and there came forth water and blood.’ The Sinaiticus Codex also contains the verse, and so does the Codex Ephraemi. According to The Testament in Greek, by Wescott and Hort, published in 1896, the missing verse also appears in most Syrian, Egyptian, Armenian, Gothic, and Ethiopic translations. It also appears in Origen’s work [around 200 A.D.]. Walton’s Biblia Sacra Polyglotta, published in 1657, claims, in Vol. VI, on page 6 of the appendix, that this missing verse was still a marginal reading of the Greek text when the King James Version was made.”

“Do we know WHY the inspired passage in Matthew 27:49 was deleted from the sacred text? The deletion occurred when a spurious version of the book of Matthew, which was allegedly written by Barnabas, was found, which did not include the passage in Matthew 27:49. Note the following excerpts from Westcott and Hort: ‘In a letter partially preserved in Syriac… [Severus] mentions the reading [of the missing passage] as having been vigorously debated at Constantinople in connexion with the matter of the patriarch Macedonius, when the… [spurious] copy of… Matthew’s Gospel said to have been discovered in Cyprus with the body of… Barnabas in the reign of Zeno (?477) was consulted and found not to contain the sentence in question … at Constantinople the holy Gospels were by command of the emperor censored,’ and the passage in question was deleted from the sacred text of the gospel according to Matthew.”

We also then explained the Scripture in John 19:32-34, which, correctly translated, supports not only the conclusion as to how Christ died (a soldier killed Him by piercing His side with a spear), but also, that the missing verse in Matthew’s account needs to be included in the Bible.

So we have seen that on a few occasions, crucial verses were omitted or added in the King James and Luther Bibles, while other translations or commentaries, based on historical records, clarify that situation.

Returning now to Revelation 22:19, let us explore what happened when the rendering “Book of Life” was used—as distinguished from “Tree of Life.”  

We should first of all notice that the Authorized Version and also the Luther Bible are based on Erasmus’s Greek New Testament and Latin translations. It is interesting that we do not know of ANY Greek manuscripts at the time before Erasmus which has the wording “book of life.” They all say “tree of life.”  

When in 1515 and 1516, Erasmus worked on the Greek New Testament, he had only access to a manuscript from the 12^th century. It is today preserved in the university library in Augsburg. In that manuscript, the last five verses of Revelation 22 were missing. Erasmus was pressed for time, as the demand for a Greek New Testament was great, and he wanted to be the first to publish it (as others in Spain were also working on a Greek New Testament edition). So, Erasmus used the commonly used Latin text (the Vulgata) of Revelation 22:16-21 and translated that back into the Greek.

He clearly revealed in writing what he had done in his annotation to the New Testament, stating in Latin: “Quamquam in calce hujus libri, nonnulla verba reperi apud nostros, quae aberant in Graecis exemplaribus, ea tamen ex latinis adiecimus.” (In English: “Even though I found at the end of this book some words, which were missing in the Greek manuscripts, we still added them from the Latin manuscripts.”) He confirmed this again in a subsequent letter: “Proinde nos ne hierat lacuna, ex nostris Latinis supplevimus Graeca.” (In English: “So that we should not have a loss, we supplemented the Greek (words) from our Latin (manuscripts).”    

The Latin text had indeed “libro vitae,” i.e., book of life. It does not appear that Erasmus’ subsequent editions corrected or changed this rendition, and so it was used by the King James and Luther Bibles as the basis for their translations into English and German. But it does not appear that this is the correct translation, and it appears that Revelation 22:19 should indeed be rendered to say that God will take away the TREE of life from the person who deletes Scriptures, obviously not inadvertently, but with full knowledge and intent.

We want to conclude with a quote from chapter 2 of our free booklet, “The Authority of the Bible :

“While using [different] types of translations when studying the Bible can be beneficial, only literally translated editions—such as the New King James Bible (for English)—should be depended upon for doctrinal clarity. Even so, there may be errors due to inaccurate translation. It is, therefore, necessary and important that a faithful minister of God explain and correct such errors (compare Romans 10:14–15).”

This Q&A served to do this in regard to Revelation 22:19.

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

compiled by Dave Harris

“Trump’s Plans with Gaza—What Does the Bible Say?” is the title of a new StandingWatch program, presented by Evangelist Norbert Link. Here is the summary:

Trump announced that he wants the USA to take and own Gaza, demolish it completely, and rebuild and create a prosperous place.  But how realistic are those plans? What does the Bible say about Gaza’s future… and the future of America?

“Trumps Pläne mit Gaza – Was sagt die Bibel?” is the title of a new AufPostenStehen program, presented by Norbert Link

A new Member Letter (February 2025) is now posted and has been mailed to our subscribers. Paul Niehoff (Australia) contrasts this age of darkness to the future Kingdom of God and speaks of the marvelous difference we can anticipate.

“The Sin of Adam and Eve” is the latest video published in our Bible Stories series on YouTube.

“Europa in der biblischen Prophezeiung,” is the title of this Sabbath’s new German sermon, presented by Norbert Link. Title in English: “Europe in Biblical Prophecy.”

“König David, und die Lahmen und die Blinden,” last Sabbath’s German sermonette presented by Jens Herrmann, is now posted. Title in English: “King David, and the Lame and the Blind.”

“Going on to Perfection,” last Sabbath’s sermonette presented by Paul Niehoff, is now posted. Here is the summary:

We normally think of perfection as being without any flaws, and with no sin whatsoever. However, the Greek word translated perfection can also mean finalising a requirement or task or completing an assignment. In other words, fulfilling what God requires of us in being a part of His Church. Each member may have a different assignment but we must all carry these out to be pleasing to God.

“What the Bible Says About the Beast,” last Sabbath’s sermon presented by Norbert Link, is now posted. Here is the summary:

The “beast” is described in a variety of ways in the Bible. It can refer to the past and future military power, to the end-time leader, and to the past and future religious power and its representative. How is the coming end-time leader described and what are his character traits? What are the little horns in Daniel 7 and 8, the mark and image of the beast, his mortal wound and his number; and what are the 10 horns? Is their meaning always the same?

On February 8, 2025, Paul Niehoff will present the sermonette, titled, “Going on to Perfection,” and Norbert Link will present the sermon, titled, “What the Bible Says About the Beast.”

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

The story of Abraham’s departure from the land he was living in has been on my mind lately. What is interesting is that the Bible talks about the tower of Babel in Genesis 11 and then it reports much genealogy which gets us to the story of Abraham.

The interesting part I think is that we see the genealogy of Abraham laid out for us: Noah → Shem → Arphaxad → Shelah → Eber → Peleg → Reu → Serug → Nahor → Terah → Abram. There was much going on between the time of Noah and Abram. It is hard to say how long this time frame was, but it is estimated to have lasted somewhere between 350 to 400 years. That’s a long time for the Bible not to mention anyone else as playing a role in the Bible.

And then we are thrust upon the scene of Abram being told by God that he was to pack up everything and leave when he was 75 years old. He had come to live in Haran on the way to the land of Cannan, because his father had moved his family there (Genesis 11:31). So Abram listens to God and moves his family and his nephew’s family as instructed. They leave on this journey. They have considerable livestock. The journey if we look at where he travels is somewhere approximately 1,100 – 1,500 miles long. The Bible doesn’t tell us how long this journey took, but if they traveled 10-15 miles per day, the journey could have lasted several months to a year. The whole time God is telling Abram, don’t worry where you are going! I’m going to take you there and it’s going to be amazing.

Hebrews 11:8-9 states that the reason Abraham went out and did this was because he had faith in God. His faith in God led to his obedience: “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise.”

I want to hone in on the mindset of Abraham though, because it shows us a lot about what God was looking for. God essentially is looking for this same mindset in us today. We may have a tendency to get in the thick of living and miss the point of living. We are here as sojourners. It doesn’t matter where we live in this world.  We don’t have a real home in this world. It’s nice to have consistency and safety. It’s nice to own nice things. None of that is wrong. The question then is, what is our attitude?

I want to set forth a few Scriptures, highlighting this journey of sojourners [all from the English Standard Version):

• Genesis 23:4 – Abraham said, “I am a sojourner and foreigner among you; give me a possession of a burying place among you, that I may bury my dead.”
• Psalm 39:12 – “Hear my prayer, O LORD, and give ear to my cry; hold not your peace at my tears! For I am a sojourner with you, a guest, like all my fathers.”
• Hebrews 11:13 – “These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.”
• 1 Peter 2:11 – “Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.”

The mindset of looking to God — allowing Him to lead, guide and help us in our lives — is of the utmost importance for us. I know that this story has been told time and again in our Church literature and in messages, but truly, I think that it is so refreshing to read this story and to realize that this life that we are living has been experienced by others before. This is not something new. The stress, the anxiety, the frustrations–I am sure Abraham felt those, and I am sure the other people mentioned in the Scriptures above also felt the same way. And yet, God led all of them!

The encouragement we need is found in these stories. We need to meditate on them and then take action, by allowing God to show us what needs to be done. It becomes imperative that we learn this lesson and learn how to allow God to lead. God will allow us to live our lives on our own until we come to the point where we realize that it doesn’t really work. In fact, this is the story of man for the last six thousand years. God allows man to go his own way to learn that it doesn’t work.

Where is God leading each of us? This is something we can each think about deeply and meditate on.

Like God promising Abraham a good land for his descendants, God is promising US access into His Family as God beings. That is where God is ultimately leading each and every one of us. If we set our faith and sight on that, we can more easily learn to turn our lives over to God and allow Him to help us as we live our lives. 

by Norbert Link

We begin with President Trump’s dangerous and potentially very costly policies for American consumers, causing a potential global tariff and trade war; and publish excerpts from an insightful article in the conservative Wall Street Journal, charging Trump and his administration with the mishandling of two major emergencies. We also report on Trump’s last minute agreement to postpone tariffs against Canada and Mexico for one month, pending further negotiations, but he did not exempt China which has already begun to retaliate. Trump’s threats against Europe continue, and so does Europe’s commitment to respond in kind.

We also report on Trump’s bombshell announcement to take over Gaza, prompting worldwide condemnation.

Please view in this context our new StandingWatch program, titled, “Trump—the Man of Destiny?”

We continue with ISIS terrorists in Somalia and Iran’s nuclear ambitions; Belgium’s new government; the contentions between China and the Philippines; and we conclude with the political fight in a deeply divided Germany.

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

Please note: Before Trump agreed to a last-minute postponement of tariffs against Canada and Mexico, numerous articles had been written warning of terrible consequences if those tariffs would be imposed, as had been announced by Trump. We begin with covering these articles, and then continue with articles about the postponements, which may or may not put the matter to rest.

Global Tariff and Trade War…

Reuters wrote on February 1: 

‘U.S. President Donald Trump is… threatening to ignite a trade war that could disrupt more than $2.1 trillion of annual trade… Just 12 days into his second term, Trump is upending the norms of how the United States is governed and interacts with the wider world. On Friday, he pledged to proceed with the levies [25% against Mexico and Canada, and 10% against China] despite acknowledging they could cause disruption and hardship for American households.

“A model gauging the economic impact of Trump’s tariff plan from EY Chief Economist Greg Daco suggests it would reduce U.S. growth by 1.5 percentage points this year, throw Canada and Mexico into recession and usher in ‘stagflation’ at home… That volatility was evident on Friday, when the Mexican peso and Canadian dollar both slumped after Trump vowed to fulfil his threats. U.S. stock prices also fell and Treasury bond yields rose…

“… during a lengthy White House exchange with reporters, Trump brushed aside the notion that his threats were merely bargaining tools…  He also said revenue was a factor and the tariffs may be increased… Trump did, however, mention a potential carve-out for oil from Canada, saying that tariff rate would be 10%. But he indicated that wider tariffs on oil and natural gas would be coming in mid-February, remarks that sent oil prices higher. At nearly $100 billion in 2023, imports of crude oil accounted for roughly a quarter of all U.S. imports from Canada, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.

“Trump acknowledged that higher costs could be passed on to consumers and that his actions may cause short-term disruptions, but said he was not concerned about their impact on financial markets. Jake Colvin, president of the National Foreign Trade Council, which represents major U.S. companies, said imposing tariffs on key trading partners ‘could impact the cost and availability of everything from avocados to air conditioners to cars and risks shifting the focus of our relationships away from constructive dialogue.’

“Although Trump speaks of ‘charging’ other nations for tariffs, they are paid by importing companies, and sometimes passed on to consumers. Automakers would be particularly hard hit, through tariffs on vehicles assembled in Canada and Mexico. Their vast regional supply chain, where components can cross borders several times before final assembly, would further exacerbate these costs.

“And Trump said import taxes were also being considered on European goods, as well as on steel, aluminum and copper, and on drugs and semiconductors… It typically takes weeks for tariffs to take practical effect. Trump’s move is expected to draw retaliatory tariffs, potentially disrupting more than $2.1 trillion in annual two-way U.S. trade with its top three trading partners.”

Mexico supplies about 90% of the avocados consumed in the United States, totaling an estimated $2.7 billion in imports for 2024. While Trump had originally justified tariffs with drugs coming in from Mexico, China and Canada, he recently emphasized more, if not exclusively, the economic aspect, stating that the USA has been unfairly treated by these countries. Of course, tariffs against Europe could not be based on illegal immigration or the allegation that drugs are coming in from there.  It would be strictly on an economical and commercial basis.

Self-Inflicted Wounds?

The Associated Press wrote on January 28:

“Having already forced Colombia to accept deportees by threatening a 25% tariff, President Donald Trump is readying the same move against Canada and Mexico as soon as Saturday. But this time, the stakes are higher and many economists surveying the possible damage… [and warn of] self-inflicted wounds from the tariffs…

“[It is estimated] that taxes paid on imports in the transportation sector from all of Trump’s tariff plans, which include new taxes on China and other countries, could increase from $4 billion a year to $68 billion. It’s unclear how companies would absorb those costs or possibly pass them along to consumers.”

No doubt they would be passed on to consumers. And they would not be happy about Trump’s new economic policies, when they can’t put food on their tables. Biden and Harris were, to a large extent, defeated because of the poor economy with the expectation that the USA will do better under Trump. Now it appears that the USA would do worse. Maybe that was part of the reason why Trump caved in at the last minute…

Canada and Mexico to Retaliate

Bloomberg wrote on February 2:

“Canada and Mexico vowed to hit back at the US after President Donald Trump followed through on threats to impose 25% tariffs on imports of their goods, instigating a trade war that’s set to reshape global supply chains. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the country will impose 25% tariffs against… US goods, while Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum also pledged retaliation. China vowed “corresponding countermeasures” to Trump’s 10% levy on Chinese products…

“The Republican’s orders also included retaliation clauses that would increase US tariffs if the countries respond in kind. The new measures will be on top of existing trade levies on those countries. Energy imports from Canada, including oil and electricity, will be spared from the full 25% levy and will face a 10% tariff…. Trump’s move is explosive in scale and goes well beyond his first-term tariffs. Steep tariffs will raise the cost of key goods like food, housing and gasoline for Americans, while the overall fallout threatens to spill widely across the countries…”

USA and Canada… A New Low

Reuters wrote on February 2:

“… relations between the long-time allies who share the world’s longest land border reach a new low…

“The Canadian leader said tariffs would include American beer, wine and bourbon, as well as fruits and fruit juices, including orange juice from Trump’s home state of Florida. Canada would also target goods including clothing, sports equipment and household appliances. Trudeau said the coming weeks would be difficult for Canadians but that Americans would also suffer from Trump’s actions…

“Trudeau encouraged Canadians to buy Canadian products and vacation at home rather than in the U.S…”

Everything to Become More Expensive?

The New York Post wrote on February 1:

“The tariffs could mean significant price increases for ordinary Americans on everyday products… Trump’s tariffs will likely lead to more expensive cars at least in the short term before American suppliers can ramp up to fill the shortfall.

“The tariffs could also reduce consumer spending power by $90 billion on smartphones, TVs, laptops and tablets, video game consoles, headphones and other popular electronics, according to the Consumer Technology Association.  Laptops and tablets could see 45% price increases while similar double-digit increases for smartphones and video games could also be on the offing. ‘The likelihood of retailers or any importer absorbing the tariff cost is very low, so the pass through to consumers will be quick,’ Ed Brzytwa, vice president of international trade at CTA [said].

“The Peterson Institute has estimated Trump’s… tariffs would cost the typical US household over $2,600 a year.”

And that would not even include further tariffs because of retaliation and tariffs for other countries and power blocs, such as the EU.  

The EU Tariff Bomb Shell 

Daily Mail wrote on January 31:

“Trump has announced he will impose tariffs on the European Union… Trump said at the White House Friday he would ‘absolutely‘ put tariffs on the nation’s EU allies. ‘The European Union has treated us so terribly,’ Trump told reporters as he inked new executive orders…

“He said the tariffs on the EU would be ‘very substantial,’ without providing details. It was not immediately clear when those tariffs would go into place.”

It is clear that tariffs against Europe would have nothing to do with illegal drugs flooding the American market. 

Europe Will Retaliate

The Financial Times wrote on February 2:

“The EU has said it regrets US President Donald Trump’s decision to hit Canada, Mexico and China with sweeping tariffs, and said it would respond firmly if a threat to expand the trade measures to Europe was fulfilled.

“Trump sparked a global trade war this weekend…

“Trump imposed the blanket tariffs against Canada and Mexico by invoking the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, which allows him to take measures in response to ‘an unusual and extraordinary threat.’ [It authorizes the President to regulate imports during a national emergency declared under the National Emergencies Act. It was interpreted to apply here due to the three nations’ tolerance of illegal immigrants and fentanyl] He would need to find justification to potentially use the same tool against the EU, or use tariffs targeting certain industrial sectors on security grounds…”

Even though Trump invoked the IEEPA to justify tariffs due to illegal immigration and fentanyl, Trump’s overriding goal seems to be much more encompassing, as the following articles point out.

Europe’s Reaction

The Guardian wrote on February 3:

“EU leaders have signalled that the bloc would be prepared to retaliate against the US if Donald Trump followed through on his threats to impose tariffs on European goods…

“… French president Emmanuel Macron said that if Europe is ‘attacked in terms of trade … [it] will have to stand up for itself and therefore react.’ Polish prime minister Donald Tusk said the EU should do all it can to avoid ‘totally unnecessary and stupid tariff wars,’ adding it would be a ‘cruel paradox’ if the bloc was forced into a trade war with a long-standing ally. Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen, who is already embroiled in a separate crisis with Trump over the future of Greenland, said that while she would typically ‘never support fighting allies, if the US puts tough tariffs on Europe, we need a collective and robust response.’

“Luxembourg’s prime minister Luc Frieden also said that ‘the answer to tariffs is to reply with [the] same action’… German chancellor Olaf Scholz said any tariffs would be ‘bad for the US and bad for Europe’… “ 

ENR added on February 4:

“The EU summit was almost entirely focused on defense, but the transatlantic relationship with the US was also high on the agenda… According to the Commission President (Ursula von der Leyen), a lot is at stake… the European Union is prepared for a ‘robust, but constructive dialogue with the United States,’ but will not accept everything. ‘We are ready’ for a possible conflict, she warned.”

The alienation between the EU and the USA will continue… 

Tariffs on Hold for Thirty Days

The New York Post wrote on February 3:

“President Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a temporary deal Monday evening to halt the imposition of 25% tariffs on each other’s imports for 30 days while a final border security pact gets hashed out. Trump, 78, and Trudeau, 53, spoke on the phone twice Monday before announcing the agreement, with Canada set to ensure 10,000 troops will be stationed at the northern border and the PM vowing to take steps to crack down on fentanyl smuggling….

“Earlier Monday, Trump and Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum announced a similar monthlong pause on the looming 25% tariff against America’s southern neighbor. Mexico confirmed plans to dispatch 10,000 troops to the US border and claimed that Washington would help crack down on illegal weapons trafficking into its territory….

“The tariff-adoring president has also been musing about issuing similar threats against European countries as well as the United Kingdom.”

Justifying the postponement with working on border security pacts is clearly not the only reason for the tariffs, as the threat towards Europe and the UK demonstrates. But Trump might have realized that, for now, the American people would not stand for having to pay much more for goods and necessities. Conservative papers and outlets described the postponement as a victory for Trump. In reality, if anything, it was a Pyrrhic victory.

The Guardian wrote on February 3:

“It is the third time in two weeks the US president has delayed his threatened 25% tariffs on the two countries. China is still set to face additional 10% levy on its exports to the US from Tuesday…

“The agreements came on a day of extreme volatility in global financial markets as rattled investors reacted to the prospect of a dramatically escalating dispute involving the world’s largest economies… Economists have warned Trump’s planned wave of tariffs would risk raising prices for millions of Americans, just weeks after he pledged, upon taking office, to ‘rapidly’ bring them down… [Trump] conceded over the weekend that they could cause ‘a little pain’ in the US.

“Markets sold off sharply worldwide in response to what has been described as a ‘Trump tariff tantrum’ before recovering some of their losses after news broke of the deal with Mexico. Wall Street fell in early trading, with the S&P 500 down almost 2%. Share prices in Europe followed a sharp move lower in Asia. London’s FTSE 100 index dropped 1.4% from Friday’s record high before making back some of its losses to trade down 1%….”

Trump Delays Canada Tariffs, But Anger Persists

Al Jazeera wrote on February 3:

“Canada has experienced a tumultuous start to 2025, with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announcing his resignation days into the new year, a federal election looming, and the country’s affordability crisis deepening. Now, Canada is facing what some economists have dubbed ‘its largest trade shock in nearly 100 years’.

“United States President Donald Trump has threatened to impose 25-percent tariffs on a wide range of Canadian imports and 10-percent tariffs on Canadian energy. While the measures were set to begin on Tuesday, Trudeau said on Monday afternoon that the US tariffs and retaliatory measures announced by his government would be delayed by ‘at least 30 days’ as the countries work together on border security.

“Yet for many across the country, the potential for a trade war between the longtime allies continues to fuel a sense of anger, as well as anxiety and confusion over what is to come. Trump’s treat of tariffs has also raised questions about the nature of the cross-border relationship and spurred calls for Canada to boost in-country trade while looking beyond the US for more reliable international partners…

“Asa McKercher, a professor at St Francis Xavier University who studies Canada-US relations…  said the current trade tensions have plunged the relationship to its lowest point. ‘We haven’t really seen the Americans go out of their way to impose a policy that will just destroy the Canadian economy…’  He said that since Trump signed the order authorising tariffs against Canada and Trudeau unveiled reciprocal measures, there has been an uptick in nationalist sentiment in Canada. Canadian crowds booed the US national anthem at hockey and basketball games over the weekend, while the leaders of several provinces have urged people to ‘buy Canadian’ in response to the tariffs… ‘We’re really subject to the whims of a guy in the White House, and that’s a very scary thing.’..

“Even as Canada appears to have secured a reprieve from US tariffs — at least for now — many Canadians have expressed anger at Trump’s repeated threats against their country. Last week, political, labour and civil society leaders released the ‘Pledge for Canada’ to build a nationwide response to the Trump administration’s policies. That includes protecting Canadian sovereignty, reducing the country’s ‘dependence on the United States by diversifying our trade’, and building alliances with other countries… ‘We have a president that rips up trade agreements. We have a president that threatens us daily with measures that would throw our economy into a recession. These are not the actions of an ally.’”

The emotional damage which Trump has inflicted on the Canadian people will not be easily repaired… if at all…

Putin Praises Trump

Newsweek wrote on February 3:

“Calling Trump a ‘master,’ Putin said the U.S. leader will restore order in Europe quite quickly with his character and persistence. ‘You’ll see, it will happen quickly—soon, they will all stand at the feet of the master and will gently wag their tails. Everything will fall into place,’ the Russian president said…

“The Kremlin on Monday said it was watching on as ‘tensions’ build between the U.S. and its allies. ‘You know, there are many tensions there, so, of course, we have no desire to be associated with all this in any way or to evaluate it in any way,’ Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov told reporters in his daily press briefing. ‘Let those countries that are participating in this process sort it out,’ he said..

“Criticizing his European counterparts on Sunday, Putin said European leaders on the Continent lacked conviction in their beliefs. Praising former European leaders such as France’s Charles De Gaulle, Jacques Chirac and Germany’s Gerhard Schroeder, Putin said such leaders ‘had their own opinion and the courage to fight for this opinion, to express it, to talk about it and to try to at least implement it in practical work.’ ‘Today, there are practically no such people there,’ Putin said.”

We wonder what Putin means by “order” to be restored in Europe by Trump. Putin’s friend and former Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder is one of the most unpopular former political leaders in Germany. Putin’s praise for Trump and his rejection of Europe is telling… and deeply concerning.

China Retaliates

The Associated Press wrote on February 4:

“China announced retaliatory tariffs on select American imports and an antitrust investigation into Google on Tuesday, just minutes after a sweeping levy on Chinese products imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump took effect.”

“The Ultimate Goal Remains Unclear”

The Wall Street Journal wrote on February 3:

“The postwar bipartisan consensus that the U.S. prospers by fostering cooperation and integration with allies and neighbors is gone… Trump’s motives are difficult to discern… Drugs and migrants might turn out to be a pretext for bigger, long-term goals…

“Philip Verleger, a longtime energy economist, writes… that Trump ‘intends to ‘Make America Great Again’…by diminishing the power of every other country. Cooperation is not an objective. His focus is dominance.’… Trump’s second-term actions make little distinction between adversaries and allies….”

This could very well be an accurate assessment. It appears true that “drugs and migrants might turn out to be a pretext for bigger, long-term goals,” which would clearly be interpreted as being hostile towards Europeans and others, “necessitating” a response.

RFK to Be Appointed?

NBC News wrote on February 4:

“Robert F. Kennedy Jr. cleared a key hurdle Tuesday after a Senate panel voted to advance his nomination to be health and human services secretary to the full chamber. In a 14-13 vote along party lines, the Senate Finance Committee pushed through Kennedy’s nomination after he managed to allay concerns raised by Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La. Cassidy, a doctor, was the one potential swing vote on the panel…

“Cassidy addressed the full Senate after the vote, saying he received a series of promises from Kennedy, a longtime anti-vaccine activist, including that he would maintain the Center for Disease Control’s advisory committee on immunization practices, and would not remove statements on the CDC’s website noting that vaccines don’t cause autism… Last week, Cassidy had said he needed to hear an unequivocal statement from Kennedy that vaccines do not cause autism and indicate he would listen to well-established science on the matter. It was still unclear on Tuesday whether Kennedy had made that assertion.

“Even as Cassidy said he received various assurances from Kennedy about supporting the efficacy of vaccines, the nominee’s firm ties to the anti-vaccine community were unmistakable… Minutes before the committee’s vote, Trump attempted to provide a boost to Kennedy on Truth Social. 20 years ago, Autism in children was 1 in 10,000. NOW IT’S 1 in 34. WOW! Something’s really wrong. We need BOBBY!!! Thank You! DJT.’”

During the hearings, Kennedy did NOT agree with the contention that vaccines do not cause autism. If he did agree with that contention now, that would be an incredible and quite frankly shameful turn-a-round.

On August 5, 2024, at a campaign rally on June 22, 2024, Trump told the audience: “I will not give one penny to any school that has a vaccine mandate.” Given that every public school in the United States has vaccine mandates, this would mean eliminating all federal funding for public schools.

Medical Express wrote on January 28, 2025:

“With President Donald Trump having threatened school vaccine mandates for children during his campaign, a new survey finds that nearly three-quarters of U.S. adults support requiring that children be vaccinated against preventable diseases such as measles, mumps, and rubella. To protect children who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons, over half of Americans also support states prohibiting other unvaccinated children from attending school, either private or public.”

The degree of uninformed Americans who are denying the dangers of vaccinations is stupefying.

Trump’s (Mis-)Handling of Emergencies

The Wall Street Journal wrote on January 31:

“President Trump’s handling of two crises this week—one, a bureaucratic mess and the other, a horrific tragedy —quickly shifted the White House from inaugural euphoria to the realities of governing. His defiant stand in the face of nationwide confusion and fear left some aides scrambling to fortify the image of a White House that could do no wrong. But he handled both problems with the same approach: deflecting blame and attacking Democrats, the media and his predecessors. His message was an amplified version of what he has tried to exude since taking office: He is in charge.

“The country also received its first live-action glimpse of a White House and cabinet that is being hastily assembled and crafting policies on the fly that in one case had to be quickly reversed.

“On Monday, a memo written by an acting director of the White House’s budget office caused a widespread panic and might have inadvertently led the Medicaid system to freeze in less than 24 hours. On Thursday, Trump’s new Defense and Transportation chiefs were thrust in the middle of investigating the worst domestic airplane crash in two decades…

“Trump announced the appointment of a new acting Federal Aviation Administration director [Sean Duffy] less than 24 hours after an American Airlines plane collided with an Army helicopter over the Potomac River, killing 67 people… he speculated the accident could have been caused [with no evidence whatsoever] because of ‘diversity, equity and inclusion’ policies stretching back to the Obama administration… [This was a terribly embarrassing performance which was totally disrespectful to the victims and survivors. [It has now been established that the accident occurred because the helicopter flew 100 feet too high.]

“On camera and on Truth Social all week, Trump governed with his usual confidence and bravado. But behind the scenes, there was evidence of frustration and breakdowns in communication in an administration that has moved with lightning speed to try to shake up the government… The budget memo, calling for a pause in federal spending on an unspecified number of programs effective the next day was issued without the knowledge of senior staff, people familiar with its release said, even though they were forced to quickly defend it…

“Republican lawmakers immediately defended the spending freeze but they were hit with questions from constituents about veterans programs being halted as well as potential cuts to Medicaid, which provides benefits to low-income Americans and many with disabilities… Meanwhile, consternation was unfolding across the country. Kelly Neidel, executive director of a Head Start agency that serves more than 240 children outside Chicago, said even a partial-day freeze of federal funding for her organization created massive stress for her employees and families they serve. ‘We notified parents that your child no longer has a place to go,’ she said. ‘It was chaos.’…”

This could be a bad sign for things to come. 

Another TRO

npr wrote on January 31:

“A judge with the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island has issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) blocking the Trump administration’s efforts to freeze payments for grants and other programs.

“The Friday ruling stems from a lawsuit filed earlier this week by Democratic attorneys general in 22 states and the District of Columbia. It is separate from a lawsuit filed by Democracy Forward and other non-profit groups that resulted in a separate federal judge’s decision to temporarily block the plan as originally detailed in a memo by the Office of Management and Budget. The White House later rescinded that OMB memo, but stated that its review of federal funding remained in effect…

“For now, the order blocks any suspension of federal dollars to the 22 states that were party to the suit — as well as the District of Columbia….”

Trump Kills ISIS Terrorists in Somalia

The Sun wrote on February 1, 2025:

“Donald Trump has killed ‘many’ ISIS terrorists with pinpoint airstrikes in Somalia… Trump wrote a powerful message on Truth Social saying: ‘This morning I ordered precision Military air strikes on the Senior ISIS Attack Planner and other terrorists he recruited and led in Somalia. These killers, who we found hiding in caves, threatened the United States and our Allies. The strikes destroyed the caves they live in, and killed many terrorists without, in any way, harming civilians.’

“He added that the US military has spent years gathering intelligence on these ISIS hideouts but former President Joe Biden ‘and his cronies wouldn’t act quickly enough to get the job done’. Trump ended his post by saying to anyone who attacks the US: ‘We will find you, and we will kill you!’…

“Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth confirmed he conducted the coordinated strikes alongside Trump and the Federal Government of Somalia… In Somalia alone, there are estimated to be hundreds of IS fighters…  In 2023, Biden ordered a special forces operation in northern Somalia which eliminated a senior ISIS commander and 10 other militants… Three more IS operatives were taken out last May in another US airstrike…”

Iran Is Secretly Creating Long-Range Nuclear Weapons

Daily Mail wrote on January 31:

“Iran has allegedly been covertly creating nuclear weapons with a 1,800-mile radius that could reach Europe based on designs created by North Korea… [Allegedly,] two sites have been disguised as communication satellite launch facilities, but are being utilised to expedite the manufacture of the missiles. It is believed they are controlled by Iran’s nuclear weapons division…

“According to the Telegraph, there have been three successful rocket launches thus far, with test for the more advanced Ghaem-105 rocket set to happen over the next few months. Past tests were carried out in the guise of being satellite launches in a bid to secretly carry out the trial… Image taken by Google Earth show a concrete platform used in the experiments, with buildings nearby thought to be used for related research…”

Iran should clearly not be underestimated. They will still have a role to play in coming events.

USA Today wrote on February 4:

“Trump signed a presidential memorandum Tuesday authorizing more aggressive measures toward Iran.

“He also threatened ‘total obliteration’ of the country if there is another attempt on his life by Tehran.”

Trump: US Will Take Over Gaza

Breitbart wrote on February 4:

“President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the U.S. would take over Gaza and remove debris, tunnels, and explosives left there by Hamas after the war with Israel, adding that he saw America taking a ‘long-term ownership position.’ Trump said: ‘The US will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it too. We’ll love it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous bombs and other weapons on the site… and get rid of the destroyed buildings [and] create an economic development that will supply unlimited numbers of jobs and housing.’

“The surprise announcement came as the president spoke alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the first foreign leader to visit Trump since his Inauguration last month. Trump had previously said that he would like to see most, or all, of the Palestinian population of Gaza moved to another Arab or Muslim country. The idea of actually taking over Gaza, and establishing a U.S. presence, was both unexpected and completely new. Trump added that the U.S. would develop Gaza economically, sending troops if necessary and making investments.

“He called the potential of Gaza ‘unbelieveable,’ but said that Palestinian control of Gaza ‘will never work.’…

“A reporter asked Trump what right the U.S. had to take over Gaza… Trump did not reply directly but said that American control of Gaza would increase ‘stability’ in the region as the various nations pursued peace together. Netanyahu, who had never publicly advocated for anything like what Trump proposed, said that the idea was ‘something that could change history’ and that it was ‘worth considering.’

“It is considered taboo, even in Israel, to advocate for the ‘transfer’ of Palestinians from Gaza or from Judea and Samaria (also known as the West Bank).

“Trump has previously proposed buying Greenland, so he is not averse to the idea of America taking over territory abroad. However, the idea of taking over war-torn Gaza is completely unique and quite possibly revolutionary.”

Israel’s far-right politicians responded with delight and approval.

Newsmax wrote on February 6:

“President Donald Trump said on Thursday that Israel would turn the Gaza Strip over to the United States after the fighting ends and that no U.S. soldiers would be needed there… ‘The Palestinians … would have already been resettled in far safer and more beautiful communities, with new and modern homes, in the region,’ Trump said in a Truth Social post… ‘No soldiers by the U.S. would be needed!’”

As we explain in our new StandingWatch program, “Trump—the Man of Destiny?”, that conclusion would be doubtful.

The Ron Paul Institute added on February 5:

“Trump also insisted that the Palestinians will be relocated to a third country (unspecified) and will not have a right to return. This was scripted. You can see Trump is reading from a note card.”

The Drudge Report linked on February 5 in this context to an article by the Times of Israel from November 14, 2024, stating that “President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of defense Pete Hegseth suggested that a temple could be re-established on the Temple Mount in a resurfaced speech he gave in 2018 at the Arutz Sheva conference in Jerusalem… He also rejected the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”

We had reported on this in a previous Update.

The international reaction to Trump’s statement on Gaza was predictable. The Guardian reported on February 5:

“Trump’s declaration US will ‘take over’ Gaza Strip sparks global condemnation. UK, Germany, China, Iran, Turkey and Saudi Arabia speak against announcement described as ethnic cleansing by human rights groups.”

JTA added on February 5:

“Saudi Arabia responded quickly: No, it had not yielded on demanding the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, with east Jerusalem as its capital, as a condition of normalization with Israel… ‘The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia emphasizes that this unwavering position is non-negotiable and not subject to compromises,’ the statement said. Saudi Arabia also noted that it would object to any efforts to displace Palestinians, an idea Trump has repeatedly insisted on in recent days.

“The firm statement illustrates the gap between Saudi Arabia and Trump…”

Belgium’s New Government

Deutsche Welle wrote on February 1:

“Political parties in Belgium struck a deal on Friday to form a broad coalition government. The announcement concluded months of talks that followed federal elections in June last year. The country’s new prime minister is set to be the right-wing New Flemish Alliance (N-VA) leader Bart De Wever, who secured victory in the June polls.

“De Wever will lead a five-party coalition which includes the Christian Democrats, the liberal Reformist Movement and the Flemish Social Democrats. Together, they hold an 81-seat majority in Belgium’s 150-seat parliament. The far-right Vlaams Belang (Flemish Interest) party was excluded from the government talks, despite the anti-immigration party having made the largest gains in the June 2024 election. Political parties consistently exclude Vlaams Belang due to its anti-immigrant and anti-EU stance as well as its aim to split up the country.

“Belgium’s Royal Palace released a statement saying that De Wever had reported the agreement of the future coalition to the king… This will be the first time Belgium will have a nationalist in the position of prime minister…”

The same approach the established parties in Germany take toward the right-wing AfD. This approach will not succeed.

“Deal” Between China and the Philippines?

The Associated Press wrote on January 30:

“Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. offered on Thursday to remove a U.S. missile system from the Philippines if China halts what he called its ‘aggressive and coercive behavior’ in the disputed South China Sea.

“The U.S. Army installed the Typhon mid-range missile system in the northern Philippines in April last year to support what the longtime treaty allies described as training for joint combat readiness. China has repeatedly demanded that the Philippines remove the missile system…

“Asked by reporters about China’s criticism of the missile system, Marcos said he did not understand the Chinese position because the Philippines does not comment on China’s missile systems which ‘are a thousand times more powerful than what we have.’ ‘Let’s make a deal with China: Stop claiming our territory, stop harassing our fishermen and let them have a living, stop ramming our boats, stop water cannoning our people, stop firing lasers at us and stop your aggressive and coercive behavior, and we’ll return the typhoon missiles,’ Marcos told reporters in central Cebu province…

“The U.S. Army’s mobile Typhon missile system, which consists of a launcher and at least 16 Standard Missile-6 and Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles, was repositioned about two weeks ago from the northern Philippines to a strategic area nearer the capital, Manila, in consultation with Philippine defense officials, a senior Philippine official told The Associated Press… The Philippine official… said the U.S. missile system is now nearer an area where Chinese and Philippine coast guard and navy forces have been involved in increasingly tense faceoffs in the South China Sea.

“The U.S. and the Philippines have repeatedly condemned China’s increasingly assertive actions to press its territorial claims in the South China Sea, where hostilities have flared over the past two years with repeated clashes between Chinese and Philippine coast guard forces and accompanying vessels. Aside from China and the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also have overlapping claims in the busy waterway, a key shipping route which is also believed to be sitting atop large undersea deposits of gas and oil.”

Maybe Trump will try next, unsuccessfully, to get that waterway or sea gate? The role of the Philippines in upcoming prophetic developments will be interesting to observe.

The Fight Against Merz

Focus wrote on February 1:

“The SPD and the Greens [part of the current German government] don’t have the slightest chance of governing in a red-green two-party coalition. But the red-green coalition easily manages to significantly influence the public discussion with the slogan ‘Fight against the right’. Anyone who presents themselves as an ‘anti-fascist’ has most of the media behind them… And sometimes the streets – demonstrating, protesting, sometimes violent.

“With the ‘Influx Limitation Act’ [proposed by Merz], Merz gave the Red-Green Party (under Scholz and Habeck) the choice of either agreeing or letting the AfD tip the scales. Much of what was in the law had already been approved by the Prime Ministers of the SPD, the Greens and the Union (CDU). The SPD and the Greens could have agreed without betraying their principles. The SPD and the Greens were aware that their ‘no’ would once again increase the status of Weidel, Höcke & Co. (of the AfD). Despite all the pathetic statements, that didn’t deter them, on the contrary…

“It is revealing that the SPD and the Greens have hardly dealt with the content of the CDU applications for days. They have managed to focus the public discussion on the CDU’s supposedly collapsed firewall against the AfD [the idea that no one would enter into a collation with the AfD]. That is much easier than explaining why the Scholz/Habeck government of all people has driven the number of AfD supporters to unimagined heights with their policies.

“But apparently Merz and the CDU completely underestimated the wave of hatred they would face if they accepted the AfD’s approval in order to achieve their goal. What followed was worse than even pessimists had feared.

“Merz had hardly taken into account the ‘blood attack’ that his old opponent Angela Merkel was about to make… as no former chancellor had ever done against a potential successor – especially not against one from his own party. Merkel apparently cannot cope with the fact that the population has now recognized how negligent her refugee policy was. And that her own party has long since moved away from it. Above all, Merkel probably wants to prevent her eternal opponent Merz from sitting in her former chancellor’s office one day. She would rather help the united left to put down the party’s ‘friend’… Merz also completely underestimated the force with which most media – especially ARD and ZDF – would join in the theatrical indignation of the united left…

“The SPD knows that its chancellor [Olaf Scholz] has poorer poll ratings than any of his predecessors. She is aware that she cannot score points with voters either with her economic policy record or with her migration policy. The ‘fight against the right’ is their last cartridge…

“It is foreseeable that Friedrich Merz will no longer be able to appear anywhere until election day [February 23, 2025] without the united left trying to block access… All over the country, CDU offices have already been blocked or occupied, and employees have been threatened. In many places, the CDU has canceled the street election campaign this weekend. With so much hatred and agitation, it is too dangerous in some places to identify yourself as a CDU supporter...”

Assuming that the CDU under Merz will still win the election and will form some kind of an unstable coalition, the new government will turn out to be the same debacle which the government under Scholz has been. It won’t survive either.

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.

Many years ago, I heard an interesting sermon by a minister of the (now defunct) Worldwide Church of God, in which he applied many passages in Ephesians 4 and 5 to the Christian marriage. I took notes (still in my possession) and have thought about this concept many times. I do not remember the minister’s name, but I do remember his message.

Using some of those interesting thoughts, and elaborating on them, let us review in this Q&A some of Paul’s statements in Ephesians 4 and 5, which definitely have meaning, application to, and relevance for a successful marriage.

Ephesians 4:14-15 reads:

“… that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ…”

Applying this passage to a Christian marriage, we are admonished not to be unstable, unreliable or unsettled, and we should not always be ruled by emotions (one is glad and happy at one moment, and then sad and upset the next moment). This also includes the directive to speak the Truth in love—and not in anger and with a desire to get back at our mate. Even telling the Truth can be wrong and it can hurt our mate unnecessarily, when it is done with false motives and not with love (which is outgoing concern for the welfare and benefit of others). The Truth told in love can hurt too, even if it is told with the desire to help one’s mate. It may take great wisdom and discernment to make the right distinction and decision in that regard. We are to become like Christ who never hurt another person unnecessarily.

Ephesians 4:17, 22 continues:

“This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind… that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts…”

We are told not to live any longer like those in the world with foolish and ungodly desires and deceitful lusts. We all did so in the past, but we need to get rid of such conduct and behavior, as it will destroy our marriage.  

Ephesians 4:25-27 states:

“Therefore, putting away lying, ‘Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,’ for we are members of one another. ‘Be angry, and do not sin’: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil.”

Nothing can destroy our marriage faster than lying to our mate. You might recall this famous analogy: Each lie is like a stone which becomes part of a wall. This wall grows higher with every lie, until the wall is so high that we cannot climb it anymore or jump over it. The two mates are separated without coming together again. The same applies to anger. We must control our emotions, as we already pointed out. There is a time for righteous anger, but even then, it must be controlled and must not linger. The goal must be to bring about reconciliation “before the sun sets.” A problem should be resolved immediately or as soon as possible, because if we wait too long, Satan is right there to influence us to believe that it is alright to stay angry and even to develop hate for our mate. His desire is to destroy our marriage, and we must not let that happen.

Ephesians 4:28 continues:

“Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need.”

It should be self-evident that we are not to steal from our mate. In many, if not most cases, a couple has all things in common, so how could we possibly steal from our mate? One way would be to buy, secretly, things we do not need or should have, and of which our mate would not approve.

Ephesians 4:29 says:

“Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.’

We should try to refrain from making rude and offensive comments which our mate does not appreciate. Otherwise, we will cause unnecessary offense, which needs to be avoided so as not to jeopardize the well-being of our marriage. 

Ephesians 4:31-32 continues:

“Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you.”

Bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil and malicious speaking to and about our mate could all lead to the destruction of our marriage. This includes the tendency to bring up things from the past which should have been resolved, forgiven and forgotten. It is always wrong to “make a mountain out of a molehill.” Rather, even in times of stress, disappointment, disagreement and quarrels, we must be kind and tenderhearted to one another, willing to forgive and to forget. It has been said that the success of a Christian marriage (with both parties being converted) may be an indicator of the depth of our conversion.

Ephesians 5:3 states:

“But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints…”

As married couples, we must stay away from and flee adultery (fornication being a violation of God’s Law committed by two unmarried people, while adultery describes a situation where at least one party is married). Adultery is related to covetousness, as an adulterer covets the wife or husband of his or her neighbor or another person. Such conduct is absolutely not fitting for converted Christians, and adultery may constitute a biblical ground for divorce.

Ephesians 5:6 continues:

“Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.”

In the context of marriage, we are not to listen to foolish “advice” or persuasions from our “friends,” who might say: “You can do this. Sleep with him or her. No problem. Your mate won’t find out about it.”

Ephesians 5:11 says:

“And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.”

Such friends, as described above, are not real friends at all. They should be avoided. Our fellowship with darkness—with people who are not good for us—might lead to unsolvable problems in a marriage. We need to therefore evaluate whether our close contact with certain people is in fact healthy. Once we “expose” our contact and find that it is not fruitful, but leads to conduct we should not be engaged in, we need to break up such relationships.

Ephesians 5:16 reads:

“… redeeming the time, because the days are evil.”

We are to be careful that we do not waste our time on unprofitable things which, in the context of our marriage, alienate our relationship with our mate; especially, when one mate may approve of those things, while the other mate may not. Rather than doing things on our own, we ought to find ways to do things of common interest together.

Ephesians 5:18 continues:

“And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit…”

Another sure factor contributing to the destruction of a marriage is the improper use of alcohol. Consuming alcohol modestly is not wrong—Paul even encouraged Timothy to drink a little wine because of his frequent sicknesses (1 Timothy 5:23)—but to drink too much, and that on a continued basis, may well ruin the marriage relationship. Some who are drunk become very aggressive; others become silly and unresponsive. That could be an embarrassment to the sober mate; especially, when it occurs in public. A person loving his or her mate will do everything he or she can to overcome his or her alcoholism.

Ephesians 5:19-20 states:

“… speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ…”

Our focus should be on the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and a Christian marriage will be guided by principles and conduct which are in harmony with God’s Word and not contrary to it.  Sinful conduct will have its automatic consequences for a marriage, and even if both parties consent to such conduct, if it is wrong, the punishment will follow swiftly (Galatians 6:7-8).

Ephesians 5:21 states:

“… submitting to one another in the fear of God.”

One of the most important keys to a successful and happy marriage is to look after and consider the interests of our mate and not only our own interests (Philippians 2:3-5). When both mates do this, then a harmonious relationship will result. Also, the following verses deal with the conduct and responsibilities of the husband to his wife; and of the wife to her husband. If both treat each other in a godly manner, then the lasting success of a Christian marriage is so much more secure.

Ephesians 5:33 concludes:

“Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.”

In this verse, Paul summarizes the important instruction by emphasizing the two major facts of a marriage (i.e., the husband loves his wife and the wife respects her husband), which might determine whether a marriage will or will not succeed.

We say this in our free booklet, “The Keys to Happy Marriages and Families”:

“Unless we walk in the ‘fear of God’ and ‘in love’ toward the other person, any role carried out, even if done perfectly according to the letter, will not produce a happy marriage. Further, we must concentrate on how to carry out our roles. We must do so as ‘wise’ persons—not as fools—and we must try to find out what the ‘will of God’ is in any given situation—not, what we may want to do. Finally, we must make the best use of the ‘time’ that God has given us—again, using our time to the glory of God and in submission to His will, not to ours. In doing that, we will ‘walk in love’—in love toward God and in love toward our mate.

“And if we walk in this kind of love, we will be able to ‘submit one to another.’ That is, we will be looking at the interests and needs of the other person—not just at what we may be interested in. Submitting one to another does not mean that we have anarchy—no leadership whatsoever—but it does mean that the one who is to lead is the one who is expected to serve the most…”

The booklet then sets forth many principles of righteous living which must be followed by both marriage partners to guarantee a successful lasting marriage. Please read or re-read our free booklet, and better yet, if you do not have one already, please order your free personal copy so that you can mark those passages which are most important for and applicable to you.

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

compiled by Dave Harris

“Trump—the Man of Destiny?” is the title of a new StandingWatch program, presented by Evangelist Norbert Link. Here is the summary:

The speed with which Trump has operated since becoming president is mind-boggling. What lies behind this, and what motivates him? And how do we explain his actions and plans regarding tariffs against Mexico, Canada, China and Europe, as well as an American takeover of Gaza, in the light of biblical prophecy?

“Trump—der Mann der Vorsehung?” is the title of a new AufPostenStehen program, presented by Norbert Link. This German program covers the same topic as described above.

A “Tech Team Meeting” was held on February 2, 2025. Hosted by Eric Rank, the topic of others posting our material was discussed; results from test marketing were presented: and a new ad campaign for Germany was planned.

“Die ‘Wolke der Zeugen’ für unsere Ermutigung” is the title of this Sabbath’s German sermon, presented by Michael Link.  Title in English: “The ‘Cloud of Witnesses’ for Our Encouragement.”

“Warum werde ich nicht satt?” last Sabbath’s German sermonette presented by Johann Schell, is now posted. Title in English: “Why Am I Not Getting Full?”

“Unsere Berufung,” last Sabbath’s German sermon presented by Christoph Sperzel, is now posted. Title in English: “Our Calling.”

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

Having an indomitable spirit means not allowing anything to take away our hope and determination. When faced with problems, rather than allow us to be overcome, we can choose to respond with courage and trust in God’s power to see us through. The story of David and Goliath exemplifies this attitude, as David defeats Goliath by relying on his faith in God. Likewise, Jesus Christ, even facing the threat of immense suffering, encourages us to remain hopeful and undeterred, knowing that overcoming the world is possible through faith.

“Living Goals,” last Sabbath’s sermon presented by Dave Harris, is now posted. Here is the summary:

Are your goals active and functioning, or have your dreams and aspirations faded away—remaining unfulfilled? How does that apply to your goals as a Christian?