Soldier On/ We Must Be Ready!—Offertory / God’s Message Must Be Preached Today

September 19, 2020, is the Feast of Trumpets. We will conduct live services in the morning and afternoon as follows:

  • MORNING at 9:00 am Pacific Time—Eric Rank will present the sermonette, titled, “Soldier On”, and Dave Harris will present the sermon titled, “We Must Be Ready!”
  • AFTERNOON at 2:00 pm Pacific Time—Kalon Mitchell will present the Offertory and Norbert Link will present the sermon, titled, “God’s Message Must Be Preached Today.”

The live services are available, over video and audio, at http://eternalgod.org/live-services/. Just click on Connect to Live Stream.

This Week in the News

EU’s Further “Pressure” on Serbia

Army Technology wrote on September 10:

“Serbia has suspended all military exercises with foreign partners for six months citing ‘tremendous’ pressure from the European Union (EU). The move comes just a day before the beginning of Slavic Brotherhood 2020 military exercise in Belarus, in which Serbia was scheduled to participate. According to news reports, Serbia was pressured by the EU to withdraw from the exercise.

“In a statement, Serbian Minister of Defence Aleksandar Vulin said: ‘The pressures that make no sense and are not grounded in our decisions or our actions, or even in reality, are the result of hysteria, which determines political decisions and directions of great and powerful countries. We are required to suspend the planned military exercises with Belarus at the cost of abandoning our European future and at the cost of even greater pressure on our policy, but also on our people in Kosovo and Metohija and Republika Srpska.’

“According to the government decision, Serbia will not participate in any international military activity with any country in the following six months to preserve its neutrality. Furthermore, Serbia’s participation in peacekeeping operations will be considered and if required will also remain suspended. Minister Vulin added: ‘The process of equipping and strengthening our armed forces will not be stopped, and we will work to increase our combat readiness harder and more persistently than ever.’”

The dictatorship of the EU continues…

EU Threatens UK

Deutsche Welle wrote on September 12:

“The UK prime minister accused the EU of threatening to cut food deliveries between Northern Ireland and Britain…

“‘We are now hearing that, unless we agree to the EU’s terms, the EU will use an extreme interpretation of the Northern Ireland protocol to impose a full-scale trade border down the Irish Sea,’ Johnson wrote in an article that was published in the Daily Telegraph newspaper…

“He said the EU was posing a risk to the UK and peace in Northern Ireland, where sectarian violence had mostly been kept at bay since the 1998 Good Friday Agreement. He stated he wanted a trade deal similar to that between Canada and the EU, adding that ‘if the EU is willing to offer these terms to Canada then it makes sense to offer the same to us.’…

“European parliament leaders threatened to veto future UK-EU trade deals unless Johnson withdrew legislation attempting to alter parts of the Withdrawal Agreement.”

The relationship between the EU and the UK has become incurably bad.  

The Need for a European Army

The Atlantic Sentinel wrote on September 12:

“French president Emmanuel Macron called for a European army in 2018, arguing the EU needed to defend itself from ‘China, Russia and even the United States of America.’ Two years later, the argument for a common European defense is even stronger.

China’s authoritarianism can no longer be denied. It has effectively revoked the autonomy of Hong Kong, is carrying out a cultural genocide against the Uighurs in west China, threatening its neighbors around the South China Sea and extending its reach as far west as Europe and as far north as the Arctic.

Russia continues to abrogate international norms. It still supports Bashar Assad in Syria, who is responsible for driving millions of his compatriots from their homes, many of them fleeing to Europe; it still occupies the Crimea and still supports an insurgency in southeastern Ukraine.

“The United States are led by an impetuous president, who has accused the EU of ‘taking advantage’ of America, called NATO ‘obsolete’, withdrawn 9,500 soldiers from Germany, but expressed admiration for Vladimir Putin and doubts that he ordered the poisoning of Sergei Skripal, a defector, and Alexei Navalny, an opposition leader…

“Trump’s laments about Europe underinvesting in its defense are widely shared [in the USA]… Americans have been pulled into American-led wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria, despite doubts from European leaders and opposition from European voters.

“A European army would address all these issues. If Europe is forced to confront its own geopolitical challenges, it will no longer have to yield to the interests of America… A European army would enhance — and require — greater integration between member states.

“The foundations are set. A Common Security and Defense Policy has nominally existed since 1999 and was strengthened by the Lisbon Treaty of 2009. Macron isn’t the first national leader to call for an EU army. François Mitterrand and Helmut Kohl expressed the same ambition in the 1990s. Europe’s noisy opposition to a common defense — the UK — is on its way out; with it, the main excuse for not taking action…

“An EU army would inhibit member states’ ability to conduct an independent foreign policy. Countries that share a border with Russia (like Finland) or have tried to maintain good relations with it (Austria, Cyprus, Greece, Italy) would be forced to take sides…

“Some countries are already sharing military resources. Belgium and the Netherlands have integrated their air defenses… Finland and Sweden announced bilateral military cooperation in 2013 and held a joint military exercise with NATO in 2019. Are others willing to do the same? Would Poland, for instance, be willing to put its soldiers under a German command and concede a significant level of sovereignty? Would Italy? Public opinion is divided. 89 percent of Lithuanians want a European army. Only 37 percent of Austrians and 33 percent of Swedes agree.

“Yet the opportunity is there, and more importantly: the need. As the German defense minister, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, put it: ‘it is in our own real interest that we should make faster and better progress in Europe’ to unify defense and foreign policy.”

A European army will come into existence, and Europe’s core nations will transfer their authority to a military leader of German or Austrian descent.

Germany’s “Catastrophic Awareness Day” a “Fiasco”

The Local wrote on September 10:

“Germany’s first nationwide ‘catastrophe awareness day’ was described as ‘a fiasco’… The Interior Ministry had to admit that the day… was ‘a failure’.

“At 11am alarms were supposed to go off across the country, while people should have been warned via warning apps. But it soon became apparent that many parts of the country no longer have sirens. A fire department spokesperson explained for Munich that there had been no sirens in the state capital for many years. They had been gradually dismantled after the end of the Cold War, he explained. In many parts of the country, the warnings passed completely unnoticed. Meanwhile, the message from the warning apps NINA and KATWARN arrived on smartphones after a half-hour delay. The Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance (BBK) in Bonn explained the breakdown was caused by agencies simultaneously triggering a large number of warning messages…

“The flop was met with mockery on social media. The association of deaf people jokingly tweeted: ‘Well, we didn’t hear anything.’… The so-called ‘warning day’, which in future is to take place every year on the second Thursday in September, is intended to prepare for dangerous situations such as floods, chemical accidents or even terrorist attacks. All existing warning devices such as warning apps, radio and television, digital billboards, sirens and loudspeaker vehicles were supposed to be integrated.”

 And still, in spite of Germany’s blatant incompetence… see the next article.

Germany Replaces France

Daily Sabah wrote on September 12:

“Macron… represented Washington’s hope in counterbalancing German economic and political might within the EU. Washington was unhappy about the hegemonic role that Berlin has been playing within the bloc over the last two decades. Washington instead tried to support Macron in offsetting the influence of Berlin, especially in the diplomatic and military spheres.

“Macron spun out his credibility as the promising leader who would replace German Chancellor Angela Merkel as the leader of Europe. Macron’s risky economic and strategic choices also generated skepticism among the other member states of the EU. France’s stagnant economy and exclusionary political system have failed to accommodate migrants and Muslims, and a lack of a geopolitical vision has reduced the status of France within the EU.

“France, once the equal partner of Germany in the EU project, has gradually lost its standing in the partnership. While Berlin managed to maintain financial and economic stability and integration in the aftermath of the Cold War, Paris failed to offer an encompassing geopolitical vision for Europe…

“Macron developed unique relations with Moscow and invited Russia into Libya… Macron’s erratic moves are not just a threat to Turkey’s national security but are undermining NATO and EU interests… The real beneficiary of Macron’s geopolitical mistakes is Moscow, Abu Dhabi and the Trump administration in the U.S., which is unhappy about Berlin’s supremacy in the EU…”

The antagonism between the USA and Germany will continue, and Germany’s leadership in Europe will become more and more manifest…

Germany’s Leadership in Europe

Bloomberg wrote on September 14:

“Germany has become far more explicit, and unapologetic about calling the shots in Europe… Leaders who grew up in the shadow of World War II were content to confine Germany’s place on the world stage to the economic sphere… Merkel is the first chancellor born after the war. Enough time has passed that German strength is no longer a frightening proposition. And partly it’s a recognition that Germany has no choice but to step up to the plate with Europe caught in the middle of a growing conflict between the world’s two superpowers.

“Under Donald Trump, the U.S. has become an unpredictable and even hostile ally, while Xi Jinping praises multilateralism as China becomes increasingly bold in its forays in international relations…

“Finance Minister Olaf Scholz acknowledged the current landscape means Germany has to take on ‘more responsibilities,’ which means maneuvering the Brussels machine… Merkel’s increasing willingness to cajole her EU partners into accepting a more muscular German industry marks a break with Berlin’s historic relationship with Europe.”

Germany and the USA … No Longer Allies

The Hill wrote on September 15:

“A practical ‘alliance’ between [the USA and Germany] no longer exists. Washington and Berlin disagree on far too much in policy terms for us to whistle past the graveyard any longer…

“Bonn was generally content to follow the American geopolitical lead. However, this was a very specific historical time, one that today’s leaders and analysts have lazily extrapolated into being how things will always work. 

“But this is not the world in which we now live. Germany is the most glaring case in point of when an ally is no longer an ally. Over vast patches of primary foreign policy terrain, Washington and Berlin simply do not agree… Germans do not like their long-term ‘ally’ very much…

“It is a logical truism that if two major powers fundamentally disagree about trade, defense spending, China, Russia, and even disapprove of one another, these disagreements between ‘allies’ means that they are no longer really allies at all.”

This “alliance” has been shaky for a long time.

US Hits Historic Lows of Approval from Its Closest Allies

Business Insider wrote on September 15:

“A handful of [countries], including the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Japan, Canada and Australia, gave their lowest favorable views of the US on record since Pew started polling nearly two decades ago…

“Germans gave the US some of ‘its worst ratings,’ the authors note, with only 10% who said they have confidence in Trump…

“Most people across the 13 countries surveyed said they have less trust in Trump to ‘do the right thing’ than they do in Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Only an average of 16% said they have confidence in Trump as a leader, versus 19% who said the same for Xi and 23% for Putin…

“… the study… depicts a deepening downward trend of the US’ international reputation…”

Shocking Ignorance

The Guardian wrote on September 15:

“Almost two-thirds of young American adults do not know that 6 million Jews were killed during the Holocaust, and more than one in 10 believe Jews caused the Holocaust, a new survey has found, revealing shocking levels of ignorance about the greatest crime of the 20th century.”

Iran Threatens Bahrain

The Times of Israel wrote on September 12:

“Iran said Saturday that Bahrain is now a partner to the ‘crimes’ of Israel, after the announcement of a deal to normalize relations between Jerusalem and Manama… Iran accused its arch foe Israel of ‘decades of violence, slaughter, war, terror and bloodshed in oppressed Palestine and the region.’… Iran said that through this ‘shameful’ deal, Bahrain has ‘sacrificed the Palestinian cause at the altar of American elections.’ Its ‘result will undoubtedly be growing anger and the lasting hatred of the oppressed people of Palestine, Muslims and the free nations of the world,’ the Iranian Foreign Ministry said.

“The Friday announcement by US President Donald Trump made Bahrain the second Arab country in a month, after the United Arab Emirates, to normalize ties with Israel under US sponsorship… Bahrain is acutely aware of threats posed by Iran — the Kingdom has a majority Shiite population, despite being ruled since 1783 by the Sunni Al Khalifa family. The ruling elites are firmly allied with Saudi Arabia in its rivalry with Shiite Iran, even as the Bahrain’s Shiites have familial, linguistic and political ties with Tehran going back decades. Iran under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi had pushed to take over Bahrain after British protection ended, though Bahrainis in 1970 overwhelmingly supported becoming an independent nation and the UN Security Council unanimously backed that.

“Since Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution, Bahrain’s rulers have blamed Iran for arming militants on the island and stirring unrest. Iran denies the accusations. Bahrain’s Shiite majority has accused the government of treating them like second-class citizens. The Shiites joined pro-democracy activists in demanding more political freedoms in 2011, as Arab Spring protests swept across the wider Middle East. Saudi and Emirati troops ultimately helped violently put down the demonstrations… Tehran-Riyadh relations deteriorated further last year following a series of attacks on tankers in the Gulf, which Washington blamed on Tehran despite Iranian denials….”

With these antagonistic attitudes even amongst the Arabs, there will never be peace in the Middle East in this day and age.

The New “Peace” Deal

 BBC News wrote on September 15:

“The deal [to normalize relationships with Israel, which was signed on September 15 by Israel, the UAE and Bahrain at the White House] helps the ambitious Emiratis, who have built themselves into a military power… It looks as if the Americans helped seal the deal with the promise of advanced weapons that in the past the UAE has barely been able to window-shop. They include the F-35 stealth fighter and the EA-18G Growler electronic warfare aircraft. The UAE has used its already well-equipped armed forces in Libya and Yemen… Netanyahu… has muted his original complaints about the UAE’s possible arms deal.

“Mr Netanyahu is also beleaguered, facing a trial for corruption that might land him in jail. His handling of the coronavirus pandemic started well and has gone badly wrong. Opponents stage weekly rallies outside his residence in Jerusalem…

“The deal works on a number of levels for the US president. It is a big boost for his strategy of ‘maximum pressure’ on Iran. It is also useful ammunition, especially in an election year, to back his boast that he is the world’s best dealmaker. Anything he does that benefits Israel, or more specifically the government of Benjamin Netanyahu, goes down well with American Christian Evangelical voters, an important part of his electoral base… President Trump’s so-called ‘Deal of the Century’ to make peace between Israel and the Palestinians is a non-starter. But the ‘Abraham Accords’, as the Israel-UAE agreement is known, is… being presented by the Trump White House as a major foreign policy coup.

“[The Palestinians] have condemned the Abraham Accords as a betrayal. The new agreement breaks a long-standing Arab consensus that the price of normal relations with Israel was independence for the Palestinians. But now Israel is cementing new public relationships with Arab states while the Palestinians still languish under occupation in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, and in what amounts to an open prison in Gaza

 “The Saudis were the authors of the Arab peace plan that demanded Palestinian independence. King Salman’s status as custodian of Islam’s two holiest shrines gives him enormous authority. It is unlikely that he will suddenly recognise Israel…

“The deal has been roundly condemned by the Iranian leadership. It is more than rhetoric. The Abraham Accords put them under extra strain… Israel’s home airbases are a long flight from Iran. The UAE’s are just across the waters of the Gulf. That would be highly significant if there was a return to talk of air strikes against Iran’s nuclear sites…”

The Week added on September 15:

“Many experts doubt there will be any tangible move toward peace in the region, though the deals are considered historic and symbolically noteworthy.”

Are the USA and Israel creating a Frankenstein monster?

Turkey’s Dangerous Ambitions

The Algemeiner wrote on September 14:

“Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan… wants to take his country back to what he perceives as the glory days of the Ottoman Empire, but the leader… appears to be leading the country down the wrong path as he quashes secularism, supports radical Islamism, suppresses democratic reforms and adopts a forceful foreign-policy approach that aims to assert Turkish hegemony in the region…

“The perception that the United States is planning to significantly reduce its military presence in the Middle Eastannounced by US President Donald Trump this week—and the power vacuums that have emerged as one of the consequences of the Arab upheavals… are causing several actors, including Turkey, to act in a more assertive manner…

“With Erdoğan’s Islamist identity and close ties with Muslim Brotherhood, Qatar and Hamas, this triangle seems dangerous for Israel… one of the reasons Israel and the United Arab Emirates have worked out a normalization agreement between them is related to… the growing concerns from Turkey’s greater role in the region…

Efraim Inbar, president of the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security, told JNS that as an Islamist, Erdoğan ‘has no great love for Jews and for Israel.’ According to Inbar, ‘Erdoğan believes that Turkey has a great destiny and should be a world power. The fact that the US is slowly reducing its footprint in the Middle East adds to even greater freedom of action for Turkey in regional affairs.’…

“Turkey is in Iraq and Syria, and has a military base in Qatar and in Somalia. Erdoğan tried to build a base in Sudan, and now he is busy in Libya. As part of this new Turkish nationalism, he is challenging the border with Greece, essentially seeking to reverse the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne, which officially ended the Ottoman Empire. ‘There is a fusion here of nationalism and Islamism between Turkish nationalism with its roots in Islam, the Caliphate and the Ottoman Empire,’ said Inbar. ‘There is a clear alliance between Turkey and Qatar, which both support the Muslim Brotherhood… Going after Israel gets him votes and makes him popular in the Muslim world, which he wants to lead, so Israel is a good target for him.’”

Watch Turkey!

A Divided USA

New Europe wrote on September 8:

“For the first time since the country’s civil war in the mid-19th-century… Americans remained divided after the election of Donald Trump as president in 2016. Since then, that division has accelerated at a dangerously rapid pace.

“The division was triggered by the deeply entrenched American financial establishment, which cannot understand that the time has irrevocably come to enter into a new civilization, but it thinks that by voting Trump out, the establishment will exorcise the evil. The oxymoron is that the Democratic Party in this election is struggling. It is using all of the means available to it to support the interests of Wall Street while [Trump] is fighting for Main Street, which goes against the interests of the traditional establishment Republicans.

“Historically, the foundations of the decay in the US were placed by former President Bill Clinton who, in the 1990s, ended his political career… Clinton, under the dilemma of being impeached or not, opted to remain president and repealed the Banking Act of 1933. That act, known also the Glass-Steagall Act, was designed to address the 1929 Wall Street crash that resulted in the Great Depression…

“The worst-case scenario will be when the president-elect will not to be able to control the transition and have the people – through social disobedience, riots and bloodshed – impose the new normal from the bottom-up and therefore turning a smooth evolution into a revolution…. In any case, no matter who will be the winner, he will neither have the possibility to change the course of history nor the ability to unite the American people again…”

And this means, another American civil war is a distinct possibility.

American Democracy Gets Bad Marks

Study Finds on September 12:

“As millions struggle to make ends meet during the coronavirus pandemic, a new survey claims American democracy isn’t faring much better. According to the political watchdog group Bright Line Watch, the ‘health’ of several democratic principles are at their lowest levels in three years…

“The August 2020 poll, featuring 776 political science experts, finds large declines among several principals including protections of free speech, toleration of peaceful protests and protection from political violence

“The watchdog’s 11th democracy poll looks at the country’s stability since March, when COVID-19 put much of the U.S. into lockdown. The political experts contend that democratic principles regarding limits on government power and accountability are continuing to fall… the country has poor grades for civility and behavior… Those issues include having patriotism questioned, seeking compromise, and electoral dysfunction…”

It was not COVID-19 which put much of the U.S. into lockdown, but irresponsible restrictions by ignorant governmental officials. And the same ignorance continues to prevail, as following articles will discuss.

Senseless Sheriff-Shooting

Daily Mail published the following article by Piers Morgan on September 14:

“I didn’t think I would see anything as sickening this year as the appalling killing of [black] George Floyd at the kneed of a callous [white] police officer. But I was wrong. The grainy video of a disgusting [black] coward sneaking up to shoot two [white] deputy sheriffs in Compton, Los Angeles as they sat in their patrol car was just as repulsive and disturbing. There was no warning, and no provocation. This was just a deliberate, pre-meditated attempt at a cold-blooded execution.

“The shooter clearly intended to kill his targets as he fired a number of rounds from his pistol at point blank range into their car before running off. Fortunately, as I write this column, he appears to have failed in his mission as both deputies are reported to have miraculously survived the ambush, although they were seriously injured… One is a 31-year-old woman, and mother of a young son. The other is a 24-year-old man. To compound the senseless barbarity of the shooting, ‘protesters’ yesterday blocked the entrance and exit to the hospital emergency room where the two deputies were taken, chanting vile abuse…

“President Trump blasted the attack, raging about the shooter, ‘Animals that must be hit hard!’ and adding later: ‘If they die, fast trial death penalty for the killer. Only way to stop this!’… Of course, the same President Trump has been far less vocal about what should happen to the police officers who killed George Floyd…

“Only if we all come together and agree that unjustified violence of any kind is wrong, whoever is the victim, and whatever the color of their skin or uniform, can any real progress be made in the battle for racial equality and justice.

“The tragedy of this latest incident is that it makes no sense. Just as the killing of George Floyd defied all logic given his alleged crime was trying to buy cigarettes with counterfeit money, so the purpose of this attack is impossible to understand…

America has been a racially charged tinderbox since George Floyd’s death, with emotions exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic. At a moment like this, the country needs unifying leadership from its political leaders but also from its most inspirational high-profile stars. Instead, it is getting nothing but flame-fanning rhetoric and complicit silence from those who know what’s the right thing to say – but choose not to say it.”

America’s perceived or real racial divide is unbridgeable.

Trump Is the Dynamite

CBS News reported on September 13:

“Washington Post’s Bob [Woodward’s] new book, ‘Rage,’ is his latest work in a 50-year career investigating American presidents. His first investigation, reported with Carl Bernstein, led to the resignation of Richard Nixon. For ‘Rage,’ Mr. Trump agreed to 18 recorded interviews…

“Bob Woodward [said:]: ‘… one of the things that President Trump told me, “In the presidency, there’s always dynamite behind the door.” The real dynamite is President Trump. He is the dynamite.’”

In other words, one never knows what he will do next. This assessment is shared by Trump’s former Security Adviser, John Bolton.

Newsom’s Hidden Support of LGBTQ People

Breitbart wrote on September 13:

“Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) signed a controversial bill into law Friday that will give judges greater discretion to decide whether adults who commit sodomy with minors should be placed on California’s sex offender registry. The bill, which passed the Democrat-led legislature last week, created a firestorm as proponents said its main purpose was to end discrimination against LGBT adults who have oral and anal sex with minors who claim to be consenting to the sexual activity.

“State Sen. Scott Wiener (D), who introduced the legislation, said in a statement on social media the new law would put an end to ‘blatant discrimination against young LGBT people engaged in consensual activity.’… Proving again he‘s a true champion for the LGBTQ community… Gov Newsom signed [the bill], ending discrimination against LGBTQ young people on CA’s sex offender registry…

“‘Well what a shock. Newsom signed SB145, the bill that allows a 24 year old to have sex with a 14 year old and escape a felony conviction and requirement to be a registered sex offender. Absolutely disgusting,’ (Senator Melissa Melendez wrote on September 12, 2020)…

“San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer (R) also tweeted after Newsom signed the bill into law, ‘As a parent I’m appalled that last night our governor signed a law maintaining a 24-year-old can have sex with a 14-year-old and it not be considered predatory.’…

“The legislation also assumes teens as young as 14 are capable of fully consenting to sex of any variety with any adult, regardless of sexual orientation. Attorney and researcher Jane Robbins said in a statement to Breitbart News, ‘… If Mr. Wiener were concerned about children, he would push to restore penalties on straight adult predators who prey on minors…  Instead, he extended the leniency to gay adult predators.’”

Sick!

Newsom: California Wildfires because of Man-made Climate Change

Reuters reported on September 11:

“California Governor Gavin Newsom on Friday toured communities devastated by the state’s raging wildfires and said the deadly, record-shattering fire season across the U.S. West should end all debate over climate change. Newsom, a Democrat, appeared to direct at least some of his remarks at suggestions by U.S. President Donald Trump that poor forest management, and not warming temperatures, were to blame for the raging conflagrations.

“‘I’m a little bit exhausted that we have to continue to debate this issue. This is a climate… emergency. This is real and it’s happening. This is the perfect storm,’ Newsom, 52, said…

“All told some 100 wildfires across the U.S. West have burned an area nearly as large as the state of New Jersey, putting half a million people under evacuation alert in Oregon and pouring out thick smoke across three states.

“‘The debate is over around climate change. Just come to the state of California. Observe it with your own eyes,’ Newsom said. ‘California, folks, is America fast forward. What we’re experiencing right here is coming to communities all across the United States of America unless we get our act together on climate change, unless we disabuse ourselves of all the… that’s being spewed by a very small group of people that have an ideological reason to advance the cause of a 19th century framework and solution,’ he said…

“The governor demurred when asked by reporters to respond directly to suggestions by Trump, a Republican, that seasonal wildfires could be mitigated if state and local officials had worked harder to clear dense, dry underbrush.”

Whatever the cause for this disaster, blaming something or someone for it instead of taking personal responsibility for mistakes and incompetent actions is far too common and also very obvious in the case at hand.

So Predictable… Left-Liberal Court Rules against Church

The Federalist wrote on September 11:

“Judge Mitchell L. Beckloff of the Los Angeles Superior Court issued a preliminary injunction Thursday that prohibits Pastor John MacArthur and Grace Community Church from ‘conducting, participating in, or attending any indoor worship services.’ The ban also extends to services held outside ‘unless onerous restrictions are followed.’

“Since the church first began meeting in-person and defying local lockdown orders in July, Los Angeles County officials have threatened fines, arrest, and even terminated the lease held between the church and the county for parking lot space claiming health and safety concerns.

“A $1,000 fine issued by Los Angeles County was also imposed on the church this week for signs asking congregants to refrain from entering if they were experiencing ‘an elevated temperature, a cough, or any flu-like symptoms.’ According to the county, the signs were not placed at the proper entrances and exits and did not contain instructions asking people to ‘wash hands or use sanitizer, to wear face coverings and to maintain social distancing.’

“Special counsel Jenna Ellis and Charles LiMandri expressed their disappointment in Thursday’s ruling, claiming that the court ‘ducked the issue’ and failed ‘to apply the appropriate constitutional standard of review.’ They also explained their belief that the church was held to a different standard than other activities during COVID-19 lockdowns. ‘The court also did not properly consider the medical and scientific evidence that the current number of people with serious COVID-19 symptoms no longer justifies a shuttering of the churches. Nor do we believe that the court gave adequate consideration to the fact that churches have been treated as second-class citizens compared to the tens of thousands of protestors,’ LiMandri said.

“This opinion by the court, according to Ellis and LiMandri, shows that the church was unfairly targeted. ‘Church is essential, and no government agent has the runaway, unlimited power to force churches to close indefinitely. The County’s argument was basically “because we can,” which is the very definition of tyranny,’ Ellis said. ‘Without limiting government’s power in favor of freedom and protected rights, we have no liberty. We will fight for religious freedom, as our founders did when they wrote the First Amendment.’

‘‘More than ever, California’s churches are essential,’ LiMandri agreed. Despite the court’s ruling, Pastor John MacArthur told Fox News’s Shannon Bream on Thursday night that the church would still be meeting. ‘1/100th of 1 percent of Californians with a virus apparently wins over the U.S. Constitution and religious freedom for all? That is not what our founders said,’ said MacArthur. ‘Nor is that what God says, who gave us our rights that our government—including the judicial branch—is supposed to protect. The scale should always tip in favor of liberty, especially for churches.’

“The Thomas More Society also said that they will appeal it to ‘ultimately vindicate our clients’ constitutionally protected right to free exercise of religion.’ ‘Although this is a temporary setback, we will continue to fight for Pastor MacArthur and Grace Community Church’s constitutionally protected right to hold church,’ Ellis promised.”

Attorney Ellis also posted the following: “Apparently signs asking people not to enter if they have an elevated temperature or symptoms of Covid (located at every entrance & exit) aren’t good enough for LA County. The bullying and harassment continues. This is NOT about health. LA County just wants to shut down church.”

In left-wing California, this POLITICAL decision was so predictable… and it is so shameful and so ungodly.

Todd Starnes wrote on September 8:

“Los Angeles County is trying every angle to harass and bully Pastor John MacArthur and the congregation of Grace Community Church… Make no mistake. This is an abusive, overt attempt to shut down the church. But Pastor MacArthur is a man who humbly stands on the Word of God. He will not be bullied. He will not be intimidated – no matter what the godless government in Los Angeles ultimately decides to do.

“Christians around the nation should lift this church up in prayer. And Christians in California should make a very public statement and demonstration that religious intolerance will not be tolerated in the Golden State.”

The ungodly attack on Christianity in California [and elsewhere] continues. At the same time, the LGBTQ movement is heavily supported (compare the article above).

Some Judges Still Have Common Sense

Fox News wrote on September 14:

 “A federal judge on Monday ruled that some of Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf’s restrictions implemented amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic were unconstitutional — marking a win for businesses struggling to stay afloat amid the forced shutdown.

“U.S. District Judge William Stickman IV, who was appointed by President Trump, sided with plaintiffs that included hair salons, drive-in movie theaters, a farmer’s market vendor, a horse trainer and several Republican officeholders in their lawsuit against Wolf, a Democrat, and his health secretary. The ruling found that Wolf’s restrictions that required people to stay at home, placed size limits on gatherings and ordered ‘non-life-sustaining’ businesses to shut down were unconstitutional.

“The Wolf administration’s pandemic policies have been overreaching, arbitrary and violated citizens’ constitutional rights, Stickman wrote in his ruling… Courts had consistently rejected challenges to Wolf’s power to order businesses to close during the pandemic, and many other governors, Republican and Democrat, undertook similar measures as the virus spread across the country….”

Shame on those Republican and Democrat governors and timid judges who have been destroying thousands, if not millions of people’s lives through their unconstitutional and ridiculous measures and judgments, all the while claiming that they acted for the welfare and protection of the people.  

China Injects Hundreds of Thousands with Experimental Vaccine

The Wall Street Journal wrote on September 12:

“A Chinese pharmaceutical company has injected hundreds of thousands of people with experimental Covid-19 vaccines, as its Western counterparts warn against administering mass vaccinations before rigorous scientific studies are complete.

“China National Biotec Group Co., a subsidiary of state-owned Sinopharm, has given two experimental vaccine candidates to hundreds of thousands of people under an emergency-use condition approved by Beijing in July, the company said this week. Separately, Chinese drugmaker Sinovac Biotech Ltd. said it has inoculated around 3,000 of its employees and their family members, including the firm’s chief executive, with its experimental coronavirus vaccine…

“CNBG said it has received orders for 500 million doses from overseas, the most among Chinese drugmakers, though it didn’t specify which countries put in orders. The company is conducting Phase 3 clinical trials in the United Arab Emirates and Argentina.

“The company’s vaccine regimen may require people to get injected with two or three doses. CNBG said it would be able to produce around 100 million doses of its Covid-19 vaccines by the end of the year and then up to one billion doses annually.”

One would have to be crazy to agree to such experimental drug testing.

Finally, but Very Late: Vatican Urges Public Masses

Breitbart wrote on September 13:

“The Vatican has issued a letter to the world’s bishops urging the resumption of public Sunday Masses, stressing that ‘it is necessary and urgent to return to the normality of Christian life’… ‘The Christian community has never pursued isolation and has never made the church a city with closed doors,’ writes Vatican Cardinal Robert Sarah in the letter, which bears the explicit approval of Pope Francis. The ‘community dimension’ of Christian worship is essential, the cardinal writes, and constitutes ‘a fundamental trait of Christian life,’ according to Jesus’s teaching that ‘Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.’

“During coronavirus lockdowns, many countries made a distinction between ‘essential’ and ‘non-essential’ activities, often judging public worship as belonging to the latter category, something the cardinal suggests was a mistake. The Bishops should act firmly to ensure ‘that the participation of the faithful in the celebration of the Eucharist is not downgraded by the public authorities to a “gathering,” and is not considered as comparable or even subordinate to forms of recreational assemblies,’ he writes…

“In his recent letter, Cardinal Sarah also stresses that online streaming is no substitute for public worship as a community since ‘no transmission is equivalent to personal participation or can replace it.’… The cardinal also notes that ‘proper attention to hygiene and safety rules must not lead to the sterilization of gestures and rites, or to spreading, even unconsciously, fear and insecurity in the faithful.’ In this regard, ‘liturgical norms are not matters on which civil authorities can legislate, but only the competent ecclesiastical authorities,’ he insists.”

It is sad that the Catholic Church, including the pope himself, for a long time, prostrated themselves in submission to the power of secular governments, even supporting their restrictions. Their stance now for public worship services sounds hollow and hypocritical. It is also sad that some Sabbath-keeping Church of God groups have become equally guilty of such unbiblical behavior. This does not only apply to wrong decisions of ministers in charge, but also to members who are following blindly, like dumb sheep, and adopt such bad and ungodly injunctions. This is even more troublesome and ungodly when those churches or their ministers demand restrictions from their members, pertaining to worship services, which go BEYOND those of the governments. It has been established that governmental lockdown decisions were wrong and have cost many lives, while destroying the livelihood of millions of people.

Note the following articles as well.

Crazy—Israel Considers total Lockdown during the annual Fall Holy Day Season

Israel 365 News (formerly Breaking Israel News) wrote on or about September 11:

“On Thursday, Health Minister Yuli Edelstein called for a full lockdown for all of Israel beginning on September [18], [just before the start of] Rosh Hashannah [and to close schools by Wednesday, September 16]… The proposed lockdown may last until the end of the holidays which will be when Simchat Torah (the last day of Sukkoth) ends on Sunday, Oct. 11.  All academic institutions and workplaces will be closed.  A ban will be in place on public and private gatherings. The holidays are normally a time for extended families to gather so the lockdown will prevent this. It also calls for the entire public sector to be placed in a ‘state of emergency.’…

“According to the Finance Ministry, a general closure over a ‘holiday week’ would cost the country NIS 4 billion, and closure on a full week NIS 5 billion to NIS 6 billion…”

Times of Israel wrote on September 12:

“The Health Ministry’s plan for a full national lockdown faced intense pushback shortly after more of its details were unveiled Saturday, with one unnamed minister telling Israeli television the plan was ‘insane,’ and others vowing to oppose it. Ministers… said they would not agree to approve the proposal in its current form, decrying the damage a closure would do to the Israeli economy even as a public outcry by business owners grew, amid threats of mass rebellion against the new restrictions.

“Meanwhile, Health Minister Yuli Edelstein told Channel 12 that ‘there will be no negotiation’ on the plan, saying there was currently no better alternative… The proposal is highly controversial with the public, with many business leaders threatening to defy it. Hotels are furious that they will be required to cancel reservations for the High Holidays just days in advance, having geared up staff and purchased immense quantities of supplies and food.

“There are also complaints that the lockdown unjustifiably closes down the entire country rather than focusing on COVID-19 red zones, and allegations that it is politically impacted, with the government reluctant to be seen singling out ultra-Orthodox areas, which along with Arab areas, have some of Israel’s highest contagion rates…

“With the country facing its second national lockdown and the government’s pandemic policies being widely perceived as disorderly and at times random, many businesses have vowed in recent days to defy closure orders, saying they will not survive a new shutdown. Meanwhile, top business leaders warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday that a new lockdown would be disastrous to the local economy.

“Reports have indicated hundreds — and perhaps thousands — of business owners could refuse to shut down if closure orders come, being unable to withstand the financial burden of a further lockdown. Business owners have said promises of compensation down the road are irrelevant, and that they will refuse to shut their doors unless they receive government aid in advance.

“Channel 13 reported that the Manufacturers Association of Israel, the Chamber of Commerce and other business bodies wrote in a letter to the premier that a new lockdown would cause a further wave of unemployment and bring about ‘an “economic coronavirus” whose effect will be far more destructive than the medical coronavirus,’ and warned that the effects of the harm to the economy could be felt for a decade.”

Subsequently, Times of Israel reported on September 13:

“The cabinet has given its approval to a three-week full nationwide closure, beginning Friday at 2 p.m… The final details… are reported to include a ban on venturing more than 500 meters from home, except for essential errands. Schools, malls, hotels and leisure activities will be shuttered, while supermarkets and pharmacies will remain open.”

Man’s attempts to deal with the panic of the coronavirus are truly insane. In the process, God’s commands of assembling in person on His Holy Days are being blatantly violated. This makes God VERY angry!  Note especially the articles above and below on the failed attempts to deal with the crisis and the hypocritical conduct of the Catholic Church and the ungodly decision of a left-liberal court in California.

Resignation in Protest

JTA wrote on September 13:

“Israel’s housing minister has resigned from the government to protest a nationwide lockdown… Yaakov Litzman, a top haredi Orthodox lawmaker, stepped down to oppose the closures of synagogues over Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, saying that even a policy allowing small-scale prayer services would still impede Israelis’ right to come together during the High Holidays.”

The Times of Israel wrote on September 13:

“Litzman… also said his United Torah Judaism party could bolt the coalition. Litzman accused coronavirus czar Ronni Gamzu of planning for months to impose a lockdown on Rosh Hashanah — which begins this week — and Yom Kippur while avoiding the move during the summer season. In a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Litzman decried the fact that the lockdown would prevent worshipers, including tens of thousands of Jews who don’t go to a synagogue during most of the year, from attending the most important and well-attended Jewish services of the year…’

It is in fact a horrendously stupid decision by Israel’s government… and it is deeply ungodly.

Dangerous Lockdowns—Carefully Planned for a long Time…  

The Ron Paul Institute wrote on September 11:

“The toll lockdowns have taken on human life and human rights has been incalculable. Increases in child abuse, suicide and even heart attacks, all appear to be a feature of mandatory stay-at-home orders issued by politicians who now rule by decree without any legislative or democratic due process. And then, of course, there is the economic toll on employment…

“These measures also have made a mockery of basic human rights while essentially expropriating private property. Mom-and-pop business owners were told to shut their doors indefinitely or face arrest. The unemployed were told it was now illegal to work for a living if their careers were deemed ‘nonessential.’ Police officers have beaten citizens for not ‘social distancing’ while mothers have been manhandled by cops for attempting to use playground equipment.

“This was all done because some politicians and bureaucrats—who were in no danger of losing their large paychecks—decided it was a great idea to carry out a bizarre and risky experiment: forcing large swaths of the population to stay at home in the name of preventing the spread of disease.

“Indeed, politicians have long dreamed of forcing people into isolation en masse. But this was most recently revived during the George W. Bush administration. As the New York Times reported in April: ‘Fourteen years ago, two federal government doctors, Richard Hatchett and Carter Mecher, met with a colleague at a burger joint in suburban Washington for a final review of a proposal they knew would be treated like a piñata: telling Americans to stay home from work and school the next time the country was hit by a deadly pandemic. Drs. Hatchett and Mecher were proposing… that Americans in some places might have to turn back to an approach, self-isolation, first widely employed in the Middle Ages. How that idea — born out of a request by President George W. Bush to ensure the nation was better prepared for the next contagious disease outbreak — became the heart of the national playbook for responding to a pandemic is one of the untold stories of the coronavirus crisis. The concept of social distancing is now intimately familiar to almost everyone. But as it first made its way through the federal bureaucracy in 2006 and 2007, it was viewed as impractical, unnecessary and politically infeasible….’

“And why was it considered impractical and unnecessary? There is more than one reason, but one major reason is that lockdowns have never been shown to be particularly effective… it’s now becoming apparent that lockdowns don’t work when actually tried. Earlier this month, for example, Donald Luskin noted in the Wall Street Journal: ‘Measuring from the start of the year to each state’s point of maximum lockdown—which range from April 5 to April 18—it turns out that lockdowns correlated with a greater spread of the virus. States with longer, stricter lockdowns also had larger Covid outbreaks. The five places with the harshest lockdowns—the District of Columbia, New York, Michigan, New Jersey and Massachusetts—had the heaviest caseloads.’

“Basically, Luskin searched for a clear correlation between lockdowns and better health outcomes in relation to covid-19. He found none. He continues: ‘[T]here’s no escaping the evidence that, at minimum, heavy lockdowns were no more effective than light ones, and that opening up a lot was no more harmful than opening up a little. So where’s the science that would justify the heavy lockdowns many public-health officials are still demanding?’…

“… A June study published by Advance by Stefan Homburg and Christof Kuhbandner found that the data ‘strongly suggests’ that ‘the UK lockdown was both superfluous… and ineffective…’

“Along these lines, Simon Wood, examined the progression of the disease in the United Kingdom and in Sweden and found that the data ‘strongly suggest that the decline in infections in England and Wales began before full lockdown, and that community infections, unlike deaths, were probably at a low level well before lockdown was eased. Furthermore, such a scenario would be consistent with the infection profile in Sweden, which began its decline in fatal infections shortly after the UK, but did so on the basis of measures well short of full lockdown.’…

“Extraordinary measures require extraordinary evidence. And the burden of proof is on those who seek to use the coercive power of the state to force people into their homes, cripple the economy, and abolish countless basic freedoms for the duration. Have the advocates for lockdowns made their case? It’s hard to see how they have. For one, advocates for lockdowns need to present obvious and overwhelming evidence that lockdowns bring big benefits far in excess of the no-lockdown approach. They have not done so. Moreover, they have not shown that a lack of lockdowns is anywhere near as dangerous as they have claimed in the name of pushing lockdowns to begin with. We can already see what the no-lockdown scenario looks like. It looks like Sweden, and that’s a better outcome than many prolockdown regimes can claim. Governments are nonetheless likely to continue claiming their lockdowns worked. In ancient days, a witch doctor might perform a rain dance on Tuesday and claim credit when it rained on Wednesday. Lockdowns are increasingly looking like the modern equivalent of a rain dance.”

The comparison of lockdowns with witch doctors is not that far-fetched. Ignorant but power-hungry governmental officials, under the rule of Satan, and following ignorant but self-righteous medical “experts,” have been contributing to the destruction of their countries and citizens, and all those who have been supporting these measures, by action or word, also have a heavy burden of responsibility on their shoulders as well. May God forgive them upon true repentance! The above-cited article quoted and linked to many more surveys concluding that lockdowns were useless and devastatingly destructive.  

The Despicable Mass Media Propaganda

The American Institute for Economic Research wrote on September 14:

“Just when the fear starts to subside, and growing public skepticism seems to push governors into opening, something predictable happens. The entire apparatus of mass media hops on some new, super-scary headline designed to instill more Coronaphobia and extend the lockdowns yet again. It’s a cycle that never stops. It comes back again and again.

“A great example occurred this weekend. A poll appeared on Friday from the Kaiser Family Foundation. It showed that confidence in Anthony Fauci is evaporating along with support for lockdowns and mandatory Covid vaccines. The news barely made the headlines, and very quickly this was overshadowed by a scary new claim: restaurants will give you Covid!

“It’s tailor-made for the mainstream press. The study is from the CDC… And the thesis is easily digestible: those who test positive for Covid are twice as likely as those who tested negative to have eaten at a restaurant. ‘Eating and drinking on-site at locations that offer such options might be important risk factors associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection,’ the study says.

“Very scary! Thus the implied conclusion: don’t allow indoor dining! Otherwise Covid will spread like wildfire!

“After six months of this Corona Kabuki dance, driven by alarmist media and imposed by wacko, power-abusing governors and mayors, I’ve become rather cynical about the whole enterprise, so I mostly ignore the latest nonsense. In this case, however, I decided to take a closer look simply because so many millions of owners, workers, and customers have been treated so brutally in the ‘War on Restaurants.’

It turns out, of course, that this is not what the study said

“Lockdowns have become a conclusion in a desperate search for evidence… This is precisely where we’ve been for six solid months now. The media has become the handmaiden of lockdown tyranny, blasting out simplistic versions of sketchy studies to keep the panic going as long as possible. And the public… eats it up.”

We wonder who those gullible people are who are falling for this mass media propaganda

Absolutely Braindead Decision of Southwest Airlines

USA Today wrote on September 14:

“A woman traveling from Fort Myers, Florida, to Chicago said she was escorted off her Southwest Airline flight on Saturday because her 2-year-old son was snacking prior to takeoff and wasn’t wearing his mask… Degyansky said she boarded the flight with her son… and he took off his mask to eat some of the snacks that were served. On multiple occasions, a flight attendant told her that he needed to be masked, but he was eating, she said. The plane had already left the gate, but returned for staff to escort them off the flight. For about 15 minutes, Degyansky argued with airline personnel because her son had his mask back on, but they did not listen to her, she said.

“According to CDC guidelines, children 2 years and older should wear a mask over their nose and mouth if it’s difficult to social distance. ‘My toddler who literally turned 2 two weeks ago. … I know you have to draw the line but let’s be a little compassionate with everyone’s individual circumstances,’ she said… ‘If a Customer is unable to wear a face covering for any reason, Southwest regrets that we are unable to transport the individual…’ said Ro Hawthorne, a spokesperson for the airline.”

How much more STUPID can this get?

AG Barr Condemned for Telling the Truth

The Associated Press wrote on September 17:

Attorney General William Barr drew sharp condemnation Thursday for comparing lockdown orders during the coronavirus pandemic to slavery… Barr had called the lockdown orders the ‘greatest intrusion on civil liberties in American history’ since slavery. His comments… also criticized his own prosecutors for behaving as ‘headhunters’ in their pursuit of prominent targets and for using the weight of the criminal justice system to launch what he said were ‘ill-conceived’ political probes…

 “It’s not the first time Barr has condemned stay-at-home orders. He has previously said that some orders were ‘disturbingly close to house arrests’ and the Justice Department sent letters to several states warning that some of their virus-related restrictions might be unlawful. Prosecutors also filed statements of interest in several civil cases challenging some of the restrictions.”

We would even go a step further and state that the lockdown did not only come close to house arrest, but that it constituted house arrest, and that those locked in were indeed victims of autocratically enforced governmental slavery.

Sweden Reports Fewest Coronavirus Cases

The Guardian wrote on September 15:

“While many European countries are seeing their infection rates surge to levels not seen since the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic, Sweden – whose light-touch approach has made it an international outlier – has recorded the fewest daily cases since the virus emerged. The Scandinavian country’s rolling seven-day average of new cases stood at 108 on Tuesday, its lowest level since 13 March. Data from the Swedish national health agency showed only 1.2% of its 120,000 tests last week came back positive…

“Sweden also has fewer new daily infections than Norway and Denmark, its Nordic neighbours… Anders Tegnell, the country’s chief epidemiologist and architect of its no-lockdown strategy, told broadcaster France-24 in an interview: …’In the end, we will see how much difference it will make to have a strategy that’s more sustainable, that you can keep in place for a long time, instead of the strategy that means that you lock down, open up and lock down over and over again.’… Shops, bars, restaurants and gyms stayed open and the wearing of masks has not so far been recommended.”

Sweden is one example. South Dakota is another one. 

South Dakota Stands Out

The Ron Paul Institute wrote on September 13:

“Many state fairs across America were canceled this year. The reason offered: coronavirus. It should be no surprise that among the states where an annual state fair did occur this year is South Dakota. South Dakota is the state whose governor — Kristi Noem — has resisted, more than has any other governor across America, the temptation to use coronavirus as an excuse to exercise dictatorial powers.

“Following last month’s annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally that brought hundreds of thousands of visitors to the state, South Dakota has continued to demonstrate with the state fair that ended on Monday that coronavirus is no excuse for canceling events that bring joy to life

“Noem was among the many people who enjoyed the South Dakota State Fair free of mask and ‘social distancing’ mandates.”

 Don’t Ask Questions!

The American Institute for Economic Research wrote on September 15:

“If you are a good person, you will submit, for as long as it takes. Deviate from the rules, and you are a bad, selfish person, who does not care if others die.  We have been introduced to the corona gods and they are ferocious, and make many demands. They require children to forgo school, or to attend school by staring into a screen. That is, for those whose parents or school districts can afford the screens. They can play together only if masked, faceless and muffled, six feet apart. Their cognitive development is likely to be hampered by their inability to read facial expressions, perhaps for a lifetime, but that is an unavoidable price we must pay, or so we are told.

“The corona gods ask much, too, of young adults. Whether they were embarking on new careers or enrolled in institutions of higher learning, they must surrender their hopes and aspirations and separate from each other, however contrary it might be to their natures…

“The bereavement of business owners… is unavoidable collateral damage, the politicians say mournfully…

“We are not to ask certain questions, according to the politicians, the experts, our friends… Do not ask: are we ultimately causing more deaths, or ruining more lives, in the long term, than the coronavirus itself?… It’s over when we say it’s over, they say. We must keep each other safe. So cover your nose and mouth. Stand six feet apart. Stay home. Comply!

We are witnessing the creation of a perfect dictatorship! Note the next article.

“Great” Britain… the Perfect Dictatorial Police State!

The Sun wrote on September 14:

“BRITS should snitch on their neighbours if they are breaking the new coronavirus rule of six, the policing minister has said. Kit Malthouse said this morning people who spy someone doing the wrong thing by having more than six people over should call the cops. He told BBC Radio 4: ‘What we’re hoping we’ll see for the rule of six is what we saw for the whole of lockdown which is extremely high compliance. ‘In the end we all have to recognise that we have an individual duty towards our collective health and we hope that view will prevail. There is the non-emergency number that people can ring and report issues if they wish to.’… Mr Malthouse said during lockdown there was a surge from people spying on their neighbours reporting them to the police for breaking restrictions….

“National Police Chiefs Council Chairman Martin Hewitt said… ‘Once these rules and regulations are enacted, they are the law. If people are deliberately breaking the law, we would expect members of the public to take responsibility to report that… And Home Secretary Priti Patel said troublemakers would be handed a criminal record if they ignore the fines… Home Office officials say those who refuse to accept £100 on-the-spot fines will be arrested and taken to court….”

First of all, as the evidence proves, lockdowns DON’T WORK. The new regulations in Britain are just plain crazy and stupid. Then, in reading this abominable development, we must say: Welcome, “Great” Britain, to the dictatorships of China, Russia, North Korea, Nazi Germany, and former East Germany. Here we have now the perfect storm of spying on others, dictatorial autocratic nonsensical damaging governmental measures and the establishment of a police state. Democracy… gone forever!

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.

Sodom Now

When listening to the news on a typical day in the US right now, we hear about six to ten murders in several major cities, coupled with a dozen or so shootings. Recently, several young children have been killed as a result of the riots and turmoil. One was around eighteen months old. A senior lady walking on the street in the daytime was punched in the head and knocked to the ground for no apparent reason. A similar occurrence happened to a man hit with an object and knocked to the ground.  There are riots and protests every evening, and in some cities it has been going on for months with looting, violence and fires being set ablaze, destroying businesses, and as a result, several police officers have been killed and many more injured.

California and Oregon are having the worst forest fires in their history and there is chaos, hatred and violence everywhere.

It doesn’t seem to dawn on the mainstream media or on the nation that something is wrong here. The nation is under a curse for its sins.

One of the states is trying to introduce a law where sexually assaulting children would be legal as long as the child consents to it. They are trying to make pedophilia legal. Crime is up, violence is up, and there doesn’t seem to be any decrease in sight.

Satan is on the loose and having a hay day. I recently attended a wedding where the Anglican priest, performing the ceremony, is living in a “common law” relationship with his girlfriend who is also a priest and takes great pride in telling others she is a priest, all the while living in sin.  I take it, sin is in the Anglican church.

What an abomination and wrong example to set while there is absolutely no shame there. Laws are being introduced to abort babies up to and including the ninth month.

Israel sacrificed their newborn on the altar of Baal, something that did not even enter the mind of God.

Jeremiah 32:35 tells us: “And they built the high places of Baal which are in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire to Molech, which I did not command them, nor did it come into My mind that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin.”

You can be assured that killing the unborn did not enter into His mind either.

When Abraham was “negotiating” with Christ about how many righteous there were in Sodom, they settled on ten, even though Christ knew there was only one righteous, and that was Lot. 2 Peter 2:6-8 explains: “…and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly; and delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked  (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds)…”

Also, the whole city was corrupt and perverted since all the men were at the door of Lot’s house, including children, wanting to have sexual relations with the two angels inside the house who they thought were ordinary men.

Genesis 19:4 states: “Now before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both old and young, all the people from every quarter, surrounded the house.”

Undoubtedly, the women also approved of such conduct.

Now, one may argue that not everyone is perverted and wicked today. The problem is that what is going on is accepted by most. The thinking is, everyone to his own, and very few are crying out for people to repent of their sinning ways.

Romans 1:22-32 says:

“Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature.

“Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.”

As a result, the US and other English-speaking nations, including the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, are going down to destruction for their sins and perversions, and it puts a huge onus on us to cry out fervently to God: “Thy kingdom come!”…  and it  cannot be soon enough.

Current Events

by Norbert Link

We begin with Europe’s and Germany’s rise to power and their extremely troublesome dictatorial actions; speak on Iran’s and Turkey’s political and military ambitions; and continue with a hopelessly divided USA, with low marks for a “functioning” democracy.

We cover appalling developments in California; and we point out the incredibly stupid, but dangerous and ungodly governmental measures against the coronavirus in the entire world, including the USA, Israel and the UK.  

Please also note our new StandingWatch program, titled, “Satan Rules This World—Does He Rule You?” 

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

Is there a contradiction between 1 Kings 8:65 and 1 Kings 8:66?

In 1 Kings 8:65-66 we read: “At that time Solomon held a feast, and all Israel with him, a great assembly from the entrance of Hamath to the Brook of Egypt, before the Lord our God, seven days and seven more days—fourteen days.  On the eighth day he sent the people away; and they blessed the king, and went to their tents joyful and glad of heart for all the good that the Lord had done for His servant David, and for Israel His people.”

On the face of it, it speaks of “seven days and seven more days—fourteen days” and on “the eighth day he sent the people away.” How do we reconcile this—first it seemingly speaks of 14 days, and then it reverts back to the eighth day at the end of 14 days?

Some might see it as a contradiction, but if it was, the Bible would not be reliable and as we know, the Word of God is perfect, fitting together like a completed jigsaw puzzle and there is no contradiction here.

We read the following in the Benson Commentary:

“Before the temple, as in God’s presence. Seven days and seven days — Seven for the dedication of the temple, or altar; and the other seven for the feast of tabernacles. And it seems to be expressed in this manner, to intimate, that these fourteen days of rejoicing were not all together, but that there was some interval between them, which indeed was necessary, because the day of atonement was on the tenth day of this month…”

In the book of Leviticus chapter 23 we read the list of all of God’s Feast days.   God says in verse 2 “these are My feasts” from the weekly Sabbath right through all of the annual holy days that Israel was instructed to keep then and, by extension, the people of God still keep these same feast days today as opposed to the man-made and pagan holidays that are kept around the world.

In 2 Chronicles 7:8-10 we read: “At that time Solomon kept the feast seven days, and all Israel with him, a very great assembly from the entrance of Hamath to the Brook of Egypt.  And on the eighth day they held a sacred assembly, for they observed the dedication of the altar seven days, and the feast seven days.  On the twenty-third day of the seventh month he sent the people away to their tents, joyful and glad of heart for the good that the LORD had done for David, for Solomon, and for His people Israel.”

Continuing with the Benson Commentary: “And because these fourteen days ended on the twenty-second day, (2 Chronicles 7:10,) it may seem most probable, that the feast of the dedication was kept before the tenth day; and the feast of tabernacles some days after it. On the eighth day he sent the people away — Having joined with them in the solemn assembly, which was kept on the eighth day; in the close of that day he took his solemn farewell, and dismissed them with his blessing; and the next morning, when the heads and elders, with divers of the people, came to take their leave of the king, he sent them away.”

Remembering what we read in 2 Chronicles 7:8-10 and considering other Scriptures, we can summarize and conclude that there were 7 days for the dedication of the altar; the Day of Atonement is on the 10th day of the seventh month; there were 7 days for the Feast of Tabernacles, starting on the 15th of the month (Leviticus 23:34); and there was one day – the eighth day that follows the Feast of Tabernacles (Leviticus 23:36).

It follows therefore that the 7 days of dedication would have been at the beginning of the month before the 10th day which was the Day of Atonement. This would be followed by the Feast of Tabernacles from the 15th to the 21st of the month, followed by the 8th day (the 22nd day of the month). Then, on the 23rd day (compare again 2 Chronicles 7:10), the day following the 22nd day, Solomon sent the people away.

It all fits together to show how the two sets of 7 days were kept separately without any contradiction whatsoever, together with the day of Atonement and the 8th day, after the Feast of Tabernacles had finished.

The same explanation is given in Matthew Poole’s Commentary, Gill’s Exposition of the Whole Bible, Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary, Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers and other commentaries.

This example shows again that if we read the Scriptures with the right understanding, and without an intent to find fault, then there are no contradictions in God’s Holy Word, the Bible.

Lead Writer: Brian Gale (United Kingdom)

Preaching the Gospel and Feeding the Flock

compiled by Dave Harris

Here are the dates for the Fall Holy Days;

  • Feast of Trumpets… September 19, 2020
  • Day of Atonement… September 28, 2020
  • Feast of Tabernacles… October 3-9, 2020
  • Last Great Day… October 10, 2020

A new Member Letter (September 2020) has been written by Norbert Link, which will be posted and sent to our mailing list. This letter previews the coming fall Holy Days pointing to the destructive role of Satan as he relentlessly attacks God’s people and the promise of the return of Jesus Christ to put an end to all rebellion against God.

Satan Rules This World—Does He Rule You?” is the title of a new StandingWatch program, presented by Evangelist Norbert Link. Here is a summary:

Satan has been very busy. Many are falling for his evil devices. But God requires of us that we love and obey Him in everything. Through governmental restrictions under his influence, Satan is using the same tactic as he did when deceiving Eve in the Garden of Eden. Eve fell for it, and Adam followed his wife, convincing themselves that a “little” disobedience did not really matter. Far too many of God’s people are following today Adam and Eve’s bad example. Don’t you be one of them!

A Tech Team Meeting was conducted over SKYPE on Sunday, September 13, 2020. Hosted by Eric Rank, topics included completion and posting of a new Spanish language booklet, technical support for services during the Feast of Tabernacles, sermon titles and outlines for the Feast and support issues regarding images for publications.

“Gottes Botschaft muss heute verkündigt werden!” is the title of a new German sermon for the Feast of Trumpets, presented by Norbert Link. Title in English: “God’s Message Must Be Preached Today!”

“Verantwortung & Segen,” the sermonette presented last Sabbath in Germany by Daniel Blasinger, is now posted. Title in English: “Responsibility and Blessing.”

“A False Witness,” the sermonette presented last Sabbath by Dave Harris, is now posted. Here is a summary:

We are not to bear false witness, but do we by allowing our thoughts to be influenced by false accusations?

“What Counsel Do We Live By?” the sermon presented last Sabbath by Robb Harris, is now posted. Here is a summary:

It isn’t enough in God’s eyes that we simply rely on our own intuitions as a means of drawing closer to Him.  Self-will and self-determination alienate us from the Father.  Through the hierarchy of the Church, as initiated and led by Christ, we have a bridge to grow in the knowledge of God the Father.

The YouTube channel for the Church of the Eternal God presents past videos for StandingWatch programs along with sermonettes, sermons and promotional videos. These are also available on our website: www.eternalgod.org. Please also note new literature posted on our German and Spanish websites.

 

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