The Update

On October 5, 2024, Paul Niehoff will present the sermonette, titled, “A Peculiar Treasure,” and Brian Gale will present the sermon titled, “The Power and Might of 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.

FEAST OF TRUMPETS:

On October 3, 2024, Kalon Mitchell presented the Offertory, titled, “Snakes,” and Norbert Link presented the sermon, titled, “God’s Warning to the Nations (Feast of Trumpets 2024).”

DAY OF ATONEMENT:

On October 12 is the Day of Atonement. The offertory will be given by Eric Rank, and the sermon will be given by Dave Harris.

PLEASE NOTE: Due to observance of the Fall Holy Days, we will not publish the Update again until November 7, 2024.

Paul conveys these familiar words in Philippians 4:13, stating, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” 

Paul knew that ANYTHING was possible when leaving matters in God’s hands, no matter what difficulties he encountered. He also respected the fact that God was in complete control over his life, even though he prayed continuously for God to intervene when it came to his physical ailments. God answered by not healing him at times. That, however, didn’t discourage him as he admitted that through this physical weakness, he was strong (2 Corinthians 12:7-10), knowing that it was God who strengthened him in his weakness.

Having a sound mind with the help of God’s Holy Spirit is what sets us apart from the rest of the world.“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7).

Paul also tells us in Ephesians 6:10 that we need to “be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.” 

David also understood this, and he faced many difficult trials as well. He pleaded with God with fasting and prayer and knew that he had to change. He was not too proud to admit that he sinned when he recognized it, and he bitterly repented. He was still punished at times, but God accepted his repentance, and he was forgiven. After all, he was a man after God’s own heart. His heart was in the right place. He loved God’s Law and he received strength from God as he indicated in Psalms 27:1: “The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?” 

He couldn’t rely on just his physical strength and abilities for that is only temporary, but that which is spiritual, is everlasting. It is vital that we in the Church of God are of one mind—to be unified with God and with one another.

To be truly unified, we are to “speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among [us], but that [we] be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment” (1 Corinthians 1:10.) We NEED to be of ONE mind (1 Peter 3:8). Romans 12:16 adds that we need to be of the same mind with one another and that we are not to be wise in our own opinion. If we think that we can make it on our own, saying that we don’t need the Church or the ministry, that we don’t need to keep God’s Law and just do what we believe is correct in our own eyes, WE WILL FAIL. Proverbs 3:5-6 reveals in whom we are to put our trust; and yes, God will direct our paths when we DO just that. 

But God also provides help because we are not alone. Who can understand the Bible without direction, explanation, and guidance? This is how God provides help for the purpose of teaching (compare Ephesians 4:11-13; Acts 20:28).  We need God’s ministry to be taught (Romans 10:14). But, we need to be of one mind.  How can two walk together unless they are agreed (Amos 3:3)?

To be truly unified, we must have humility (Philippians 2:1-8), we must have peace (Ephesians 4:3), and we must have love which is the bond of perfection (Colossians 3:14.)  Verses 12 and 13 elaborate on what we need to do to have that bond of perfection.

Through unity of like mind, we receive strength. God will strengthen us when we are unified with Him and with one another. We must allow God to help us when we go through difficult times and we must not take for granted what God has given us. Let’s really think about what His purpose is for us — why we are here, what we are commissioned to do. We must all do our part individually and as a whole. Together in unity, together in strength! 

by Norbert Link

We begin with an extraordinary admission that hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens who have been convicted of murder, rape and other capital crimes, are running loose in the USA.

We continue with the volatile situation in the Middle East, and Israel’s fight for survival. In this regard, please view our new program, titled, “Israel’s Countless Enemies—Comments on News and Prophecy, September 28, 2024.”

We address further developments pertaining to the war between Russia and Ukraine. Please view our StandingWatch program, titled “Nuclear War with Russia?”.

We speak on the sex scandals within the Catholic Church.  Please view our new StandingWatch program, titled, “Scandals and Falsehoods in the Catholic Church.”

We conclude with focusing on elections in Austria and Germany.

13,099 Illegal Immigrants Convicted of Homicide Loose on the Streets

Fox News wrote on September 27:

“Tens of thousands of illegal immigrants with sex offenses and homicide convictions are loose on the streets, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) data provided to lawmakers this week… The data, as of July 2024, is broken down by those in detention, and those who are not in detention — known as the non-detained docket.  The non-detained docket includes illegal immigrants who have final orders of removal or are going through removal proceedings but are not detained in ICE custody. There are currently more than 7 million people on that docket. The data says that, among those not in detention, there are 425,431 convicted criminals and 222,141 with pending criminal charges.

“Those include 62,231 convicted of assault, 14,301 convicted of burglary, 56,533 with drug convictions and 13,099 convicted of homicide. An additional 2,521 have kidnapping convictions and 15,811 have sexual assault convictions. 

“There are an additional 1,845 with pending homicide charges, 42,915 with assault charges, 3,266 with burglary charges and 4,250 with assault charges…”

Trump has been ridiculed and maligned for consistently stating that many illegal aliens entering the USA are murderers and rapists. After all, he was right. The actual numbers might be much higher than the ones listed above.

Convicted Illegal Immigrants in the USA

CBS News wrote on September 30:

“… a letter U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement [which was] recently shared with Texas Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales… contained figures on immigrants with criminal records being tracked by ICE but not detained by the agency… many of the convicted criminals described in the letter have been in the U.S. for a long time, before the Biden administration took office, according to government data and officials. Some are still in federal or state custody serving criminal sentences and are likely to be arrested by ICE. And others cannot be deported because their home countries won’t take them back or they received legal relief from deportation in immigration court.

“… The number of non-detained docket cases has ballooned under the Biden administration, fueled by the release of millions of migrants from the U.S.-Mexico border in recent years. ICE is currently tracking roughly 7.7 million non-detained cases, up from 3.3 million in fiscal year 2020…

“ICE efforts to arrest immigrants accused or convicted of crimes are often frustrated by jurisdictions with so-called ‘sanctuary’ policies that limit local law enforcement cooperation with federal immigration authorities. Some communities, for example, do not honor requests from ICE to hold individuals longer so the agency can pick them up and take them into custody… ICE sometimes has to release immigrants who have been ordered deported by a judge, often because of a criminal conviction, simply because their home country won’t accept them. Additionally, some immigrants, even those convicted of serious crimes, can have their deportation deferred if immigration judges determine they would likely be tortured or persecuted in their home countries…”

The End of Democracy?

Media ITE wrote on September 29:

“Elon Musk claimed Sunday that electing former President Donald Trump in November is the ‘only way’ to save the country from the tyranny of Democrats and illegal migrants. He wrote on X:

“‘Very few Americans realize that, if Trump is NOT elected, this will be the last election. Far from being a threat to democracy, he is the only way to save it! Let me explain: if even 1 in 20 illegals become citizens per year, something that the Democrats are expediting as fast as humanly possible, that would be about 2 million new legal voters in 4 years. The voting margin in the swing states is often less than 20 thousand votes. That means if the “Democratic” Party succeeds, there will be no more swing states!! Moreover, the Biden/Harris administration has been flying “asylum seekers”, who are fast-tracked to citizenship, directly into swing states like Pennsylvania, Ohio, Wisconsin and Arizona. It is a surefire way to win every election.

“‘America then becomes a one-party state and Democracy is over. The only “elections” will be the Democratic Party primaries. This already happened in California many years ago, following the 1986 amnesty. The only thing holding California back from extreme socialism and suffocating government policies is that people can leave California and still remain in America. Once the whole country is controlled by one party, there will be no escape. Everywhere in America will be like the nightmare that is downtown San Francisco.’”

This is a frightening but not improbable scenario. California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill Sunday that will bar local authorities from requiring photo ID to vote.

“Ridiculous ‘Fact Check’ of a True Statement During CBS Vance-Walz VP Debate”

The Editorial Board of the New York Post wrote on October 1:

“Sen. JD Vance was accurately describing the migrant crisis fueled by Kamala Harris and Joe Biden when CBS moderator Margaret Brennan decided to insert herself with a ‘fact check.’ ‘Just to clarify for our viewers, Springfield, Ohio does have a large number of Haitian migrants who have legal status,’ she said smugly.

“Vance was rightly annoyed by the interruption and said, ‘The rules were that you guys weren’t going to fact-check, and since you’re fact-checking me, I think it’s important to say what’s actually going on.’ He then proceeded to truthfully, forcefully explain what ‘legal status’ means: ‘So there’s an application called the CBP One app, where you can go on as an illegal migrant, apply for asylum or apply for parole, and be granted legal status at the wave of a Kamala Harris open border wand.’ At which point CBS decided to CUT OFF HIS MIC.

“This was the most shameful moment in a long history of shameful moments by moderators biased against Republicans. They ‘fact-checked’ the truth, then stopped the politician from responding. It was made all the more partisan by the fact that when Gov. Tim Walz told the howler that ‘illegal border crossings are down compared to when Donald Trump left office,’ which is not even close to true, no one let out of a peep. Some ‘facts’ are too good to check…

“What Vance was explaining is absolutely, verifiably correct. There is no congressional authorization for the Biden-Harris administration to simply allow 1,000 people a day, 365,000 a year, to just walk across the border. Moreover, asylum law requires that seekers apply in the first safe country they enter. The White House is ignoring that rule. Venezuelans can walk through a half-dozen nations where they could apply for asylum, and they still let them apply here. They aren’t required to remain in Mexico while their applications are processed, as former President Donald Trump required…

“So yes, the Haitians of Springfield have ‘legal status.’ But that’s only because Kamala Harris and Joe Biden are ignoring the law.”

That was by far not the only problem with the moderators of the Vance-Walz debate. Tim Walz was not taken to task when he incorrectly claimed that he did not sign a bill allowing abortions after birth; no questions were asked about his falsified record as a soldier; and no really pertinent questions were even asked about Russia and Ukraine.

Worse yet, they brought up the January 6 incident, falsely claiming that all courts had ruled that there was no evidence of fraud. The truth is, most courts did not even address the substance of the case—they dismissed causes of actions on procedural grounds such as lack of standing—and the few courts which did address substance limited their judgments to strictly local occurrences in a particular state, but not the USA as a whole. The verdict on HOW much the election was rigged is still out. It has been rightly observed that the Vance-Walz debate was again three against one (as had been the case in the previous debate between Trump and Harris). Still, it has been overwhelmingly stated that Vance won the debate.

The Costs of the Port Strike

inc.com wrote on October 2:

“Analysts at J.P. Morgan calculated that the strike that shut down ports from Maine to Texas could cost the U.S. economy between $3.8 billion to $4.5 billion for each day they remain closed. Roughly 45,000 dock workers walked off the job at 36 ports when the clock struck midnight on Tuesday when their contract expired. Negotiations have reportedly stalled for months over wages… For each day the workers strike, estimates suggest that supply chains could face an additional five to seven days of congestion as goods are rerouted to open ports in other regions of the country, namely the West Coast. Assuming those ports stay open…

“Many are concerned that the snarled supply chains the nation experienced in 2021 could resurface, along with the price increases that such disruptions may bring. Goods such as bananas, cherries, chocolate, and alcohol could be in short supply if the strike becomes protracted… As of now, Biden has chosen not to step in. The president, who has been a vocal advocate for labor unions over the years, called on USMX to raise workers’ wages. It’s unclear when both parties will next return to the bargaining table.”

That is one way of destroying the US economy.

Fortunately, The New York Post wrote on October 3:

“The three-day longshorseman strike that sparked panic in the US over potential supply chain issues is set to end immediately as dock workers and port operators reached a tentative deal, representatives for each group said Thursday.

The strike — which snarled incoming shipments at dozens of ports stretching from Maine to Texas — will end at least until Jan. 15 after the Internation Longshoremen’s Association, the union representing 45,000 dockworkers, and the US Maritime Alliance, which represents shippers and port operators, reached a tentative deal on wage increases… Dockworkers will see an approximately 62% wage hike over six years under the new deal… The union had been asking for a 77% raise.”

But this is apparently only temporary, and much damage has already been done. In addition, Fortune wrote on September 29 that “Total damages and economic loss from Hurricane Helene could reach $110 billion.”

It is clear that God is not blessing the USA.

Abbas Attacks Israel

Israel Today wrote on September 27:

“In an address to the U.N. General Assembly on Thursday morning, Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas called the holiest Jewish site—the Temple Mount in Jerusalem—the ‘exclusive property of Muslims’ and referred to Israel as a ‘terrorist state’ that does not deserve membership in the United Nations…

“He also referred to Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir as a terrorist for calling for a Third Temple to be built on the mount.”

A Third Temple will be built on the Temple Mount, prior to Christ’s return, as the Bible clearly reveals. The evidence is indisputable. 

Netanyahu Attacks UN, Iran Before Strike on Beirut

The New York Post wrote on September 27:

“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denounced the United Nations General Assembly as a ‘swamp of antisemitic bile’ during a fiery address Friday morning…  He also called the organization an ‘anti-Israel flat-earth society.’ The Likud party leader slammed the International Criminal Court’s allegations that Israel has deliberately targeted civilians in Gaza as the product of ‘profound moral confusion.’

“He called out the Iranian government for backing terror groups, including Hamas, and mentioned how Tehran directly attacked Israel for the first time in April this year. Netanyahu repeatedly emphasized Israel’s nearly year-long struggle in a war that now involves multiple fronts, as Hezbollah, the Houthis and militants in Syria and Iraq renewed their efforts against the Jewish state in response to the Gaza war…

“Shortly after Netanyahu’s speech, Israel rained down missiles on Hezbollah’s headquarters in Beirut, marking its most powerful attack on the group to date.  The explosions marked a serious escalation and came weeks after Israel confirmed that the focus of its war effort was shifting from Gaza to Lebanon. Netanyahu’s office circulated an image of the prime minister on the phone approving the strike on the Lebanese capital.”

Hezbollah Leader Killed

The U.S. Sun wrote on September 28:

“HEZBOLLAH leader Hassan Nasrallah has been killed in a massive missile blitz on Lebanon. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) announced that Friday’s fighter jet blitz successfully eliminated the terror group’s Secretary-General…

“The death of Nasrallah, considered by many to be the single most powerful individual in Lebanon, is a pivotal moment for Israel – and has sparked fears of wider escalation. Ali Karki, the Commander of Hezbollah’s Southern Front, is also believed to have been killed alongside Nasrallah in the strikes on Friday. Israel also claims to have wiped out several other Hezbollah officials including Muhammad Ali Ismail, the commander of Hezbollah’s missile unit in southern Lebanon, in the blasts. His deputy and ‘other senior officials’ were also taken out.”

Intervention of Outside Powers?

The New York Post wrote on September 28:

“Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei urged the Muslim world to ‘stand by’ Lebanon and Hezbollah.

“The international community has expressed concern that these bombings in Lebanon would inevitably lead to an even wider war in the Middle East…

“ ‘Shockwaves radiating from the unprecedented death and destruction in Gaza now threaten to push the entire region into the abyss,’ UN Secretary-General Antonio Gutierez told the Security Council Friday.  ‘War in Lebanon could lead to further escalation involving outside powers.’”

Fox News wrote on September 28:

“… the immediate question is not whether Iran will respond, but how. Hezbollah is a creation of the Islamic Republic, built on decades of effort, and billions of dollars of support… The relationship between Iran’s supreme leader… Khamenei and Hezbollah’s secretary-general, Hassan Nasrallah, was almost familial – akin to that of father and son…

“Iran’s leadership cannot simply sit back while Hezbollah endures these levels of humiliation and harm. To do so would not only result in the weakening or loss of its most important proxy, but could signal the start of the unraveling of its entire regional strategy of eradicating the state of Israel, empowering Islamist groups, and expelling U.S. forces from the Middle East….”

Ultimately, Israel will receive a wound—prior to the Great Tribulation. This is apparently some kind of a defeat in war.

Reactions:

The Algemeiner and Reuters wrote on September 28:

“The following are reactions by regional politicians and others to the killing of Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut on Friday:

“IRAN’S FOREIGN MINISTRY: The ministry said in a statement that Nasrallah’s ‘path will continue and his goal will be realized in Jerusalem’s liberation’.

“YEMEN’S IRAN-ALIGNED HOUTHIS: The group said it mourned the killing of Nasrallah, adding: ‘The martyrdom … will increase the strength of sacrifice … determination and continuity.’

“MOHAMMED SHIA AL-SUDANI, IRAQ’S PRIME MINISTER: He said the killing of Nasrallah showed ‘the reckless desire to expand the conflict at the expense of all the peoples of the region and their security and stability.’

“HERZI HALEVI, ISRAEL’S CHIEF OF THE GENERAL STAFF: Nasrallah indiscriminately murdered Israeli civilians and aimed to end this war with the destruction of the State of Israel. We made sure that did not occur. We eliminated him, and we will continue to grow stronger. Hezbollah has murdered innocent people worldwide, hiding his weapons under the homes of families, women and children and turning them into human shields. As we have shown, we will not allow such a threat to our citizens. We are determined to continue destroying the Hezbollah terrorist organization and to keep fighting.’

“MOQTADA EL SADR, IRAQI SHI’ITE MUSLIM POLITICIAN: He said he mourned Nasrallah as ‘his companion in resistance’.

“GEBRAN BASSIL, LEADING LEBANESE CHRISTIAN POLITICIAN: He said he mourned the death of Nasrallah as a major loss and said it was a hard time for all Lebanese, adding: ‘In the face of the Israeli enemy, we have no choice but to be together as Lebanese.’

“MICHEL AOUN, FORMER LEBANESE PRESIDENT: In a statement mourning Nasrallah, he referred to ‘the dangers our country is witnessing as a result of the ongoing Israeli aggression which requires rising to the highest level of national solidarity that protects and fortifies our unity because that is the true salvation’.

“SAAD AL-HARIRI, FORMER LEBANESE PRIME MINISTER: The assassination of Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has plunged Lebanon and the region into a new phase of violence. It is a cowardly act condemned in its entirety by us, who paid dearly for the lives of our loved ones when assassination became an alternative to politics. May God have mercy on Sayyed Hassan and my sincere condolences to his family and comrades. We often disagreed with the deceased and his party and met a few times, but Lebanon was everyone’s tent. In this extremely difficult phase, our unity and solidarity remain the foundation.’

“TURKISH PRESIDENT TAYYIP ERDOGAN: In a post on X after the killing of Nasrallah but which did not name him, Erdogan said he condemned recent attacks in Lebanon as part of what he called an Israeli policy of ‘genocide, occupation, and invasion’ and said the Muslim world should show a more ‘determined’ stance.”

The Times of Israel added on September 28:

“Russia also criticized Israel for killing Nasrallah, with a statement from the country’s foreign ministry saying it ‘decisively condemn[s] the latest political murder carried out by Israel’ and ‘once again insistently urge[s] Israel to immediately cease military action.’”

The Lebanese unite against Israel. And what Russian hypocrisy! Controversial German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (the Greens) stated that the elimination of Hassan Nasrallah was not necessary for Isarel’s security.

It is also shocking to see that large parts of the left-wing mass media in the USA and Europe portray mass murderer and terrorist Nasrallah as a somewhat sympathetic figure. For instance, the New York Times wrote falsely that Nasrallah was a “gifted orator” who “maintained that there should be one Palestine with equality for Muslims, Jews and Christians.” The truth is, he wanted Israel destroyed and obliterated.

USA Didn’t Succeed  

AFP wrote on September 28:

“EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell voiced regret Friday that no power, including the United States, can ‘stop;… Netanyahu,  saying he appears determined to crush militants in Gaza and Lebanon… Borrell said Netanyahu has made clear that the Israelis ‘don’t stop until Hezbollah is destroyed,’ much as in its nearly year-old campaign in Gaza against fellow Iranian-backed militant group Hamas. ‘If the interpretation of being destroyed is the same as with Hamas, then we are going to go for a long war,’ Borrell said…

“The outgoing EU foreign affairs chief [said;]  ‘We cannot rely just on the US. The US tried several times; they didn’t succeed…’”

The rift between Europe and the USA, even under Biden and now Harris, is widening.

Israeli Strikes Continue

Daily Mail wrote on September 28:

“Israel launched fresh strikes on Beirut again this afternoon after killing Hezbollah boss Hassan Nasrallah and a senior Iranian commander in an attack on Friday that has rocked the region and threatens drastic escalation. The Israeli military said late Saturday afternoon it had carried out an air strike in the Dahieh area of Beirut – the same district targeted in the strike on Hezbollah’s headquarters in the city yesterday. 

“Israeli military chief Herzi Halevi acknowledged that ‘challenging days await’ for Israel after confirming the death of Hezbollah’s secretary-general, with Iran and Hezbollah’s allies vowing revenge… Israel defended its operations in Lebanon today, amid growing pressure from its allies to de-escalate, claiming that it had thwarted a Hezbollah plot to carry out an attack similar to October 7.”

The Sun wrote on September 30:

“ISRAELI special forces have stormed Hezbollah tunnels inside Lebanon as Netanyahu warns there’s nowhere Israel cannot reach. Military bosses have massed tanks and 13,000 reservists at its northern border with Lebanon to pave the way for a bloody showdown with Hezbollah terror troops…. The IDF’s elite troops have carried out raids in southern Lebanon ahead of the possible invasion.”

Can Israel Succeed?

The Sun wrote on September 29:

“Analysts said terror group Hezbollah are ready for a ‘fight to the death’ against Israel should they invade – with Iran ready to pounce and send the region into chaos… Israel’s daily rocket barrages on Beirut are believed to be a clever ploy from the IDF to help begin their ground invasion into southern Lebanon… [Israel] has left the terror group in chaos after it eliminated dozens of their leaders – paving the way for an Israeli invasion. IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi has already made it clear that the attacks on Lebanon have been tactically done to open up opportunities for the military to enter…

“But… despite the IDF outnumbering, outgunning and potentially outsmarting Hezbollah a complete offensive will be a tricky task to pull off. Despite being severely weakened by the rocket strikes Hezbollah are still a scary prospect after decades of training and Iranian funding…

“In the short term, Israel may be able to push Hezbollah and Iran back with their impressive battlefield skills and range of weapons. But many fear that their dominance won’t last long in the region – potentially triggering a war involving global powers…”

Ultimately, foreign powers WILL invade and conquer the state of Israel.

Israel Strikes Yemen

Express wrote on September 29:

“Israel has launched an all-out air assault on Yemen’s Houthis striking targets in a raid using dozens of aircraft. The IDF confirmed that the strike was the most powerful against the terror group since it joined the widening Middle East war following the October 7 attack in Israel last year. The targets of the strikes were oil reserves in Ras Issa and also the port of Hodeidah, according to Israeli army sources. Additionally, power plants were also struck in the devastating attacks carried out by  Israel’s air force…

“The strikes appear to be in retaliation for attacks on Israel carried out by the Houthis last week. Three missiles were fired at Tel Aviv and central areas of the country, following Israel’s bombardment of Lebanon…”

Israel is fighting on numerous fronts. In the long run, it will be extremely difficult to continue doing so.

Iran Attacks Israel

The Daily Mail wrote on October 1:

“The Israeli military has announced that missiles have been launched from Iran into Israel tonight – with the Islamic Republic ignoring warnings that any such attack would invite ‘severe consequences’. Air raid sirens sounded as dozens of missiles began raining down on Israel, with some dramatically exploding into flames as they appeared to strike areas of Tel Aviv, Israel’s capital. As the sustained attack continued into the night sky, other missiles exploded in the air as they were intercepted by Israel’s defence systems. 

“… Israel was expecting ballistic missiles to be launched by Iran this evening in yet another major escalation that leaves the Middle East on the brink of an all-out war. These can reach their targets in just 12 minutes…

“Israeli media are reporting that [about 200] missiles have been fired into Israel – after Iran vowed on Saturday that Israel’s assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah would be avenged…

“It comes as:  Hezbollah launched rocket attacks on towns and cities across Israel; IDF claimed to have conducted cross-border raids on southern Lebanon; Israeli airstrikes continue to devastate targets across Lebanon and Syria; Lebanon… appealed for $400 million in humanitarian aid…

“President Joe Biden said the United States was prepared to help Israel defend itself from Iranian missile attacks and to protect American military in the region…”

However, Biden also said that Israel should not attack Iran’s nuclear sites in retaliation. But many feel that Israel will have to do something. At the same time, Israel lost eight IDF soldiers in Southern Lebanon’s Ground Offensive who were killed by Hezbollah.

Zelenskyy and Trump Meet

The Associated Press wrote on September 27:

“Ukrainian President Zelenskyy met face-to-face with Donald Trump  Friday with public tensions rising between the two over Ukraine’s defense against Russia’s invasion… Trump has for months criticized U.S. support for Ukraine and derided Zelenskyy as a ‘salesman’ for persuading Washington to provide weapons and funding to his military as it tries to fend off Moscow…

“In an interview with The New Yorker that was published earlier this week, Zelenskyy implied Trump does not understand and oversimplifies the conflict. The Ukrainian leader said Trump’s running mate JD Vance was ‘too radical’ and has essentially advocated for Ukraine to ‘make a sacrifice’ by ‘giving up its territories.’…”

Zelenskyy stated that both he and Trump agree that Putin “cannot win the war.”  It is unclear what is meant by that phrase. If the intention was to say that he must not win the war, that would be one thing; if it was meant to say that Putin will be unable to win the war, then that would be illusionary. Note the next article.

Ukraine Should Be Talking About Peace

The Ron Paul Institute added on September 28:

“Russia is gaining territory quickly because Ukraine is low on manpower. No amount of NATO technology or weaponry is going to help this fundamental weakness.  This is the reality in Ukraine; they are losing the war… Zelensky is dead-set on getting permission to use US and European long range missile systems against targets deep within Russia… So far the Biden Administration has refrained from supporting the long range option, but has offered another $8 billion in support.  Under a Trump presidency, the money train is likely to stop abruptly.

“Zelensky has offered no practical measures for negotiations, arguing that concessions are off the table.  Furthermore, he claims that peace is only possible once Ukraine has taken back all territory seized by Russia, including Crimea which was annexed in 2014.  He then demanded that Russia pay for Ukraine’s reconstruction and that Putin and a multitude of other Russian officials be handed over to be tried for war crimes.  This is never going to happen.

“The core of Ukraine’s victory plan relies on long range strikes using NATO guided missiles and acceptance into NATO.  Both factors at this stage would cause WWIII…

“Many officials within the US and Europe have given Zelensky delusions of grandeur about his chances, perhaps because they want the war to grind on forever.  These same officials have hinted consistently that they will not accept a Ukrainian loss.   Regardless of what side people think should win, the fact is that Russia is the inevitable victor according to all the evidence on hand…. The longer the war goes on the greater the chances of a powder keg moment and a direct confrontation between Russia and NATO.  Ukraine should not be talking about ‘victory’, that time has come and gone. They should be talking about peace.”

The Western press keeps repeating the mantra that Ukraine is winning the war. This is not supported by the facts. In any event, Russia and Ukraine will unite, no matter who “wins” the war.

Europe Prepared for a Suicide Venture?

Newsweek wrote on September 28:

“Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov… issued a new nuclear warning during the… (U.N.) General Assembly on Saturday…   NATO leaders have increasingly warned that direct conflict with Moscow is a realistic danger as it has more nuclear warheads than any other country…  Lavrov… warned Washington, D.C. as well as London to prepare for a ‘suicide venture’ pointing out the ‘pointlessness and danger of the very idea to fight to victory with a nuclear power like Russia.’

“‘A goal has been declared to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia – almost like London and Washington planned in May 1945 as they developed “Operation Unthinkable” on destruction of the Soviet Union even before the end of World War II. Back then, it was a closely held secret. The Anglo-Saxon strategists of today, however, make no secret of their intentions. So far, they expect to defeat Russia with the hands of the illegitimate neo-Nazi Kiev regime, but they already prepare Europe to leap into a suicide venture as well,’ Lavrov said.”

Again, none of these Russian warnings should be taken lightly.

Belgium Unhappy with Pope and Catholic Church

The Associated Press wrote on September 27:

“Belgium’s prime minister blasted Pope Francis for the Catholic Church’s horrific legacy of clerical sex abuse and cover-ups here, demanding ‘concrete steps’ to come clean with the past and put victims’ interests ahead those of the institution in a blistering welcome at the start of Francis’ visit on Friday.

“The speech by Prime Minister Alexander De Croo was one of the most pointed ever directed at the pope during a foreign trip, where the genteel dictates of diplomatic protocol usually keeps outrage out of the public remarks. But even King Philippe had strong words for Francis, demanding the church work ‘incessantly’ to atone for the crimes and help victims heal.

“Their tone underscored just how raw the abuse scandal still is in Belgium, where two decades of revelations of abuse and systematic cover-ups have devastated the hierarchy’s credibility and contributed to an overall decline in Catholicism and the influence of the once-powerful Catholic Church…

“The prime minister, king and pope also referred to a new church-related scandal rocking Belgium, over so-called ‘forced adoptions,’ which echoed earlier revelations about Ireland’s so-called mother and baby homes.  After World War II and through the 1980s, many single mothers were forced by the Belgian church into offering their newborns up for adoption. Often they barely saw their babies before nuns took them away, and the babies were then placed for adoption, with money changing hands. For those adopted, it is close to impossible now to find out who their birth mothers were, since the records have long ago disappeared.

“Francis said he was ‘saddened’ to learn of these practices, but said such criminality was ‘mixed in with what was unfortunately the prevailing view in all parts of society at this time… Many believed in conscience that they were doing something good for both the child and the mother,’ he said, referring to the social stigma of an unwed mother in a Catholic country… [it is estimated] it affected up to 30,000 babies…”

These scandals in the Catholic Church are as old as the Catholic Church, and they will continue. Only at times, the tip of the iceberg reaches the surface, but one can only imagine what is all going on in the abyss below.

The Catholic Church’s New Seven Capital Sins

FSSPX News wrote on September 30:

“Here is the [new] list of [capital] sins, as the Synod document describes them:

• Sin against peace
• Sin against creation, against indigenous populations, against migrants
• Sin of abuse
• Sin against women, family, youth
• Sin of using doctrine as stones to be hurled
• Sin against poverty
• Sin against synodality / lack of listening, communion, and participation of all

“Some of them are too general and can cover many situations: the sin against poverty can be a lack of assistance to the poor, or even wastefulness. The sin against the family can cover divorce, contraception, abortion, surrogacy… The latter is also a sin against surrogate women, a kind of slavery.

“It is curious that there is a sin against youth, but no sin against old age: euthanasia is already rife in many countries, and seeks to spread to every continent. As for the sin of abuse, it’s a vast spectrum: abuse through physical violence, sexual violence, abuse of power, abuse of corporate assets.

“… it should be noted that these sins reflect the preoccupations of a Pope who has a personal conception of certain current issues, and who often comes to forget the essentials because of this bias…

“As for the sin against migrants, it has taken on an increasingly sharp tone recently, to the point of asserting that turning away migrants is a grave sin. This would only be conceivable in cases of grave danger to the migrant’s life…

“But the one that appears most strikingly strange is the last one: ‘Sin against synodality’ or ‘lack of listening, communion, and participation of all.’… Should we see this as an accusation against bishops—and possibly priests—who defend episcopal power and refuse to see it diluted in the ‘common priesthood’ of the faithful? Should we see it as a ‘landmine’ prepared for participants in the synodal Assembly who wish to reject what is being cunningly prepared in this Synod? Should we anticipate a forthcoming sin ‘against democracy in the Church’, which would be nothing more than a negation of the hierarchical structure that Christ willed for the supernatural society He founded? But doesn’t this sin against synodality already savor of that? It certainly does. And that is undoubtedly why it’s on this list…”

Austria in the News

NBC News wrote on September 28, BEFORE the election on Sunday:

“Politics in a central European country of just 10 million people might not seem consequential. But that’s not the case in Austria, where there’s a good chance its election Sunday will be won by a far-right, pro-Russia party… A win for the Freedom Party, or FPÖ, would not just have historical connotations — Austria was the birthplace of Adolf Hitler — it could tilt the balance of power between Russia and the West...

“The FPÖ is led by Herbert Kickl, 55, a wiry, acerbic provocateur in designer glasses. He has been branded as ‘Volkskanzler’ or ‘People’s Chancellor,’ by his party, a term most associated with the Nazis who used it to describe Hitler. Indeed the FPÖ was founded in the 1950s by former members of Hiter’s paramilitary group the SS, although Kickl and his supporters reject the modern-day comparison…

“Kickl’s vision is to build  ‘Fortress Austria’ and ‘Fortress Europe,’ as he put it during a debate on Austrian public television Thursday night. That would involve a dramatic overhaul of Austria’s immigration system, registering all new arrivals and detaining them in specialist facilities. The party is also proposing to introduce ‘remigration’ of ‘unwanted strangers’ — deporting migrants to their country of origin.

“… the FPÖ’s influence could extend far beyond its own borders. It has for years been sympathetic toward Russia, not just calling for an end to Europe’s support for Ukraine but also advocating an end to the sanctions placed on Russia over its war. In 2016, party leader Heinz-Christian Strache signed a formal ‘cooperation pact’ with Putin’s United Russia party…“It has been a junior coalition partner before,  but crashed out in 2019 after Strache was secretly recorded offering to fix government contracts with a woman posing as the relative of a Russian oligarch…

“This time, an FPÖ-led Austria could form a Ukraine-skeptical bloc with like-minded neighbors, Slovakia and Hungary, the latter led by Trump ally Victor Orban… Its election would be the latest chapter in a rightward lurch across Europe, with voters rejecting mainstream centrists not just over immigration and the economy, but the environment and so-called ‘culture war’ issues, too… A coalition is almost certain —  not an easy task when the FPÖ is so vilified by opponents.”

In 1970, Jörg Haider became the leader of the FPÖ youth movement and headed it until 1974. Haider rose rapidly through the party ranks. In 1972, at the age of 22, he was already a well-established leader and was made party affairs manager of the Carinthian FPÖ in 1976. In early 2000, FPÖ leader Jörg Haider made a deal with the conservative Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP) to form a coalition government.

Haider had been in line to become Austrian chancellor. But strong international pressure convinced both parties to give the chancellor post to the ÖVP. Haider stepped down as FPÖ chief in February 2000. Just 13 days after the elections in 2008,  Haider died in a mysterious car crash in southern Austria. His wife claimed that foul play was involved.

It has been reported that Kickl had been the speech writer for Haider, and also for his successor, Heinz-Christian Strache.

The FPÖ Wins!

Deutsche Welle wrote on September 29:

“Austria’s far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ) has scored a historic victory, winning the country’s parliamentary election for the first time. According to the preliminary official results, the FPÖ garnered 29.2% of votes, followed by Chancellor Karl Nehammer’s center-right conservative ÖVP with 26.48%… The FPÖ now has the most seats in the new Austrian parliament. Turnout stood at 74.9%, slightly down from the previous election in 2019…

“On Sunday evening, FPÖ leader Herbert Kickl said his party was ready to negotiate with other political forces… Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen also told political parties to hold talks to form a government... Chancellor Nehammer (ÖVP) conceded defeat by Sunday evening…

“Despite the far-right party’s historic victory, it does not have enough seats to form a government on its own and would require a coalition. The Social Democrats already ruled out such an agreement, but the ÖVP has not…

“The head of Germany’s far-right AfD party, Alice Weidel, congratulated FPÖ after the projections were published. The German party… shares large elements of its ideology with FPÖ…

“During the campaign, Nehammer sought to portray FPÖ’s Kickl as a toxic extremist and said he would not be working with him, but signaled the conservatives could cooperate with the FPÖ as a whole. On Sunday, the incumbent chancellor doubled down on his rejection of Kickl…

“The far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ) has been in government several times but it has never topped a national vote before Sunday… Under [Kickl’s] abrasive leadership, the party… has seen its popularity rebound on voter anger and anxieties over COVID restrictions, migration, inflation and the Ukraine war…”

Newsmax added on September 29:

“Austrian voters handed a first-ever general election victory to the far-right Freedom Party (FPO) on Sunday… underlining rising support for hard-right parties in Europe fueled by concern over immigration levels…. The FPO victory [makes] Austria the latest EU country to register surging far-right support after gains in countries including the Netherlands, France and Germany.”

Politics Made in Germany

Deutsche Welle wrote on September 28:

“The parliament in the eastern German state of Thuringia elected Thadäus König of the conservative … CDU  as its new speaker on Saturday. The speaker presides over the parliament and has the power to call lawmakers to session at any moment… König was competing for the speakership against a nominee from the… AfD, Wiebke Muhsal. König was able to secure a majority of 54 out of 88 total seats, which included members of center and far-left parties.  It comes after the AfD placed first in the September 1 regional election in Thuringia, garnering almost 33% of the vote. The CDU, meanwhile, came in second in that election with almost 24% of the vote. 

“As a result of the September 1 vote, the AfD managed to win over a third of all seats in Thuringia’s parliament. The AfD thus had priority in putting forward a parliamentary speaker candidate, although the other parties vowed to block the far-right nominee for the post…

“The CDU… turned to Thuringia’s constitutional court. The court ruled against the AfD, paving the way for the CDU to put forward König as its speaker candidate… The CDU is currently trying to form a government in Thuringia, bypassing the AfD. In order to form a ruling coalition in the state, the CDU is negotiating with the center-left… SPD  and the left-wing populist, anti-immigration… BSW.” 

The constant attempts by the main parties to bypass the AfD, and the ongoing negative reporting in the mainstream media about the AfD, will backfire. 

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 part 3, we looked at the fact that paganism is the very opposite of belief in a supreme Creator God and is inextricably linked with occult practices.  We looked at a small selection of verses from the Bible to show its consistency in condemning such practices.

In the last part of this four-part series, we will look at a number of well-researched sources that show that paganism has been a part of mainstream Christianity for a very long time.  This practice is called syncretism—the mixture of godly and ungodly practices (is this meant to be repeated or is a word missing?). Syncretism was extant in Old Testament times.   Let us look at just one section of Scripture outlining this in Deuteronomy 12:29-32:

“When the LORD your God cuts off from before you the nations which you go to dispossess, and you displace them and dwell in their land, take heed to yourself that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed from before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise.’ You shall not worship the LORD your God in that way; for every abomination to the LORD  which He hates they have done to their gods; for they burn even their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods.Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it.”

God gave the ancient Israelites clear instructions about not following what surrounding nations did, but they didn’t listen to and heed the warnings.  Elements of pagan worship were incorporated against the clear instructions from God not to do so – for their own benefit.

Moving on to the New Testament, we read in the Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1959, vol. 5, p. 642 the following about “Christmas”: “Christmas was not among the earliest festivals of the church…. Christmas customs are an evolution from the times that long antedated the Christian period—a descent from seasonal, pagan, religious and national practices, hedged about with legend and tradition.”

In an article, “Catholicism Confronts New Age Syncretism” by Bernard D. Green, we read the following interesting information:

“They recently ran a story about the possibility that the Catholic feminist movement known as Women-Church was losing all connection with Catholic tradition. The report said that an upcoming Women-Church conference would have, in addition to rituals by witches, rituals led by ‘Buddhists, American Indians, Quakers and Jewish leaders–as well as by Catholic nuns.’

“This syncretistic mentality is widespread in the Church today. Witness the following description of the program of a respected Midwestern Catholic center for spirituality: ‘Readings are selected every day from the sacred texts of Buddhism, Taoism, Hinduism, and Islam, as well as Christianity. On occasion, ancient festivals of the Celts or Saxons are remembered, and members dance around a maypole or fire-pit in the fields or forest…. The Chapel is visually stimulating and instructive…. Icons of Our Lady of Guadalupe and the Risen Christ are placed side by side with statues of Buddha, Lord Vishnu and Moses.’”

The above details are quite shocking but hardly unexpected in today’s religious supermarket.  We know that modern Christianity has much syncretism within its structure; for example, Christmas and Easter and other worldly and non-biblical saints days are all derived from paganism.

Will Durant and his wife wrote the following in Volume III, titled “Caesar and Christ” (1944, p. 595: “Christianity did not destroy paganism; it adopted it…. [T]he Greek mysteries passed down into the impressive mystery of the Mass. Other pagan cultures contributed to the syncretist result. From Egypt came the ideas of a divine trinity, the Last Judgment, and a personal immortality of reward and punishment; from Egypt the adoration of the Mother and Child…. From Phrygia came the worship of the Great Mother; from Syria the resurrection drama of Adonis…. The Mithraic ritual so closely resembled the eucharistic sacrifice of the mass that Christian fathers charged the Devil with inventing these similarities to mislead frail minds. [Nicaean] Christianity was the last great creation of the ancient pagan world.”

On another website, the question is asked “what do these two – Christianity and paganism” have in common?  The answer is given as follows: “The roots of Christianity are interlaced with ancient pagan traditions and elements, mainly because the Church gained power through conversion. In order to convert the people of Europe (and the world) from their pagan beliefs, the Church felt they had to turn them against their beliefs by fear or adopt the pagan beliefs into the Christian religion.”

We can see this in mainstream Christianity where the Roman Catholic Church has so much of this embedded in their “belief” system.  The true Church of God, down through the ages, has stayed with the Truth as outlined in the Word of God.  This approach which we read in the New Testament is very different from that which is practiced by the mainstream today where syncretism in the true Church of God has not been accepted, nor is it practiced.

When congregations of the true Church of God began, however, to engage in pagan practices, then they ceased very soon to be part of the true Church of God.

There are other books that have been written showing how apostolic Christianity survived but other forces were accepted into the apostate church from early on.  In the book “A History of the True Church,” the writers, Dugger and Dodd, make these comments on page 57 which discuss the period 100 AD to 200 AD.  They quote Hurlbutt in his “Story of the Christian Church” on page 41, as follows: “For 50 years after St Paul’s life, a curtain hangs over the church, through which we vainly strive to look; and when it at last rises, about 129 AD with the writings of the earliest church-fathers, we find a church in many aspects very different from that in the days of St Peter and St Paul.”

“The Two Babylons” by Alexander Hislop is an interesting and well researched book quoting from hundreds of sources with 621 illustrations, showing the connections between the Roman Catholic Church and ancient paganism, and in his conclusion the writer states: “I have now finished the task that I proposed to myself.   Even yet the evidence is not nearly exhausted; but on the evidence which has been adduced, I appeal to the reader if I have not proved every point which I engaged to demonstrate.   Is there one, who has candidly considered the proof which has been led, that now doubts that Rome is the Apocalyptic Babylon?   Is there one who will venture to deny that, from the foundation of the topmost stone, it is essentially a system of paganism?”

In August 2017, a columnist in the Guardian newspaper wrote the following: “‘Five centuries after the Reformation triggered a series of long and bloody religious wars across Europe; modern-day Protestants and Catholics believe they have more in common theologically than they do differences, and most would be willing to accept each other as neighbours and family members. Theological differences that split western Christianity in the 1500s have diminished to a degree that might have shocked Christians in past centuries,’ says a report by the Washington-based Pew Research Center.” 

This commonality can be seen in the keeping of Christmas, Easter celebrations, belief in a trinity, Sunday keeping (not the true Sabbath from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset), the keeping of saints days and the ignoring of God’s commanded annual Feast Days, pouring or sprinkling in infant baptisms and other areas.  Both Roman Catholics and Protestants have accepted syncretism in their churches which is roundly condemned by God, and paganism concepts have been part of their journey.

In the book “The Golden Bough” by Sir James Frazer, a thick tome of over 750 pages, he writes the following: “Thus it appears that the Christian Church chose to celebrate the birthday of its Founder on the 25^th December in order to transfer the devotion of the heathen from the Sun to him who was called the Sun of Righteousness.   If that was so, there can be no intrinsic improbability in the conjecture that motives of the same sort may have led the ecclesiastical authorities to assimilate the Easter festival of the death of their Lord to the festival of the death and resurrection of another Asiatic god which fell at the same season.  Now the Easter rites still observed in Greece, Sicily and southern Italy bear in some respects a striking resemblance to the rites of Adonis, and I have suggested that the Church may have consciously adapted the new festival to its heathen predecessor for the sake of winning souls for Christ” (page 359).

“Taken altogether, the coincidences of the Christian with the heathen festivals are too close and too numerous to be accidental.  They marked the compromise which the Church in the hour of its triumph was compelled to make with its vanquished yet still dangerous rivals” (ibid, page 361).

Please see our booklet “Don’t Keep Christmas” for a very thorough explanation on this subject.

In the book “Christianity and Paganism in the Fourth to Eighth Centuries,” historian Ramsay MacMullen writes, “The triumph of the church was one not of obliteration [of non-Christian beliefs] but of widening embrace and assimilation” (1997, p. 159).

In his book, “A Concise History of the Early Church,” author Norbert Brox wrote on page 14, after discussing the Roman Empire: “… emperor worship belongs with different degrees of emphasis to the official religion of the state, which mainly consisted in the divine cults of ancient religion.  Christianity was confronted with a paganism with religious vitality, not with morbid, played out religion.   Religion dominated private and public life.   People lived by the rhythm of religious festivals, and in a world full of divine and demonic powers.   Here the state looked after its sacral institutions, temples, priests and cults.   For as duty towards the gods, on whom the empire was dependent for its prosperity (salus publica) religion was primarily a state matter, on which the state could enforce.  This description of the pagan world has already indicated the problems which arose for Christianity and influenced its development.”

On page 15 of the same book is an admission that “Christianity had contacts with all these forms of alien religion: with the classic religion of antiquity, the cult of emperor and state, the mysteries or oriental religion.  This left deep traces of syncretism (= a fusion of different religious phenomena) in the theology, structures and self-understanding of the early church.”

One writer opined that “Syncretism continues to be a powerful tool to separate God from His people.”

The question was asked “What is Truth?” by Pontius Pilate, the fifth prefect of the Roman province of Judaea, during the illegal trial of Jesus, and he asked this question as recorded in John 18:37-38:

^“Pilate therefore said to Him, ‘Are You a king then?’ Jesus answered, ‘You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.’ Pilate said to Him, ‘What is truth?’ And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews, and said to them, ‘I find no fault in Him at all.’”

In the previous chapter, in John 17:17, when Jesus was praying for His disciples, He said: “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.”

We have only scratched the surface of how much mainstream Christianity has accepted pagan influences in its practices—practices that God clearly condemns in His Word.   The true Church of God has down through the ages stuck with their understanding of apostolic Christianity which is a far cry from what mainstream has practiced for a very long time.

And that is where we finish up.  The Word of God is our guide to life and syncretism must be dismissed.   Paganism must not be part of our Way of Life as we follow the Ways of God as clearly expressed in the Bible.

No other way is acceptable to God!

Lead Writer: Brian Gale (United Kingdom)

compiled by Dave Harris

“Scandals and Falsehoods in the Catholic Church,” is the title of a new StandingWatch program, presented by Evangelist Norbert Link. Here is the summary:

“You might wonder why you should listen to this program, if you are not a Catholic. You might think you are not affected by what is being discussed here. But you would be awfully mistaken. The scandals within the Catholic Church; the pope’s “justifications”; and a new catalog of alleged “capital” sins are mind-boggling, but far too many—Catholic or not—might agree with the falsehoods which are being presented by the pope and his Synod.”

 A new Member Letter (October 2024) has been posted and mailed to our subscribers. Evangelist Norbert Link writes warning against false doctrines which lead to deception. He also points out that if we obey God by keeping the Sabbath and annual Holy Days, “we will be God’s people, and He will be our God”!

”Gottes Warnung an die Nationen (Posaunenfest 2024)” is the title of the Feast of Trumpets German sermon, presented by Norbert Link.

“Warum sind wir in Gottes Kirche?” last Sabbath’s German sermonette presented by Dmitrij Niemann, is now posted. Title in English: “Why Are We in God’s Church?”

“Israel’s Countless Enemies–Comments on News and Prophecy, September 28,2024,” last Sabbath’s first message, presented by Norbert Link, is now posted. Here is a summary:

The UN wants Jerusalem’s Old City, Judea and Samaria to become “Judenrein”; Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas speaks of the danger of the Third Temple; the world is consumed by Anti-Semitism; the USA and Germany have failed to bring peace to the Middle East; Israel attacks Lebanon and kills the leaders of the Hezbollah terrorist organization, Hassan Nasrallah and Ibrahim Aqil, and other officials; and many speak of further escalation involving outside powers. Israel is facing numerous enemies—Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Turkey, the UN, Russia and China… the list seems to be endless. Not to forget Germany, France and most of Europe. Can Israel win such a war which is being fought on multiple fronts?

“The Cure for the Hardened Heart!” last Sabbath’s sermon presented by Kalon Mitchell, is now posted. Here is a summary:

We have to maintain a heart that is soft and usable by God. What happens when we have hardened hearts? Are there Spiritual consequences for having a hard heart?

FALL HOLY DAYS:

Feast of Trumpets–October 3, 2024

Day of Atonement—October 12, 2024

Feast of Tabernacles—October 17-23, 2024

Last Great Day—October 24, 2024

Note: These services will be broadcast live.