Update 991

On October 9, 2021, Kalon Mitchell will present a split sermon, titled, “Meekness – What Is It?” and Norbert Link will present a split sermon, titled “Who are the two Witnesses?”

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.

Recent history is full of really difficult problems, such as wars, widespread diseases, political and economic upheaval and countless other challenges—both small and great. Right now, we are in the midst of a global pandemic, Coronavirus Covid 19.

Although we may never know the actual number of deaths from Covid 19, we do know that worldwide the alleged number is approaching five million. It is also claimed that tens of millions more people have or are suffering from this terrible virus.

True Christians are not immune to the ravages of the Covid 19. That fact has become abundantly clear following the Church of God’s observance of the Fall Festivals of God. Many people have been struck with Covid 19—some so severely that they could not at all observe the Feast of Tabernacles and the Last Great Day, while others were prevented from attending some of the services. Infections have not been limited to one particular church group. Reports indicate that individuals in many churches have contracted Covid 19.

As Christians, we have been taught to turn to God in times like these and seek His protection and His healing (James 5:14-18). But what do we do after we have been anointed? When complete healing does not come quickly, do we begin to doubt—even question whether or not God has heard our prayer to Him?

We might also ask ourselves, “How strong is my faith in God?” One example stands out in answering this question:

“Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, saying, ‘Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘I will come and heal him.’ The centurion answered and said, ‘Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, “Go,” and he goes; and to another, “Come,” and he comes; and to my servant, “Do this,” and he does it.’ When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!’… Then Jesus said to the centurion, ‘Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you.’ And his servant was healed that same hour” (Matthew 8:5-10, 13).

James 5, verse 15, states, “And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up.” To call upon the ministry for anointing is having faith, like the centurion, to put our complete trust in God—in what God is able to do and in what He has promised to do, in times like these.

by Norbert Link

We begin with several articles, showing the decline of America’s influence in the world and the steady downfall of Joe Biden; continue with reports on more and more draconian authoritarian measures and restrictions to “fight” the coronavirus which deprive us of our liberty and freedom; speak of the coming European army and Germany’s elections; a cooperation agreement between Germany and the PA; Chinese provocations; the ruthless fight of abortionists against innocent lives; the interesting real results of the Arizona Senate Report; and we conclude with new findings pertaining to Noah’s Ark and Mount Sinai. Please view our new StandingWatch program, titled, “America’s Downfall and Europe’s Rise.”

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

Will Biden’s Fall Be Worse than his Summer?

The Wall Street Journal wrote on September 30:

“The White House should be feeling alarm. It hasn’t been a good summer for the president, and it isn’t looking to be a good fall. The manner and timing of the withdrawal from Afghanistan was a catastrophe that left Americans infuriated and ashamed. The president’s statements and interviews in the aftermath were highly unsuccessful. The testimony of his top military leaders that they advised him to leave 2,500 troops to keep the process safe made him look dodgy. The whole thing was a botch from beginning to end, and it will stick in history. The images it yielded (kids running to the planes, 13 Americans killed as they tried to bring order) seemed to sum up the political moment, making this seem not like merely a bad event for the president but a definitional one.

“The White House pandemic response has been uneven to the point of baffling. Inflation is going up (in June the Federal Reserve estimated it at 3.4% for the year; by September, 4.2%.) Immigration is not a problem but a crisis, and there appears to be no administration plan to deal with the reality that those from other countries who want to come here approach our border as if there is no border. What the crisis requires, at a bare minimum, is a sense of urgency, of something being done. There is no such sense. Their only plan seems to be hoping Border Patrol agents will do something wrong, or at least something that looks bad, so White House officials can lay blame with indignation and performative compassion….”

Breitbart added on October 1:

“Polling shows that a majority of voters know… Joe Biden lied about Afghanistan and now want him to resign over that fiasco.”

Why the World Does Not Listen to Biden

The Hill wrote on September 28:

“The Economist asked… author Robert Kaplan, political scientist Francis Fukuyama, diplomat Henry Kissinger, and historian Niall Ferguson – to opine generally on America’s future, and particularly on whether the U.S. will be able to maintain its influence on global politics in the future. While in broad agreement on the fact of American decline, they brought varying perspectives on causation and what the path to the future might look like. Kissinger’s diagnosis was particularly compelling: ‘The United States has torn itself apart in its counterinsurgent efforts because of its inability to define attainable goals and to link them in a way that is sustainable by the American political process.’

“…Walter Russell Mead examined the world’s dilemmas through an even wider lens and declared that the root cause of American decline… stems from the fact that ‘globalists have so far failed to master the challenges of the 21st century.’…

“All of this history is the necessary backdrop to understanding President Biden’s recent speech at the United Nations… Had Biden with some humility acknowledged past mistakes, both recent and more distant, and proposed a bold change of course credibly aimed at rectifying errors, the applause he heard might have been sincere and even hopeful. Instead, a wondering audience and worried world heard a speech that seemed to come out of a time warp, in which it was still 1991 and not 2021… the fading notes of an uncertain trumpet echoing a world gone by.

“Unsurprisingly, people are disinclined to listen when the words they hear are simply no longer believable.”

To compare Biden’s speech and his entire agenda with an “uncertain trumpet” is quite telling, as this analogy is derived from Paul’s statement in the Bible.

Biden Unfit for Office?

Fox News reported on September 22:

“Former Brexit Party Leader Nigel Farage [said] that some in Britain are asking if Joe Biden is fit to be in office.

“[Farage said:] ‘What a bizarre spectacle, to see two important world leaders muzzled behind the thickest face masks that could possibly ever been made. So much so it was actually quite difficult to hear anything anyone was saying. But that was the first thing that was utterly bizarre. And I think Boris Johnson and of course, you know, our culture as yours has always been, is that leaders are accountable to the press, from all sides and all opinions, who could ask questions. And I think Boris was completely stunned that the new culture in America, who was supposed to be the leaders of the free world, is that the president doesn’t take questions.

‘‘So Boris decided to sort of in an impromptu way, try and take a few questions and the White House press team didn’t like it and protested. And so we’re sort of asking ourselves a question here in the UK this morning. If Joe Biden doesn’t take questions from journalists and therefore isn’t accountable for what he’s doing as leader of America or leader of the free world, we have to ask ourselves a question. Is he actually fit and proper and competent to be doing the job? ‘”

The answer should be obvious. Judging by his record, he is clearly not fit and competent to do his job.

Greece Replaces USA

The New York Post wrote on September 25:

“Last week, Greece announced it would be sending US-made Patriot anti-missile batteries and soldiers to man them to Saudi Arabia, to replace US-manned Patriots the Biden administration withdrew in April. It was a momentous development in the rapidly changing geopolitical environment of the Middle East, and received zero coverage in the corporate media in the United States. When Greece steps up to fill the vacuum left by a US pullout, it gives you a measure of just how far the United States has retreated from the world stage over the past nine months.

“This is not the Greece of Alexander the Great, but today’s Greece. Nearly bankrupt just a few years ago, Greece has now replaced the United States as defender of the world’s largest oil producer… Biden’s decision to outwardly alienate the Saudis has real-world implications. With the US turnover of Afghanistan to the Taliban, another Qatar-ally, a pattern is beginning to emerge: This administration foolishly prefers Sunni Muslim jihadis and Iranian mullahs building nuclear weapons over traditional allies of the United States who oppose a nuclear-armed Iran…

“The dismissal of these allies could also be seen in the way Washington simply ignored the first anniversary of the groundbreaking Abraham Accords negotiated by the Trump administration and the governments of Israel, the UAE, Bahrain and Morocco last year.”

Greece replaces the USA! What a development. Greece might very well play an important role in the final configuration of a coming core Europe.

America’s Decline

Deutsche Welle wrote on September 11, 2021:

“Biden has made clear that US foreign policy should serve only US interests. US military involvement will be scaled down even more… In terms of foreign policy, there is really only one issue that still carries weight for the US, which is its power struggle with China. In Syria, the US has already left the field to Russia and it is also holding back in Libya. Even Israel is trying to become less dependent on its strongest ally by building ties with the Arab states. It is unclear how long these new alliances might hold.

“But in the meantime, many experts fear that the further the US moves away from the global game, the lower the barrier inhibiting states from carrying out preemptive strikes will become. Twenty years after the terrorist attacks, the collapsing towers of the World Trade Center symbolize the disappearance of the world’s global policeman. And they are an urgent warning that there will have to be new alliances if the emerging and widening vacuum is not to be filled by anti-democratic forces.”

Anti-democratic forces are already at work in most countries, including in the USA and many other nations which are descendants of the ancient houses of Israel and Judah, judging for example by the authoritarian measures in regard to the coronavirus (see below).

White House Presses US Airlines to Mandate Vaccinations for Staff

Newsmax wrote on October 1:

“The White House is pressing major U.S. airlines to mandate coronavirus vaccines for employees by Dec. 8… White House COVID-19 response coordinator Jeffrey Zients spoke to the chief executives of American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and Southwest Airlines on Thursday to ensure they were working expeditiously to develop and enforce vaccine requirements ahead of a Dec. 8 deadline for federal contractors… Large U.S. airlines have a number of federal contracts, including the Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF), which was activated in August to help ferry people who have been evacuated from Afghanistan in support of the U.S. Defense Department.”

The Ron Paul Institute wrote on September 23:

“The Biden Administration is demanding that members of the US military who refuse the covid shot be DISHONORABLY discharged! The Administration is also taking aim at military members who prefer to pass on the vax because they have natural immunity from a previous infection.”

These threats and demands are appalling.

Rand Paul Exposes Xavier Becerra’s Ignorance

Life Site News reported on October 1:

“Republican Senator Rand Paul sharply criticized the Biden administration’s push for vaccination and its refusal to acknowledge natural immunity during a hearing on Thursday. ‘Mr. Becerra, are you familiar with an Israeli study that had 2.5 million patients and found that the vaccinated group was actually seven times more likely to get infected with COVID than the people who had gotten COVID naturally,’ Paul asked Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Xavier Becerra.  Becerra, who is tasked with overseeing the public health infrastructure for the country, said he is not familiar with the study. ‘I think you might want to be if you’re going to travel the country insulting the millions of Americans, including NBA star Jonathan Isaac, who have had COVID, recovered, look at a study with 2.5 million people, and say, well, you know what, I should make the decision. Instead, you’ve called Jonathan Isaac and others, myself included, “flat earthers,”’ Paul said. Orlando Magic player Jonathan Isaac said… that he does not plan to get jabbed because he has already been infected with COVID…

“The senator asked Becerra if he had a science degree or a medical degree. Becerra does not have either background… ‘And yet you travel the country, calling people “flat earthers” who have had COVID, looked at studies of millions of people,’ Paul said, ‘and made their own personal decision that their immunity they naturally acquired is sufficient but you presume somehow to tell over 100 million Americans who survived COVID that we have no right to determine our own medical care. You alone are on high and you’ve made these decisions, a lawyer with no scientific background, no medical degree. This is an arrogance coupled with an authoritarianism that is unseemly and un-American. You, sir, are the one ignoring the science,’ Paul said. ‘Quit lording it over people, acting as if these people are deplorable and unwashed,’ he continued, adding that ‘there is no more basic medical right than deciding what we inject into our bodies.’…

“As Paul noted, Becerra’s health policy background somehow has not led him to have an understanding of the benefits of natural immunity, which has been well-documented. Professor Martin Kulldorff, an epidemiologist who teaches at Harvard University’s medical school, has said that an Israeli study about natural immunity has weakened the argument for ‘vaccine passports.’”

It is shocking that Paul has to lecture Becerra who seems to be totally ignorant about the matter of immunity.

The American Monarchy

Reason wrote on September 13:

“President Joe Biden’s national vaccine mandate sparked a lot of debate… [the] question is raised by the president’s gambit to displace the Afghanistan fiasco from the headlines: How, in the United States, can one guy just impose his preferred policies, whether they’re good, bad, or indifferent?

“… how can one person do this in a country with a Constitution that lays out the limited powers of the state, and provides for two other co-equal branches of government? It’s as if the president has become a king—and many people embrace the development, so long as they like the outcome. In fact, that’s a fair interpretation of the system under which we live, and the direction in which it’s evolved from the beginning.

“‘We elect a king for four years and give him absolute power within certain limits, which after all he can interpret for himself,’ then-Secretary of State William Seward observed of the presidency during the Civil War…

“‘Great Britain is a republic, with a hereditary president, while the United States is a monarchy with an elective king,’ the Knoxville Journal snarked in 1896 during the presidency of Grover Cleveland, who was one of the less autocratic chief executives. But the implicit and growing power of the presidency remained, even when the office was held by somebody who exercised a modicum of restraint.

“‘I have an Article 2, where I have the right to do whatever I want as President,’ then-President Donald Trump told an enthusiastic conservative gathering in 2019…

“Unsurprisingly, Trump was accused of acting like a monarch, just as his predecessor, President Barack Obama, was charged with kingly pretensions, and so was President George W. Bush before him. And the accusations were spot on—they all acted unilaterally and built on the precedents of those who went before them…

“The answer, then, is that Biden issued a unilateral vaccine mandate because the presidency has always had monarchical tendencies and, through multiple administrations, chief executives succumbed to the temptation to exercise power…”

Very sad and shocking, but apparently true.

California to Require Covid Shots for All Schoolchildren

Newsmax wrote on October 1:

“California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday announced the nation’s first coronavirus vaccination mandate for schoolchildren, a plan that will have all elementary through high school students get the shots once the vaccine gains final approval from the U.S. government for different age groups.

“The government has fully approved the COVID-19 vaccine for those 16 and over but only granted an emergency authorization for anyone 12 to 15. Once federal regulators fully approve the vaccine for that group, the state will require students in seventh through 12th grades to get vaccinated in both public and private schools, Newsom’s office said.

“The state will require the COVID-19 vaccine for students in kindergarten through sixth grade only after the federal government has given final approval for anyone 5 to 11. The announcement comes as infections in most of California have dropped markedly in the last month. But Newsom has been emboldened after easily defeating a recall effort last month following a campaign where he emphasized his commitment to vaccine mandates to end the pandemic…

“The state’s vaccine mandate would take effect the semester after the federal government grants final approval. If it comes in January, then the mandate would take effect in July. Students would be granted religious and medical exemptions, but the rules for how the state would apply those exemptions have not been written yet. Any student who refuses to take the vaccine would be forced to complete an independent study course at home.”

It was predictable. Newsom wants to show how great and smart he is… and is thereby only contributing to California’s downfall…

More Vaccination Rules—No End to the Madness

Fox News wrote on October 2:

“The largest health system in Louisiana will start fining employees hundreds of dollars a month if they are married to an unvaccinated person… charging employees $200 per month, or $100 per pay period, if their spouse or partner is unvaccinated… The announcement was met with condemnation by some on social media, including the Young Americans for Liberty, a libertarian student activism organization: ‘This is a taste of what’s coming. There is no end to the madness…’

“The rollout of vaccine mandates in hospitals is spurring nurses and other healthcare workers across the country to quit their jobs or face termination over their refusal to comply with the rules… ‘We were celebrated last year,’ Indiana nurse Adara Allen told Fox News this week. ‘But a few nurses did end up leaving due to [the hospital] not accepting their medical issues or having a reaction or adverse effect to the first dose of the covid vaccine.’ Allen was told to no longer come into her hospital in Indianapolis over refusing the vaccine during her high-risk pregnancy.”

These are terrible reports about blatantly ungodly behavior, totally doing away with God-given individual liberties and freedoms. Oregon has just ordered all healthcare workers to get vaccinated against Covid.

The NSBA’s Outlandish Request

Breitbart wrote on October 3:

“The National School Boards Association (NSBA) has written a letter to President Joe Biden, requesting ‘federal law enforcement and other assistance’ to cope with angry parents concerned about their children wearing masks in school all day and learning concepts of Critical Race Theory (CRT).”

INCREDIBLE! This kind of “anger” will only increase, due to the incomprehensible measures and restrictions by the Biden Administration. New reports state that the FBI is treating parents as “domestic terrorists” who want to attend school board meetings to complain about CRT. 

Zimbabwe a Tyranny, persecuting Christians

Life Site News wrote on October 1:

“Zimbabwe has barred Christians who have not taken COVID jabs from church worship despite a High Court ruling suspending the ban.  Only 19% of the majority-Christian country has had even one COVID-19 shot…

“Christians in Zimbabwe… explicitly alluded to dictatorship and tyranny… Zimbabwe boasts a large and faithful Christian population…  COVID-19 inoculation rate, including people who have had only one dose, is a mere 19%, and so this gives heft to the local theory that this governmental action is a direct persecution of Christians.”

It was also reported that by October 15, a million workers across Victoria in Australia will need to have at least one dose of a COVID vaccine to keep working on site. They are required to receive both shots by November 26. Essential workers include farm workers and “faith leaders broadcasting services and ceremonies at places of worship, with the minimum number of people required for the broadcast to occur (no more than 5 people).” About the only workers not requiring a vaccination are consular and diplomatic staff and emergency situations where un-vaccinated workers can work during the emergency.

YouTube’s Censorship of Free Speech Continues

Life Site News wrote on September 30:

“Google-owned YouTube announced Wednesday a new policy against videos that promote vaccine ‘misinformation’… The Big Tech company boasted that it had removed 130,000 videos in just the past year for violating its ‘COVID-19 vaccine policies’… The prohibition applies to ‘content that falsely alleges that approved vaccines are dangerous and cause chronic health effects, claims that vaccines do not reduce transmission or contraction of disease, or contains misinformation on the substances contained in vaccines will be removed.’

“The censorship will also extend to ‘content that falsely says that approved vaccines cause autism, cancer or infertility, or that substances in vaccines can track those who receive them,’ YouTube said. ‘Our policies not only cover specific routine immunizations like for measles or Hepatitis B, but also apply to general statements about vaccines.’ YouTube has already brought the hammer down on… Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Dr. Joseph Mercola and Dr. Sheri Tenpenny…

“Mercola responded to the ban in a statement on his website. ‘ The world is becoming increasingly aware of the rampant corruption in the media and are rising up against tyrannical governments and the pharmaceutical industry that are coordinating this assault on our freedom and civil rights,’ Dr. Mercola wrote. ‘Anyone who asks questions or challenges the hard sell is immediately censored on social media.’ ‘Independent media platforms that defend freedom of speech and the rights of Americans to speak out against the global tyranny will defeat the censorship extremists,’ he said…

“Daily Wire host Michael Knowles announced on his show today that YouTube removed his entire episode from Wednesday because he discussed NBA players who shared why they did not want to get jabbed…  He said that he was accused of violating the policy against posting information that claims COVID vaccines are not effective in stopping transmission.  But as Knowles pointed out, Rochelle Walensky, the director of the Centers for Disease Control has said this before… This is still the position of the CDC…

A liberal law professor [George Washington University law Professor Jonathan Turley] analyzed the situation and said that YouTube is being pushed to censor content that the federal government cannot legally silence on its own… ‘YouTube continued the expansion of corporate censorship on the Internet with the encouragement of leading Democratic leaders,’’ [he wrote]…. ‘This is the face of censorship. As demanded, the companies are now sanitizing their sites to remove opposing views on these subjects,’ Turley argued. ‘Rather than offer a free forum for the full debate on such issues, anti-free speech advocates have again prevailed in silencing those with opposing views.’”

YouTube, Google, Facebook and Twitter, among others, have become an authoritarian government within the USA, with the support, approval and cooperation of the Biden Administration.

Russia Retaliates Against YouTube

Deutsche Welle wrote on September 29:

“Russia on Wednesday threatened to block Alphabet Inc.’s YouTube.

“The development comes just a day after YouTube deleted state-backed broadcaster Russia Today’s (RT) German language channels.  YouTube said RT had violated its COVID misinformation policy, but the move has not been well received at the Kremlin… Russia’s Foreign Ministry described the removal of RT from YouTube as ‘unprecedented information aggression’ in a statement. The ministry is now considering ‘a proposal to develop and take retaliatory measures against the YouTube hosting service and the German media.’”

No surprise here.

More Power to the IRS!

The Heritage Foundation wrote on October 2:

“President Joe Biden and congressional Democrats are trying to force financial institutions to report their customers’ account balances to the Internal Revenue Service, thereby invading your privacy and putting more of your financial data at risk. It’s part of a provision in the $3.5 trillion spending bill that should raise the ire of all Americans. Under this requirement, the Internal Revenue Service—an already scandal-ridden and historically politicized government agency—could once again be weaponized against political opponents while leaving middle-class Americans vulnerable to having more of their financial information hacked or leaked.

“This is because the Biden administration’s proposal would require financial institutions to report all transactions from accounts holding more than $600. It is couched as an effort to catch tax evaders and pay for the $3.5 trillion spending package. After sparking outrage among both consumer and financial institutions, House Democrats were sent back to the drawing board. Instead of realizing that the policy itself massively violates Americans’ privacy, House Ways and Means Chairman Richard Neal, D-Mass., still considers it a financial issue and said that Democrats may raise the threshold from $600 to $10,000.

“Regardless of what the Democrats ultimately agree to, this provision raises concerns over the return of an egregiously politicized Internal Revenue Service. The federal government’s tax-collecting agency has had a history of attacking groups and individuals who hold particular political beliefs.”

One has to wonder as to what “brain-storming” dangerous ideas evolve from some political heads.

The Next Pandemic in Waiting?

The Sun wrote on September 29:

“HORRIFIC images have emerged showing baby monkeys chained up by their NECKS in a wet market in Indonesia. The caged baby primates are just one of many animals to be captured on camera in the region amid fears that the markets continued existence could spark the next global pandemic after Covid…

“Professor Malcolm Bennett, from the University of Nottingham, explained deadly pathogens could spread to humans through infected animals at the chaotic markets… ‘Every single animal at a wet market is likely to have an infection… It is going to happen again,’ he concluded.

“Traditionally, wet markets sell fresh produce and live animals, such as fish and exotic animals, which are butchered in the open air… they are poorly regulated and, given that animals are usually caged in public areas and on pavements, it’s a breeding ground where faeces and blood can contaminate people…”

Do people ever learn?

Catastrophic California Oil Spill

Newsmax wrote on October 4:

“A large oil spill off the southern California coast left fish dead, birds mired in petroleum and wetlands contaminated, in what local officials called an environmental catastrophe… An estimated 126,000 gallons, or 3,000 barrels, had spread into an oil slick covering about 13 square miles of the Pacific Ocean…

“The spill was caused by a breach connected to the Elly oil rig and stretched from the Huntington Beach Pier down to Newport Beach, an area popular with surfers and sunbathers. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife ordered a fishery closure for coastal areas affected by the spill.”

As if God is responding to California’s [modern Sodom’s] terrible politics…  Note the next article as well.

Drought in the US Southwest Worst in Recorded History

Life Science wrote no September 25:

“The ongoing drought in the U.S. Southwest is the worst drought the region has experienced since record keeping began in 1895… The 20 months from January 2020 through August 2021 saw the lowest total precipitation and the third-highest daily average temperatures ever recorded in the Southwest (which encompasses Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah), resulting in an ‘unyielding, unprecedented and costly’ crisis…

“Given fall rainfall predictions, the drought is likely to last well into 2022… and drought could last considerably longer if low regional precipitation continues…  the drought will continue to take a tremendous toll on the Southwest’s more than 60 million residents, and the countless millions of others who depend on goods and services from the region… ‘Economic losses associated with the drought for 2020 alone are approximately between $515 million and $1.3 billion, not including losses from associated wildfires’… Add in wildfires, and the costs of this crisis rise to between $11.4 and $23 billion — for six states, for one year.”

Iran’s Armies Outside the Country’s Borders

Israel 365 wrote on October 1:

“The head of Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiyah Central Headquarters said in a recent interview that Iran had created six armies outside the country’s borders, in a ‘corridor’ stretching from Iran all the way to the Mediterranean Sea… Maj. Gen. Gholam Ali Rashid said that these armies, among them Hamas and Hezbollah, deterred the enemies of the Islamic Republic, in particular the United States and Israel…

“One of these armies is in Lebanon, said Rashid, and is called Hezbollah. ‘Another army is in Palestine, and it is called Hamas and the Islamic Jihad. One army is in Syria. Another army is in Iraq, and is called the PMU [Popular Mobilization Units], and another army is in Yemen, and is called Ansar Allah [the Houthis],’ he added.”

And it is obvious that Iran will use those armies in their fight against Israel.

The European Army

Breitbart wrote on September 23:

“President Emmanuel Macron is willing to trade control of France’s permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council to Brussels in exchange for European Union member states backing his plan to forge an EU Army, [Sandro Gozi, former Italian Europe minister, current transnational MEP for Macron’s party in Brussel and] an ally of the French leader has said. Macron, who at the start of his presidency declared that he wished to govern like the Roman God Jupiter, is set to become the European Union’s most influential leader with Chancellor Angela Merkel set to step down after Sunday’s elections in Germany. Part of this Jupitarian strategy will be to push for the creation of a centrally controlled European Army with France at the helm in the wake of President Biden’s bungled withdrawal from Afghanistan and the AUKUS defence pact signed between the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia…

“France is currently the only EU member state to have a permanent seat on the UN Security Council after the UK left the bloc at the beginning of this year… The indication of a potential trade of the UN seat for a France-led EU Army comes as the French are set to take control of the rotating EU presidency on January 1st. President Macron is set to lead a joint summit on European defence alongside the EU Council president and close Macron ally Charles Michel during the six-month period in which France controls the presidency…

“Interestingly, Germany previously called on France to cede control of its UN seat so the EU could speak with ‘one voice’ on the world stage but France refused. The call came from then-German finance minister Olaf Scholz, who is currently the frontrunner to replace Angela Merkel as chancellor.”

Express wrote on September 26:

“In a tweet shared this morning, the French President reminded his followers of his pledges, four years ago, for a stronger EU. Sharing his government’s manifesto plan for more integration in the Brussels bloc, he wrote: ‘An initiative for a sovereign, united and democratic Europe. This is what we launched at the Sorbonne four years ago… The manifesto called for a ‘real European sovereignty’ alongside a project for a united defence and military power for the bloc.

“His dream for a European defence strategy has been accelerated by a recent deal signed between the UK, the US and Australia, which left France short of a lucrative contract for the production of submarines. Paris described the deal as a ‘stab in the back’ after it led to Canberra pulling out of a £30 billion agreement for France to supply conventionally powered diesel-electric vessels…”

Express wrote on September 21:

“HOURS before Germany publicly backed Emmanuel Macron over the diplomatic row with Australia, the US and the UK, German and Australian generals signed a military alliance in Berlin… ”

The Morning Star wrote on September 28:

“Emmanuel Macron raised the prospect of a European army today as he signed a new defence deal with Greece worth about £2.5 billion. Speaking after Athens formalised an agreement to buy French frigates, Mr Macron said that efforts to increase European military autonomy were even more vital after the scrapping of his government’s submarine deal with Australia. ‘The Europeans must stop being naive,’ he said. ‘When we are under pressure from powers, which at times harden [their stance], we need to react and show that we have the power and capacity to defend ourselves. Not escalating things, but protecting ourselves.’… France will host a European defence summit next year that is likely to be dominated by discussions of a so-called EU army.”

Charles Michael, the European Council President, said at the annual Charlemagne Prize event, which celebrates European Unity: “Stronger allies make stronger alliances. 2022 therefore will be the year of European defence.”

EU Must Have Political Will to Fight

The Guardian wrote on September 15:

“The EU must learn the lessons of the abrupt end of the US-led mission in Afghanistan and acquire the ‘political will’ to build up its own military force to deploy to future crises, the European Commission’s president, Ursula von der Leyen, has said. In her annual state of the union speech in the European parliament in Strasbourg, Von der Leyen, a former German defence minister, said the withdrawal of the US-led mission in Afghanistan, and the subsequent collapse of President Ashraf Ghani’s administration, raised troubling questions… ‘You can have the most advanced forces in the world – but if you are never prepared to use them – of what use are they?’ she said. ‘What has held us back until now is not just a shortfall of capacity – it is the lack of political will. And if we develop this political will, there is a lot that we can do at EU level.’…

“Von der Leyen said she was working with the Nato general secretary, Jens Stoltenberg, on issuing a ‘new declaration’ on EU-Nato relations by the end of the year. Six EU member states are not in the military alliance – Austria, Cyprus, Finland, Ireland, Malta and Sweden. Von der Leyen said there would be crises where the EU’s own military force should operate independently from both the UN and Nato… ‘It is time for Europe to step up to the next level,’ Von der Leyen said.

“Germany’s current defence minister, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, said: ‘Ursula Von der Leyen is right […] Real EU defence depends on the political will of member states. That’s why Germany and France must lead.’”

Breitbart added on September 16:

“The speech from the EU President comes amid a growing consensus in Brussels for a fully-fledged EU Army in the wake of Afghanistan.”

In Germany’s Election, the Fate of the EU Is at Stake

The Guardian wrote on September 15:

“The [EU] is like a giant slot machine. The more pineapples, or oranges, line up on the screen, the better the results. The German election will account for about four fruits in a row; France’s presidential election next spring will spin another three. Italy and Spain contribute perhaps two each, with the rest being generated by other European countries and the European institutions.

“Whatever the EU’s own treaties say, in practice the alignment of national governments remains the key to any major initiative it takes. My friends in Brussels constantly talk about ‘the Germans’ pushing this or ‘the French’ pushing that…

“In the capital of Germany, Europe’s central power, the talk is all about the different possible coalitions that might emerge from what will probably be months of talks between parties following the federal election on 26 September…

“Armin Laschet, the Christian Democrat candidate for chancellor, is a classic West German West European, with a statue of Charlemagne in his office. (His brother claims the family is actually descended from Charlemagne.) There is no doubting his personal European commitment…

“The government that emerges in Berlin is the first, but only the first, test of whether the European model of change through democratic consensus can deliver the goods. If democracy does not deliver, then young Europeans will look for alternative models… 53% of young Europeans said they think authoritarian states are better equipped than democracies to tackle global heating. Europe’s challenge is to prove the opposite – and not just for the climate crisis.”

Germany’s Election

Deutsche Welle wrote on September 27:

“Around 51% of center-right Christian Democrat (CDU) voters think that party leader Armin Laschet should step down… 70% of those taking part in the survey were in favor of him resigning from his party post… Many viewed Armin Laschet as the likely successor chancellor to Angela Merkel after being chosen as leader of the CDU in April this year. But a series of blunders since taking over the top position saw his party take a tumble in the ratings. His party came second in Sunday’s general election, with 24.1%. This was over 8% down on the previous election and their worst result since World War II…

“Outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Bundestag seat has gone to an SPD candidate for the first time in over three decades… The Greens won a smattering of seats in the Bundestag across the country, and the AfD were the most popular party in the eastern states of Saxony and Thuringia after the CDU slumped there.

“Two transgender women… from the Green Party are set to join the German parliament…

“Markus Söder from the Christian Social Union (CSU), the Bavarian sister party of Laschet’s Christian Democrats (CDU), discussed the failures of the conservative union in Sunday’s election. ‘Yesterday’s result is disappointing for the whole Union, and yes it was a defeat, that’s true for the CDU and it’s true for the CSU,’ the state premier for Bavaria said…

“With the German vote extremely fractured, there could be weeks or even months of messy coalition negotiations ahead. After the last federal election in 2017, it took six months to form a government after the pro-business Free Democrats (FDP) walked out of talks with the CDU and the Green Party after a month. This resulted in a second four years of the so-called ‘grand coalition’ of the CDU and SPD. While another grand coalition of the two biggest parties is mathematically possible, both parties have appeared unenthusiastic about the prospect. The FDP and the Greens have signaled that they see themselves at kingmakers in a possible future government, but would need to hear what the CDU and SPD are offering first…”

Many feel that the defeat of Merkel’s CDU has much to do with the government’s restrictive corona policy. However, according to Focus, dated October 1,  CDU’s man of the hour and of the future could be Health Minister Jens Spahn. The magazine wrote: “In the chaos of the union, a man who has already been written off suddenly becomes a figure of the future… Spahn dares to do everything – the CDU chairmanship, the chancellorship, whatever. And he possesses the nefariousness without which it obviously seems to be impossible [to be successful] in this political death zone.”

Scholz the Likely Winner in Germany’s Election

Deutsche Welle wrote on September 27:

“Often likened to a robot, [Olaf Scholz] has never really been popular within his own party. But now he might head the next German government… Who will govern Germany will only become clear after the coalition negotiations that will unfold in the coming weeks and months. Despite the SPD’s lead in the polls, the conservative CDU/CSU could still form the government if they forge an alliance with the Greens and neoliberal FDP…

“Scholz has been the finance minister in Merkel’s Cabinet since 2018 and is also the vice chancellor in the current governing coalition consisting of the CDU/CSU and SPD…  Under his leadership, Germany would work for a ‘strong, sovereign Europe’ that speaks ‘with one voice,’ ‘because otherwise, we won’t play a role,’ he said…  Charisma is certainly something Scholz lacks. He doesn’t know how to express himself or show emotion. Even in moments of great joy, he shows all the restraint of a British butler….

“Scholz underwent a remarkable political transformation. As deputy chairman of the SPD youth organization Jusos, he was still a radical socialist in the 1980s, promoting ‘the overcoming of the capitalist economy.’”

Newsweek wrote on September 28:

“A Germany under Olaf Scholz, the man most likely to succeed Angela Merkel as the country’s chancellor, might have to choose between supporting China or the United States as tensions rise between the two global superpowers…”

At the same time, reports have emerged wondering whether Austria’s Sebastian Kurz’s political days are numbered, due to a criminal investigation and charges filed by criminal prosecutors against him and other associates for some type of alleged tax violations (which Kurz strongly denies).

Is Russia Blackmailing Europe?

Reuters wrote on October 1:

“European gas prices surged to all-time highs on Friday as Russia kept a tight lid on supply, signalling further price pressures on European consumers heading into the winter heating season.

“Russian gas supplies via the Yamal-Europe pipeline fell on Friday by almost 77% from Thursday, according to data from grid operator Gascade, as Kremlin-controlled Gazprom booked only a third of its available capacity for October.”

According to Bild Online, Russia is engaged in blackmailing Europe, trying to force them to begin to transport gas via the new Nordstream pipeline.  

Cooperation Agreement between Germany and PA

Israel 365 wrote on September 19:

“Germany and the Palestinian Authority have signed a 100 million euro ($117 million) cooperation agreement that will see German investment in areas under P.A. control. The donation will finance ‘sustainable economic development in [Palestine] over the next two years,’ according to P.A. Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh. ‘We hope our friends in Germany, the European Union and the international community will help put pressure on Israel to allow elections to be held in all the Palestinian territories, including Jerusalem,’ he added.

“Germany’s representative to Ramallah Oliver Owcza praised the bilateral relations between his country and the Palestinians, reiterating German support for a negotiated two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”

Chinese Provocation against Taiwan

Newsmax wrote on October 4:

“Taiwan reported the largest ever incursion by China’s air force into its air defense zone on Monday at 52 aircraft, saying the Taiwanese air force had to scramble for the fourth straight day to warn off the intruders, as tensions spiraled.

“Chinese-claimed Taiwan has complained for a year or more of repeated missions by China’s air force near the democratically governed island… But since Friday, when China marked its national day, the country has embarked upon a massive ramping up of its missions, with almost 150 aircraft flying into the defense zone over the space of four days…

“Taiwanese fighter jets scrambled to warn away the Chinese planes, while missile systems were deployed to monitor them… The United States on Sunday urged China to stop its ‘provocative’ military activities near Taiwan, while the island’s government has also condemned Beijing.”

As if China cared what the USA does or says these days.

Abortionists Attack Heartbeat Laws

Life News wrote on September 27:

“Mainstream news outlets are quoting abortionists and pro-abortion doctors who claim that an unborn baby’s heartbeat is not really a heartbeat yet at six weeks of pregnancy. Instead, it’s ‘cardiac activity,’ ‘electrical pulsing,’ ‘flickering’ and other terms… mainstream news outlets… have joined in on the misinformation campaign, but it is not difficult for Americans to find out the truth. From textbooks and medical experts to baby websites and even Planned Parenthood, the basic scientific facts are revealed: The heart is one of the first organs to develop in the human body and it begins beating at the earliest stage of life… an unborn baby’s heart begins to beat as early as 22 days gestation.

“…polls show Americans support heartbeat laws that prohibit abortions once an unborn baby’s heartbeat is detectable, about six weeks of pregnancy… The Texas heartbeat law went into effect Sept. 1. If allowed to remain in effect, the law potentially could save tens of thousands of unborn babies from abortion every year.”

A judge has now stopped the Texas law from being enforced. Human life begins with conception. To kill the unborn through abortion is murder.

Pope: Abortion Is “Murder,” But US Bishops Should Not Be Political

Newsmax wrote on September 15:

“Pope Francis said on Wednesday that abortion is ‘murder,’ even soon after conception, but appeared to criticize some U.S. Catholic bishops for dealing with U.S. President Joe Biden’s pro-choice position in a political rather than pastoral way…

“Church law says a Catholic who procures an abortion automatically excommunicates themselves from the Church. But there is no clear policy on Catholic politicians who say they have no choice as elected officials to support abortion rights even if they are personally opposed. This has led to heated debates in the U.S. Church.”

What a remarkable example of hypocrisy!

Arizona Senate Report—Not as the Mass Media Portrays It

Breitbart wrote on September 25:

“The report of the Maricopa County Forensic Election Audit of the 2020 election released at a public hearing of the Arizona State Senate chaired by Senate President Karen Fann (R-1) and Judiciary Committee Chairman Senator Warren Petersen (R-12) on Friday identified a number of significant election irregularities discovered during the audit… Joe Biden was certified as the winner of Arizona’s 11 Electoral College votes over former President Donald Trump by Secretary of State Katie Hobbs (D-AZ) and Gov. Doug Ducey (R-AZ) on November 30, 2020 by a margin of 10,475 votes According to those certified results, Biden received 1,672,143 votes in the state, while Trump received 1,661,686 votes…

“Establishment media outlets have celebrated the fact that the Maricopa County Forensic Audit hand count showed that Biden’s margin over Trump was 360 votes greater than the Maricopa County Official Canvass results. (Biden gained 99 votes, while Trump lost 261 votes in the audit hand count). They have claimed these results confirm Biden ‘won’ Arizona.

“The results of the audit, however, actually raise more doubts about the legitimacy of more than 49,000 votes included in the final counts of both the forensic audit and the Maricopa County Official Canvass results, a number that is more than four times greater than Biden’s 10,457 vote certified margin of victory. Of these more than 2 million votes counted, the report stated the results of the audit found that there were questions about 49,718 of these votes that had a critical, high, or medium ‘potential impact the finding may have had on the election.’

“Judiciary Chairman Petersen identified eight key points at the close of the hearing: The county’s obstructionism must be addressed. Their willingness to spend resources to block this audit; The numbers don’t reconcile. We should be able to pull up these election results and be able to come up with a reconciliation so everything balance; It appears they broke the law with duplicate ballots; Churning of logs. we need to find out why that happened. Who did it; Chain of custody; Failure to preserve data files; Cybersecurity weaknesses; and, The envelopes with blank signatures. We have a lot of questions there that need to be answered.”

It is amazing how the mass media perverts the facts to fit into their agenda.

Trump: Only Bad Call from a Doctor

Newsmax wrote on September 25:

“Former President Donald Trump said Friday that ‘a bad call from a doctor’ would be one of the only reasons he would not seek the Oval Office in 2024.

“When asked what would prevent him from running again during an interview Friday on America’s Voice News program ‘The Water Cooler,’ Trump said he could think of only one thing. ‘I guess a bad call from a doctor or something,’ [Trump said.] ‘Things happen through God, they happen. But I feel so good, and I hate what’s happening to our country.’”

This call may never come. Hence…

Noah’s Ark Found?

The Sun wrote on September 24:

“A GIANT shape claimed to match the Biblical description of Noah’s Ark has been found by researchers using 3D scans. Biblical archaeologists used ground penetrating radar to study the boat-like formation on Mount Tendürek which has long been rumoured to be the location of the legendary vessel from the Book of Genesis.

“US and Turkish investigators have boasted the initial scans are promising and suggest a manmade object heading beneath the mountain – and they remain hopeful it may be the Ark. Creationists have long claimed that Noah’s legendary ship is real and was buried beneath the rocky spot, known as the Durupınar, in the east of Turkey…

“In the Book of Genesis, the mountains of Ararat in what is now eastern Turkey is the region in which Noah’s Ark comes to rest after the Great Flood – which is close to Mount Tendürek. The site was originally discovered in 1959 by Turkish army captain Ilhan Durupinar, who noticed the boat formation in aerial photographs of the area by the military.”

It has been speculated and claimed for a long time that Noah’s Ark—or at least parts of it—is located at the very spot as described above.

Mount Sinai Located?

The Sun wrote on October 1:

“BIBLICAL archaeologists have claimed to have located the holy mountain where the Bible says God gave Moses two stone tablets inscribed with the Ten Commandments. They believe features and archaeological remains on the site in Saudi Arabia directly line up with the passage in the holy tome, some of which are fenced off as protected areas by the Saudi theocratic regime.

“… A mountain range in Egypt was for hundreds of years thought to be the site of the holy mountain… Ryan Mauro, who is a Middle East expert, told the Sun: ‘One of the main reasons certain scholars claim that the Exodus is a myth is because little to no evidence for what the Bible records has been found at the traditional Mount Sinai in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula. But what if these scholars have actually been looking in the wrong spot? Move over into the Arabian peninsula and you find incredibly compelling evidence matching the Biblical account.’ The researchers then went on to identify Jabal Maqla, a peak within the Jabal al-Lawz mountain range, as Mount Sinai.

“The Bible said God descended on Mount Sinai as a fire. And they claim the mountain, with its clearly blackened peaks, suggests this is the site…

“Chapter 32 of Exodus tells of the Golden Calf incident, where the Israelites make a golden calf, which was an Egyptian god, and worship it while Moses is on Mount Sinai. When Moses comes back down the mountain, the golden calf worshippers are killed for their idolatry. Mr Mauro said: ‘Close to the mountain, we have this site covered with depictions of people worshipping bulls and cows. And what’s really significant is that these petroglyphs are isolated to this area. It’s not like they’re carved all over the mountain.’”

Interesting ideas and findings.

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.

For someone who is called by God into His true Church, the company that he or she keeps is of paramount importance.   When someone responds to God’s calling, they will repent, be baptised and receive God’s Holy Spirit as they start on their onward journey towards the eternal Kingdom of God (compare Acts 2:38).   Anything that is a stumbling block or hindrance to their progress is to be resisted with all of their might, and with help from God, that can be achieved.

We can’t choose our family but we can choose our friends.   As one old saying goes, “friends are the family you choose.”

The American entrepreneur and motivational speaker Jim Rohn said that “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” Bearing this in mind, we should think about the people with whom we spend time, particularly bearing in mind the great calling that God has given us.

There will be those who may have no interest in our beliefs but on the face of it may seem to be good friends.  In such a case, we have to determine whether they will be a help or hindrance to our Christian Way of Life.

The Bible is clear about the importance of keeping good company.   We should all know about peer pressure.   Wikipedia defines this as follows: “Peer pressure is the direct influence on people by peers, or the effect on an individual who is encouraged and wants to follow their peers by changing their attitudes, values or behaviors to conform to those of the influencing group or individual.”  We know that younger people are much more prone to such pressure, usually wishing to be one of the crowd and not stand out as someone who is different, but older people can also be affected if they are not properly grounded.

It is vital that those people we spend time with are not those who want to influence our actions contrary to our beliefs.   Some may seem to be good friends, but at what cost?   We have to be alive and alert to the company we keep.   Peer pressure can be felt by anyone, and so we shouldn’t just think that this is just for other people to consider.

If we’re not careful, peer pressure can drag us into the ways of this world.   We are called to stand out from the evil ways of society which are in opposition to the right Ways of God.

The Bible has much to say about this, as we read in Proverbs 13:20-21: “He who walks with wise men will be wise, But the companion of fools will be destroyed.  Evil pursues sinners, But to the righteous, good shall be repaid.”

The Book of Proverbs is packed full of advice to those who have ears to hear, and regarding the company we keep, we read the following in Proverbs 14:6-7: “A scoffer seeks wisdom and does not find it, But knowledge is easy to him who understands. Go from the presence of a foolish man, When you do not perceive in him the lips of knowledge.”

We also read: “Do not be envious of evil men, Nor desire to be with them; For their heart devises violence, And their lips talk of troublemaking” (Proverbs 24:1-2).

We are not part of this world or its ways, as Romans 12:2 reveals: “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”

We often use 2 Corinthians 6:14 in the context of marriage or business.  However, it is also a verse with much wisdom, showing us what our behaviour must be: “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?”

“The Apostle Paul used this powerful word picture to impress in the minds of the Corinthians how they should deal with people outside the church. The city of Corinth was a powerhouse of immorality. It was riddled with different temples for gods and goddesses. Temple prostitution was pervasive and there was a considerable number of people in [Corinth] who were sexually immoral.   For the citizens, sexual looseness wasn’t condemned, but rather tolerated and at times, even promoted” (https://becomingchristians.com).

In other words, it was pretty much like our current promiscuous, permissive, liberal and indulgent society.

We have to beware of those who may like to say that they are our friends but are not, as evidenced by their conduct.  “A perverse man sows strife, And a whisperer separates the best of friends” (Proverbs 16:28) and “He who goes about as a talebearer reveals secrets; Therefore do not associate with one who flatters with his lips” (Proverbs 20:19).

In Acts 20:28-30, we read the exhortation of Paul to the elders of the Church: “Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock.  Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves.”   Now, while this is addressed to the ministry, the same principles apply to everyone in the Church.   Wolves in sheep’s clothing may even pretend to be our friends.

Deception can be everywhere, as Satan seeks to throw us off track, and being aware of the company we keep is vital.  1 Corinthians 15:33 contains a short but vital piece of advice: “Do not be deceived: ‘Evil company corrupts good habits.’”

There is an interesting passage of Scripture in 1 Corinthians 5:9-13:

“I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people.  Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world.  But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner—not even to eat with such a person.  For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside?  But those who are outside God judges. Therefore ‘put away from yourselves the evil person.’”

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges observes:

“The Apostle would not have his converts flee from the world, as so many did in later ages, but remain in it and leaven it. This course must bring them into contact with many ungodly men, whose evil example they must not follow, but whom they cannot altogether avoid, unless they would retire altogether from the active business of life. But if any member of the Church bring dishonour on the Christian name by such sins as those which are named, the Christian is bound to shew his sense of such flagrant inconsistency and hypocrisy, by refusing even to sit down to a meal with him. It is not difficult to follow the spirit of such an exhortation now, though it may be impossible to observe its letter. We cannot help meeting men of depraved morals and irreligious lives in business or in general society; we can, nay we must, refrain from making such persons our associates and intimates.”

There are Scriptures that show that mixing with the wrong people is something that we must avoid.   Being part of an ungodly crowd must not be the guideline for us, even if they are of those whom we consider to be friends. You cannot hang out with negative people and expect to live a positive life.   It is also better to walk alone than with a crowd going in the wrong direction!

Again, Scripture points the way ahead for us.  We read in Exodus 23:2: “You shall not follow a crowd to do evil; nor shall you testify in a dispute so as to turn aside after many to pervert justice.”

Of course, there will always be those who know better than the One who created us all; that is just the arrogance of man.  However, Proverbs 14:12 (also Proverbs 16:25) answers man’s audacity: “There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.”

Wrong involvement with the world and its ways are addressed in James 4:4: “Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”

Because we are not of this world, we see how the world’s reaction to our conduct is outlined in John 15:18-19: “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.  If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.”

Staying away from company that can distract us from our life-long career of following the ways of God is imperative.   Even allowing some small departures from the path we have been called to follow could ultimately be catastrophic for our future.

(To be continued)

Lead Writer: Brian Gale (United Kingdom)

compiled by Dave Harris

We were notified this week that Eve McNair has died. Eve, a long time Church of God member and wife of late Evangelist, Raymond McNair, had been living in the Southern California area.

“America’s Downfall and Europe’s Rise,” is the title of a new StandingWatch program, presented by Evangelist Norbert Link. Here is a summary:

Most recent events show the ongoing decline and downfall of the USA with astonishing speed, while at the same time, Europe is preparing to rise and fill the vacuum. This program shows what is truly happening and sheds light on the facts which have been ignored or overlooked in far too many instances.

“Amerikas Niedergang und Europas Aufstieg,” is the title of a new AufPostenStehen program, presented by Norbert Link. This German language program covers the same topic as described above.

“Jerusalems Untergang,” is the title of this coming Sabbath’s new German sermon, presented by Norbert Link. Title in English: “Jerusalem’s Downfall.”

PLEASE NOTE: All of our recent sermons and sermonettes have begun to be posted following the recent fall Holy Days. These postings may be found at www.eternalgod.org and https://www.ewigengottes.de/

“Settling for Mediocrity,” the sermonette presented last Sabbath by Kalon Mitchell, is now posted. Here is a summary:

Where in our lives do we just settle for whatever is easiest? Where do we need to look for change? Does the Bible say anything about just doing the least to get by?

“The Fall of Jerusalem,” the sermon presented last Sabbath by Norbert Link, is now posted. Here is a summary:

The book of Lamentations describes in vivid and shocking detail the fall of ancient and modern Jerusalem and shows why it did and will happen. Further, Jeremiah’s prophecy and his alarming warnings are by no means limited to the city of Jerusalem.