God Supports Us

For as long as I can remember, I have had a certain weakness. It’s an innocuous one, but regardless, I’ve been affected by it numerous times in my life, and I will probably continue to be affected by it. My weakness is that whenever someone tells me that he or she thinks that I would be good at doing something, I’m inclined to believe that I can do it too. In addition, almost every sincere claim results in me giving it a try, as long as it is not an ungodly venture, of course. The statements don’t even need to be based on much. I once joined a soccer team because the coach saw me kick a single ball, and asked if I would like to play. Sometimes my attempts at an endeavor that begins with another’s belief in me result in success, but quite often failure.

I recall an early example when I was a member of a Tee-ball team at my grade school. My best friend’s father was the coach of the team, and he told me that he thought I would be a good catcher. In Tee-Ball, the batters hit a baseball from a tee instead of from a pitch, so the role of a catcher only involves catching a ball when a runner is coming into home base. Because of this, I really didn’t have to do very much. I thought that I would be a good catcher too, so I gave it a try. After losing our first couple of games, I was moved to the position that I was destined for—right field. Since I didn’t have to actually catch many balls in that position, I did much better. In this case, I really wasn’t very good at what someone thought that I would be, but I recall giving it my best effort because someone believed in me.

Something that I have become aware of through experience is that when others express their faith in me, I feel like I’m not alone in a pursuit of success. When someone else is involved in my own personal achievement, the support is a huge motivator. As a result, the activities that I get involved in are more meaningful, fulfilling, and even easier when I know that I have someone else standing behind me. I’m sure that many of those reading this share the same feeling – being supported in the pursuit of a virtuous endeavor is extremely motivating.

While I may find that the support and belief of other people in my abilities might sometimes be misplaced, God’s belief in me and His support are not. God’s faith gives me confidence that I can achieve the tasks He sets before me. This is true for all of us. If we find motivation when we are supported by another person, how much more should we be encouraged when we read this, “God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:9).  God is faithful in us! Knowing that the Almighty Creator of heaven and earth believes in us should give us all the support, encouragement, and edification that we need to continue trying our best to answer the call that He has given us! God has faith that we can succeed in the great task of overcoming sin through Jesus Christ.  We can do this because God the Father believes that we can!

The proof of this godly support abounds in the Bible, and when it is all taken together, it should offer us tremendous and unquenchable encouragement. God calls us to perform a job for a purpose, and not for the purpose of failure. No, we must be encouraged to succeed, “being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6). If God has blessed us with the understanding of the Truth, this gives us the evidence that He has faith in us, individually.

With the faith of God supporting us, and with His Holy Spirit working within us, we have all the raw materials that we need to succeed in turning away from sin to live a life that seeks the Kingdom of God. If we neglect the support that God provides, this is tantamount to choosing death. God can do nothing more to help us if we turn away from Him. However, if we accept His support and allow His Spirit to lead us to righteousness, we are promised salvation. We must always remember, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31).

Timing

One of the great temptations in the life of a Christian is the desire to determine the exact date of Christ’s return. The early apostles wanted to know the exact time, and even though Christ told them that it was not for them to know (Acts 1:6-7); that God’s Kingdom would not appear immediately (Luke 19:11); and that He would return at an unexpected time (Matthew 24:44); it seems that even the apostle Paul thought for a while that he would still be alive at the time of Christ’s return (1 Thessalonians 4:17).

Over the centuries, Christians expected to experience firsthand the Second Coming of Christ, and they were confident that this would occur at a certain time. When it did not happen, many became frustrated and disappointed. The Church of God in the 20th and 21st centuries is no exception. Various dates would be proposed, which seemingly were convincing and compelling, as they were supposedly based on biblical “indications,” such as 19-year time cycles or calculations adopted from the book of Daniel. When the dates came and went, and Christ had still not returned, it was argued that God had simply delayed Christ’s Coming, and new dates were proposed, which likewise failed.

These erroneous and futile calculations, which were from the outset destined to failure, led to disillusionment, and many members lost confidence in their leadership and left their church organization. Others stayed, willing to “overlook” the miscalculations of well-meaning, but misguided ministers, but their willingness to follow the ministry had diminished, and, quite often, an underlying spirit of rebellion and self-will developed. In addition, some of those who pointed out past mistakes brought in damnable heresies, and while they found support from many gullible and undiscerning members, they set in motion the beginning of the prophesied end-time departure or “falling away” from the truth (2 Thessalonians 2:1-2). The blind were now leading the blind, so that both fell into the ditch (Matthew 15:14).

When focusing on the status of the Church of God today, due to the experiences of the past, some true and loyal members might be inclined to believe that Christ will not come back any time soon (2 Peter 3:1-4; Isaiah 5:19), and some may become complacent or distracted by getting involved with other pursuits (Matthew 24:37-39, 45-51).

The problem with this attitude and its bad consequences is clearly described in Scripture (2 Peter 3:5-10). Whatever the apparently convincing “justification” for such thinking may be, the fact remains that Christ promised that He will return, and He gave us signs to focus on, indicating when His return would be near (Matthew 24:32-34). Sadly, in the past, many in the Church did not correctly evaluate these signs, while looking at events which were not really signs for Christ’s Second Coming. Since the knowledge and the understanding of the truth would increase in the last days, we are today in a unique position to evaluate world events in the light of biblical prophecy (2 Peter 3:18; Daniel 12:9; Jeremiah 23:20).

In this week’s Q&A, we write much about end-time prophecy, and it behooves all of us to take careful note of what we report regularly in our weekly Current Events section. Although we won’t make the mistake of setting dates, we are aware that prophesied end-time events are finding their fulfillment all over the world. The next major event in world affairs is the beginning of the Great Tribulation. Even though we do not know when this will occur, we do observe developments on the world scene which are setting the stage for this unparalleled and unique time in the history of mankind. Christ warned us that those days must be shortened to ensure the very survival of physical life on this planet. He reassures us that He will return before it is too late, to make an end to man’s incompetent rule leading to utter destruction, mayhem, and nuclear war (Matthew 24:21-22).

It is our belief that His return is not THAT far away, and that we are entering the final days of human suffering and misrule (Ezekiel 12:25-28). God is true and faithful, and His words stand forever and will by no means pass away (Matthew 24:35). What He has promised, He will do (Isaiah 46:10), and He did promise that pursuant to His plan and timing, He will send back His Son Jesus Christ to usher in a wonderful new world. It has been said that Christ will not come one second too early, but He will not come one second too late, either. We must get ready for His return, and we are told to begin “today” (1 Thessalonians 5:1-6; Hebrews 2:1; 3:12-13; 4:11).

A “Sacred Work”

Ancient Israel had a proclivity to turn away from God and inculcate the beliefs and practices of the pagan nations around them. Many laws and warnings were set forth to shield God’s chosen nation from that ungodliness. But as we know from the examples left for us in the Bible, Israel often failed to heed those warnings, and dire consequences followed. Jeremiah records God’s thoughts directed towards the inhabitants of Jerusalem; a city besieged by Nebuchadnezzar:

“ ‘For this city has been to Me a provocation of My anger and My fury from the day that they built it, even to this day; so I will remove it from before My face because of all the evil of the children of Israel and the children of Judah, which they have done to provoke Me to anger—they, their kings, their princes, their priests, their prophets, the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem’ ” (Jeremiah 32:31-32).

What would cause this reaction from God?  Jeremiah continues, “ ‘But they set their abominations in the house which is called by My name, to defile it. And they built the high places of Baal which are in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire to Molech, which I did not command them, nor did it come into My mind that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin’ ” (Jeremiah 32:34-35). This sacrifice of children was abhorrent to God and was beyond what He could have imagined Israel taking part in.  The modern-day descendants of those twelve tribes have lowered themselves into even more detestable behavior in this end-time age.  In 2013 the Centers for Disease Control states that “664,435 legal induced abortions” took place in the United States that year. The agency reports more than 43 million abortions since they started taking data in 1970.

This growing infant genocide is no longer a backroom-hidden activity as more and more of our political and religious leaders accept this act. In an article from lifenews.com, dated Jan 12, 2017, entitled, “Religious Leaders Bless Opening of New Planned Parenthood Abortion Clinic, Call It ‘Sacred Work,’ “a growing acceptance of abortions from religious leaders is highlighted by the attendance of more than 20 religious groups. One of the administrators of the new “mega-facility” stated, “ ‘In almost every message to our staff, I talk about our doing sacred work,’ Dr. Laura Meyers, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington, told the news outlet. ‘This confirms the sacredness of the work we do.’ ” The article continues, “ ‘I’ve been a Christian longer than I’ve been an abortion provider,’ said Willie Parker, who is about as close as the reproductive choice movement gets to a rock star. ‘Women have been made to think that this [clinic] is so some evil place, where God is not,’ he continued, pointing out the people ‘cursing [women] for making sacred decisions. Our answer to the curse is to bless.’ ”

The very same influence that caused Israel to accept the demonic worship of Molech continues to drive modern man away from God. Satan’s influence is overwhelming and all-encompassing to the blind. Without God opening man’s mind, it is truly impossible to determine what is right or wrong.  Vigilance for that precious truth is the lifeline we must hold fast as this age ends.

Our True Focus of the New Year

According to the human calendar of Western civilization, we have now entered the “New Year.”  The “holiday” season has just passed, referring to Christmas and New Year’s Day. We know that we are not supposed to be celebrating these man-made holidays because we understand that they are pagan and God never commanded us to observe them.  In fact, He commands us not to do so. The world views their New Year as a brand new start.   True Christians also experience a brand new start but in a different way and at a different time.

First of all, according to God’s Hebrew calendar and the Bible, we know that God’s New Year doesn’t start in the dead of winter. In Exodus 12:1-2 we have a pretty good indication when the New Year would begin for us.  This is when Passover starts, followed by the Days of Unleavened Bread, the start of the Spring Holy Days, usually at the end of March or early April.  Notice here that the New Year begins in the Spring, when everything is springing back to life, when everything is in bloom – when a renewal occurs.

We have all heard the saying or heard people say what they will do at the start of the “New Year”; what their “New Year’s resolutions” are; and what their new goals are going to be.  A lot of the times however, it is only a mere saying; something that really isn’t taken all that seriously, and before February comes, those “New Year’s resolutions” have been forgotten or broken.  And then the next year comes, and those same goals and resolutions are repeated without any positive outcome.

Is this what we do every year?  Do we also make goals for ourselves or new resolutions in which we commit to bettering ourselves and learning from our past mistakes?  We actually must do this, but not during the same time the world celebrates New Year’s Day.  The difference here is that we have to take it seriously, by learning from our mistakes and realizing that we SHOULD accomplish our GOALS – our goals of keeping God’s commandments.  We do this during God’s New Year, in the Spring, during Passover when we re-commit to God and reconfirm our covenant with Him; when we repent of our sins; and when we ask Him for forgiveness, by refocusing on the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ.  This is the time of reflection as well.  When we take the Passover seriously, our slate of sin will be swept clean. Our renewal occurs, so that we can continue striving for perfection. This process is also symbolized by the foot-washing ceremony (compare John 13:10).

Before we took the Passover, we were given a new life when we entered into God’s Family as Spirit-begotten members and we received His Spirit of power.  We had to repent from all of our sins and start our new life and live in the way we were commanded to do.  This was during our baptism which was necessary for us to be permitted to later partake of the Passover so that we can continue living God’s Way and ultimately inherit eternal life.  We were dead and now we are alive (compare Romans 6:1-14).  Just like the ways of this world are dead, but the Way of God is life.  This world celebrates the New Year in the dead of winter while God’s New Year is in the Spring, picturing renewal and fullness of life.

We know just how tricky Satan can be and how he deceives this whole world.  New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day are viewed by many as a time for partying, a day of celebration, but many fail to realize their pagan origin as they party into the night, welcoming a new start of the “New Year.”

Our “New Year’s resolutions” must occur at our baptism when we become a new man, and each year during the Passover season when we reconfirm our covenant with God, repent, and are cleansed of our sins.  We are here for a reason; to grow towards God’s perfection and to be good examples to others. This is where our true focus should be.

The Road Ahead

For those of us who have been around for a long time, we remember the talk in the late 60’s about God’s Church fleeing to a place of safety in 1972, then in about 1985; and more recently, 2017 was proposed as the year of Christ’s return, allegedly following an imagined “seven year contract” between the “beast” and other nations and 3 ½ years of Great Tribulation. None of that has been remotely accurate. Then there were other dates proposed, but in each case the score has been zero for accuracy. The reason is, no human being knows the date of Christ’s return, and it is rather foolish to draft up charts and speculations about the time, since in Christ’s own words, not even He knows the exact date, but only the Father knows, as He will decide as to when He will send Christ back to this earth.

Mark 13:32 quotes Christ as follows: “But of that day and that hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”

So if one wants to pursue futility and engage in a waste of time, then one can try to “figure it out.” But what is really important to God is to come out of the world, by God’s mercy, and if we endure to the end, we will be saved and enter God’s Kingdom. Matthew 10:22 tells us:  “And you will be hated of all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved.”

All of us are getting older, but we must push on and finish the job we have been given. The Church has not yet finished its commission to preach the gospel to the world as a witness, but the time will come when sufficient testimony will have been given to the last generation, and God promises He will take care of those who faithfully carry out the task at hand. We must not neglect our spiritual growth in the process, but coupled with our God-given responsibility to preach the gospel, we become, as it were, the “complete” man.

What lies ahead, prior to Christ’s return? Will we live in a better, peaceful world? Not according to the Word of God. Instead, we can expect more problems, more wars, terrorist attacks and a general deterioration of the moral fiber of America, Canada, the UK and all nations around the world.  Some of us may not be around in a few years from now and there will be new faces in the Church to pick up the challenges, but the work  must and will go on. Otherwise, Christ could not return, but He will, as He is the ultimate solution to all the problems in the world. He must return to save mankind from itself.

Matthew 24:22 gives us this frightening prophecy, and at the same time, this reassuring promise:  “And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved, but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.”

Will we face problems and challenges? The answer is yes, but when the going gets tough, the tough get going. That is not to say that we should get calloused about our job; rather, we have to do it zealously, knowing that it is for the ultimate good of mankind.

The category we want to be in when Christ does return is framed in Mathew 25:21:  “His lord said unto him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.'”

What’s New?

Human beings often seek the newest, greatest thing. Instead of being content with what they have, they want to get more and more. This was Satan’s downfall. He was not happy with the office God appointed him to. He wanted more and more. Eventually, he was thrown to the earth, and we know what his final outcome will be.

As we get ready to move into 2017, people in society often make “New Year’s Resolutions.” These are frequently short lived ideas that carry on for a little while and then fade away. We must be careful that we do not have this type of attitude. After the Feast of Tabernacles, we usually find ourselves invigorated and ready to carry on the good fight. But what happens to our resolve a few months down the road?

As we look at the deteriorating world around us, we are often reminded that these things MUST happen so that the end may come. Matthew 24:5-14 shows us the climate that we will witness before the return of Jesus Christ. The work of preaching the Gospel is our duty, even as we see the love of many growing cold. This will not happen to us if we are setting the right goals and are consistently moving towards them.

Luke 12:31-32, 34 states: “But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you. Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom… For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Where do we put our treasures? Do we horde them? Do we give them away? Are we constantly thinking about how we can fulfill this Scripture in our lives? We do this through the things we think, say and do. Our hearts need to be devoted in learning how to draw closer to God and Christ, so we can stay strong and ever ready—putting forth our best effort so that we shine as examples to those around us. We can be joyful at all times, through thick and thin, because we have the promise of God that we will be in His Kingdom if we hold fast.

This is not new information. These are things we have heard time and again. But truly, as we move into 2017, what will happen in our lives? Will the Scriptures of turning cold and falling away apply to any of us? Or will the opposite be true and will we walk away from 2017 into 2018 as a stronger and more faithful people? We have to decide that we want God’s Way of Life more than ANYTHING else in this world. Matthew 10:38 tells us that we need to take our cross and follow after Christ. Either we will be worthy or we will be unworthy. These are the two choices set before us. Which choice will we make?

Impact

We are beginning to see the results of America’s recent presidential election. For the short term, the impact is already one of global concern, and, undoubtedly, the future consequences will prove far, far greater than we now envision.

There are occurrences which at first seem of little importance but end up being world-changing—that is the perspective we can gain from history. However, we don’t have to live our lives in uncertainty as events both small and large come to pass.

On an individual basis, one of the most fundamental truths of the Bible is that each person’s actions will impact them—we will reap what we sow (Galatians 6:7). That puts the emphasis on the here and now—the present moment of our lives.

Jesus taught that we must, “‘seek FIRST the Kingdom of God and His righteousness…’” (Matthew 6:33). He adds focus to how we are to do this, stating, “‘Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble’” (Matthew 6:34).

Does this then mean that we should ignore future events? Quite the contrary! The focus of our lives is the coming Kingdom of God, but we must first attain godly character (Matthew 5:48). That involves conversion, overcoming and enduring—day-by-day throughout weeks, months and years.

No person in all of human history has had more impact than Jesus Christ! He did so through obedience to the Father (Hebrews 10:7)—seeking always to please Him (John 8:29). He lived each day of His life WITHOUT SIN (1 John 3:5). Jesus met His responsibilities by confronting whatever He faced and overcoming it (Revelation 3:21).

We can impact the future results of our calling from God by diligently fulfilling the job at hand, and that is to follow the example and lead of Jesus Christ—each and every day of our lives!

Democracy Is Fine, but Only when It Goes My Way

An interesting phenomenon took place this year, that of democracy at work but not working for many of its adherents. The definition of democracy can be “a system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives.”

There have been times when a government didn’t get the result they wanted and so they brought out the propaganda machine and waited until they were confident of getting the desired result, or they did deals to make sure that their will prevailed.

In Denmark, a second referendum was held after voters rejected the Maastricht Treaty.  A deal was done giving the country an opt-out of the Euro and home and justice affairs, and the second referendum was successful.  In Ireland, a second referendum was held after the original referendum had rejected the Nice Treaty. Again, concessions were made and the second vote passed.  Ireland also had two votes on the Lisbon Treaty.

In a BBC article on June 28th, it referred to the above examples and said: “In each case, the unanimous approval of EU members had been needed for treaty changes, so the whole process would have stalled if the referendums had not passed.”

The UK, as a whole, voted on being in or out of Europe in the vote on 23rd June 2016, and Brexit was the outcome with 48% voting to stay in and 52% to leave.   Some of the 48% didn’t like the verdict at all and there were street protests and marches.   Democracy hadn’t produced the verdict that they wanted – and expected!   Although it was a binding UK vote, some parts of the UK who voted to stay in the EU thought that they ought to be allowed to remain as before.  In a Daily Express article dated 28th November 2016, headed “This remorseless drive to overturn referendum result”, examples were given of famous British leaders who still hang on to some sort of hope that it was all a big mistake.  It’s amazing what the human mind will come up with in order to get democracy on their own terms.

Then we saw street protests across the USA after Donald Trump was elected as the new President in November 2016.   Democracy was again fine but only so long as the right result was reached and to many across the USA, this hadn’t happened.

Winston Churchill wryly observed: “Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others.”   So, what form of government is best – perhaps a benevolent dictator?   The definition is: “A benevolent dictatorship is a theoretical form of government in which an authoritarian leader exercises absolute political power over the state but does so for the benefit of the population as a whole.”   But who would be the dictator?   Human nature being what it is, no human being would, or could fit the bill, and so we get back to democracy as at present.

But there is a time coming when Jesus Christ will reign on earth as King of kings and Lord of lords, and He will rule with the best interests of everyone uppermost in his mind.   He will execute justice and usher in the Millennium (See Isaiah 11:1-5).   At that time, there will be some initial teething problems but as soon as earth’s inhabitants realise it is for the best for everyone alive, then resistance will cease and democracy will be forgotten, as the perfect form of government—true Theocracy—will be enjoyed for 1,000 years.

It shouldn’t be too long now!

Seek in Action

Persistence tends to pay off. By continuing to work tirelessly on a goal, great or small, progress will be made towards its successful outcome. Even if the progress is incremental, it still counts. I like to say, “If you push hard enough in the same direction, you eventually move that way.” The Bible establishes the same principle, “The plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty, But those of everyone who is hasty, surely to poverty” (Proverbs 21:5). Careers have been reinvented, addictions have been beaten, fortunes have been made, and most importantly, sins have been overcome by applying persistence. In the most challenging of circumstances, it is encouraging to know that when we continue to apply our efforts on a focused goal, we have some direct influence on obtaining the outcome we seek.

So then, if we set goals – great or small – and if we can influence progress towards the successful outcome with a persistent effort, it is clearly important to start by setting the right goals! We cannot be tricked into seeking goals that might seem virtuous and good, but are actually void of true value. These kinds of goals are fools’ gold. Jesus reminds us in Matthew 6:21 that “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” This offers us a good starting point to test the goals that we have in our lives. Is the fulfillment of our goals measured by worldly means or spiritual? While there is nothing inherently wrong with seeking personal achievement in the world, these goals must not overshadow our spiritual achievements. As 1 John 2:15-17 proclaims, seeking worldly goals is temporary and if we have love for these accomplishments, we are misdirected. We need to love the goals that have an eternal and holy result. These are the kinds of goals that are worth our time.

We don’t have to look very far to find an example of a specific goal that fits this profile. Matthew 6:33 clearly and succinctly instructs us, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness….” It is an oft-cited Scripture because it is central to the life of a Christian. Yet, it can be challenging to comprehend the practical meaning. Certainly, the act of seeking the Kingdom of God involves more than paying lip service, and therefore requires that we put some real work behind it. Is the time and effort that we spend in our lives bringing us closer to inheriting the Kingdom of God? It is our job to find ways to respond to this question with an affirmative answer.

The best way to begin making progress towards seeking the Kingdom of God, and to continue once we have started, is to actively work on overcoming sin (compare Colossians 3:1-7). Doing this involves building our understanding of obedience, thereby continuing to learn and grow in righteousness. And, once we deepen our understanding of obedience, we are obliged to change our behavior accordingly. In addition, participating in the Work of God is important as well. Towards the end of Paul’s ministry when he was under house-arrest, he acknowledges and thanks several individuals by name, calling them “fellow workers for the kingdom of God” (Colossians 4:11). These individuals assisted Paul in his work, ministering to Christians in far-reaching corners of the world. In order to actively seek the Kingdom of God, we need to work on overcoming our sins, but also commit ourselves to the Work of the Church of God, whose commission is to preach the gospel to the world as a witness.

Our life’s work will find a successful outcome if we actively put a genuine effort behind targeted goals. However, we must choose our goals very carefully. If we choose a worldly goal, we may very well achieve it, but fail to find eternal life. By setting our sights on things above with a spiritual outcome and actively working at it, our success will be eternal.

Why Italy Will NOT Leave the EU!

The “Eurozone crisis” is back in the news. After “Brexit,” a new expression was coined, namely “Itexit.” In fact, others refer to “Grexit” and “Spexit.” They mean thereby that countries such as Italy, Greece or Spain might exit the Eurozone or even the EU.

Now, economic “experts” seem to be convinced that “Itexit” (Italy’s exit from the Eurozone) is a strong possibility.

The Financial Times wrote on November 20:

“After Brexit and Donald Trump, prepare for the return of the Eurozone crisis. If Matteo Renzi, Italian prime minister, loses his constitutional referendum on December 4, I would expect a sequence of events that would raise questions of Italy’s participation in the Eurozone.”

The Telegraph wrote on November 27:

“Italy needs reform and a euro exit is inevitable.”

But how probable is it that Italy will leave the Eurozone and replace the euro with its former national currency, the lira? Der Spiegel wrote on November 27 that an exit from the Eurozone would lead to a dramatic crisis situation in Italy, as inflation would increase; nobody would come to Italy’s rescue (the European Central Bank would be prohibited from helping Italy); and Italy’s astronomical national debt (which is calculated in euros) would still have to be repaid.

There have been voices in the past prognosticating all kinds of fanciful results. They declared forcefully that the euro would fail; that the Eurozone would disintegrate; that the member states would return to their former national currencies; and that the European project was dead. On the other hand, many felt that there would be no Brexit.

As it turned out, they have all been wrong. While current and future political and economic developments might have been miscalculated or misunderstood, the reason why all these speculations have failed is that biblical prophecy had been ignored.

With the same bold certainty with which we proclaimed that the euro will NOT fail; that the Eurozone will NOT disintegrate; that the European project is NOT over; but that there WOULD BE a Brexit; we are stating with the same conviction that Italy will NOT exit the Eurozone, let alone the EU.

The Bible makes it VERY clear that Italy will remain as one of the LEADING nations in the European project—not necessarily from a political or economic standpoint, but surely from an historical and RELIGIOUS standpoint. In fact, the whole European unification project is founded on the Treaty of Rome. The Bible shows that ten nations or groups of nations will emerge in Europe (and to be more precise, from the Eurozone), and Germany and Italy will certainly be among those nations. They will give their power to a charismatic political and military leader who will work hand in hand with a religious leader. The Bible speaks of modern Babylon—a European political, economic and military union under Roman Catholic rule. It identifies Babylon as the city built on seven hills, which reigns over the kings of the earth.

At this point, the Eurozone consists of 19 members. This will change. Politico wrote on October 6: “Nobel-prize winning economist Joseph Stiglitz believes Italy and several other countries could leave the Eurozone within years… ‘There will still be a Eurozone in 10 years, but the question is, what will it look like? It’s very unlikely that it will still have 19 members. It’s difficult to say who will still belong,’ Stiglitz said in an interview with German newspaper Die Welt.”

While Mr. Stiglitz—as so many other “experts”—is clearly wrong insofar as Italy is concerned, he IS correct that the Eurozone will decrease in numbers, and even though we do not know for sure “who will still belong,” we DO know that Italy “WILL still belong.”

Our free booklet, “The Ten European Revivals of the Ancient Roman Empire” tells you why.

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