Update 1029

Be Careful With Your Word

by Kalon Mitchell

In today’s world, social media is king. People can sit behind their glass screens and post about anything they want to. A lot of this posting is filled with vitriol and hatred. The words that are used are oftentimes cruel and demeaning and devoid of empathy or love.

But this is not how we are to be. Our communication with each other and with the world is to be with love and kindness. The more the world turns inward towards hatred and evil, the more we will have to combat this attitude. We are living in this world, and we are susceptible to the attitude of the current world ruler.

In our dealings with each other, there is a constant need for respect and love – especially in the things that we choose to say to each other. If we really examine the words that are coming out of our mouths – they will show how close we are to God OR how influenced we are by Satan.

God is very serious about this matter. He cares about what we say to others. Because how we choose to speak shows what is in our hearts. And there really is no room for two ways in our hearts.

Matthew 12:33-37 states: “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit. Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

We will have to give an account. That truly is something to keep in mind and to make us aware that we need to be very mindful of what we say to people.

Our communication is powerful. We are in charge of what we allow to come out of our mouths. We can destroy people – or we can lift them up – all is in our power. This quote speaks volumes: “Be careful with your words. Once they are said, they can be only forgiven, not forgotten.” If we just say, “Oh sorry, I can’t control my thoughts and my words,” then we are choosing to allow ourselves, through our words, to become part of this world. If we are not in control, who is?

The Bible confirms this assessment!

James tells us (James 3:5) that the tongue is a small part of our body – but if we are not careful, it can set on fire a forest, meaning that if we are not diligent in watching what we say, we can cause extreme damage—maybe with our spouse, maybe with our children, maybe with members of the church, and maybe even with those outside.

If we are constantly angry in our vocabulary or show disrespect to others, then there is something wrong within ourselves. When we do this, we are not behaving as a Christian. If we actually care about and have love for others, then we will be extra diligent with our words.

We find in Colossians 3:8 that we as Christians have an obligation to be mindful about communicating in a way that is right:  “But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth.” We must be aware that individually, we can alter situations and help keep the peace. Colossians 4:6 says: “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.”

While we are in the world, we do NOT have to act like the world. Rather, we can be the difference, the “Light on the hill”. We each can choose how we are going to speak. We each can choose how we will apply these Scriptures. Ephesians 4:29 states: “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouths, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.”

If we wait for others to treat us differently in communication, we are missing the point. We each can and must choose to lift others up in how we communicate. If we change how we communicate with others, it will have a positive net outcome. If we choose to speak harshly and without consideration, this too will have a net outcome – but in a very negative way.

Really, if each of us were to take scriptures such as Philippians 2:3 to heart and work on applying them in our lives, how much more powerful and good would our words to each other be?: “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better [higher] than himself.”

It truly is amazing how much our words can affect others. As we live this Christian Way of Life, our duty is to continue to change, to continue to grow. What better way than to examine our words and see if they really are Christian-like, kind and loving, or if they are reflecting this ugly, broken and dying world. Notice the following proverbs:

Proverbs 16:24: “Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, Sweetness to the soul and health to the bones.”

Proverbs 18:21: “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit.”

Proverbs 12:18: “There is one who speaks like the piercings of a sword, But the tongue of the wise promotes health.”

Proverbs 15:1: “A soft answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger.”

Proverbs 15:4: “A wholesome tongue is a tree of life, But perverseness in it breaks the spirit.”

I would challenge each of us to take a look back on the words we have spoken during the week, and then work towards improving our choice of words the next week to be more in accordance with what God shows us. If we do this consistently, we will see the fruit that is brought forth in ourselves and with others!

Preaching the Gospel and Feeding the Flock

compiled by Dave Harris

“Boris Johnson Resigns and Leaves a Mess,” is the title of a new StandingWatch program presented by Evangelist Norbert Link. Here is a summary:

Boris Johnson announced his resignation as Conservative Party leader, but wants to remain as a caretaker prime minister until a successor is found.  This crisis comes at a terrible time for the Brits, and it has been said that the country looks like a shambles. Before his resignation, Johnson made the spectacular suggestion of recreating the ancient Roman Empire in Europe, which will indeed rise again, but the consequences for the UK will be disastrous. On top of that, it has been said that the UK is totally unprepared for a nuclear world war which could ultimately annihilate all of mankind.

“Boris Johnson hinterlässt einen Scherbenhaufen,” is the title of a new AufPostenStehen program, presented by Norbert Link. This program in German covers the topic presented above. 

A new Member Letter (July 2022) has been written by Brian Gale. In his letter, Mr. Gale reflects on the worldwide chaos now occurring—a time very much like that of Noah’s day. He further encourages us to not “be caught unawares” when God decides to act to put a stop to all the evil.

“God Is… Our Destiny,” a new booklet written by Norbert Link, has entered final a final editing before sending it to graphic artist Shelly Bruno.

“Die Bedeutung von Gottes Heiligen Herbstfeiertagen,” the German translation of our English booklet, “The Meaning of God’s Fall Holy Days,” has reached the final review cycle. 

“David und Absalom… schuldlos ist keiner!” is the title of this Sabbath’s German sermon, presented by Norbert Link. Title in English: “David and Absalom… None Without Fault!”

“Erfolgreiche Sündenüberwindung,” the sermonette presented last Sabbath in Germany by Andreas Raetz, is now posted. Title in English: “Successful Overcoming of Sins.”

“America No Longer a Great Nation—Comments on News and Prophecy, July 2, 2022,” the first message presented last Sabbath by Norbert Link, is now posted. Here is a summary:

President Donald Trump said it well at a recent rally in Mendon, Illinois: “It is no longer a great nation. It is a nation in decline.” He then went on to explain as to why he came to that conclusion which is, sadly, very true. In this program, we also discuss the possibility of “legal civil war” in the USA, as well as the willingness of many American citizens to take up arms against the government “at one point soon.” Finally, we quote recent comments from Pope Francis which echo what Herbert Armstrong already said in 1945.

“Greatly Divided We Fall,” the sermon presented last Sabbath by Kalon Mitchell, is now posted. Here is a summary:

In a world that is divided on all sides – where do we stand in regards to our relationship with God and with our fellow Christians? We have to be united or we will fall.

This Week in the News

Armageddon

CBS News reported on July 1:

“As the U.S. prepares for what some in the industry are calling ‘airmageddon,’ travelers are bracing for a possible meltdown at airlines, airports and security and customs checkpoints, not to mention hotels and hotel services… 3.5 million people are expected to fly this holiday weekend. Airfares cost, on average, 14% more, and in some markets have quadrupled. And hotel rates are up a whopping 23% since 2021.

“And all this is happening as the major airline and travel stakeholders spar over delays and cancellations. The airlines are blaming the [FAA] for delays, the FAA claims the airlines are flying schedules they can’t physically support, pilots are blaming the airlines for increased workloads and flying hours they claim could be a safety issue, passenger complaints against airlines are up 300% over 2019, and the U.S. Department of Transportation is contemplating emergency rulemaking options… In the U.S., the DOT reports that the airlines have lost or mishandled 21% more bags this year than last.

“Earlier this week, Delta issued an unprecedented July 4 weekend ‘air waiver’ to its customers, citing ‘operational challenges.’ The airline admitted it expected trouble in supporting its schedule — meaning, they don’t have enough pilots, flight attendants, baggage handlers and other employees to staff all their scheduled flights, among other challenges  — over the next four days, and encouraged travelers to rebook for other flights and other days without being charged any fees or penalties. The airline was essentially asking their passengers not to fly. No other U.S. airline has so far matched that waiver.

“…Airlines are also parking dozens of 50-seat regional jets because they don’t have the pilots to fly them — and because at current fuel prices the airplanes are unprofitable to operate. Translation: Secondary market cities in the U.S., such as Ithaca, New York, and Toledo, Ohio, will have severely reduced — or in some cases, no — airline service by Labor Day.”

Another sign of America’s failing economy.

WHY Airline Delays and Cancellations

LifeSiteNews published an opinion by “American Thinker”  on July 4:

“Every night, I hear a report on the network news announcing the number of flights canceled… Thousands of flights are axed on any given day. Many more are delayed. News readers just read the report, without any substantive questioning about why there’s suddenly a great shortage of pilots. The weather is the only excuse ever offered, and that doesn’t work when there are no storms slowing things down.

“What’s going on? We’ve never had a pilot shortage before. We may currently have more air travelers needing flights than a year ago, but not more than before COVID – and yet here we are, facing an entirely new problem. It’s so bad that American Airlines is offering pilots on its regional carriers double and triple pay for the month of July if they’ll take extra flights.

“It’s not hard to figure out what’s happening – despite the seeming prohibition on our pilots saying anything about it… Nobody is questioning this fiasco beyond some Fox Business report of a lot of pilot retirements. It just is, apparently. [The Fox Business report says] that it’s ‘expensive to become a pilot.’ Give me a break! That’s never been an issue before. So why even consider it now? What job does one get where advanced training doesn’t cost money?

“… if pilots refuse to get the jab, they can no longer fly due to mandates. We have a perfect storm: If pilots are vaccinated, many can’t fly because of vaccine injury – a state far, far more common than our government would lead you to believe. They are desperate to keep that fact hidden…”

Die Welt reported that in 2021, an unprecedented number of 2.5 million Germans went to a doctor because of side effects from corona vaccinations. These reported side effects were felt to be serious enough to see a doctor. The article also pointed out that the public reports of side effects were far below the actual number of established cases. It was also stated in the news that those who have received vaccinations are running a risk of becoming reinfected (The Wall Street Journal, July 5).

Is Joe Biden Set on Destroying the USA?

Breitbart wrote on July 3:

“U.S. President Joe Biden has proposed blocking all new drilling in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans as the world cries out for more energy from more sources far from Russia, the Middle East, and the OPEC oil cartel.

“Biden is also moving to shut down exploration and production of oil and gas on onshore federal lands…”

These are incredibly shortsighted and dangerous concepts.

The “Wisdom” of Kamala Harris and the Fall of Joe Biden

Breitbart wrote on July 4:

“Harris spoke about her concern about the Supreme Court ending abortion rights for women, calling it ‘outrageous on every level.’.. She argued the right to abortion was fundamental to the founding of the United States…. Harris also compared abortion to slavery, recalling the government once tried to ‘claim ownership over human bodies.’”

At the same time, Breitbart reports on July 4 that only “18 percent of independents approve of President Joe Biden’s job performance, while 68 percent disapprove and 13 percent neither approve nor disapprove.” In general, “Biden’s job approval rating is down to the lowest of his presidency, 30 percent as of Saturday. On Monday, Biden was not only at his lowest approval rating to date, but also at his highest disapproval rating at 58 percent.”

The New York Post added on July 5 that “71 percent of respondents don’t want Biden to run for a second term in 2024.”

The Ron Paul Institute stated on July 5: “Biden has a big problem: Americans do not believe him. According to a Rasmussen poll earlier this month, only eleven percent of Americans believe Biden’s claim that Russian president Vladimir Putin is to blame for high prices… President Biden’s attempts to bring down gasoline prices are bound to fail because he does not understand the problem… The strangest part of this idea that Americans must suffer to hurt the Russians is that these policies aren’t even hurting Russia! On the contrary: Russia has been seen record profits from its oil and gas exports since the beginning of the Ukraine war. According to a recent New York Times article, increasing global oil and gas prices have enabled Russia to finance its war on Ukraine. US sanctions did not bring the Russian economy to its knees, as Biden promised. They actually brought the American economy to its knees while Russian profits soared.”

But what choices do the Democrats have? It appears that every potential alternative candidate is at least as bad or even worse than Biden.

Another Mass Shooting in America

Newsmax wrote on July 5:

“Highland Park, Illinois, Mayor Nancy Rotering says the gun used in the mass shooting Monday at a Fourth of July parade [killing at least six and injuring more than 30 others] was ‘legally obtained.’”

Breitbart wrote on July 4:

“A red flag law, a waiting period for gun purchases, licensing requirements, and numerous other gun controls did not prevent the July 4, 2022, Highland Park attack.”

The suspected crazy and undoubtedly demon-influenced shooter dressed in women’s clothing to conceal his facial tattoos and to disguise himself to aid his escape. He fired over 70 rounds. “The massacre marked the 309th mass shooting in the USA this year,” according to the New York Post, dated July 5, continuing, “Five other mass shootings broke out in the US on July Fourth, including incidents in Boston, Chicago and Richmond, Virginia. The Highland Park shooting, meanwhile, joined the list of 13 mass murders in the United States with 20 victims or more since 2013.”

What is wrong with these people? Let us never forget that Satan and his demons are ruling this sick and evil world.  It must be through a change of mind and the nation’s return to the TRUE God and the rejection of Satan if we want to save the body.

Fox News wrote on July 6:

“Fox News contributor Bill Bennett brought attention to what he called young male mass shooters’ ‘deeply spiritual problems’…. [He reacted to the July 4 parade mass shooting and said:]

“‘I think you need police. You need parents, for sure. You need schools. You need to clean up social media. You need all that. But you know, you may need an exorcist, too. … If you look at these boys – these men, these young men – they have deeply spiritual problems, deeply. If you go into the labyrinthine caves of the Internet way down, and I don’t recommend it – it’s ugly stuff. And these guys dwell there. They live there. They drench themselves in it. And it’s as ugly and evil as it gets. Where are the ministers? Where are the rabbis, the priests?… It’s a deeply spiritual void, I think, that these young men have in their hearts and their souls. And I think it needs to be addressed. And I don’t think we get at it, frankly, with these externalities – as important as some of them may be – and they may be. We need to do it all, but we need to do more.” 

The Disunited States

DNYUZ wrote on July 2:

“… the United States appears to be drifting apart into separate nations, with diametrically opposed social, environmental and health policies… The most immediate breaking point is on abortion, as about half the country will soon limit or ban the procedure while the other half expands or reinforces access to reproductive rights. But the ideological fault lines extend far beyond that one topic, to climate change, gun control and L.G.B.T.Q. and voting rights….

“Historians have struggled to find a parallel moment, raising the 19th-century fracturing over slavery; the clashes between the executive branch and the Supreme Court in the New Deal era of the 1930s; the fierce battles over civil rights during Reconstruction and in the 1950s and early 1960s; and the rise of armed, violent groups like the Weather Underground in the late ’60s. For some people, the divides have grown so deep and so personal that they have felt compelled to pick up and move from one America to the other.”

Newsmax wrote on July 1:

“56% of Americans believe the government is ‘corrupt and rigged’ against them. 49% agreed they ‘more and more feel like a stranger in [their] own country.’… In one question, voters were asked if it will be ‘necessary, at some point soon, for citizens to take up arms against the government.’ Overall, 28% of voters agreed, 59% disagreed, and 12% weren’t sure…

“Newhouse and Benenson, who discussed their findings on CNN, found the percentage of Americans pondering a physical fight against government tyranny as ‘alarming.’ ‘These are stunning results,’ said Newhouse. ‘We knew the mood of the country was not positive, but it is so much worse than we thought it was.’… ‘Democrats don’t trust Republicans. Republicans don’t trust Democrats. Democrats think Republicans are getting disinformation. Republicans think the same thing about Democrats. There is no middle ground here whatsoever.’”

A country divided cannot survive.

Pope on Communion for Pro-Abortion Catholic Politicians

LifeSiteNews wrote on July 4:

“Pope Francis has broken his silence on the U.S. Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, which grants states the power to outlaw abortion, saying that bishops must be ‘pastoral’ with pro-abortion politicians…. On distributing Communion to pro-abortion politicians like Pelosi, Francis, who spoke in Italian and without aides present, said, ‘When the Church loses its pastoral nature, when a bishop loses his pastoral nature, it causes a political problem. That’s all I can say.’…

“Responding to the Pope’s comments, Catholic writer and catechist Deacon Nick Donnelly wrote on Twitter that by ‘pastoral’ Francis means ‘permissive.’”

We would agree.

Pope on Just War, Arms Sales and the UN

CNA reported on July 1:

“In an interview published Friday, Pope Francis said that he believes it is time to rethink the concept of ‘just war.’… A war may be just, there is the right to defend oneself. But we need to rethink the way that the concept is used nowadays,’ Pope Francis said…. ‘I have said that the use and possession of nuclear weapons are immoral’…

“… the pope said that there is ‘an entire infrastructure of arms sales’ that supports war today. ‘A person who knew about statistics told me, I don’t remember the numbers well, that if weapons were not manufactured for a year, there would be no hunger in the world,’ he said….

“The pope also said that the situation in Europe today shows that the United Nations ‘has no power’ to stop a war….”

Herbert W. Armstrong was present at the 1945 UN conference and wrote in the Plain Truth that after listening to the speeches and declared goals, he concluded that the UN would not bring about world peace.

Israel’s New General Election in November

Israel 365 wrote on June 30:

“Israel’s Knesset on Thursday set November 1 as the date for the country’s next general elections….

“The Knesset approved in third and final reading a bill to disperse itself, meaning that Yair Lapid is set to become caretaker prime minister at midnight on Friday, replacing Naftali Bennett. Bennett, who announced on Wednesday that he will not run in the election, will become alternate prime minister after Yair Lapid becomes the premier….

“Long-time political partner Ayelet Shaked will replace Bennett as the head of Yamina. She has said she would be open to joining Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu in forming a right-wing government.”

The Algemeiner wrote on July 3:

“Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid on Sunday formally invited opposition leader, Benjamin Netanyahu, for a security briefing… Netanyahu is a rival of Lapid’s for the premiership in the upcoming elections to be held on November 1…

“He did not receive direct security updates from the previous prime minister, Naftali Bennett, while he was in office.”

France for EU Army

Express wrote on July 1:

“EMMANUEL MACRON’s dreams of a united European defence system were ‘accelerated’ during France’s presidency of the EU…. According to an EU diplomat speaking to Euractiv, the war marked ‘an unprecedented geopolitical situation that has led the EU to activate a real defence policy’…

“The French President has also called on EU members to make themselves available to act independently of the US and NATO… The idea has always been seen as a distant prospect, due to a lack of political will from member states wary of sending their troops into action under an EU flag…. The invasion of Ukraine has, however, triggered a series of policy changes across Europe, in particular, Germany.”

Macron’s star is setting, but his idea of a powerful European Army is still shining bright and gets even brighter.

Boris Johnson’s Trouble

The Guardian wrote on July 6:

“It has been with some fascination and no little scorn that media outlets in continental Europe have received news of Boris Johnson’s latest travails. That the British prime minister appears to have been tripped up by his own untruths does not appear to have surprised many commentators or headline writers. The speed of the unravelling of the UK government, or ‘Boris Johnson’s sinking ship of fools’, as the conservative German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung describes the cabinet, has, however, raised eyebrows after such a long period of ‘getting away with it’, as one Dutch newspaper put it.

“In Germany, Der Spiegel writes that Johnson ‘obviously failed to see the calamity that had been building for the past few days…’ Of the case of Christopher Pincher, the deputy chief whip who was appointed by Johnson despite the prime minister having known of past complaints about his alleged sexual behaviour, Der Spiegel writes: ‘The Pincher case… just happened to be the last drop in a bucket full to the brim of stinking pigswill at the door of the office of the British premier.’

“The liberal leaning Süddeutsche Zeitung felt there was enough in the Johnson back catalogue to list a mouthwatering ‘selection’ of 13 misdemeanours, covering everything from the mystery of who had paid for the prime minister’s Caribbean holiday… to the mishandling of the pandemic…

“The paper writes: ‘That he is not a man of integrity one might have reckoned with. When Johnson became the British prime minister in 2019 the former foreign minister and mayor of London had a longstanding reputation for buoyantly stepping from one blunder to another. And once arrived in the highest echelons of the government, he just kept going in the same vein…’

“In France, an early morning news bulletin on the biggest public radio station, France Inter, headlined ‘Storm in Shakespeare-land’, described Johnson’s premiership as being in chaos after ‘countless scandals based on alcohol, wandering hands and lies’… Le Monde remarked that ‘up until now Johnson had seemed able to withstand every scandal’, but asked ‘will this be the final blow?’

“An answer to the question of whether this really could the end for Johnson is offered in the Netherlands by the liberal newspaper Trouw, which suggested that the latest cabinet resignations ‘could well spell the death blow for Boris Johnson’s premiership’. In Belgium, Ivan Ollevier… offered a similar analysis while admitting that Johnson ‘always seems to get away with it’… The Flemish newspaper De Standaard felt the same. ‘Much has already been written, but the end of Prime Minister Johnson now seems very close…’

“In Spain, La Vanguardia’s Rafa Ramos recognised that the prime minister would fight to the last to keep his position… ‘There are three weeks to go until the summer recess and Johnson will nail himself to his desk chair if need be,’ the journalist writes. ‘But his position is more precarious than ever. As Hemingway said, one goes bust gradually, and then suddenly.’”

Johnson Resigns

The Associated Press reported on July 7:

“Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced his resignation Thursday amid a mass revolt by top members of his government, marking an end to three tumultuous years in power in which he brazenly bent and sometimes broke the rules of British politics. [Johnson] who took Britain out of the European Union and steered it through COVID-19 and the war in Ukraine was brought down by one scandal too many — this one involving his appointment of a politician who had been accused of sexual misconduct. The messiest of prime ministers did not leave cleanly. Johnson stepped down immediately as Conservative Party leader but said he would remain as prime minister until the party chooses his successor. The timetable for that process will be announced next week. The last leadership contest took six weeks. But many want him to go now, with some Conservative politicians expressing fear he could do mischief even as a caretaker prime minister…

“Critics said the [resignation] speech showed Johnson, to the end, refusing to take responsibility for or admit his mistakes… In his rise to power he showed many of the same habits and abilities that would carry him far but also spell his downfall: He was an ebullient, attention-loving mayor of London; a journalist who was fired for making up a quote and filed exaggerated stories about EU excesses…  He became known for his light regard for the truth and his glib and offensive remarks…

“Now with a leadership election upon them, the Conservatives will have to decide whether they can stomach Johnson as a caretaker leader, a job that normally entails saying little and doing nothing.”

Thomson/Reuters added on July 7:

“After days of battling for his job, Johnson had been deserted by all but a handful of his closest allies after the latest in a series of scandals sapped their willingness to support him… The crisis comes as Britons are facing the tightest squeeze on their finances in decades, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, with soaring inflation, and the economy forecast to be the weakest among major nations in 2023 apart from Russia….

“It also follows years of internal division sparked by the narrow 2016 vote to leave the European Union, and threats to the make-up of the United Kingdom itself with demands for another Scottish independence referendum…”

t-online wrote on July 7:

“Boris Johnson realized far too late that he had to give up his post as British Prime Minister. What remains is a country that looks like a shambles… With his Brexit campaign, Johnson ruined his homeland… Even Johnson’s Brexit campaign was nothing more than a big gamble: When he decided to support leaving the EU, he had previously prepared two different columns for Britain’s ‘Daily Telegraph’: one for and one against Brexit…

“Johnson’s daring course may have spelled the end of the UK in the long run…

“The Brexit chaos will remain Johnson’s legacy, but it is only a part of his tumultuous political career. Johnson’s argumentative approach to the corona pandemic will also stick… the ‘Partygate’ revelations [made] clear that the prime minister and his staff were not too particular about the corona rules….

“What remains is a country that is tottering into a more than uncomfortable future. Whoever succeeds Johnson must prepare for difficult years in a politically and economically divided country.”

Johnson Wants to Recreate the Roman Empire!

Israel 365 News wrote on July 4:

“Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party, has always been controversial but he raised the volume last week when he suggested that the best way to unite Europe was by recreating the Roman Empire! His vision of the Roman Empire in the 21st century is based on a partnership that included Turkey and the North African states. At the NATO summit in Madrid last month, he told reporters that this would be based on the Mare Nostrum, the Latin term for the Mediterranean Sea.

“It is interesting to note that 19th-century Italian nationalist fascists used the term to describe Italy as the successor state to the Roman Empire. The term was again taken up by Benito Mussolini for use in fascist propaganda, in a similar manner to Adolf Hitler’s lebensraum system of colonialism…

“Johnson has compared his country to the Roman Empire on several occasions. Last year, he blamed the fall of the Roman Empire on uncontrolled immigration, adding that the same problem was to blame for the current global warming, a problem which threatened to return the world to the ‘dark ages.’…

“This claim citing immigration as the cause of the fall of the Roman Empire was widely contested on social media… ‘Even though England was under Roman rule, its origins are in Germany,’ Rabbi Winston said. Britain was a part of the Roman Empire for almost 400 years after the Britons were conquered by Julius Caesar in 54 BCE… Roman goddess Britannia became the female personification of Britain. But the Britons were Germanic in origin.

“‘English is a Germanic language, not a romance language. But even Germany saw itself as the inheritor of the title of the Roman Empire. The Nazis referred to themselves as the Third Reich, as the presumed successor of the medieval and early modern Holy Roman Empire of 800 to 1806 (the First Reich) and the German Empire of 1871 to 1918 (the Second Reich).’…

“[Britain] has a tendency to hate Jews and like Arabs,’ Rabbi Winston said. He noted that all of Britain’s Jews were expelled in 1290 by an edict that was not rescinded until 1655. Blood Libels which falsely accuses Jews of murdering Christian boys in order to use their blood in the performance of religious rituals originated in 12th century England.

“One of the worst anti-Semitic massacres of the Middle Ages took place in York in 1190. The city’s entire Jewish community was trapped by an angry mob inside the tower of York Castle. Many members of the community chose to commit suicide rather than be murdered or forcibly baptized by the attackers.’ Imperialism is anti-Bible,’ Rabbi Winston said. ‘If you believe in the world to come, in God’s judgment, you wouldn’t endanger that by cruelly conquering others…’”

Truth mixed with error. Rabbi Winston confuses Germany with Germanic—a quite common mistake of ignorance. Further, African nations will not be part of the revised Roman Empire, which WILL exist soon, and neither will be Britain. However, Britain and some African nations will be conquered by the revived Roman Empire.

Britain Unprepared for World War III

Express wrote on July 1:

“Boris Johnson’s pledge to increase defense spending falls far short of what is needed if the Ukraine war spills over to other European countries and escalates into a Third World War, former First Sea Lord Admiral Lord West has warned on GB News. As the war shows no signs of abating and Russian troops are making advances in Ukraine, fear is mounting over the possibility of Putin targeting other neighbouring countries – the latest country under threat was Lithuania over its blockade of Russia’s enclave of Kaliningrad…

“A baffled Lord West raised his concerns on GB News, saying: ‘…the government still has not added any spending to defence in the near term. There are shortfalls in stock holdings. There are shortfalls in the maintenance of equipment, which is not ready. There are shortages in numbers… As of earlier last week, we had 17 major warships operational in our Navy, once the greatest Navy in the world – which is dreadful…They’re not actually willing to fight, and they’re not going to be able to fight…’”

A nuclear war between Russia and Britain is not prophesied, but a nuclear war between Britain and Europe is…

Nuclear World War III and the Danger of Annihilation

Truthout wrote on July 3:

“Joe Biden and top subordinates have refused to publicly acknowledge the danger of nuclear war — even though it is now higher than at any other time in at least 60 years…. In the aftermath of the 1962 Cuban missile crisis, President John F. Kennedy was more candid. Speaking at American University, he said: ‘A single nuclear weapon contains almost 10 times the explosive force delivered by all the allied air forces in the Second World War… The deadly poisons produced by a nuclear exchange would be carried by wind and water and soil and seed to the far corners of the globe and to generations yet unborn.’…

“At the time of Kennedy’s presidency, nuclear war would have been indescribably catastrophic. Now — with large arsenals of hydrogen bombs and what scientists know about— ‘nuclear winter’—experts have concluded that a nuclear war would virtually end agriculture and amount to omnicide (the destruction of human life on earth)…

“The Biden administration and the bipartisan leadership in Congress have made clear that their basic approach to the surging danger of nuclear war is to pretend that it doesn’t exist… the denial heightens the risk of exterminating almost all human life. There’s got to be a better way.”

Indeed there is, but human governments will not be able to bring this better way about. Quite to the contrary, they will engage in nuclear war which WOULD destroy ALL LIFE on this planet, if not stopped. But JESUS CHRIST will return just in time to end this madness of stupid human misrule by power-hungry incompetent politicians and prevent the human race from committing “omnicide.”

Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Ukraine and Masks

Thomson/Reuters wrote on July 3:

“Germany is discussing security guarantees for Ukraine with its allies in preparation for a time after the war, but these will not be the same as for a member of the transatlantic alliance, German Chancellor Scholz told the broadcaster ARD on Sunday.

“Scholz, who took office in December, has faced accusations at home and abroad of failing to show leadership in the Ukraine crisis and failing to convey empathy for citizens struggling with the soaring inflation that it has helped to fuel.

“… the Social Democrat chancellor[‘s] mechanical style of communication has earned him the nickname ‘Scholzomat…’ [He] said Germany would not shut schools and non-essential businesses again if infection rates rose significantly this year, but that face masks would play a bigger role…”

Scholz’s hesitant and “cautious” political conduct and approach towards Russia and Ukraine continues, while he is contemplating once again to limit liberties and freedoms for the citizens in his own country.

Negative Consequences for Germany’s Addiction to Russian Oil

Breitbart wrote on July 3:

“Former U.S. President Donald Trump’s warning that Germany’s addiction to Russian gas would have extremely negative long-term consequences appears to have been proven prophetic, with officials in the country now warning of ‘chaotic conditions’ and [of a] severe economic recession should they lose access to Moscow’s supply…

“According to various European and German news sources, the country’s officials are now firefighting regarding the possible worsening of the already severe gas crisis which has seen one major energy company enter existential financial difficulty… The German government is now looking to pass emergency legislation imposing a financial levy on all energy companies — whether they are involved in Russian gas imports or not — to split the costs of rising prices in an attempt to keep infrastructure afloat…

“Issues surrounding the purely economic elements of the crisis are far from the only ones to arise, with warnings that a sudden loss of gas in the country would be extremely difficult to reverse on the local level due to safety mechanisms within home boilers… a loss of supply would result in a fuse being triggered in hundreds of thousands of boilers across the country — fuses that could only be reset by trained professionals, a process that would take a significant amount of time…”

Germany’s failed relationship with Russia will have self-imposed serious and long-lasting consequences.

“‘Biblical’ Swarms of Giant Crickets Ravage Western US Crops”

The Jerusalem Post wrote on July 2:

“Farmers in the western United States are battling new outbreaks of Mormon crickets, ancient insects that can grow to almost three inches (8cm) in length… Mormon crickets are not new to Oregon, which was among the worst-hit states; they are native to western North America and their name dates back to the 1800s when they ruined the fields of Mormon settlers in Utah. The US West is currently amid a decades-long ‘megadrought’ that has dried up water resources and challenged farming and ranching operations across the region….

“These outbreaks can be extraordinary, as the species often travel in groups of millions or billions of individual insects… Last year, 10 million acres in Oregon, which has seen the worst of the swarm, were destroyed by Mormon crickets and grasshoppers…”

Historic Drought in Italy

The Guardian wrote on July 5:

“Italy has declared a state of emergency in five northern regions and announced emergency funds over a worsening drought that has plagued the Po valley in recent weeks… Italy is facing an unusually early heatwave and a lack of rainfall, particularly in the northern agricultural Po valley, which has been hit by its worst drought in 70 years… the drought threatens more than 30% of national agricultural production and half of the farms in the Po valley…

“The Po River is the peninsula’s largest water reservoir, much of which is used by farmers… Another consequence of the drought is that hydroelectric power production has fallen sharply. Hydroelectric plants, mostly in the mountainous north of Italy, account for nearly 20% of national energy production.”

God does not leave Gentile Nations without warning, either.

And Now a New Hysteria Involving Monkeypox

Deutsche Welle wrote on July 1:

“The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday that Europe needs to take ‘urgent’ action against the spread of monkeypox… The WHO’s Europe chief [Hans Kluge] said that 31 countries in the European region had now identified cases. He also reported that around 90% of known infections have been reported in Europe. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have recorded more than 5,000 cases in 51 countries worldwide…  Kluge said that almost all cases were reported in men, especially men who have sex with other men… most people who catch the virus experience symptoms such as rash, fever, fatigue, muscle pain, vomiting and chills…

“Germany and the UK, among others, have already started vaccinating vulnerable people. Reports of the virus outside of Africa were rare until May. It is considered endemic in several African countries and has been sickening people in parts of central and west Africa for decades…”

One should be able to connect the dots.

50th Anniversary Pride Parade in London

Deutsche Welle wrote on July 2:

“More than a million people flocked to central London on Saturday for a record-breaking 50th-anniversary Pride parade. The three-hour-long procession retraced part of the route of the first Pride parade in 1972 and was led by veterans of the fight for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people as well as those questioning their sexuality or gender identity (LGBTQ)… Among those marching was a contingent from Ukraine, who criticized homophobia in Russia.

“UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson called the 50th anniversary a ‘milestone,’ and paid tribute to the bravery of those who arranged the first events…

“The first Pride, in March 1972, saw just a few hundred marchers met by a heavy uniformed police presence. It took place just five years after homosexuality was decriminalized in the UK… In the 1980s, the campaign would go on to fight against then-Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s legislation against the ‘promotion of homosexuality’ in schools… Now, as LGBTQ people in the UK experience greater inclusion and equality, Pride in London is more celebration than protest.”

How the world has changed…

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.

What is the definition of a woman?

Until very recently, this would have seemed a really stupid thing to ask as we should all know the answer.   Throughout the history of mankind, for some 6,000 years, there is no record of this question needing to be answered because male and female genders were clearly understood.

On the website zfacts.com, we read: “The woke position currently amounts to this: women should not talk about themselves as an identity group. That group is apparently now politically incorrect and undeserving of a name, especially undeserving of its old and well-respected name.”  It goes on to say that “woke ideology (but not woke individuals) should be erased. Claiming to be woke — alert to injustice — is just a cover for authoritarian excess.”

However, it seems that this is an ongoing issue and one outcome is the confusion concerning the use of gender-neutral toilets.

Wikipedia writes under the heading of “transgender” the following:

“Transgender people have a gender identity or gender expression that differs from the sex that they were assigned at birth.   Some transgender people who desire medical assistance to transition from one sex to another identify as transsexual.  Transgender, often shortened as trans, is also an umbrella term; in addition to including people whose gender identity is the opposite of their assigned sex (trans men and trans women), it may also include people who are non-binary or genderqueer.”

And then comes along the “trans” lobby and a nominee for the US Supreme Court who said she couldn’t define what a woman is.

Quoting from thefederalist.com, we read the following:

“Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, who was nominated to the U.S. Supreme Court by President Joe Biden in large part because of her sex, said she couldn’t define what a woman is on Tuesday during her confirmation hearings.

“Jackson was chosen to replace retiring Justice Stephen Breyer in fulfillment of Biden’s identity politics pledge to install a black woman on the Supreme Court. Despite those reasons for her nomination, Jackson stumbled through giving a definition of ‘woman’ when Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn asked the straightforward question. ‘Can you provide a definition for the word “woman”?’ Blackburn asked during the hearing. ‘No, I can’t,’ Jackson said after confirming the question.

“The progressive judge claimed she was unable to provide a definition because ‘I’m not a biologist.’ ‘The meaning of the word woman is so unclear and controversial that you can’t give me a definition?’ Blackburn pressed. ‘Senator, in my work as a judge, what I do is I address disputes. If there’s a dispute about a definition, people make arguments, and I look at the law and I decide,’ Jackson said.

“As Blackburn noted in her response, the fact that Jackson couldn’t give ‘a straight answer about something as fundamental as what a woman is underscores the dangers of the kind of progressive education that we are hearing about.”

It is worth repeating that exchange to show how common sense is so under threat from the woke brigade and the liberal left.

And it doesn’t stop there.

Kirrin Medcalf, head of trans inclusion at the controversial LGBT lobby group, made the following comments during an employment tribunal hearing when he was asked, “Do you define women as anyone, including men who say they are women?”  Medcalf replied, “Bodies are not inherently male or female. They are just their bodies.”

It appears that we can read from the comments of some “luminaries” that there is no longer a definition of what a woman is, and that bodies are not inherently male or female.

In our 2018 booklet, “God’s Teachings on Sexual Relationships,” we covered much information including all of the wrong sexual practices that the world now, in general, seems to approve of in direct opposition to what the great Creator God instituted when man was formed some 6,000 years ago.   On page 111 of this booklet, we write as follows under the headline “God Created Male and Female”:

“The Bible is very clear on this matter. We previously discussed in this booklet that God created human beings as man and woman (Genesis 1:27–28; 5:2; Matthew 19:4–6)—two genders with no other variation—and told them to be fruitful and multiply. That cannot happen with a number of wrong sexual practices that exist today.”

God is not the author of confusion (1 Corinthians 14:33), but Satan the devil is.   We read in John 8:44:

“You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.”

Wherever there are problems, and the world is full of them, it can be guaranteed that our adversary, Satan the devil, will be in the mix somewhere.

In the Washington Examiner on 22nd March 2022, the headline read: “It’s not just Jackson: Even scientists and ‘philosophers of biology’ can’t define what a woman is, says USA Today.”

As Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson cannot define what a woman is nor, apparently, can “scientists and ‘philosophers of biology’”, let us educate them all on this matter.

Wikipedia (amongst others) gives the following information:

“A woman is an adult female human. Prior to adulthood, a female human is referred to as a girl (a female child or adolescent). The plural women is sometimes used in certain phrases such as ‘women’s rights’ to denote female humans regardless of age.

“Typically, women have two X chromosomes and are capable of pregnancy and giving birth from puberty until menopause. Female anatomy is distinguished from male anatomy by the female reproductive system, which includes the ovaries, fallopian tubes, uterus, vagina and vulva. The adult female pelvis is wider, the hips broader, and the breasts larger than that of adult males. Women have significantly less facial and other body hair, have a higher body fat composition, and are on average shorter and less muscular than men.”

In spite of what man might be trying to engineer, only women can conceive and give birth to children.

In the first book of the Bible, the book of Genesis, we read in Genesis 1:26-28: “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’  So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.  Then God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.’”

We appreciate that there is so much antagonism towards the Word of God today where the numbers of believers in an all-powerful Creator God seem to reduce by the year, but that, in no way, negates the Truth that it contains. Had God not made male and female, the only two genders that there are, none of us would be here today.

Trends, styles, crazes, fashions and fads will come and go but the Word of God, the Holy Bible, is constant in its instructions and guidance.   It defines who we are, what we are, and what we can look forward to in the soon-coming Kingdom of God.   When we take notice of the Bible, we reap the rewards of its unending urging, direction and answers.

In 2 Timothy 3:15-17, the apostle Paul wrote to Timothy: “…from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.   All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

Taking note of what the Almighty says is of far more importance and infinitely wiser than listening to the thoughts and musings of fallible men and women who come up with their own theories, philosophies and considerations.

God says that He created a man and a woman, and they were to multiply on the face of the earth, and they have done and are doing that.

And that has been achieved with just two genders, male and female.

God has designed male and female as both equal and different.   Both have different roles in life.   We read in Titus 2:3-5: “…the older women likewise [are to] be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things— that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed.”

Of course, that doesn’t go down well with the “women’s lib” movement, but it is taken from the Word of God which is written for the good of mankind, and there are many other Scriptures which attest further to the roles of men, women and children.

In short, a woman marries a man, bears children where possible, nurtures and protects her family, is a homemaker and a support for her husband.   He, in return, has the responsibility to provide for his family in the best way possible.  There are biological and emotional differences, and they complement each other as God ordained it so.

Proverbs 31:10-31, which is a wonderful description of a virtuous woman, would be a good starting point for anyone to read, particularly those who can’t define what a woman is and those who ridiculously state that “bodies are not inherently male or female.”  However, that would probably be a leap too far to ask strident, God-defying people to look at, or review anything other than their own perceived wisdom.

That’s a shame because they could learn much from the Word of God!

Lead Writer: Brian Gale (United Kingdom)

Current Events

by Norbert Link

We begin with America’s incredible failings of its airline industry and President Biden’s shortsighted and dangerous approach towards US oil and gas production; report on another mass shooting; and point out shocking developments about the willingness of many Americans in a disunited country to take up arms against the government. Please view in this regard our recent message, “America No Longer a Great Nation—Comments on News and Prophecy, July 2, 2022.” 

We speak about  “permissive” conduct of Pope Francis and quote his remarkable statements regarding war, arms sales and the powerless UN; and we address the situation in Israel with the Knesset dispersing itself and new elections having been set for November 1, while opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu is waiting in the wings. We also speak on French President Macron’s dream of a unified powerful EU Army, which is still very much alive, while his political star is setting.

We report on the declaration of Boris Johnson (who just resigned as Conservative Party leader) to revive or recreate the Roman Empire; the fact that Britain is unprepared for World War III; and the possibility of human annihilation in case of nuclear war.

Please view our new StandingWatch program in this regard, titled, “Boris Johnson Resigns and Leaves a Mess” 

We address the typical non-committal declarations of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz regarding Russia and Ukraine, while at the same time threatening the possibility of new freedom-robbing mask mandates; and we point out the dire economic situation in Germany due to its addiction to Russian oil and gas.

We speak on the “biblical” plague of devouring crickets in the Western US; and a devastating drought in Italy; as well as the new hysteria regarding monkeypox.

We conclude with a shocking report on the record-breaking 50th-anniversary Pride parade in London, which Boris Johnson characterized as “a milestone,” while paying tribute to the “bravery” of those involved.

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

Comments on News and Prophecy, July 9, 2022 / Specks and Planks

On July 9, 2022, Norbert Link will present, “Comments on News and Prophecy, July 9, 2022,” and Michael Link will present the sermon, titled, “Specks and Planks.”

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.

©2024 Church of the Eternal God