Update 1061

We Are Challenged but Never Hopeless

by Frank Bruno

Most of us at some point in life have suffered an injury or an illness that left us feeling compromised and vulnerable. Possessing a sense of independence is important to being a productive and positive person.  It is this independence that is the essence of who we are and how we perceive ourselves. When we are dependent, we are still the same person whom God created, but we may think differently of ourselves. There is nothing inherently negative in the need to depend on others, and humility is a valuable lesson. There are however degrees of dependence and being in control of one’s mobility and decision-making which is important to our well-being.

When we have a surgical procedure, we are most often anesthetized to the point of absolute vulnerability. We are dependent on the surgeon and the team to breathe for us and monitor our heartbeat and respiration. Although we are unable to take care of our own basic needs, we are not alone. Similarly, Christians living with Alzheimer’s may not be aware of their surroundings, and they may no longer perceive God in the way they did prior to their illness. Nonetheless, God is still present with them, and is aware of the challenges that they face.

There is clarity on this point in Psalm 139:8 in which we read: “If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.” God is with us and imbues His children with talents and abilities, and while our physical state can impact those skills, we may still be aware and present. People who are in a coma are treated by their caregivers with the belief that the person can still hear and will have memories if he or she eventually awaken from this state.

The ability to heal the brain and body is strongly dependent on a person’s connection with God and to those around them. In 1 Samuel 2, and in verse 6, we read: “The Lord kills and makes alive; He brings down to the grave and brings up.” Even when we are seemingly so dependent on medicines and machines, we are still solely dependent on God for our life and recovery. God is aware of all that we face. Even as we lie still and perhaps unconscious, He is in control.

For the baptized member of God’s Family, we know that God’s Holy Spirit of power is with and in us as an extra measure of strength even as we undergo various trials, including illness and surgery. We pray for sick brethren for healing and God’s mighty intervention.  We are in God’s care, and we are subject to His Will.

The first use of anesthesia for surgery was back in 1846. Despite progress in the use of such medicines, much about the brain’s activity while under anesthesia is still a mystery. We know that our brain does not turn off under anesthesia, but the connectivity between parts of the brain is heavily impacted. A study with the Harvard Medical School illustrated that under anesthesia the brain quiets, and the segments no longer communicate with each other. In such a state, a person cannot be conscious or functional. Christians in that state however are still connected with God, even if they are incapable of prayer at that moment. Family, friends, and the brethren pray for the person and God is fully aware that His son or daughter is undergoing a trial. The lack of consciousness does not mean that the person is alone.

In Romans 8, and in verses 26, and 27, we learn how Jesus Christ, through His Spirit, assists us when we are vulnerable: “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.” In those moments when we are ill, or in an altered state of consciousness such as in a coma, or under anesthesia, when we are physically at our weakest, God is there, and Christ, through the Holy Spirit, intercedes for us. We long for the future Kingdom of God when we can be with Him and His Son. In the meantime, we are subject to the limitations of our mortal existence.

Our relationship with God however is not altered by illness or consciousness. We may feel lost and alone, but we are not. In Jeremiah 32, and verse 40, we see the explicit promise that God has made with His people: “And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from doing them good; but I will put My fear in their hearts so that they will not depart from Me.” God will not leave us, and He intends that we never leave His care. It can be difficult to remember this when we lie in a hospital bed, or are confined to our homes or even within our minds. We may lose hope, but need to remember that we can ask for God’s intervention and pray for one another.

It may help us to remember that even Jesus Christ agonized that the Father had forsaken Him (compare Matthew 27:46). He did suffer unspeakable pain for us as He accepted the sins of mankind. God however had not abandoned Jesus, except for that brief moment on the cross, and He resides for eternity with the Father. Likewise, we are not hopeless; we have God’s promise and the Sacrifice of His Son to rely on. We may lament our physical reality in this lifetime, but we can trust that God hears our prayers, and He will do what is best for us.

This Week in the News

Have We Been Lied To?

Breitbart wrote the following in several articles, dated March 6 and 7:

‘Democrats knew that Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick had not been murdered during the [Capitol] riot, but lied to the public about his death, according to Fox News’ Tucker Carlson, based on newly-released video.

“Carlson obtained nearly 41,000 hours of previously unreleased raw footage of the Capitol riot that had been suppressed by Democrats but were provided by Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) three weeks ago… the Democrat-run January 6 Committee had released only what it wanted the public to see — even deceptively editing some footage — to support claims of an ‘insurrection.’

“Carlson said that the full footage… proved the opposite: that while some people were violent, the vast majority of those in the Capitol were not and may have believed that they were protesting legally, given the apparent cooperation of some Capitol Police.

“In the case of Brian Sicknick [a Trump voter], whom the media falsely claimed had been killed by being struck with a fire extinguisher during the riot (a story later retracted by the New York Times), the January 6 Committee continued to claim he had been killed by rioters even after his death was determined to be from natural causes.

“Carlson showed footage in which an officer, whom he said was Sicknick, continued to perform his duties ‘vigorously’ even after being confronted by the mob outside the Capitol. Carlson added that the January 6 Committee’s investigators had reviewed that footage, since it had an electronic bookmark, but continued to mislead the public about the cause of Sicknick’s death to further their claim of a ‘deadly insurrection.’…

“In the case of Chansley, whose buffalo-horned costume became the iconic image of the Capitol riot, Carlson showed Capitol Police guiding him through hallways and even opening locked doors to the Senate chamber. Chansley, who served in the U.S. Navy, would later say in a jailhouse interview that he regretted not knowing that he was breaking the law, trusting that because police officers were helping him, his actions were condoned…. Chansley… was sentenced to 41 months in prison…

“Former President Donald Trump reacted to Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson releasing new and unseen footage from the Capitol Hill riot that unfolded on January 6, 2021… ‘The Unselect Committee was a giant SCAM, and has now unequivocally been stamped as CRIMINAL FABRICATORS OF THIS MOST IMPORTANT DAY,’ Trump posted on his Truth Social account… ‘A whole new, and completely opposite, picture has now been indelibly painted. The Unselect Committee LIED, and should be prosecuted for their actions…’”

The New York Post wrote on March 7:

“In a statement, the Capitol Police suggest that one of the officers with Chansley was trying to ‘de-escalate’ the situation because he was outnumbered. But that does not explain why Chansley, who was unarmed, was able to walk past seven more officers without being apprehended. ‘Not one of them even tried to slow him down,’ says Carlson.

“He ‘understood that the Capitol Police were his allies. … If he was in the act of committing such a grave crime, why didn’t the officers standing right next to him place him under arrest?’”

Carlson has been condemned, of course, by Democrats, members of the January 6 Committee, and even some Republicans for his airing formerly undisclosed and purposefully withheld footage.

Flimsy Concern

Newsmax wrote on March 7:

“Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., told MSNBC that Carlson is posing a ‘serious security risk’ by reporting on the tapes and said they weren’t previously released because they lay out ‘evacuation routes, it lays out where the vice president went, it lays out where the senior members of Congress were evacuated, and so on.’

“Carlson’s team, though, noted that the select committee investigating Jan. 6 has already aired the footage of the evacuation routes taken by then-Vice President Mike Pence and Rep. Josh Hawley, R-Mo.”

Tucker Carlson Responds

On March 8, Breitbart published the transcript of Tucker Carlson’s show, which was aired on March 7, responding to his critics, as follows:

“‘Chuck Schumer called for the censorship of that video — any information, and he did not dispute that it was accurate — that damages the storyline his party constructed and used must be squelched…

“Because that video contradicted lies told by the Democratic Party — Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger — Chuck Schumer demanded that our bosses pull this show off the air…  What you’re seeing is hysteria, the overstatement, the crazed hyperbole, the red-in-the-face anger. What is that? Well, it’s not outrage, of course. It’s fear. It’s panic.

“Those videos, which we did not retouch, which we brought to you after running everyone by the Capitol Police to make certain that we didn’t imperil anybody…, those videos touch a nerve because they’re a threat to the lies that Chuck Schumer has been telling for the last 26 months, and not just Chuck Schumer.

“We should also tell you that Chuck Schumer, the Senate majority leader, was joined in this outrage by the Senate minority leader and that would be a Republican, Mitch McConnell, and they were joined by a cascade of other Republicans — Thom Tillis from North Carolina, Mitt Romney from Utah — all sharing the same outrage…’”

How Democrats Attack Reporters

 The New York Post wrote on March 9:

“‘Twitter Files’ reporters Matt Taibbi and  Michael Schellenberger held firm Thursday against an onslaught of attacks from Democrats who referred to them as ‘so-called journalists’ and demanded they give up their sources during a tense House subcommittee hearing. ‘The Republicans have brought in two of [Twitter CEO] Elon Musk’s public scribes to release cherry-picked, out-of-context emails and screenshots designed to promote his chosen narrative — Elon Musk’s chosen narrative — that is now being parroted by the Republicans,’ said Delegate Stacey Plaskett (D-USVI), the ranking member of the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government.

“Plaskett — who could be described as a ‘so-called congresswoman’ since she cannot vote on the House floor — then dismissed Taibbi, 53, a veteran Rolling Stone journalist, and Shellenberger, 51, an author of award-winning books, as ‘so-called journalists’ whose reporting contained no bombshell revelations… She claimed ‘all the so-called “Twitter Files” really showed was a discussion on content moderation’ and that Taibbi and Shellenberger were only chosen by Republicans to ‘help them out politically.’

“‘Ranking member Plaskett, I’m not a so-called journalist,’ Taibbi shot back. ‘I’ve won the National Magazine Award, the I.F. Stone Award for Independent Journalism, and I’ve written 10 books, including four New York Times bestsellers.’…

“Other Democrats showed a similar disdain for Taibbi’s guarding of his sources during the Thursday hearing [such as Rep. Sylvia Garcia (D-Texas)]… ‘I can’t give it to you, unfortunately, because this is a question of sourcing, and I don’t give out — I’m a journalist; I don’t reveal my sources,’ Taibbi said. [When Garcia kept pressuring him,]  Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) jumped in. ‘What he has said is he is not going to reveal his source,’ Jordan said, ‘and the fact that the Democrats are pressuring him to do so is such a violation of the First Amendment.’

„Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) also sought to discredit Taibbi’s reporting by citing the mere fact that he agreed to testify before the GOP-controlled committee. ‘Being a Republican witness today certainly casts a cloud over your objectivity,’ she said…”

It should be noted that Taibbi is a Democrat, but he also said that “the values of the current Democratic Party increasingly feel alien to me.” Thursday’s exchange would most certainly not have reconciled his values with those of the Democrats on the House Subcommittee. Their conduct was not only shameful… it should be seen as extremely dangerous.

Olaf Scholz Goes to Washington

Bild Online reported on March 3 that Olaf Scholz traveled to Washington to meet for just two hours with President Biden, in secret, to discuss their analysis of the Ukraine situation. They refused to answer any questions from journalists. With these two leaders meeting and speaking behind closed doors, the result can only be catastrophic. Further, the praised “friendship” and “collaboration” between the USA and Germany is anything else but real.

Deutsche Welle wrote on March 3:

“Ahead of the meeting, the German chancellor called on China to ‘use your influence in Moscow to press for the withdrawal of Russian troops,’ and not to ‘supply weapons to the aggressor Russia’… Such a move could… provoke friction between Germany and the US due to their differing stances on Beijing. China is Germany’s biggest trading partner, and the possibility being floated by the US of imposing sanctions on China if it decides to send weapons may cause problems for Berlin…

“The low-key meeting between the two leaders also follows revelations from Jake Sullivan, Biden’s national security adviser, that the US only agreed to send Abrams tanks to Ukraine because Germany had made it a condition for sending its own Leopard 2 tanks…  [The American narrative is that the USA “had to agree to ship US Abrams tanks in order to persuade Scholz to act, a characterization that Berlin disputes,” compare the Guardian, dated March 3. ntv claimed on March 3 that Biden only sent Abrams tanks because otherwise, Scholz would not have sent Leopard tanks ].

“Scholz also likely brought up the issue of US subsidies for green technologies — part of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) — which has sparked anger among US allies in Europe who say it puts their companies at a disadvantage while they face the brunt of the effects of Russia’s invasion… ‘Washington is still looking to Berlin as the lead military power in Europe…’ said [Sudha David-Wilp, head of the Berlin bureau of the German Marshall Fund think tank].”

Right now, under Scholz, Berlin is certainly not the lead military power in Europe.

Bundeswehr in Trouble

Breitbart wrote on February 3:

“Minister of Defence Boris Pistorius admitted this week that the German military is incapable of defending the nation if needed. Pistorius, who assumed the role of the commander-in-chief of the Bundeswehr last month, said that the German armed forces as they are currently constituted would not be able to defend their homeland or protect NATO allies in Europe should they be forced into a direct war with a power such as Russia…

“Responding to the comments from Pistorius, the former chairman of the Bundestag Foreign Affairs Committee, Norbert Röttgen, said: “What Pistorius says is the bitter truth. It is courageous and good that the Minister of Defence does not gloss over them, but pronounces them clearly. But he also describes his task: to change that, to get the political support of his own party.”

Chancellor Scholz recently said that the Bundeswehr is strong, and that no one needs to fear. As we pointed out at that time, Scholz’s comments were illusionary and quite irresponsible.  

Germany Unprepared for War

TRT World wrote on March 2:

“In October 2022, Business Insider… reported that Germany only has ammunition for two days of the war, while such details of military readiness are mired in secrecy… The shambolic state of the Bundeswehr’s affairs has long been known in military circles… the war in Ukraine has shone a disturbing light on the German military’s critical unpreparedness…

“Scholz’s three way coalition is creaking with ever expanding fault lines. His foreign minister’s slip suggesting Germany was at war with Russia didn’t go down well with some parts of the Germany population where the anti-Ukraine war narrative is fast catching pace.

“Another problem plaguing the German military is the shortage of men of fighting age, the Bundeswehr stands at around 183,000 strong for a population of over 84 million. There are fresh calls for mandatory conscription to be brought back… Also, since mandatory conscription was cancelled in 2011, Germany’s young have preferred other professional avenues.

“That’s something the defence minister recently lamented, saying ‘back in the day, there was a conscript at every second kitchen table, which meant there was always a connection to civic society at large.’ Fear of war with Russia is a major talking point in German living rooms now…”

What Strategy to Adopt for Ukraine?

Politico wrote on March 3, prior to Scholz’s visit in Washington:

“Last week, President Joe Biden traveled to Kyiv as an act of defiance meant to mark the one-year anniversary of the war in Ukraine. This week, back in Washington, grimmer realities are setting in.

“Biden will host German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the White House on Friday in what will be, on the surface, another display of Western unity with Ukraine as it repels Russia’s punishing invasion. But the show of solidarity comes against a backdrop of growing strain as the trans-Atlantic alliance works to remain in lockstep while grappling with the fact that the war has no end in sight…

“‘There’s no one strong leader that’s really holding the Europeans together…’ said Rachel Rizzo, senior fellow at Atlantic Council’s Europe Center. ‘And without the emergence of Germany as a strong leading actor, we are going to start to see more fissures within the alliance.’

“Part of Biden’s task is managing the emerging divide in Europe over how to end the war. Some voices on the continent are urging peace talks now, to limit the human and economic toll. Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron have urged Zelenskyy to consider negotiations with Putin to bring the fighting to a close. And Macron last month said that it ‘has never been the position of France’ to ‘crush Russia,’ suggesting that it would be acceptable for Putin to remain in power and Russia to retain its military power if the fighting stopped.

“Others in Europe hold a decidedly different view… The Bucharest Nine, or B9, has most acutely felt Putin’s threat and has suggested that the only way to prevent an eventual Russian invasion of their own countries is to cripple Moscow for good. That has placed Biden in a delicate spot: a president who has sent an enormous military stockpile to Kyiv along with pledges to stand with Ukraine ‘for as long as it takes,’ with disagreements over what offramps to take and amid growing Republican resistance for open-ended U.S. involvement in the conflict.

“‘We still need a strategy. Where are we going to be a year from now? I don’t think that Biden or anyone on his team has articulated that,’ said Brett Bruen, a former State Department official in the Obama administration. ‘We’re past days of dancing around the sensitivities of one country or one political leader. We have got to either give Ukraine what it is going to take to win or we need to rethink the game plan.’…

“Kyiv, too, has not always been on the same page with the rest of the alliance. Zelenskyy has vowed not to negotiate until Russia has abandoned all of the Ukrainian territory it has seized — a declaration that includes Crimea, which Moscow forcibly annexed in 2014. But U.S. officials have sent signals to Kyiv that trying to retake Crimea would be difficult — and perhaps a mistake, potentially crossing a red line for Putin that would trigger an escalation…

“Most intelligence analysts on both sides of the Atlantic believe the war, as currently fought, could stretch for years… that would end up draining each nation’s military and economy…”

There seems to be no real strategy as to how to deal with this situation… at least, so it appears on the surface.

China Possesses Largest Navy Force in the World

Express wrote on March 4:

“Rebekah Koffler, a former Defense Intelligence Agency officer, [said] that China’s battleships now outnumber those of the US and it doesn’t intend to close the gap as it sets its sights on taking Taiwan. The military analyst said:

“‘The balance of power when it comes to the US versus China’s Naval forces is rapidly shifting in China’s favour, especially when it comes to China’s ability to project power in its perceived sphere of influence in the Indo-Pacific… China already possesses the largest navy force in the world, having between 340-360 battle force ships (depending on how you count). Comparatively, the US has 285 deployable battle force ships and this number is projected to grow to 297. China has been modernising its navy since the 1990s and has outbuilt everyone, including the US Navy, and UK Royal Navy.’ And Beijing does not intend to lose its lead: it’s expected to be 400 ship-strong by 2025…

“She continued: ‘China is preparing to fight and win the battle over Taiwan, including facing off with the US Navy… Koffler cited a new classified report that indicates the US Navy is projecting the need for 373 battle force ships to meet future war-fighting demands. However, it is not clear to Koffler how the US can achieve this goal, let alone match China’s target. Other military experts have sounded the alarm over the US’ increasing naval disadvantage…”

US influence in the world is shrinking on every level.

Russia and India—a Strong Partnership

Deutsche Welle wrote on March 4:

“Russia, an enemy? Not in India, where Russia has long been viewed as a valued political and economic partner. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine last year, the relationship has even picked up additional pace. India has declined to join the West’s sanctions on Moscow, and the country is now importing more crude oil from Russia than ever before. This was one of the driving factors behind the recent official visit to India of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz [which obviously was not successful if the goal was to encourage India to distance itself from Russia] …

“Russia has become India’s fourth-largest source of imports in the past year. From April to December 2022, imports totalled $32.8 billion (€30.08 billion), up from $6.58 billion in the same period of 2021…

“‘I would like to clarify we do not ask our companies to buy Russian oil,’ Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar told parliament in December. ‘We ask our companies to buy oil [that] is the best option that they can get. Now, it depends on what the market throws up.’

“As part of global sanctions on Russia, a new price cap has been put on Russian crude oil that came into force on February 5, 2023. For India, the third biggest consumer of oil in the world, this reduction… brings multiple benefits for the government. Because India imports more than 80% of its crude oil, the cap means it can lower energy costs. Furthermore, by turning to Russian oil, India can decrease its dependence on the Middle East, which used to be the source of some 60% of the country’s oil imports.

“The economic and political relationship between Russia and India, which are both nuclear powers, is not only based on their mutual interest regarding oil. It also goes back to their long-standing cooperation during the Cold War era. The Soviet Union supplied weapons to India for decades and trained Indian forces in how to use them. India obtained three fifths of its arms from the USSR between 1955 and 1991…  military cooperation between India and Russia remains significant…

“By contrast, there [is] a cooler relationship with the United States, which delivered arms to India’s enemy Pakistan…  Germany… ranked sixth [of India’s trading partners] in 2012, but slide down to 11th position in 2021.”

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov Ridiculed and Applauded

Express wrote on March 4:

“Vladimir Putin’s closest aid in the Kremlin has provoked laughter at a meeting of world leaders in India as he claimed the war in Ukraine was ‘launched against us’. Speaking at a G20 summit, foreign minister Sergei Lavrov, who has been in his post since 2004, peddled the now-parodied Russian line that the West was ‘using Ukrainian people’ to stage a war. The international meeting is one of the few that Russia has not been removed from – last year, the G8 became the G7 as Western allies conspired to degrade Putin’s influence on the global economy. But while his line on the war was received with mocking laughter, Lavrov’s comments on Western foreign policy were applauded.

“The 72-year-old said Russia ‘would not anymore rely on any partners in the West’, referring to sanctions slapped on Putin’s economy and energy supplies since their invasion of Ukraine. ‘The war, which we are trying to stop, which was launched against us using Ukrainian people, of course, influenced the policy of Russia, including energy policy,’ he said to a chorus of laughs and groans…

“Referring to the explosions that caused damage to the Nord Stream pipeline in the Baltic Sea in September 2022, he added: ‘We would not allow them to blow the pipelines again.’ But when asked about the ‘double standards’ of Western interventions in sovereign countries, the audience were welcoming, affording the minister a round of applause. [He referred specifically to US interventions in Iraq, Afghanistan, Yugoslavia, Libya and Syria.]

“Reaction to his comments reflected a growing cause for concern among Kyiv’s backers that countries around the world are opting out of condemning Russia’s invasion… Lavrov highlighted a divide among the G20. Western resolve to support Ukraine may appear to be unabating, at least for now, but countries such as South Africa, which holds strong ties to the US-led West, have improved relations with Russia despite the war.

“It comes as US secretary of state Antony Blinken and Lavrov talked briefly on Thursday at the meeting in the highest-level in-person talks between the two countries since Russia’s invasion. US officials said Blinken and Lavrov chatted for roughly 10 minutes on the sidelines of the G-20 conference…”

These are interesting developments. As we have said from the outset, based on biblical prophecy, Russia and Ukraine will ultimately unite and become enemies of the West.

“The Evil Nature” of Conscription

The Ron Paul Institute republished on March 2 the following article by the Future of Freedom Foundation:

“What caught my attention… was this sentence in Jenkins’ piece [in the Wall Street Journal]: ‘Mr. Putin is the one abducting their sons and sending them home three weeks later in body bags.’ Abducting? One doesn’t often see conservatives using that word to describe conscription. One usually expects to see conservatives using the word ‘draft’ or the word ‘serve’ to describe conscription. I found another article in the Journal that Jenkins wrote a few years ago in which he stated the following, ‘Even in World War II, more than 60% of American participants were drafted.’

“Yes, he used the word ‘drafted.’ No mention of the word ‘abducted.’ But then again, this is the US government, not the Russian government, to which he is referring… Actually though, Jenkins gets it right with his word ‘abduct.’ That’s what conscription is all about — in both Russia and the United States. Another word that could be used is ‘slavery.’ The best term is the one used in the Thirteenth Amendment — ‘involuntary servitude.’… So, after calling for volunteers, the government finds that it still needs soldiers to fight. When no one else will volunteer, that’s when the government commands citizens to report to military installations to ‘serve’ their country by being forced to travel to some foreign land to kill or be killed. If the person refuses, the government sends armed agents to forcibly seize him and take him away to jail. If he still refuses to ‘serve,’ he is tried, convicted, and sentenced to a long term in a federal penitentiary…

“When people said no, like Mohammad Ali, US officials went after them with a vengeance for their cowardice and lack of patriotism, just like Putin is doing to those who resist his draft in Russia…  the Russian invasion of Ukraine has caused conservatives to confront the evil nature of conscription, even if they are only referring to Russia.”

God calls “conscription” a curse.

Trump on the Warpath

Breitbart wrote on March 4:

“Former President Donald Trump boldly proclaimed that the Republican Party is ‘never going back to the party of Paul Ryan, Karl Rove, and Jeb Bush’ during his Saturday speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). Trump listed numerous ‘villains and scoundrels’ from whom he hopes to liberate the United States, including globalists, communists, and the fake news media.

“Trump told the CPAC crowd:

“‘With you at my side, we will demolish the deep state. We will expel the war mongers. They are people that don’t get it, although in some cases they get it, they get it for their wallets… We will evict Joe Biden from the White House… We’re not going back to people that want to destroy our great social security system. Even some in our own party… want to raise the minimum age of social security to 70, 75, or even 80,’ Trump said, seemingly referencing former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who spoke at CPAC on Friday about the need for the next GOP president to reform entitlement programs. ‘In some cases, [they] are out to cut Medicare to a level that it will no longer be recognizable… We are never going back to a party that wants to give unlimited money to fight foreign wars. That are endless wars, that are stupid wars.’…

“Trump received 62 percent support in the poll completed by more than 2,000 CPAC attendees, bringing him 40 points higher than the second-place candidate… Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) came in second place, receiving 20 percent support in the straw poll… Michigan businessman Perry Johnson, who tried to run for governor of his state, came in third place with five percent support. Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy, the only two declared candidates featured in the poll, received three and one percent support, respectively. Other names in the poll included Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who all received one percent support…

“In the vice presidential candidate straw poll, former Arizona Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake received the most support at 20 percent, while DeSantis was second place at 14 percent.”

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for President?

Jackman Radio Podcast published the following article on or about March 4:

“Robert F. Kennedy, Jr…. gave one of the most inspiring, passionate and courageous speeches I’ve ever seen. I actually choked up a little when he spoke about the more than 2 million Americans who lined the railroad tracks to say goodbye to his father [Robert F. Kennedy] as his train made its way to Arlington National Cemetery. 1968 wasn’t so long ago.

“Kennedy spoke truthfully about America’s militarism, corporate greed, Orwell style censorship and the grip that Pharma has on ‘media’ and shaping narratives, especially over the last three years. He is seriously considering a Democratic primary challenge to President Biden… Kennedy is somewhat of a throwback to what Democrats used to be like… His track record of standing against environmental polluters and corporate malfeasance while elevating the voices of the downtrodden and marginalized truly speaks for itself.

“In 2023 it has become a matter of controversy to simply state truth, facts, logic and reason. It’s no surprise other members of his family and the… media brand him as being crazy, fringe and outside the mainstream. It’s because he’s hitting a real nerve with the power elite. They loathe him for speaking truthfully about the disgusting reality that big pharma owns the very ‘media’ that’s supposed to hold it accountable. Along with the murky defense contractors who… never saw a war they didn’t love nor couldn’t profit from.

“The American people are fed up with the lies, corruption, deceit and cowardice that is now synonymous with holding elected office. RFK Jr. is just one man, but he is a man with a powerful message, movement and pedigree behind him. 1968 wasn’t so long ago. Perhaps it is time for a Kennedy to make a heroic run for The White House to bring back the ideals, passion and dedication to justice that his father and uncle before him evoked…”

Wikipedia promotes the typical mainstream narrative in writing: “Robert Francis Kennedy Jr. is an American environmental lawyer and author known for promoting anti-vaccine propaganda and conspiracy theories. Kennedy is a son of U.S. senator Robert F. Kennedy and a nephew of President John F. Kennedy.” However, what he stands for and promotes is much more than just “propaganda” and the subject of “conspiracy theories.”

“The Biggest Scandal in American History”

Fox News published on March 5 the following opinion piece by Newt Gingrich, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1995-1999 and a candidate for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination:

“We are living through the largest, deadliest scandal in American history, but the elite media refuses to connect the dots and analyze it. COVID-19, a disease no one disputes came from Wuhan, China, has killed more than 1.1 million Americans and more than 38 million people worldwide. It has left millions of others with chronic health problems… Many children are suffering from depression and other mental health challenges from the forced isolation and lack of social contact.

“Now, it is becoming more clear that much of this pain was avoidable – and the result of powerful government employees protecting themselves… President Donald Trump called it ‘the Chinese Virus’ and was intensely attacked. Somehow the word ‘Chinese’ was deemed racist…

“We now know this censorship and speech silencing was part of a systematic effort of senior scientists to mislead the American people… This scandal of many of our best professional researchers lying to the American people is compounded by the absolute failure of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention…

“Driven by the economic impact of the Chinese virus, the American government spent trillions of dollars propping up the economy, sparking inflation, massively increasing the national debt, and permitting hundreds of billions in theft and corruption.  Finally, there has been no serious effort to hold the Chinese Communist dictatorship accountable for the damage it has done around the world… The Chinese Communists have continuously focused on stopping us from understanding the origins of the pandemic…

“This scandal is so large, and covers so many areas, it will be a major factor in politics and government for the next decade. It will go down in history as a turning point in our lives and the life of our country. We just need to decide what direction we turn: toward clarity and accountability, or toward lies and chaos.”

God asks this great nation to “turn”—to repent of its evil ways of lies and deceit and choose the way of righteousness and truth.

New Brexit Deal Just Window-Dressing?

Breitbart wrote on March 6:

“The Brexit deal on Northern Ireland negotiated by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was merely designed to placate the British public and will still leave the European Court of Justice with ultimate authority over the British province, the EU’s top negotiator on the matter revealed in a leaked recording.

“Confirming fears expressed by Brexiteers and British Unionists in Northern Ireland, European Commission Vice President for Interinstitutional Relations and Foresight Maroš Šefčovič was reportedly recorded stating that the deal struck by Prime Minister Sunak was intended to win favourable headlines in the British press rather than actually regain sovereignty over Northern Ireland — an integral part of the United Kingdom that has been forced to abide by EU customs diktats and onerous regulations under the Protocol agreed to by former prime minister Boris Johnson.

“The recording of the Slovakian eurocrat speaking to other politicians in Brussels, obtained by The Telegraph, documented Šefčovič saying: ‘Be under no impression that there will be a diminishing of the role of the European Court of Justice… We’ve been very clear from the beginning until the end, the role of the ECJ as the sole and final arbiter of EU law stays in place.’

“The ‘Windsor Framework’ agreed to by Sunak and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen set out a process dubbed the ‘Stormont Break’ in which legislators in the devolved (local) parliament in Northern Ireland can supposedly override EU regulations, including on rules imposed upon British trade. However, Šefčovič said that this concession was more window dressing than anything else, insisting that the final ruling on any such dispute would be in the hands of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) and therefore Northern Ireland would still be under the effective rule of the EU rather than ‘taking back control’ of its own sovereignty as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak suggested..”

King Charles Coronation Oil Consecrated in Jerusalem

The Guardian wrote on March 3:

“Oil has been created using olives from two groves on Mount of Olives, and a formula dating back centuries.

“The fragrant chrism oil that will be used to anoint King Charles during his coronation in May was made sacred in Jerusalem on Friday. A ceremony took place in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where the holy oil was consecrated by the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Theophilos III, and the Anglican archbishop in Jerusalem, Hosam Naoum.”

The Sun added on March 3:

“Chrism oil… will be placed by the Archbishop of Canterbury on King Charles’s breast, head and hand… The ritual has been held at Westminster Abbey for 1,000 years…

“The Archbishop of Canterbury said: ‘Since beginning the planning for the coronation, my desire has been for a new coronation oil to be produced using olive oil from the Mount of Olives. This demonstrates the deep historic link between the coronation, the Bible and the Holy Land. From ancient kings through to the present day, monarchs have been anointed with oil from this sacred place…’”

Israel 365 News added on March 5:

“British Israelism, also called Anglo-Israelism, is the belief begun in the 16th century that the people of Great Britain are the ‘direct descendants” of the Ten Lost Tribes of ancient Israel. Some adherents further claim that the British royal family is of lineal descent from the house of King David via a daughter of Zedekiah, the last king of Judah.

“According to this legend, the prophet Jeremiah, and his scribe, Baruch, escaped with ‘the king’s daughters’ (Jer. 41:10; 43:6) to Egypt. They later traveled to Ireland, where one of the surviving Judahite princesses, Tea Tephi, married a local High King of Ireland.

“From this fabled union the Davidic throne was supposedly preserved, having been transferred to Ireland, then Scotland, and later England, whence the British monarchs are alleged to have descended.

“The Stone of Scone, which has been used in the coronations of Scottish, English and British monarchs for centuries, is traditionally claimed to be the pillow stone on which the biblical patriarch, Jacob, slept, and the stone used in David’s coronation. The central tenets of British Israelism have been refuted by archaeological, ethnological, genetic,  and linguistic research.”

The article falsely alleges that these claims have been “refuted.” This is absolutely incorrect and quite deceitful. Nothing was “refuted,” but the facts remain, as we have explained in our literature, that King Charles IS Jewish and a descendant of King David; that Jeremiah DID arrive in Ireland with the two king’s daughters; that the throne WAS transferred three times, as prophesied in the Bible, and is now in Britain; and that monarchs WERE crowned on the Stone of Scone which might very well be the stone on which Jacob slept.

Note our two-part series on the “Stone of Destiny.” https://www.eternalgod.org/what-do-we-know-of-the-stone-of-destiny-part-1/ and https://www.eternalgod.org/what-do-we-know-of-the-stone-of-destiny-part-2/

Therefore, the use of “holy oil” consecrated in Jerusalem for King Charles’ coronation is quite telling.

Hungary Plans to Establish Embassy in Jerusalem

The Algemeiner wrote on March 3:

“Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban would back his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu by moving its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem next month, Israeli media reported Friday. If the plan goes through, Hungary would be the first European Union member state to establish an embassy in Jerusalem, which Israel claims as its capital but is not acknowledged by most nations and whose legal status is in question…

“Only a small number of other nations have followed the United States in moving its embassies in Israel to Jerusalem under the administration of former president Donald Trump in 2018.

“Jerusalem was proclaimed to be Israel’s capital city by a law passed by the Israeli parliament in 1980. Unless discussions between Israel and the Palestinians, who want east Jerusalem to serve as the capital of a future Palestinian state, are concluded, the United Nations will consider east Jerusalem occupied and its status disputed.”

The attitude of most European countries and the UN towards Israel is, in reality, deeply antagonistic.

Short Window for Israel to Strike Iran

Stars and Stripes wrote on March 3:

“Iran is seeking sophisticated new air-defense systems from Russia [called S-400s] that Israeli officials believe will narrow the window for a potential strike on Tehran’s nuclear program… Russia hasn’t said publicly if it will supply the weapons, but Moscow and Tehran have drawn closer since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. It would take less than two years for the S-400s to be operational.

“‘The longer you wait, the harder that becomes,’ Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said of a strike on Iran at a security conference in Tel Aviv last week. ‘We’ve waited very long. I can tell you that I will do everything in my power to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.’…

“Israel bombed nuclear sites in Iraq in 1981 and Syria in 2007. An open military conflict with Iran could trigger an unparalleled regional conflagration affecting global oil supplies. Russia has offered Iran ‘unprecedented defense cooperation, including on missiles, electronics and air defense’ and may provide Tehran with fighter jets, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Feb. 24…

“Concern has grown over Iran’s nuclear work since international monitors detected uranium enriched to 84% purity — just below the 90% needed for weapons. By the end of 2023, Iran will have enough uranium enriched to 60% to produce 10 bombs, according to a senior Israeli official and a former senior U.S. official.

“Israel continues to hope the U.S. will take the lead on any possible strike and while the Biden administration hasn’t ruled out military action, it prefers diplomacy. Iran accuses Israel of assassinating its nuclear scientists, most recently as in late 2020, as well as hacking and other nuclear sabotage. Israel doesn’t publicly own up to them but they are widely acknowledged by officials both in the U.S. and in Israel…

“In December, the U.S. said Russia was deepening military backing for Iran in return for Iranian supplies of drones for Moscow’s war on Ukraine. The next month, an Iranian lawmaker said Tehran expects a delivery of Su-35 fighter jets from Russia by mid-March…

“The S-400s, which can hit aerial targets at a range of up to 150 miles, would create a ‘red zone for high-altitude aircraft,’ said Jeremy Binnie, Middle East defense expert at Janes, the UK-based defense intelligence firm…”

It appears that Israel WILL strike Iran, with or without American help and support. But this time, not everything may go as well as hoped for by Israel.

Outside the Law?

Thomson/Reuters wrote on March 5:

“Israel rebuffed as ‘unworthy’ on Sunday comments by the U.N. nuclear watchdog chief that any Israeli or U.S. attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities would be illegal…

“‘Rafael Grossi is a worthy person who made an unworthy remark,’ Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his cabinet in televised remarks on Sunday. ‘Outside what law? Is it permissible for Iran, which openly calls for our destruction, to organize the tools of slaughter for our destruction? Are we forbidden from defending ourselves? We are obviously permitted to do this.’”

Trans Bishop Sues Lutheran Church for Harassment and Discrimination

Breitbart wrote on March 3:

“The far-left Associated Press reports that… Megan Rohrer, who was ‘elected as the first openly transgender bishop of one of the largest Christian denominations in the country in May 2021,’ is suing the [church] and claiming ‘he’ was forced out ‘after enduring several months of discrimination and harassment.’

“I’m confused… ‘Megan’ is a ‘he?’ From what I’ve been able to piece together, ‘Megan’ is a biological woman who identifies as a man. So why hold on to the name ‘Megan?’…

“So in May of 2021 [he or she] was then using those ludicrous ‘they’ and ‘them’ pronouns… [and was] first transgender person to be ordained in the ELCA in 2006 and the first to serve as a pastor when called to Grace Lutheran in 2014… So this [church] accepted and promoted her knowing what she was. So, it’s not like she won a promotion to bishop and said, ‘Hey, I’m a guy now, and I dare you to fire me’…

“She is seeking money, naturally… However, [he or she] has been accused of racism after she ‘fired the pastor of a predominantly Latino, immigrant congregation in Stanton, California, on the Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe, for which the community had planned elaborate festivities.’ However, her lawsuit says she was a scapegoat for the firing, and the [church] then ‘publicly shamed [her] as a racist.’

“The firing of this pastor at that Latino congregation caused some serious fallout. The church made a public apology to the congregation, but ‘the congregation lost the denomination’s financial backing and was forced to vacate their building and worship in the parking lot.’

“… I have no tolerance for people who damn souls by tricking those souls into believing they are right with God when they are decidedly not. And that’s exactly what this [church] and this Megan lady are doing. Accepting sinners in the church is Christianity. Accepting sin is demonic. My heart breaks for those who don’t know any better, for those who this [church] has fooled — at the cost of their own souls — into believing they are saved. This is naked evil, the worst kind.

“The rules to avoid [the lake of fire] are not negotiable and come from above, not from man or woman or [the LGBTQ+ community].”

To deceive others by leading them into sin or by advocating or even tolerating sin is a grievous violation of Christ’s words who said it would be better for such a person to be thrown into the ocean where it is the deepest.

Drag Night at Historic London Church

Breitbart wrote on March 5:

“The 17th-century St James’s Church, Piccadilly in London, which claims to have demonstrated a ‘pioneering welcome of LGBTQAI+ communities and other marginalised people and groups’, will for the first time in its 340-year history put on a ‘drag night’ dubbed PREACH! within the church.

The Church of England parish church said that it would be hosting at least two performances of PREACH! — with one on Saturday, March 4th, and the second on June 3rd… ‘St James’s will welcome drag icons from around the world to perform beneath its ornate gold ceiling, showcasing some of the biggest names in the art of drag, as well as fresh talent,’ the church said. Despite claiming that it is ‘committed to the safeguarding of children, young people and adults’ St James’s did not say the drag show [was] age-restricted, indicating that children would be allowed into the show…

“What exactly drag has to do with Christianity or indeed why the church would host such an event was not explained…

“The performance is just the latest instance of the leftward lurch of the Church of England, the established church of its homeland. Under the de facto leadership of Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, the CoE has frequently inserted itself in political issues of the day, often advocating a leftist agenda…

“Welby has also weighed into modern woke gender theory, previously declaring that God is ‘gender neutral’ despite the Bible very clearly describing God in general and Jesus Christ in particular in unequivocally masculine terms. To back up Welby’s assertion, however, the Church announced last month that it would be embarking upon a project ‘to develop more inclusive language’… with phrases like ‘Our Father’ potentially being on the chopping block to conform with modern politically correct sensibilities. Just days later, the Church voted in favour of offering ‘God’s blessings’ to same-sex marriages….”

Shame on Welby and the Church of England.

Europe to Approve LGBT Doctrine?

IFN (International Family News) wrote on March 4:

“On January 23, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) issued a landmark ruling on LGBTQI propaganda aimed at minors: Lithuania was condemned for restricting the distribution of an LGBTQI children’s book…

“The Lithuanian state concluded that the stories in question ‘encourage a conception of marriage and family foundation different from that enshrined in the Constitution and Civil Code of the Republic of Lithuania.’ As a result, the country has recommended that copies be marked with a warning advising against reading to children under 14…

“The Court decided that this law does not pursue a legitimate purpose… the judges argued that the effects of restricting the publication of this LGBT book for minors would be incompatible ‘with the notion of equality, pluralism and tolerance that are inseparable from a democratic society.’

“This is yet another ruling that substantiates the ‘conflicts of interest’ of abortion and LGBTI lobbies and large foundations linked mainly to Geroge Soros and the Court’s judges, fears repeatedly denounced and revealed by several research studies… over 70 percent [of Lithuanians] are absolutely opposed to any form of recognition of LGBTI unions and ‘gender’ ideology.”

More Woke Insanity at Disneyland

Fox Business wrote on March 4:

“Disneyland has removed the phrase ‘zip-a-dee-doo-dah’ from the music of its in-park parades due to racial sensitivity concerns… Disney made the change due to the phrase’s origin in the 1946 film ‘Song of the South’…

“Multiple park attractions and events referencing ‘Song of the South’ have been closed or altered by Disney in recent years as the company continues to distance itself from the film… Walt Disney World permanently shut down Splash Mountain in January because it features characters and music from the movie…”

Crazy! If Walt Disney knew, he would turn in his grave in disgust with those now running his enterprise into the ground.

No Tax Returns to Be Filed by Most Californians Until October 16

The LA Times wrote on March 4:

“Good news for most Californians who owe taxes to the federal or state government: The deadline for filing your return and paying what you owe has been pushed back to October.

“The relief is available to anyone living or working in the 44 counties covered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s emergency declaration. That includes Los Angeles, Ventura and San Diego counties. FEMA’s action came in response to the severe winter storms that caused floods, landslides and mudslides between Dec. 27 and Jan. 31.

“State and federal authorities had previously delayed the deadline to May 15. Last week, though, the Internal Revenue Service pushed it back  again, to Oct. 16. Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Thursday that the state is doing the same.

“The relief will be offered automatically to anyone whose address on file at the IRS is in a disaster area — no need to ask for help or alert the agency that you’ll be filing late. If the IRS sends you a penalty notice anyway because you missed a deadline that should have been waived, the agency advises you to call the number on the notice to have the penalty erased…

“Granted, if you are due a refund, you want to file as soon as you can. Otherwise, you’re giving the government an interest-free loan…

“As with the IRS, if you receive a late filing notice after taking advantage of the new deadline, the governor’s office said, you should call the phone number on the notice and ask that the penalty be waived.”

Ultimately, though, the government will get our tax money to be used for many ungodly purposes.

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.

Current Events

by Norbert Link

We speak about the revelation by Fox News Moderator Tucker Carlson regarding events which happened on January 6, 2021, report on Chancellor Scholz’s short and secret meeting with President Biden in Washington; Germany’s unpreparedness for a war with Russia; the West’s missing or failing strategy regarding Ukraine; the rise of powerful China; the strong partnership between Russia and India; and the performance of Russia’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov at the G20 summit with astonishing reactions from the audience.

We continue with the “evil nature” of conscription; Donald Trump’s provocative statements at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC); thoughts on Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s possible Democratic primary challenge to President Biden; and an opinion piece by Newt Gingrich on the “biggest scandal in American history.”

We speak on the new Brexit deal which might have been window dressing to appease the British people; the significance of the “consecrated” anointing oil for the coronation of King Charles and his wife Camilla; Hungary’s plans to establish an embassy in Jerusalem; and Israel’s “short window” for a strike on Iran’s nuclear weapon program. In this regard, please view our new StandingWatch program, titled, “Short Window for Israel to Strike Iran.”

We continue with depressing reports on the advancement of the “Woke” culture in the Lutheran Church; the Church of England; throughout Europe and at Disneyland; and we conclude with some good news for California’s taxpayers.

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

Preaching the Gospel and Feeding the Flock

compiled by Dave Harris

“Short Window for Israel to Strike Iran,” is the title of a new StandingWatch program, presented by Evangelist Norbert Link. Here is a summary: 

Many in Israel feel that it is “now or never” to strike Tehran’s nuclear program, with or without American support. At the same time, concerns grow especially in Britain that Iran might soon attack the UK and Western allies. But the UK is actually facing a much bigger threat from another power.

“Wurden wir belogen?” is the title of a new AufPostenStehen program, presented by Norbert Link. Title in English: “Have We’ve Been Lied to?” (It deals with Tucker Carlson’s programs about January 6, 2021) 

A new Member Letter (March 2023) has been written by Elder Paul Niehoff. In his letter, Mr. Niehoff writes about how important it is to love the Truth in order to avoid deception. This letter will be posted to our webpage, and copies will be sent to our subscribers.

Our new booklet, “God the Father Is the Highest,” has been received from our printer. This booklet is posted, and copies have now been sent to our subscribers.

A Tech Team Meeting was conducted via Google Meets on Sunday, March  5, 2023. Hosted by Eric Rank, responses and effectiveness for our booklets ad campaign were reviewed along with Feast plans and other details.

“Ist Matthäus 28,19 eine Fälschung?” is the title of this Sabbath’s German sermon, presented by Norbert Link. Title in English: “Is Matthew 28:19 a Forgery?”

“Lasst euch mit Gott versöhnen,” the sermonette presented last Sabbath in Germany by Marc Voeller, is now posted. Title in English: “Be Reconciled to God.”

“Our Daily Unleavened Bread,” the sermonette presented last Sabbath by Brian Gale, is now posted. Here is a summary:

It is obvious that we eat unleavened bread during the Days of Unleavened Bread festival each year. But do we eat unleavened bread each day of the seven days? Unless there is a very compelling reason or an emergency, we should eat this on a daily basis, as this message shows.

“How Can You Be More Successful?” the sermon presented last Sabbath by Norbert Link, is now posted. Here is a summary:

Are you successful in life—or are you failing? Are you on your way to true success—or, are you about to give up? We were not created to be a failure. We were meant to be truly successful. But true success does not happen by accident, circumstance or coincidence. True success must be achieved. There are certain principles—one might say, laws—which we must apply and follow in order to become truly successful. What are seven physical and spiritual laws of success?

Spring Holy Days: Passover—April 5, 2023 (observed the evening before); Feast of Unleavened Bread—April 6-12, 2023; Pentecost—May 28, 2023.

2023 Ministerial Conference: April 21-24

Could you please explain the phrase, “Love the sinner, hate the sin”?

Where did this phrase come from as it cannot be found in the Bible in those words? The catholic.com website gives this answer: “It’s from St. Augustine. His Letter 211 (c. 424) contains the phrase Cum dilectione hominum et odio vitiorum, which translates roughly to ‘With love for mankind and hatred of sins.’ The phrase has become more famous as ‘love the sinner but hate the sin’ or ‘hate the sin and not the sinner’ (the latter form appearing in Mohandas Gandhi’s 1929 autobiography).”

There are those who see themselves as Christians but can’t accept the phrase, “Love the sinner but hate the sin.”   One such newspaper writer wrote: “There is no condemnation for those who are in Jesus.  To look at my gay Christian brother and say ‘God loves the sinner’ is to set myself against Jesus and bring condemnation again to those he’s already redeemed.  So I’m done.  I’m done with ‘Love the sinner but hate the sin.’ I’m done with speaking as if I’m different, better than you.  We are children of the Creator, redeemed by Jesus.  We are brothers and sisters.   And today, that’s enough.”

This is a complete misunderstanding of the phrase.   True Christians are not to take a superior attitude to anyone else but they do have to accept that sin is that which we must avoid and overcome.   After all, in Matthew 6:12 which is part of the model prayer, we read that we are to pray to “forgive us our debts (sins) as we forgive our debtors (sins).”  The antipathy displayed in the previous paragraph may be because it is erroneously believed that all you have to do is give your heart to the Lord and that you can still live and practice that which you did previously without having to change anything.

It seems that acceptance of any lifestyle is a must in today’s perverse and perverted society and it appears that many of those who espouse Christianity can fall into that trap.   We can’t say anything about how wrong many sexual sins are because, in so many minds, any lifestyle is acceptable and all you have to do is “believe in the Lord,” but the Bible makes it very plain that that is simply just not so!

One minister, a homosexual, wrote the following:

“As an openly-gay Christian theologian and minister, I believe that the slogan of ‘Love the sinner, hate the sin,’ no matter how well-intentioned, is theologically unsound. Not only is this an unbiblical concept, but it is also not workable in practice. In fact, when it comes to LGBT sexualities and gender identities, I contend that this slogan is actually a modern-day version of gnosticism, which was condemned as heretical by early Church theologians such as Irenaeus in the second century.”   It would seem that we are becoming more and more interested in the idea of acceptance of any lifestyles, and without any boundaries.

We address these gender designations referred to in the paragraph above, in our booklet “God’s Teachings on Sexual Relationships,” showing how ungodly they are. The Bible is very clear on these matters and the true Church of God today is not afraid to relate the full Truth from Scripture.   It appears that many today are becoming more and more interested in the idea of acceptance by others irrespective of their lifestyle and different sexual proclivities.   Nevertheless, Christians are to still love the person (we were all sinners before we became converted, and even now, we still sin from time to time), but they must hate the sin as God hates sin which separates us from God (compare Isaiah 59:2).

We can see from what has already been quoted above that on the one hand, there are those who feel that such a phrase deflects the individual’s responsibility and accountability for their sins, and on the other hand, there are those who accept the individual irrespective of their sins complete with wrong lifestyles if that should be necessary.

This phrase is also used when explaining that a person’s lifestyle is not compatible with the standards that God sets out in His Word.   For example, in society today, the word “homophobic” is used for anyone who doesn’t agree with such behaviour.  The Bible confirms that such behaviour is not in accordance with God’s required standard for people.  In our booklet “God’s Teachings on Sexual Relationships,”  we state the following on page 95:

“Before covering the controversial issue of homosexuality, we feel it is necessary to state our position, as anyone who opposes this behavior is commonly thought to be a homophobe or homophobic. This term is casually used against anyone who has the audacity to question the morality of such behavior, especially when asserting it to be sin, which homosexual lobbyists often refer to as hate speech.

“This argument is invalid, as people on both sides of the argument must be allowed to agree or disagree about homosexuality in a free and fair society. To assert that homosexual behavior is a sin is simply stating a biblical fact, and Christians who live by the Word of God are simply stating what God’s Word clearly reveals. There should be no hate for the individual concerned, just sadness at their way of life.”

One of the problems associated with the phrase “love the sinner, hate the sin” is that it may be felt that hating the sin can spill over into also meaning hate towards the individual.   In some cases that may be true but it must not reflect the behaviour of a true Christian.   We see, in the UK, that saying that homosexuality is wrong can be taken as a hate crime which it is not, but a fact taken from the Word of God.   God’s teaching on the matter is subordinated to UK law which means that God’s Word must take second place.   That is a very dangerous approach that society takes and does so at its own very great risk.  We should love the sinner because we all sin, but hate the sin(s), and God’s Way must be paramount in a Christian’s life irrespective of any human-made laws which may conflict with God’s Word.

If we don’t hate the sin (whatever it is) and we take a more “accepting” attitude towards it, such as “live and let live,” then we are in grave danger of becoming indifferent to that which could well keep us out of the Kingdom of God.   God hates sin and we must also do likewise.

The Bible can so often be misrepresented so as to reflect what someone would like it to say, rather than what it actually says.

So, what is the biblical truth of the matter?   It is, quite simply, to look at how sin and love are defined in the pages of the Bible.

1 John 3:4 states about sin in the Authorized Version: “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.” The New King James Bible says: “Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.”

In Scripture, we read about how sin separates us from God (please see our new free booklet, “God the Father Is the Highest”), and here are just a few of those many verses:

In Isaiah 59:2, we read: “But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear.”

Romans 6:16 states: “Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?”

Romans 6:23 reads:  “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

As one writer observed: “God is the source of all life, and He will extend that life eternally to all who believe.  Sin is a barrier to our reception of life, and that is one reason why God hates it.” Of course, we hasten to add that the concept of “believe” or “faith” must be understood correctly. The Bible requires “obedient” faith—faith which is obedient to God and His Law (see Romans 1:5; 16:26).

In Matthew 5:43-48, the sub-heading in the New King James Bible is “Love Your Enemies.” We read:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.  For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?   And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so?  Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.”

We should realise that we, too, were sinners before our conversion, and we still sin from time to time, but we have been called out of this world by God and are, therefore, set apart by our calling.   We must hate it when we ourselves sin, and we must ask God for forgiveness.   Those who sin willfully—knowing better but refusing to repent and change—do so to their own hurt by not making it into the Kingdom of God.

There are so many verses about love that could be quoted, but the following gives a flavour of what love is.

Leviticus 19:18 says: “You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.”

Leviticus 19:33-34 reads: “And if a stranger dwells with you in your land, you shall not mistreat him.  The stranger who dwells among you shall be to you as one born among you, and you shall love him as yourself; for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.”

Matthew 19:19 says this in respect of commandments to keep: “‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”

Matthew 22:36-40 relates the conversation between a Pharisee and Jesus, when the Pharisee came to ask Jesus the following: “‘Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?’ Jesus said to him, ‘“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.”  This is the first and great commandment.  And the second is like it: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”  On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.’”

John 13:34-35 states: “ A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” Please note in this context that the semicolon added in the first part of the above-quoted phrase is terribly wrong. Instead, the phrase should read: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another as I have loved you, that you also love one another.”

While the above is about, primarily, love for brethren in the Church, we should certainly have love for those outside the Church.   Mr. Herbert W Armstrong, the late Pastor-General of the now defunct Worldwide Church of God, used to define love as “an outgoing concern for the good and welfare of others.”   That love does not end if the other person has a lifestyle and way of life that is incompatible with the true Christian Way of Life.   We should want the very best for them and hope and pray that they will turn, one day, from their chosen lifestyle to God’s Way of Life.

James 2:8 says: “If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself,’ you do well…”

Also, the “love chapter” of 1 Corinthians 13 is one that makes great reading.

In God’s second appearance to Solomon, He said: “…if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14). While that applied to ancient Israel thousands of years ago, the same principle holds good today.

At the same time, note that God requires repentance. He does not forgive a sinner if he or she refuses to repent. But this does not negate His love for him or her, as we will continue to explain below.

Two references in the book of Romans show that loving the sinner and hating the sin is what we are to do, naysayers notwithstanding.   Regarding naysayers, one writer put it this way: “The counter-narrative that they come up with – in the face of the best air-tight case – can boggle the brightest of minds!”  These two references from the Word of God are an air-tight case, and are as follows:

Romans 13:9 says: “For the commandments, ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’ ‘You shall not covet,’ and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”

Romans 12:9, with a sub-heading in the New King James Bible, “Behave Like a Christian,” reads as follows: “Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.”  The problem in society today is that evil has, in many cases, become normal.

Loving the sinner does not mean, however, that we love or approve of his lifestyle. This includes, not even giving the appearance of accepting or not rejecting his lifestyle. It also does not mean that we “forgive” an unrepentant sinner for his sinful conduct towards us. For a detailed explanation, please see our Q&A, titled, “You teach that God does not forgive us our sins if we refuse to repent. Does this mean that God does not require us to forgive those that sin against us if they refuse to repent?” https://www.eternalgod.org/question-and-answer-221/

In that Q&A, we stated:

“We should always have a forgiving attitude and a willingness to immediately forgive upon repentance, as this can be the start of any reconciliation process. We must never develop and harbor grudges against another person (Leviticus 19:18). We must hate the sin, but we must never hate the sinner. If we begin to hate the sinner, and develop resentment against the sinner, then we may find ourselves in a position where we might not be able to forgive the sinner, when he or she does repent and/or when his or her repentance comes to our attention.

“Further, harboring grudges against someone is not spiritually or physically healthy for ourselves. It can deprive us of the inner peace and joy of God which we are supposed to have (compare John 14:27; 15:11; 16:24; Colossians 3:15). God is always willing and ready to forgive, and so must we. It has been correctly said that we must do everything we can to establish peace (Matthew 5:9; Romans 12:18; 14:19; Hebrews 12:14; 1 Peter 3:11); and to help a person to repent, realizing at the same time that repentance is a gift from God (Romans 2:4).”

Later in the Q&A, we wrote:

“Although God does not forgive a sinner without his repentance, He still loves him. In fact, we read that God loved the WORLD (when they were all unrepentant sinners) so much that He gave His only-begotten Son so that everyone who BELIEVES in Him (having come to repentance and having accepted the Sacrifice of Christ for payment of his or her sins) does not have to perish, but can have everlasting life (John 3:16). Although God does not forgive SIN without repentance, He still LOVES the sinner.”

We strongly recommend that you read that Q&A in its entirety, as it discusses many more aspects regarding love, repentance and forgiveness.

In conclusion, the answer to our question in this Q&A is simple.   We are to love our fellow man as the second great commandment is to love our neighbour as ourselves (compare Matthew 22:39), but we are to hate sin committed by others (and ourselves).   God hates sin, as we read in Psalm 5:4: “For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness, Nor shall evil dwell with You,” and we are to become perfect as our Father in heaven is perfect.

It may not be easy at times but it is something that we must do – that is to love the sinner but hate the sin!

Lead Writers: Brian Gale (United Kingdom) and Norbert Link

Accomplish Small Things / Are You Prepared?

On March 11, 2023, Kalon Mitchell will present the sermonette, titled, “Accomplish Small Things,” and Michael Link will present the sermon, titled, “Are You Prepared?”

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.

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