Update 873

Saturday, April 27, 2019, Kalon Mitchell will present the sermonette, titled, “Be Careful With Your Words,” and Brian Gale will present the sermon, titled, “Reluctant Heroes.”

Friday, April 26, 2019, is a Holy Day—the last day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Services will be broadcast live in the morning and afternoon. Morning services will begin at 10:00 am Pacific Time, and afternoon services will begin at 3:00 pm Pacific Time. Morning: The sermonette will be presented by Dave Harris, titled, “Little to Much,” and the sermon, will be presented by Eric Rank, titled, “Hidden Sins.” Afternoon: Offertory will be presented by Kalon Mitchell, titled, “What Do You Own?” and the sermon will be presented by Brian Gale, titled, “Miracle After Miracle.”

The live services are available, over video and audio, at http://eternalgod.org/live-services/

The live weekly Sabbath 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.

Pictured during the Days of Unleavened Bread is the desire of putting sin out of our lives. Leaven is pictured as sin which if not dealt with can cause us to lose out on salvation. So it is a very important thing for us to remove sin from our lives and keep it out!

Since a little leaven leavens the whole lump (Galatians 5:9), and leaven is likened to sin, it’s crucial for us to remove it from our lives. Leaven, as sin, is similar to a rotten apple on the top of a barrel of good apples. If it is not removed in time the bad apple will rot all the good ones.

The importance of putting sin out is crucial for maintaining a good relationship with God, since sin acts as a barrier and a resistance in our communication with God.  It impedes our prayers and God tells us that He does not hear sinners, that is, those who are practicing sin and are making no effort to remove it from their lives.

John 9:31 states: “Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshipper of God and does His will, He hears Him.”

Someone doing the will of God is someone who is obeying God and keeping the commandments. We, as God’s people, fall short of the mark on occasion and sin. However, upon repentance we are forgiven. We also need to seek the spiritual help from God to keep sin out of our lives—which the Days of Unleavened Bread picture. Seven is often pictured as the number of completion; therefore, we need to work towards keeping sin completely out of our lives during the seven days of this Feast.

These days and the days prior to Passover are like a stop sign—an opportunity to examine ourselves, to slow down from our hectic lifestyles and reflect on just where we are.

We all live busy lives but there is a time to reflect on our progress in keeping sin out and make a real examination of ourselves. It takes this reflection to at times flush out sins that we may be overlooking and which are impeding our prayers and relationship with God.

God is so merciful and ready to forgive upon real repentance, and He is willing for a renewed relationship with us if we have fallen a little short of the mark.

Let’s remember that neglect of prayer will weaken our connection with God. On many occasions Christ went to a private place to pray, to strengthen and maintain His connection with His Father. He knew that God always heard His prayers, since He was sinless and there were no obstacles in the way for His prayers not to be heard.

Putting sin out and keeping it out is not a one-time occurrence, but a continual walk in the footsteps of Jesus Christ, who set us a perfect example of living and maintaining a relationship with God. So let’s ensure that we are staying on the narrow path which leads to eternal life.

We focus this week on the diminishing influence of the U.S. in world affairs—especially as Russia and China exert powerful leadership, both diplomatically and militarily.

We cite the uniting of far-right parties in Europe and note that a Passover sacrifice was offered near Jerusalem’s Temple Mount.

USA Pressures the World

moderndiplomacy reported on April 22:

“The recent statement made by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to the effect that his country has failed to prevent the implementation of the Nord Stream – 2 gas pipeline project provides glaring proof of the ultimatum-type methods used by President Donald Trump’s administration to thwart unwelcome projects, deals or agreements and simultaneously impose their own products, goods and services on partners – from more expensive liquefied natural gas (LNG) to passenger and military aircraft and weapons systems. However, such efforts rarely hit success, exacerbating US relations even with its closest allies in Europe and NATO.

“Addressing the Senate’s Foreign Relations Committee on April 10th, Mike Pompeo said Washington had done everything it could to talk European partners out of building Nord Stream 2 but these efforts suffered a fiasco. According to the head of the State Department, Berlin is set on pursuing the project and all attempts to dissuade the Europeans from building the gas pipeline have yielded no results…

“While Washington’s attempts to use political pressure to promote its own energy projects intensify differences between the United States and the European Union, and specifically Germany, similar efforts in the area of defense and military technology jeopardize the integrity and unity of the North Atlantic alliance. US Vice President Mike Pence has de facto presented an ultimatum to Turkey, one of the closest American allies in the Middle East. He warned Ankara against purchasing Russian S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems, calling on the Turkish leadership to choose between partnership with NATO and the deal…

“Nevertheless, the attempts to use ultimatum to exert pressure in several areas at once may well result in a closer consolidation of Europeans as they unite to defend their own interests, in a further strengthening the economic ties between Russia and China, as well as in a more pronounced and independent policy by Turkey – and not only in defense and military technology. These recent moves on the part of the United States are tying the knot of conflict throughout an increasingly wider spectrum of geopolitical space. And for now, it is not clear where all this could lead to.”

What is clear is that the world is increasingly refusing to be pressured by the United States!

Putin Holds Summit with Kim

Reuters reported on April 24:

“Russian President Vladimir Putin said after holding talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Thursday that he thought U.S. security guarantees would probably not be enough to persuade Pyongyang to shut its nuclear program.

“Putin and Kim held a day of talks on an island off the Russian Pacific city of Vladivostok two months after Kim’s summit with U.S. President Donald Trump ended in disagreement, cooling hopes of a breakthrough in the decades-old nuclear row.

“Putin, keen to use his summit with Kim to burnish Russia’s diplomatic credentials as a global player, said he believed any U.S. guarantees might need to be supported by the other nations involved in previous six-way talks on the nuclear issue.

“That would mean including Russia, China, Japan and South Korea as well as the United States and North Korea, in a long-standing format that had been sidelined by unilateral U.S. efforts to broker a deal.”

The world stage no longer belongs to just the U.S.

China and Russia Move In

 msn wrote on April 20:

“With Venezuela in flames, China and Russia are seeking claims in the rubble.

“But the United States has been caught flat-footed, and the Pentagon is struggling to develop ways to blunt the countries’ influence in Latin America since President Trump has antagonized and distanced himself from nations in the Western Hemisphere…

“’The Trump administration’s policy has supercharged China’s increased presence in the region,’ said Benjamin Gedan, former National Security Council official under the Obama administration and a senior adviser to the Latin American program at the Wilson Center, a Washington think tank. ‘It’s entirely counterproductive.’

“For years, China and Russia have sought more influence in the Western Hemisphere, but are increasingly emboldened to bolster their economic and security positions in South America, Central America and the Caribbean.”

China—A Military Titan!

msn wrote on April 23:

“In 1938, in the midst of a long campaign to bring China under Communist Party rule, revolutionary leader Mao Zedong wrote: ‘Whoever has an army has power.’

“Xi Jinping, Mao’s latest successor, has taken that dictum to heart…

“In a series of stories, Reuters is exploring how the rapid and disruptive advance of Chinese hard power on Xi Jinping’s watch has ended the era of unquestioned U.S. supremacy in Asia. In just over two decades, China has built a force of conventional missiles that rival or outperform those in the U.S. armory. China’s shipyards have spawned the world’s biggest navy, which now rules the waves in East Asia. Beijing can now launch nuclear-armed missiles from an operational fleet of ballistic missile submarines, giving it a powerful second-strike capability. And the PLA is fortifying posts across vast expanses of the South China Sea, while stepping up preparations to recover Taiwan, by force if necessary…

“For the first time since Portuguese traders reached the Chinese coast five centuries ago, China has the military power to dominate the seas off its coast. Conflict between China and the United States in these waters would be destructive and bloody, particularly a clash over Taiwan, according to serving and retired senior American officers. And despite decades of unrivaled power since the end of the Cold War, there would be no guarantee America would prevail.

“‘The U.S. could lose,’ said Gary Roughead, co-chair of a bipartisan review of the Trump administration’s defense strategy published in November. ‘We really are at a significant inflection point in history.’

Roughead is no armchair theorist: A retired admiral, as former Chief of Naval Operations he held the top job in the U.S. Navy until 2011. His alarm reflects a growing view across the American defense establishment. In their report, he and his colleagues issued a dire warning. The United States faces a ‘national security crisis,’ principally arising from growing Chinese and Russian military power. ‘U.S. military superiority is no longer assured and the implications for American interests and American security are severe,’ the panel concluded.

It is clear that Xi wants to bring the era of U.S. dominance in Asia to an end. ‘In the final analysis, it is for the people of Asia to run the affairs of Asia, solve the problems of Asia and uphold the security of Asia,’ he said in a 2014 speech to foreign leaders on regional security.

Zelenskiy Wins in the Ukraine

 jpost reported on April 22:

“Ukraine entered uncharted political waters on Sunday after exit polls showed a comedian with no political experience and few detailed policies had easily won enough votes to become the next president of a country at war.

“The apparent landslide victory of Volodymyr Zelenskiy, 41, is a bitter blow for incumbent Petro Poroshenko who tried to rally Ukrainians around the flag by casting himself as a bulwark against Russian aggression and a champion of Ukrainian identity.

“Zelenskiy was born in 1978 to Jewish parents and seems set to become Ukraine’s first Jewish president. Ukraine’s Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman is also Jewish…

“Zelenskiy, who plays a fictitious president in a popular TV series, is now poised to take over the leadership of a country on the frontline of the West’s standoff with Russia following Moscow’s annexation of Crimea and support for a pro-Russian insurgency in eastern Ukraine.”

Will Ukraine’s New President Deal with Russia?

EURACTIV wrote on April 19:

“Ukraine’s new president could regain control over the separatist-controlled east of his country within months and get cheap gas and major investment from Russia if he does a deal with Moscow, the Kremlin’s closest ally in Ukraine said.

“Viktor Medvedchuk, a prominent figure in Ukraine’s Russia-leaning opposition, outlined the prospect in an interview before a presidential election runoff in Ukraine on Sunday which polls show political novice Volodymyr Zelenskiy should easily win.

“He said the Kremlin was keen to know more about Zelenskiy, a 41-year-old Russian-speaking TV comedian who has no political experience, to understand if he is someone it could do a deal with, something it failed to do with incumbent Petro Poroshenko.

“‘They don’t have any expectations in Moscow,’ he said. ‘They want to see what happens afterwards, who will be in his (Zelenskiy’s) entourage, and what he will do and with whom.’”

Bible prophecy indicates the Ukraine WILL fall under Russia’s sphere of influence!

Europe Wary of Russia

dw reported on April 20:

“General Eberhard Zorn says he’s disturbed by the American and Russian withdrawal from the INF nuclear missile treaty. He warned that Moscow remains ‘a big threat’ to peace in Europe.

“The inspector-general of Germany’s Bundeswehr, General Eberhard Zorn, has called for a new arms treaty to replace the Cold War-era Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) which both Washington and Moscow have suspended…

“Zorn added that a new arms treaty would be essential to ensure the safety of Germany and Europe.

“Although he pointed to several world powers as being responsible for the current escalation in global politics, he singled out Russia as a “big threat” to peace in Europe…

“’As far as Europe is concerned, the facts speak for themselves,’  Zorn said, detailing several Russian infractions — the annexation of Crimea, its involvement in eastern Europe, the poisoning of Russian double agent Sergei Skripal, cyberattacks, and the suspension of the INF Treaty.”

Europe’s Far-Right Merging

dw reported on April 20:

“Marine Le Pen has thrown her weight behind Salvini’s new pan-European right-wing bloc. So far the group has garnered support from nationalist parties in Austria, Germany, Denmark, Estonia and Finland.

“France’s right-wing National Rally party formally joined a new alliance of far-right forces in Europe on Friday. The populist coalition, spearheaded by Italy’s anti-immigrant interior minister and deputy prime minister Matteo Salvini, was formed to unite and strengthen disparate right-wing parties ahead of critical EU elections next month…

“Salvini, the leader of Italy’s League party, announced the launch of the pan-European far-right faction earlier this month at a press conference where he called the EU ‘a nightmare, not a dream’ and vowed to reform the bloc…

“European far-right parties are currently split between three different groups in the European Parliament. If the parties were to merge, they would hold 173 out of 751 seats in the EU parliamentary assembly, or 23%, which would make them the second-largest bloc in the European Parliament, according to the latest poll of polls released by the EU assembly.

Temple Institute Sacrificed a Passover Lamb

israeltoday wrote on April 22:

“In accordance with the biblical commandment, priests from the Temple Institute sacrificed a Passover Lamb this year overlooking the Temple Mount in the ancient City of Jerusalem…

“Today, in the absence of the Temple, the commandment to offer the Passover Sacrifice is memorialized in the form of a roasted shank bone placed on the Passover Seder Plate.

“The Temple Institute is dedicated to rebuilding the Temple on Mount Moriah (the Temple Mount) in Jerusalem and its ceremonies in accordance with the biblical commandments. The Jerusalem-based group are preparing every aspect of Temple worship and ‘restoring the central role it fulfilled in the spiritual well being of both Israel and all the nations of the world,’ according to the group’s mandate.

In Exodus 20:1-17 God spoke the Ten Commandments, and the 5th Commandment reads as follows: “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your (your)  God is giving you.” This is repeated in Deuteronomy 5:16.

The Church of God has long taught that the first four Commandments show us that we must love God first and foremost, followed by the love that we must have for other people which is defined in the last six Commandments. We further read in Ephesians 6:1-3: “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.  ‘Honor your father and mother,’ which is the first commandment with promise: ‘that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.’”

By so doing this sets a pattern for life which can only be of great benefit to the growing child.

A parent to a small child is almost like God and that is why it is so important for the parent to set the standards and example very early in life.   However, it can be disastrous if there is any hint of hypocrisy on the part of the parent as children can quickly pick this up.

Parents have to be available to be honoured but there are so many single parent families that an increasing number of children are deprived of a proper family environment.   Of course, it must be added, that some families with only one parent may be in that position because of factors beyond their control, one of which could be death, but many choose a lifestyle that produces children without the stability of a father figure or a really loving and caring mother.   It is doubtful that any who would choose this lifestyle would have deeply held religious convictions anyway and so a bad example is set by wrong actions and probably very little, if any, of teaching their offspring the Godly way of life that can truly benefit children as they grow up.   You may want to look at our Q&A on “What is a Family?” 

There is no question that a child who is trained and disciplined in a Godly way will have a good relationship with his human father and mother.   Those who do not have a father in the home may later have a problem relating with our spiritual Father in heaven.   There have been cases where this has proved to be a spiritual problem for those being called into the Church of God because of a poor upbringing with no father figure to relate to or with an uncaring mother who does not respect and support the role of her husband and father of their children.

In Proverbs 22:6 we read: ”Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.”   One commentator made these observations on this verse:

“This statement is not a hard-and-fast promise to parents, however, for the rest of the book makes clear that the power of the youth’s future depends not only on the parents’ guidance but also very much on the choices he or she makes.   The immediately preceding verse implies that the youth must guard his soul from those who are crooked (Proverbs 22:5).   He could choose to follow the wicked unto death (Proverbs 2:12-19), or he could heed the wisdom of his parents and choose the good paths of the righteous unto life (Proverbs 22:1-11, 20).”

When training children, it is important that they know the rules and the boundaries that have been set by their parents, and without these, children will be left to their own devices which could lead to bad consequences later in life.   Discipline is always necessary but the parents must always have the best interests of the child at heart.

Children left to their own devices will not turn naturally to the way of God, and Satan will be there with his broadcasting to ensure that that is so.   Children need guidance and direction for their own good and well-being and a youngster growing up in a positive family environment will, generally, prove to be a good solid member of society.   Even one godly parent can provide such guidance, although the other parent might not endorse and teach a godly life-style, or might even resist it and try to counteract God’s injunctions.  With God’s help it is possible for the godly parent to do a marvelous job, and God will give the godly parent extra strength and wisdom as to how to train up the child in the way he or she should go. Please read in this context our free booklet, “The Keys to Happy Marriages and Families.” When a child learns obedience for his own good, he will be polite and courteous and he will have no problem with authority that is necessary in a well-ordered society.

So many people today have a very jaundiced view of authority and law enforcement which can be a real problem in society, and that is the outcome of a lack of training of young people as they grow up.   In an article in the Daily Telegraph dated October 2008 and headed “Children in single-parent families more likely to suffer emotional problems” the report found that “young people whose mother and father split up are also three times as likely to become aggressive or badly behaved, according to the comprehensive survey carried out by the Office for National Statistics.   Living in a ‘reconstituted’ family containing step-children or step-parents increased the risk of developing behavioural problems still further, it found.   The stark findings of the study, commissioned by the Department for Health and the Scottish Government, fly in the face of the government’s repeated failure to extol the benefits on children of growing up in a traditional family home.”

This is a strong indictment against those guilty of breaking up a marriage and causing turmoil to a child, by, for example, leaving their mate for another partner.

In a newspaper report in the UK on 3rd March 2019, it stated that 3,000 incidents of parental abuse had been recorded in London over the past three years with the biggest rise being among daughters accused of assaulting parents.  The Metropolitan Police listed parental abuse as an area of ‘emerging demand’.

This is just a flavour of so much information that is available today that backs up the importance of a stable family.

You may want to review our Q&A entitled “Are We Required to Honor Our Parents Even if They Are Abusive and Ungodly?” Which was published in Update 828 dated 18th May 2018:

Those who have been reared with correct values to be a good member of society, would, generally, not look to become involved in criminal activity or any other anti-social behaviour.

The 5th Commandment is vital not only for the good and well-being of the family unit and society in general but also for future generations, and this helps with law and order in a decent society.  It is a win-win situation.

It is fair to say that childrearing has always been challenging but, perhaps, never more so than in today’s very secular and permissive society.

It is interesting that in Deuteronomy 6:4-9 we read childrearing advice from God from thousands of years ago: “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one!  You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.  And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart.  You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.   You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.   You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”

Matthew 15:3-6 is a good example of those trying to avoid honouring parents: “He answered and said to them, ‘Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition?   For God commanded, saying, “Honor your father and your mother”; and, “He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.”   But you say, “Whoever says to his father or mother, ‘Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God’— then he need not honor his father or mother.” Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition.”’”   Jesus was very straightforward to these “religious men” who tried to opt out of their family responsibilities.

Proverbs 30:11 is a statement along the same lines: “There is a generation that curses its father, And does not bless its mother.”

The Bible has many examples of family order where parental teaching is lax with terrible consequences and also where children are disobedient to their parents.

Children should be taught biblical principles and this should come from the parents.  Today, unfortunately, many expect the teaching profession to fully teach their children as so many parents abdicate the responsibility that is rightfully theirs.   It must be remembered that parents are the child’s first and most important teachers that they will ever have.

We must understand that education in schools today has the basis of evolution underpinning so much of what it teaches, and in terms of morality, it simply follows the societal patterns which now approve and applaud practices that the Word of God clearly shows are perversions and abominations.   So why would any God-fearing parent want to allow other people, however well-intentioned they may be, to teach their children about decent and acceptable standards?

Even though school attendance is mandatory in most countries and parents may have little or no influence on what their children are being taught in school, they must do everything they can to counteract those false teachings by educating their children properly at home.

Lazy and uncaring parents who take little or no interest in educating, disciplining, guiding and directing their children, will be happy to let schools do all the teaching of their offspring even if the outcomes are not very satisfactory.   A good moral compass that most people used to have decades ago has, in so many ways, simply disappeared and been replaced by an attitude that many have which simply says there is no right or wrong.

What a person thinks about authority in the home, and in society, starts from an early age when habits and attitudes are formed.  As children develop within the right environment in the family, usually the same standards are passed on to their own family.   In addition, such children will, almost certainly, move on from obeying their parents when they were small to honouring them when they become self-sufficient adults.   They will generally realise how much their parents loved them to give them such a caring and positive upbringing, and their appreciation will be shown in the same approach that they take with their own children as well as respecting and honouring their parents for all that they have done for them, and the more so as the parents approach old age.

One writer opined: “A reason for a thorough study of the Fifth Commandment is that our culture most often hinders and opposes our efforts to honor our parents. In the culture of the ancient Near East, there was a much higher regard for those in positions of authority (in general) and for parents in particular.”

In the book of Luke, chapter 2, we see the perfect example of Jesus as a 12-year-old being subject to His parents.   In verse 42 we read: “And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast.”   As we read this account, we read that He stayed behind to listen and ask questions of the teachers in the Temple.   In verse 51 we further read: “Then He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them, but His mother kept all these things in her heart.  And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.”

When we really understand the Fifth Commandment, it becomes clear that it brings into sharp focus how important it is for the family, and society, and reflects the true love that children should have for their parents, those who spent many years of untold and incalculable sacrifice to ensure that they gave their children the best possible start in life.

The Fifth Commandment is the first one with promise because it is the one where the benefit is not just for the individuals at the time but something that can be passed on from generation to generation, and it hugely benefits society at large.

It also reflects the spiritual aspect of God as our Father and the importance of the family now which further reflects the importance of the future Family of God which will last for eternity.

Lead Writer: Brian Gale (United Kingdom)

compiled by Dave Harris

The German booklets “Wie sollten wir den Sabbat einhalten?” (How to keep the Sabbath) and “Niedergang und Aufstieg von Großbritannien und Amerika” (Fall and Rise of Britain and America) were received from the printer and will be distributed to those in attendance this weekend, and they will be sent to the German subscribers next week.

All German sermonettes and sermons which were presented during the weekly Sabbath and the First Day of Unleavened Bread by Norbert Link, Christoph Sperzel, and Mario Danisch were posted on our German website. The messages which will be given on the Last Day of Unleavened Bread and the following weekly Sabbath by Michael Link, Thilo Hanstein, Christoph Sperzel and Manuel Müller will be recorded and posted soon.

Norbert and Michael Link report that their stay in Germany and their meetings with the brethren have been very enjoyable and successful. We also would like to congratulate Monica Stratila and Philipp Bauer for their wedding which was officiated by Norbert Link.

There will be two baptisms this weekend. Further information will follow

We are also happy to report that our Church organization was registered in Germany and that it has obtained tax-exempt status, effective January 1, 2020.

“The Work is Done,” the sermonette presented in morning services on the First Day of Unleavened Bread by Kalon Mitchell, is now posted in audio only. Here is a summary:

Christ came and said that He accomplished the work given to Him by the Father. But this in no way has precluded us from accomplishing and carrying on with the mighty work that has been given us. We need to be able to come to the point that Christ was at and be able to say that we, too, have finished the work given to each of us.

“Are you a Temple of God?” the sermon presented in morning services on the First Day of Unleavened Bread by Kalon Mitchell, is now posted in audio only. Here is a summary:

The Tabernacle and later the Temple were key components in the lives of the Israelites. God had them very specially and specifically created. The symbols that they stood for still have application for us today. We are to become the actual living temples of God. How do we accomplish this?

“Does it Hurt to Give to God?” the offertory presented in afternoon services on the First Day of Unleavened Bread by Robb Harris, is now posted. Here is a summary:

Our attitude in giving to God is much more important than how much offer. Our humble attitude is the currency God desires as an offering of service to Him.

“Leavened or Unleavened?” the sermon presented in afternoon services on the First Day of Unleavened Bread by Dave Harris, is now posted. Here is a summary:

Do you understand the symbolism which leaven plays regarding sin? More importantly, do you know how you can be unleavened–spiritually?