Update 684

On April 18, 2015, Michael Link will present the sermonette, titled, “Perseverance,” and Norbert Link will present the sermon, titled, “Sinning Against the Holy Spirit.”

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.

We have just concluded the Days of Unleavened Bread, which is a time of self-examination and re-evaluation of our relationship with God and Christ. The purpose has been to compare ourselves with ourselves in order to determine what kind of person we were a year ago and today; and to make any necessary corrections.

Keeping sin out of our lives is not just a weekly occasion, which can be neglected during the rest of the year. No person would vacuum a room every day for a week and then let it sit for a year, expecting it to remain clean. It is the same with our lives. We have to look at ourselves and make an effort on a continual basis to remove sin and to keep it out. A slight physical course deviation can cause us to miss the mark completely; similarly, a small spiritual deviation can cause us to end in a devastating disaster.

It is easy to get distracted so that we may miss a physical goal or mark. In the same manner, a little sin, which is compared with leaven, can cause us to totally miss the spiritual mark, if not dealt with. That is why we must continually evaluate the course of our lives, looking to God for direction and correction when required.

Christ makes the statement that we are not to look back and yearn for our old ways once we put our hand to the plow. Luke 9:62 tells us:  “But Jesus said to him, ‘No one having put his hand to the plow and looking back is fit for the kingdom of God.’”

Once we make the commitment to follow and obey God, He takes it seriously, and it is not a light thing to turn back from that commitment since it could lead to the loss of our eternal salvation. That is why it is important to stay focused and on course and to use daily the tool of self-examination which enables us to see the need to remove sin, so that we can attain the promise of eternal life in God’s Kingdom. When we fall short by sinning, we must quickly repent and move forward towards the Kingdom of God, knowing that it is God’s good pleasure to give us His Kingdom.

We begin with two reports on developments pertaining to Pope Francis and the Catholic Church; address the ongoing controversy regarding the “deal” with Iran and the devastating effect it would have on the USA, as well as President Obama’s decision to remove Cuba from the list of terror sponsors; raise the distinct possibility that ISIS has been establishing itself in Mexico and the USA; speak on Russia’s controversial conduct towards Iran, Ukraine and other nations, including the UK; as well as Germany’s response; point out the most and least religious countries; address the issue of compulsory vaccinations; and conclude with articles on “de-extinction” and the late German writer, Günter Grass who warned in his last interview that we will soon enter World War III.

“Exorcisms” on the Rise in the Catholic Church

Newsmax reported on April 13:

“A new report says Pope Francis is playing a role in an increased number of exorcisms being performed worldwide. According to The Telegraph, Francis’ repeated references to the devil have spurred a rebirth of the practice that removes demons from people’s souls through intense prayer. The Vatican has also endorsed an exorcism conference taking place in Rome this week, which is hosting about 160 Catholic priests, according to The Telegraph…

“Pope Francis, whose papacy began two years ago, has made a habit of referencing the devil in his remarks. He linked Satan to Mexico’s drug problems over the winter, and has said in the past that the devil is trying to destroy the family… ‘Pope Francis talks about the devil all the time, and that has certainly raised awareness about exorcisms,’… Cesare Truqui, a Mexican priest trained as an exorcist, told The Telegraph. ‘But all Latin Americans have this sensibility — for them, the existence of the devil is part of their faith.’…

“‘Until a few years ago, a significant number of people in the church didn’t believe in the devil, but people are now going back to the Scriptures,’ an unnamed British exorcist priest told The Telegraph… ‘A few years ago, at least half the dioceses in England and Wales did not have an exorcist. Now, pretty much all of them do.’

“Truqui told the British paper that one-third of telephone calls made to the Diocese of Rome are related to exorcisms. Two years ago, after Francis became Pope, he was suspected of performing an exorcism in the middle of St. Peter’s Square after saying Sunday Mass. He placed his hands on a young boy’s head and said a prayer, to which the boy responded by heaving deeply several times and shaking before slumping back into his wheelchair. The Vatican, however, played down the incident, saying Francis simply said a prayer for a boy ‘who was suffering.’”

Satanic activities will drastically increase in the years to come. However, the Catholic practice of “exorcisms” will not really cast out a demon… even though it might appear to be the case. For more information, please read our free booklet, “Angels, Demons and the Spirit World.” 

Pope Francis Angers Turkey

AFP wrote on April 12:

“Pope Francis uttered the word ‘genocide’ on Sunday to describe the mass murder of Armenians 100 years ago… In a solemn mass in Saint Peter’s Basilica to mark the centenary of the Ottoman killings of Armenians, Francis said the murders were ‘widely considered “the first genocide of the 20th century”’, quoting a statement signed by Pope John Paul II and the Armenian patriarch in 2001.

“Many historians describe the World War I slaughter as the 20th century’s first genocide, but Turkey hotly denies the accusations. ‘The pope’s statement, which is far from the legal and historical reality, cannot be accepted,’ Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Twitter. ‘Religious authorities are not the places to incite resentment and hatred with baseless allegations,’ he added.

“The foreign ministry summoned the Vatican envoy to Ankara to explain the pope’s comments. It accused the pontiff of engaging in a ‘one-sided narrative’ that ignored the suffering of Muslims and other religious groups at that time… ‘It was a very courageous act to repeat clearly that it was a genocide,’ Vatican expert Marco Tosatti told AFP. ‘By quoting John Paul II, he strengthened the Church’s position, making it clear where it stands on the issue,’ he added…

“The 78-year-old head of the Roman Catholic Church had been under pressure to use the term “genocide” publicly to describe the slaughter, despite the risk of alienating an important ally in the fight against radical Islam…

“Armenians say up to 1.5 million of their kin were killed between 1915 and 1917 as the Ottoman Empire was falling apart, and have long sought to win international recognition of the massacres as genocide. But Turkey rejects the claims, arguing that 300,000 to 500,000 Armenians and as many Turks died in civil strife when Armenians rose up against their Ottoman rulers and sided with invading Russian troops.

“More than 20 nations, including France and Russia, recognise the killings as genocide…

“When Francis visited Turkey, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan offered the pontiff a pact under which he would defend Christians in the Middle East in exchange for the Church tackling Islamophobia in the West…

“Francis said the other two genocides of the 20th century were ‘perpetrated by Nazism and Stalinism’, before pointing to more recent mass killings in Cambodia, Rwanda, Burundi and Bosnia. ‘It seems that humanity is incapable of putting a halt to the shedding of innocent blood,’ he said… He referred once again to the modern day as ‘a time of war, a third world war which is being fought piecemeal’, and evoked the ‘muffled and forgotten cry’ of those ‘decapitated, crucified, burned alive, or forced to leave their homeland.’”

As Jesus Christ foretold, we will experience more and more wars, until a coming nuclear World War will endanger the very survival of mankind. Insofar as Turkey is concerned, the Bible tells us that it will collaborate with Europe against Israel, but there is no reason to think that Turkey – a Muslim country — will ever become a recognized part of a United States of Europe under the leadership of the “beast” and the “false prophet.”

The Iran Deal—Would America Become Indirectly Responsible for Mass Murders?

Newsmax reported on April 10:

“Iran’s top officials, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and President Hassan Rouhani, are saying economic sanctions must end immediately and that UN inspectors will not be granted unfettered access to military installations and nuclear construction sites.

“But this may be nothing more than Iranian domestic political spin. And as long as there’s a potential deal, a critical point needs to be made: There is no provision for, or even discussion of, putting political restraints on Iran. That is, there is nothing in this deal that would force Iran to change its terrorist ways. Iran will continue to be the number-one state sponsor of terrorism in the Middle East, no matter what the deal.

“How can this be?

“Writing in the Wall Street Journal, Henry Kissinger and George P. Shultz make a crucial point: ‘Absent the linkage between nuclear and political restraint, America’s traditional allies will conclude that the U.S. has traded temporary nuclear cooperation for acquiescence to Iranian hegemony.’…

“Iran will continue to sponsor its terrorist proxies, like Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, keep proxy troops in Syria, continue its efforts to take over Iraq, further its designs on Yemen, and confront Sunni Saudi Arabia… Kissinger and Shultz write, ‘Iranian or Iranian client forces are now the pre-eminent military or political element in multiple Arab countries . . . With the recent addition of Yemen as a battlefield, Tehran occupies positions along all of the Middle East’s strategic waterways and encircles archrival Saudi Arabia, an American ally’…

“Make no mistake, the nanosecond sanctions are lifted U.S. and Western investment will pour into Iran. Looser financial sanctions will put an estimated $50 billion into Iran’s economy. And a number of European oil companies will jump to develop the world’s fourth-largest proven oil reserve and second-biggest national-gas reserve. Italy’s Eni, Royal Dutch Shell, France’s Total, Norway’s Statoil, German’s Siemens, and French car companies Peugeot and Citroën are ready to move. It’s reported that Boeing is looking to do business in Iran. HP and Google have been exploring contracts and licenses in Iran. Other major U.S. and European Internet companies have been approached by Iranian officials. And financial-service and credit card companies will move in quickly…

“Iran is our enemy, whether the president believes it or not. And if we cut deals that allow Iran to continue its terrorist and hegemonic activities, the Obama administration will have created an unbelievable Middle East powder keg, setting the stage for a conflict that could possibly dwarf any we’ve seen before. This is the worst U.S. foreign policy of my lifetime. It may be the worst in American history.”

Sadly, it looks this way.

Under the Deal, America Would Become Isolated!

On April 9, the Washington Post published the following article by Charles Krautheimer:

“As Kissinger and Shultz point out, we will be fought every step of the way, leaving the United States, not Iran, isolated. Obama imagines that this deal will bring Iran in from the cold, tempering its territorial ambitions and ideological radicalism. But this defies logic: With sanctions lifted, its economy booming and tens of billions injected into its treasury, why would Iran curb rather than expand its relentless drive for regional dominance?

“An overriding objective of these negotiations, as Obama has said, is to prevent the inevitable proliferation — Egypt, Turkey, the Gulf states — that would occur if Iran went nuclear. Yet the prospective agreement is so clearly a pathway to an Iranian bomb that the Saudis are signaling that the deal itself would impel them to go nuclear.

“You set out to prevent proliferation and you trigger it. You set out to prevent an Iranian nuclear capability and you legitimize it. You set out to constrain the world’s greatest exporter of terror threatening every one of our allies in the Middle East and you’re on the verge of making it the region’s economic and military hegemon.”

Another Sickening Compromise on the Iran “Deal”

Deutsche Welle reported on April 14:

“Senators from both sides of the aisle have compromised over a bill allowing congressional review of any final nuclear deal with Iran. The measure calls for the lifting of sanctions only with legislative approval.

“In a show of bipartisanship over what has been a hotly contested issue in Washington, the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved a measure Tuesday that struck a compromise between Congress’ wish to be involved in a final nuclear deal with Iran and the White House’s concern that such a deal be completed by June.

“The Senate panel unanimously approved the measure with a vote of 19-0. The Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act of 2015 allows Congress to review the deal before any US sanctions against Iran are lifted, to be followed by a 12-day period for a possible presidential veto and a 10-day window for an attempt to override such a veto.

“President Obama withdrew his objection to the bill after language was removed obligating him to prove that Tehran was not engaging in terrorism. Another controversial amendment was removed by its author Marco Rubio… The amendment would have required Iran to recognize Israel’s right to exist.”

These compromises are sickening… with NO politician willing to stand up for their alleged convictions…

Russia Gives Green Light for Sending Missiles to Iran

Bloomberg News reported on April 13:

“President Vladimir Putin lifted a ban on the delivery of S-300 air-defense missile systems to Iran as Russia pushed for repeal of an arms embargo following an agreement on the Islamic republic’s nuclear program. Putin repealed its 2010 prohibition on S-300 exports to Iran… While the two countries had signed an $800 million contract for the systems in 2007, Russia halted delivery after the United Nations imposed an arms embargo three years later.

“The S-300 is a ‘purely defensive’ weapon and delivering it to Iran won’t ‘threaten the security of any state in the region, including, of course, Israel,’ Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Monday… Russia ‘will promptly carry out the order of the president’ and send the S-300 systems to Iran ‘if a political decision is taken’ to deliver them…”

Russia and Iran are in fact prophesied to collaborate against other nations, including militarily. For more information, please read our free booklets on “Biblical Prophecy… From Now Until Forever,” and “Middle Eastern Nations and African Nations in Prophecy.” 

“Putin Warship and Nuclear Bombers Menace the UK”

The Daily Mail wrote on April 15:

“A Russian warship and two bombers strayed close to UK territory yesterday in yet another apparent attempt to test Britain’s defences. A destroyer equipped with missiles, anti-aircraft guns and torpedoes entered the English Channel along with two other Russian ships. It forced the UK to send a heavily-armed frigate to monitor the vessels.

“Just a few hours later, two Russian long-range Bear bombers, capable of carrying nuclear missiles, hugged British airspace – prompting the RAF to deploy two Typhoon fighter jets. Sources claim both incidents may have been an attempt to ‘snoop’ on a huge Nato war games exercise taking place in Scotland…”

The Shaky “Cease-Fire”-Agreement Between Russia and Ukraine

The Local wrote on April 14:

“The French, German, Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministers expressed ‘grave concern’ Tuesday at a meeting in Berlin about violations of a shaky ceasefire in separatist-held east Ukraine… Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier admitted the five-hour-long talks had been ‘very long, very intensive and at times very contentious’ given the tense situation on the ground…

“European OSCE monitors reported ‘renewed intensive fighting’ Sunday around the rebel stronghold of Donetsk.. The results of the talks in Berlin will be discussed at a meeting of G7 foreign ministers in the northern German city of Lübeck on Tuesday and Wednesday. Russia will once again not participate. It has been closed out of the group of the world’s largest economies since the annexation of the Crimea in March last year.

“US Secretary of State John Kerry will arrive on Wednesday after attending a US Congress hearing on the nuclear deal with Iran on Tuesday. The discussions will lay down the groundwork for the main G7 summit to be held on June 7th and 8th at the Elmau Palace in Bavaria. The two meetings take place during Germany’s year-long chairmanship of the group.

“Other themes up for discussion will be the nuclear deal with Iran, the conflict with Isis in Syria and Iraq, and improving defence mechanisms against the Ebola virus…”

The controversy between Europe and Russia over Ukraine is bound to continue. Germany, as the current leader of the G7 countries, will have further opportunity to flex its muscles.

The Gap Widens Between Russia and the EU

Der Spiegel Online wrote on April 14:

“… the Russian president is preparing his country for May 9, which marks the anniversary of the end of the war with Hitler’s Germany. It is ‘our country’s most important and most honest holiday,’ Putin said in Staraya Russa. ‘It is the day of the great victory.’

“The end of the war will be commemorated in Russia for the 70th time this year. Since it was declared an official holiday in 1965, May 9, with its spontaneous gatherings of veterans in the streets, public festivals and gun salutes in the evening, has in fact become Russia’s most moving holiday — and perhaps the only one that has truly united the people…

“May 9, 2015 shows that… the war still hasn’t ended for Russia. It demonstrates that the country’s leadership needs the memory of that war more than ever… The parade in Moscow on the morning of May 9 is intended to set an example. It will be the biggest military parade ever held. Some 15,000 soldiers will march across Red Square, 4,000 more than at the last major anniversary. Two hundred tanks, artillery and missiles will roll past the Kremlin, and 140 fighter jets will crowd the skies over Moscow. Weapons will be displayed that ‘will astonish the entire world,’ wrote the tabloid newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda…

“The Kremlin had invited 68 leaders of foreign countries to the victory celebration, including the most important politicians in the Western world. So far, only 25 have accepted Moscow’s invitation. US President Barack Obama will not be attending, nor will British Prime Minister David Cameron or French President François Hollande. German Chancellor Angela Merkel will be there, but only on May 10, the day after the parade. TV images from Moscow will illustrate how isolated Russia has become as a result of its policy on Ukraine and its annexation of Crimea…

“Senior representatives of only three European Union countries — the Czech Republic, Greece and Cyprus — are so far planning to attend the ceremonies… Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras also won praise from Russia during his mid-week visit to Moscow, when he paid tribute to the two countries’ joint struggle against Nazism and promised to return in one month to attend the parade on May 9… Former Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, now the president of the European Council and therefore spokesman of the European heads of state and government, had declared weeks ago why we would not attend the Moscow parade on May 9. ‘A presence at the military parade, hand-in-hand with today’s aggressors and a person using weapons against civilians in eastern Ukraine? For me, delicately speaking, it’s too ambiguous,’ Tusk said…

“The controversy over the Moscow victory celebration on May 9 illustrates how far Russia has distanced itself from the Europeans, and just how wide the gap between the two sides has grown…

“Many Russians say that Vladimir Putin has repurposed it into a day that celebrates war itself and, most of all, Russia’s strength. For them, it is no longer a day of tears and commemoration…”

Germany Wants to Supply Lithuania Weapons Against Russia

The Local wrote on April 15:

“Germany said Wednesday it wants to sell howitzer-type mobile artillery vehicles to Lithuania as the Baltic NATO nation boosts its defences amid concerns over neighbouring Russia… German media reported the hardware was used by Berlin in Afghanistan and is now worth €15 million… the Baltic state [is] also mulling whether to buy German Boxer-type armoured fighting vehicles.

“Under Moscow’s thumb until 1991, Lithuania along with fellow Baltic states Estonia and Latvia launched a concerted drive to boost defences since Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine last year. NATO members since 2004, the three Baltic states have repeatedly asked allies to step up their presence to deter Russia.

“Berlin will send over 500 troops to Lithuania for military exercises this year. NATO is also reinforcing its defences on Europe’s eastern flank with a rapid reaction force of 5,000 troops and command centres in six formerly communist members of the alliance, including the three Baltic states.”

GOP Slams Obama Over Cuba Decision

Newsmax reported on April 15:

“Republicans slammed President Barack Obama’s decision Tuesday to remove Cuba from the State Department’s list of terrorism sponsors, with Florida Rep. Illeana Ros-Lehtinen accusing the White House of acting ‘only for political reasons and not in accordance with the law.’…

“House Speaker John Boehner said he was ‘disappointed’ by the decision, adding that Obama’s ‘cozying up to the oppressive regime in Cuba is a blow to all who long for liberty and dignity. It’s just one more example of this administration focusing more on befriending our enemies than helping our allies,’ he said…

“The move came three days after Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro met informally during a regional summit in Panama. The talks marked the first official meeting between the leaders of their countries in more than a half-century…

“Removing Cuba from the terror list could pave the way for the opening of a U.S. Embassy in Havana and other steps. The countries still on the list are Iran, Sudan and Syria…

“Republican presidential candidate Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida also slammed Obama’s decision. ‘Cuba is a state sponsor of terrorism,’ he said in a video message. ‘They harbor fugitives of American justice. It’s also the country that’s helping North Korea evade sanctions by the United Nations…’

“Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who also is considering a presidential run, said after a speech of the Ohio Chamber of Commerce that ‘we’re not a step closer to freedom in Cuba because of the steps the president is taking’…

“And another possible 2016 contender, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, cited the decision as ‘yet   (another) example of President Obama viewing the world through rose-colored glasses’…”

ISIS in Mexico and the USA?

Newsmax reported on April 14:

“The Islamic State (ISIS) is operating a camp in northern Mexico just a few miles from El Paso, Texas, Judicial Watch said Tuesday, citing sources that include a Mexican Army field grade officer and a Mexican Federal Police inspector. Judicial Watch sources said that ‘coyotes’ working for the notorious Juarez Cartel are involved in helping to ‘move ISIS terrorists through the desert and across the border between Santa Teresa and Sunset Park, New Mexico.’

“Moreover, east of El Paso and Ciudad Juárez, cartel-backed coyotes are smuggling members of the jihadi terrorist group ‘through the porous border between Acala and Fort Hancock, Texas,’ Judicial Watch reported…

“The watchdog group’s sources say the precise location where ISIS has established the base is approximately eight miles from the U.S. border in an area known as ‘Anapra,’ located just west of Ciudad Juárez in the Mexican state of Chihuahua.

“Another ISIS cell is said to be located in Puerto Palomas, located to the west of Ciudad Juárez. That cell ‘targets the New Mexico towns of Columbus and Deming for easy access to the United States,’ Judicial Watch’s Mexican sources say…

“Judicial Watch — which has been successful in prying loose substantial amounts of information on an array of Obama administration-linked scandals, including the ‘Fast and Furious’ gun-walking case — told Newsmax that four ISIS members had in fact been apprehended after crossing into the United States.”

The media also reported on ISIS’s recent surprise attacks and victories in Iraq.

The UK and the EU

Express wrote on April 15:

“In news that is likely to bolster calls for the UK’s complete withdrawal from the EU, the president of the European Commission (EC), Jean-Claude Juncker, has put the brakes on reforming the relations between member states and Brussels. Mr Cameron has vowed to hold an in/out vote on Britain’s membership of the EU in 2017, but only after a series of talks aimed at reconfiguring the UK’s relationship with Brussels.

“But, now he appears to have been told Brussels chiefs will only negotiate two years AFTER that date – when Mr Juncker steps down from office. An official close to the EU’s top politician told The Times: ‘No treaty change proposals are envisaged until after November 2019’.

“British hopes for amendments are now likely to have to wait until as late as 2025, when EU treaties are scheduled to be overhauled…

“The fact that it is Mr Juncker who is said to be ruling out potential negotiations will be particularly galling as Mr Cameron had sought to block his appointment as EC president last June…”

UK Among the Least Religious Countries in the World

The website of itv.com reported on April 13:

“A new survey has revealed that the UK is among the least religious countries in the world. In a global ranking of 65 countries, the UK came six places from last with 30% of the population calling themselves religious.

“While 53% of people said they were ‘not religious’… 13% said they were a ‘convinced atheist’ and the remainder ‘did not know’. It compares to 94% of people in Thailand who are religious and 93% of people in Armenia, Bangladesh, Georgia and Morocco.

“At the bottom of the list was China where only 6% of people say they are religious while 61% say they are convinced atheists. It was followed by Japan, where just 13% of people are religious, Sweden with 19% , Czech Republic with 23%, and the Netherlands and Hong Kong with 26%.

“Jean-Marc Leger, president of Win/Gallup International Association, said globally an average of two-thirds of people still consider themselves religious. ‘Religion continues to dominate our everyday lives and we see that the total number of people who consider themselves to be religious is actually relatively high,’ he said.”

The website of wingia.com added on April 13:

“The research discovered that the most religious regions are Africa and MENA (Middle East and North Africa) where 86% and 82% respectively of the people consider themselves to be religious… Western Europe (51%) and Oceania (49%) are the only regions where approximately half of the population are either not religious or convinced atheist… The Swedish prove to be the least religious in the Western World with 78% saying they are either not religious or convinced atheists.

“In Israel, 65% of those asked said that they are either not religious or convinced atheists compared to just 30% who say that they are religious. Meanwhile in the Palestinian Territories (West Bank and Gaza) the population is considerably more religious with 75% saying that they are religious compared to 18% who say that they are not religious.”

Vaccination – Yes or No?

The website of skynews.com.au reported on April 13:

“Australian parents will lose thousands of dollars of childcare and welfare benefits if they refuse to vaccinate their kids… Thousands of families could lose payments, with the government estimating about 39,000 children under seven have not received immunisation because their parents are vaccine objectors… Children can still be exempted on medical or religious grounds, but… the latter exemption is ‘very narrow’…

“But there are some who strongly oppose measures that mandate immunisation. An online petition against compulsory vaccinations in Australia that states ‘all parents deserve to make an uncoerced choice’ has received more than 3000 signatures in five days. Parents have taken to the change.org webpage to express their concerns about vaccinations and what they view is a potential encroachment on civil rights…”

Reuters reported on April 14:

“A Washington state school district pulled 143 students who lacked documentation proving they had received required immunizations from classrooms on Monday, in a first-in-the-state clamp-down… All U.S. states require certain vaccines for students for diseases such as mumps, rubella, tetanus or polio, but school immunization laws grant exemptions to children for medical reasons, including an inhibited immune system.

“Almost all states also grant religious exemptions against immunizations, with 20 states also allowing philosophical exemptions, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Parents who want to opt out of school shots on philosophical, religious or medical grounds in Washington state… must file a state-mandated waiver with the district…”

On March 30, the website of motherjones.com published the following article:

“The Waiting Room at Pediatric Alternatives in Mill Valley, a town in the affluent hippie enclave of Marin County, California, is a far cry from the drab doctors’ offices I remember from childhood… The practice’s five physicians have impeccable credentials, having trained and completed residencies at some of the nation’s top medical schools and institutions. Several are fellows of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

“Given all this, it might surprise you to learn that one of Pediatric Alternatives’ policies is extremely unorthodox: It suggests that families delay certain childhood immunizations—in some cases for years past the age recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—and forego others entirely. A little less than 20 percent of the families the practice treats choose not to vaccinate at all. The rest use a modified vaccine schedule…

“Kenet Lansman tells me she would never deny any vaccine to parents who request it for their child. But she does share her personal beliefs with her patients: She fears that vaccines have contributed to the recent uptick in autoimmune disorders and other chronic conditions… She has a policy of giving only one vaccination at a time, and only when a child is completely healthy…

“The main reason for the delay, Kenet Lansman says, is that she still believes there could be a link between vaccines and autism. She acknowledges that the scientific community has rejected this theory, yet she says she has seen children from her own practice who begin to show signs of autism shortly after being vaccinated…”

Breitbart reported on April 14:

“Parents opposed to a California legislative effort to revoke their ability to exempt their children from some vaccinations… promise to yank those kids out of school if the measure passes into law.

“The Democrat-sponsored Senate Bill 277 was proposed in response to a measles outbreak whose spread began at Disneyland last December. If passed, SB 277 would remove parents’ ability to sign a waiver that currently allows them to exempt their children from one or more school required vaccinations… In related news, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s anti-vaccine campaign… ran into trouble after he connected autism to the Holocaust.”

Late Günter Grass Warned of World War III

The Guardian wrote on April 14:

“Germany’s Nobel-winning author Günter Grass said he feared humanity was ‘sleepwalking’ into a world war in the last interview he gave before his death on Monday.

“’We have on the one side Ukraine, whose situation is not improving; in Israel and Palestine things are getting worse; the disaster the Americans left in Iraq, the atrocities of Islamic State and the problem of Syria,’ he told the Spanish newspaper El País in the interview published on Tuesday. ‘There is war everywhere; we run the risk of committing the same mistakes as before; so without realising it we can get into a world war as if we were sleepwalking,’ he added.

“Spain’s top-selling newspaper said the interview, carried out at the author’s home in Lübeck in northern Germany on 21 March, was his last before his death aged 87.

“Grass, who achieved worldwide fame with his debut and best-known novel, The Tin Drum, in 1959 was a pacifist, opposing the installation of nuclear missiles on German soil. In his lengthy interview with El País, he also expressed concern over climate change and overpopulation. ‘All of this together makes me realise that things are finite, that we don’t have an indefinite amount of time,’ he said. Grass pressed Germany for decades to face up to its Nazi past, winning the Nobel prize for literature in 1999, when the Swedish academy said his ‘frolicsome black fables portray the forgotten face of history’”.

Other papers, reporting on the death of Grass, tried to discredit him by pointing out that he had first concealed, but subsequently revealed the fact that he had been drafted, as a 17-year-old boy (!), to the German Waffen-SS at the very end of World War II. Such hypocritical reporting in some papers is difficult to understand, and we chose not to quote any of these inflammatory articles. Grass declared that he never used his gun to shoot anyone and that he did not know anything about the Holocaust until after the War. The fact that he strongly opposed Nazism in all its different forms and shapes supports his claim.

Resurrecting Dead Animals?

The Independent wrote on April 13:

“De-extinction, or the idea of bringing extinct species back from the dead, has come a long way over the quarter century since Jurassic Park was first published. It has now matured into a quasi-serious science and has even been the subject of its own TEDx conference… some scientists are proposing to resurrect a range of other, more-recently extinct species such as the passenger pigeon and the gastric-brooding frog, both lost within living memory.

“There are quite a few animals that have become extinct relatively recently that are potential candidates for de-extinction. They include the thylacine, or Tasmanian tiger, a large marsupial carnivore wiped out by sheep ranchers a century ago, the Pyrenean ibex which was hunted for sport until the last one fell dead in 2000, and the Steller’s sea cow, a gentle giant annihilated by hungry sailors in the 18th century.

“Perhaps the most emblematic of them all is the woolly mammoth. There are few animals that better represent the lost world of the Pleistocene than these huge, shaggy relatives of the modern elephant. Woolly mammoths roamed the vast grassy steppe of Eurasia and North America for hundreds of millennia. The very last individuals were an isolated population of pygmy woolly mammoths that lived on Wrangel Island off northern Russia about 4,500 years ago.

“There is no shortage of woolly mammoth tissue, some of it remarkably well preserved in the permafrost of Siberia and some scientists are confident that they can extract its DNA to bring the species back to life, either as clones or as a kind of mammoth-elephant hybrid.

“Scientists in South Korea and Russia are collaborating on a project to clone a woolly mammoth by extracting a cell nucleus from frozen mammoth tissue and inserting its entire genetic material into the enucleated egg cell of an Asian elephant, which would also act as a surrogate mother. It’s the same basic cloning technique that led to the birth of Dolly the cloned sheep in 1996, except this time two species are involved rather than one – and one of them has been extinct for thousands of years…

“Another de-extinction approach is to cut and paste large fragments of mammoth DNA into the chromosomes of an Asian elephant, thereby creating a genetically-engineered mammoth-elephant ‘hybrid’. Scientists involved in this project prefer to think about it as a way of making a cold-adapted Asian elephant with mammoth-like traits, such as hairy skin and layers of subcutaneous fat for good thermal insulation.

“Scientists have already managed to sequence about half of the mammoth genome from the many small fragments of DNA isolated from frozen remnants of biological material, such as skin, hair, bone, teeth and even dung. They believe it is only a question of time before they achieve their ultimate de-extinction aim: a living hybrid…”

You might want to read our free booklet, “Heavens and Earth… Before and After the First Man,” which addresses many topics related to the gist and substance of this article.

To be blunt, voting in governmental, national and presidential elections violates God’s plan for true Christians and constitutes a grave sin. It manifests the absence of faith in God; reveals a complete lack of understanding as to what the role of a true Christian is today; and shows utter ignorance as to who is ruling this world. We will not mince words in this Q&A, because FAR TOO MANY Christians are deceived and are deceiving others on this topic, foolishly thinking that they are serving God and their country by voting in governmental elections.

We point out the following in our Statement of Beliefs:

“We believe that a Christian’s duty to God is of a superior and higher nature than our duty arising from any human relationship (Acts 4:18-20; 5:27-29). We therefore, following Biblical commands and principles, do not participate in voting for national elections or jury duty, and we do not join the military.”

Why is this? WHY do we take such a strong stance against voting in national elections, while other Christians do not seem to see any problems with this? WHY do we claim that it is part of the Christian DUTY NOT to vote in governmental elections?

The simple answer is: We will NOT water down the truth of God, even though many others do. We will NOT swim with the stream of national pride, patriotism and nationalism, if it involves violating God’s Law. We WILL obey God rather than man, not being afraid of men and their antagonistic reactions and hateful persecution, but being FEARFUL of becoming luke-warm and compromising with God’s Will, even though many Christians do.

In our free booklet, “Should You Fight in War?”, we address biblical passages which PROHIBIT a true Christian from voting in governmental and presidential elections and from getting involved in political campaigns in ANY way, pointing out that one cannot separate the issues of voting, jury duty service and FIGHTING IN WAR! We state the following:

“It is inconsistent to take the position that one cannot join the military because one is an ambassador of Jesus Christ and a citizen of another government – the Kingdom of God – while at the same time serving on a jury or voting in governmental elections. For instance, in the United States, the President is also the Commander-in-Chief, having both the right and the obligation under the Constitution, in certain circumstances, to declare war. How can one refuse to participate in war, while voting for a person who has the right and the obligation to declare war? In the past, people were disqualified as conscientious objectors because they did not refuse to serve on a jury or to vote in governmental elections. It was ruled that such an obvious inconsistency in position showed evidence for non-sincerity of the applicant.”

We also explain in our booklet that it is SATAN who rules this world and EVERY country, WITHOUT exception. It is true, of course, that Satan can only do what God ALLOWS him to do, but generally speaking, God is NOT getting involved in the affairs of this world, and neither should we. God will ONLY intervene and see to it that certain individuals end up in governmental positions, if they are temporarily needed to fulfill aspects of God’s plan. But this would be GOD’s doing, NOT ours.

We state the following in our above-mentioned booklet:

“Another reason why a Christian is not to vote for a candidate in governmental or local council elections is because he understands the truth about this being Satan’s world at the present time. It is Satan who, with the general permission of God, places candidates into governmental offices. If we were to vote, we might involve ourselves quite directly in Satan’s system. Hosea 8:4 gives us God’s warning in this regard: ‘They set up kings, but not by Me; they made princes, but I did not acknowledge them.’

“Sometimes, in order to ensure that certain aspects of His plan are fulfilled, God Himself might intervene to see to it that the person best (or perhaps worst) suited for the job at that time gets the job… How would God look at us when He intervenes directly to place a specific person into office, while we did not vote for that person, but rather for someone whom God does not want to see in charge at that time? It is obvious that our vote would be found to be in opposition to God’s Will.

“To give a prophetic and an historical example, Biblical prophecy reveals that a final political leader of the resurrected Roman Empire – the ‘beast’ – will soon arise in Europe. According to God’s prophetic plan, this person will be placed in office in the very last days, wreaking total havoc on this planet. It is Satan, with God’s permission, who will give his power and authority to this person (Revelation 13:4-5). A Christian could not and should not vote for this person, of course, as he will persecute and kill many of the ‘saints’ (Revelation 13:7), and he will even attempt to fight the returning Jesus Christ (Revelation 19:19). Neither should a Christian have voted for Adolph Hitler, although it is clear now that Hitler came to power, as prophesied, to bring about the ninth resurrection of the Roman Empire. This is to say that God allowed Hitler to become ruler over Germany so that prophecy could be fulfilled.

“The Bible shows that God sometimes appoints directly, or permits Satan to place into office, strong or weak leaders, depending on the situation, in order to insure that God’s purpose will be carried out. For example, God allowed ancient Pharaoh, at the time of the Exodus, to be ruler over Egypt for a very specific reason – ‘that [God] may show [His] power in [him], and that [God’s] name may be declared in all the earth’ (Exodus 9:16).”

In regard to Pharaoh, we read that God placed him into power because he was a stubborn, self-righteous and ungodly person who would refuse to obey God and do His Will. God announced to Moses that He was “sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not even by a mighty hand” (Exodus 3:19). Pharaoh would only yield after God had stricken Egypt with “all My wonders which I will do in its midst” (verse 20). God pronounced to Pharaoh that “indeed for this purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth” (Exodus 9:16). Paul later quoted this passage in Romans 9:17 in the context of God’s Will and His decision as to whom He wants to grant mercy in this day and age. The Bible tells us in Proverbs 16:4 that “The LORD has made all FOR HIMSELF, Yes, even the WICKED  for the day of doom.” The fact that GOD raised up and gave rulership to wicked Pharaoh for the day of his doom in order to show His mercy towards Israel PROVES that any HUMAN voting for governmental leaders is useless, futile and CONTRARY TO GOD’S Will.

While the Jewish leadership was willing to fight the Babylonian army under King Nebuchadnezzar, the prophet Jeremiah proclaimed God’s Will to the Jewish people NOT to fight, but to put down their weapons and to surrender to the foreign king. Jeremiah did not find a popular acceptance of this command; in fact, he was labeled a traitor and imprisoned as a consequence. King Nebuchadnezzar conquered and subdued the house of Judah, as it had been prophesied, but he was by no means a righteous king. He was full of pride and because of his arrogance and lack of humility, God removed him from his throne for seven years and let him become insane, living with the animals. After that, God restored his sanity and placed him back on his throne. The accompanying lessons before, during and after Nebuchadnezzar’s insanity are strikingly revealed in the Bible. We read in Daniel 2:21 that God “removes kings and raises up kings” (Daniel 2:21). We also read in Daniel 4:32; 5:21 that it is GOD who gives a kingdom to whomever HE chooses. God wants us to know that “the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, Gives it to whomever HE WILL, And sets over it the LOWEST of men” (Daniel 4:17). The Authorized Version even says that He “setteth up over it the BASEST of men.”

As mentioned, God will do so when His plan requires it; otherwise, He leaves it to Satan to appoint those whom he wants to rule this world. Satan understands this. He showed Jesus in the wilderness all THE KINGDOMS OF THE WORLD in a moment of time, and said to Him: “ALL this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to ME, and I give it to WHOMEVER I WISH” (Luke 4:5-6). Jesus knew this to be true, and we do not read that He disputed Satan’s claim. This is simply NOT God’s world, and neither is it the world of true Christians. Jesus said that the world hates us because we are not part of it (John 17:14). How FOOLISH to think that we should be a part of it by voting in governmental elections, believing that we can thereby make this world a better place or help our country in any way. How FOOLISH to think that we should be trying to improve Satan’s handiwork.

In our before-mentioned booklet, we state the following about the related topic of jury duty service:

“A true Christian is a stranger, alien and exile (1 Peter 2:11; Hebrews 11:13) while here on earth; an ambassador for Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20); and a representative of God’s Kingdom. As such, and in being a light to the world by proper conduct (Matthew 5:14-16), a true Christian does not take part in this world’s governmental or political affairs, as presently, it is not God who rules this earth, but Satan the devil (Revelation 2:13; Luke 4:5-6). Christians are challenged to come out of the governmental and political systems of this world. Christ, knowing that God’s Kingdom was not of this world (John 18:36), refused to judge a civil matter when He was asked to do so (Luke 12:14). Paul, likewise, prohibited judging those ‘who are outside’ the church (1 Corinthians 5:12).”

As Christ did not JUDGE a civil matter, so He did not VOTE in governmental elections either, and Christians are likewise PROHIBITED from doing so.

The Bible is very clear: We are SINNING if we judge in jury duty services or vote in national elections, while forgetting our true responsibility of being AMBASSADORS for Christ and the coming Kingdom of God. Once God rules on earth, there will be NO MORE VOTING in political campaigns. For true Christians, there must be no voting today.

Please also view Pastor Brian Gale’s recently video-recorded sermon, “My Candidate Is Not Standing.”

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

“US Foreign Policy Worse Than Ever Before!” is the title of a new StandingWatch program presented by Evangelist Norbert Link. Here is a summary:

The discussions about the “deal” between the USA and Iran are ongoing. America is accused of being weak and pursuing a policy of appeasement that emboldens Iran, while antagonizing Israel. The “deal” does not address Iran’s terrorist activities nor its desire to eradicate Israel, and President Obama and his administration are charged with creating an unbelievable Middle East powder keg, setting the stage for an unprecedented conflict. America’s downfall is inevitable, and the vacuum will be filled by other nations, according to biblical prophecy.

“Wann ist Heute der Sabbat?” is the new German sermon for this Sabbath. Title in English: “When is the Sabbath Today?”

Three German sermons given by Norbert Link and one given by Mike Link during their visit to Germany for the Passover and Days of Unleavened Bread are now posted: http://www.aufpostenstehen.de/category/videos/sermons/

Several recent sermonettes and sermons by Dave Harris, Rene Messier, Brian Gale, Eric Rank, Kalon Mitchell and Joe Bourque are now posted:  http://www.eternalgod.org/sermons/

We are happy to report that Norbert and Michael Link conducted two baptisms in Germany.

New information on the Feast site at Pismo Beach, California, for the Feast of Tabernacles 2015, has been posted.

by Dawn Thompson

Sometimes Satan throws his fiery darts in the most trivial ways, annoying little things that eventually merge together. Next thing I know I hear myself complaining on the inside. What’s worse is that it’s not just over one current thing, he brings in everything that has ever bothered me, reminding me of my faults, failures and shortcomings. There is a good ending to this! And thankfully that good ending comes faster these days. Before I was called, these rants could take hours or days to turn around, now it’s in minutes!

I find it quite amazing how many thought processes have changed in my mind and in my heart since being called to the Truth. I am genuinely happy rather than envious. I care with sincerity, not just idle words. I’m not boasting, far from that! I just find it amazing that I no longer search for the proverbial shoe to drop. Perhaps this joy was always with me but it was buried so that I couldn’t even perceive it. I was so scared to even think of joy and happiness. Now, however, I awaken each day, thankful and joyful that God’s joy is in me. In ME! I am just an average woman seeking God on a continual basis, and because of His Son’s Sacrifice for me, God has given me wonderful joy!