Update 700

On August 8, 2015, Dave Harris will present the sermonette, titled, “Wait for God,” and Robb Harris will present the sermon, titled, “Sunday Sabbath?”

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.

Have you ever wondered just how God now looks upon our current status? We know we received at baptism a small down-payment, as it were, of God’s Holy Spirit, and we have a responsibility to grow in grace and knowledge and to remain faithful to our calling until Christ returns or we die, ensuring our future in the Kingdom of God as the Father’s sons and daughters.

In God’s mind we are already in His Kingdom. Only we can prevent ourselves from entering  the Kingdom. Christ said He would never forsake us; that is, He would always be there for us through thick and thin. We are called upon to do what is necessary to “make it” into God’s Kingdom and His Family.  When the Kingdom is established on earth, we bear full responsibility if we are not in it.

Those of us who are fathers knew that when our spouse was pregnant, a child would be born into this world unless there was a miscarriage. Barring this, there was no question in our minds that our baby would be born.

A baby is protected in the womb. It is also nourished with a rich supply of blood which carries the oxygen required for cell growth and nourishment through the umbilical cord until the baby is full-term and born.  At that time the cord is cut and the baby is on its own, being separate from the mother, even though it still requires care and nourishment.

The Church is similar to a mother’s womb in that the members are protected, nourished and cared for. The Church’s responsibilities were laid out for us by Christ, when He admonished Peter in the book of John to “Feed my sheep” (John 21:17). This is a way for the Church to demonstrate love for God and neighbor.

We also read in John 21:15: “So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?’ He said to Him, ‘Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.’ He said to him, ‘Feed My lambs.’” This would include younger and newer Church members of the flock.

Peter was also told to tend the sheep, which involves caring for and protecting the sheep: “He said to him again a second time, ‘Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?’ He said to Him, ‘Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.’ He said to him, ‘Tend My sheep’” (John 21:16).

The ministerial responsibility towards God’s sheep and His lambs–the members of God’s Church–is plainly laid out for us in 2 Timothy 4:1-2:

“I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.”

This admonition was to Timothy, an Evangelist in God’s Church, and it must also be applied to the entire Church ministry today. Notice, Timothy was to “convince” by using the Scriptures to prove a biblical point. He was to “rebuke” when necessary—not that the sheep should be browbeaten, but on occasion, they would need correction just as a loving father would correct his children. He was to “exhort”; that is, encourage the members to stand firm and not compromise.

How was he to do this? With “all longsuffering”; that is, with Godly patience and love, and with continued “teaching” without wavering.

This is admonition to the ministry to help Church members in their growth and edification. Those who think they no longer need a true minister to teach them because they are spiritually mature and can just stay home and listen to a mixed bag of messages are making a grave mistake, which could lead to their disqualification from entering the Kingdom of God.

How long do you think a baby would survive if it would decide after four months in the womb that it does not need the mother anymore? And if it were to leave the womb and cut off the umbilical cord–the source of its food and nourishment? It would not survive for long. There is a lesson here for any of those independent Christians who have rejected true Church authority and feel they are perfectly fine in their “self-sufficiency” and that they no longer need God’s true and dedicated ministry.

The fact is: God works through His ministers to feed and take care of the Church members. Rejection of this fact is rejection of God’s government here on earth. If one cannot be subject to the Church now, how can God use one in His Kingdom?

As I mentioned earlier, in God’s mind we are already in the Kingdom, and failure to be there in the future would be totally our fault–not God’s. Let’s appreciate what God has established in regards to the Church which is to care for and feed the members, to ensure that they will be ready to meet Christ when He returns. We must individually fight against becoming a spiritual miscarriage, which could occur when we reject Church government which was established by Christ in the Church for the benefit of the flock.

We begin with reporting on the continuing migrant problem which the UK and France are facing; address Puerto Rico’s anticipated default; speak on President Obama’s anti-Semitic remarks in the context of the Iran Deal and Mike Huckabee’s explosive response; address Hillary Clinton’s deep personal and economic interest in Planned Parenthood and her potentially illegal conduct pertaining to her email communications; Joe Biden’s potential run for the Presidency and Ben Carson’s evasive answers; and we publish a strong apologetic reply of a Catholic priest to Cardinal Dolan’s attack on Donald Trump.

 While pointing out the dilemma of America’s corrupt political class, Germany’s popular leader Angela Merkel is apparently willing to run for a fourth term as Chancellor.

 We conclude with articles on the terrible atrocities committed in Czechoslovakia and Poland against innocent German civilians after World War II; Pope Francis’ comments on divorce within the Catholic Church; and the Vatican’s fascination with alien life forms and its claim that the Bible is “not a scientific book.”

A New Fence in Calais?

The EUobserver wrote on July 29:

“The UK has offered France some €10 million to help build a new fence in Calais after there were around 2000 attempts by migrants to enter the Eurotunnel Monday… French police said another 1,500 attempts were made on Tuesday night (28 July)… The money will help pay for a new 2km fence at the Eurotunnel site at Coquelles. The UK has already paid around €5 million to put up barriers at the site.

“The Eurotunnel company, which manages the Channel Tunnel between Britain and France, says it wants millions more in compensation from both governments because of the disruptions… An estimated 3,000 migrants are camped in and around the port, known as the ‘jungle’… Those unable to pay smugglers opt to take matters in their own hands and attempt to scramble onto the back of lorries. Many risk their lives in the process… Aid agencies say the situation has… become worse with some describing the squalid living conditions and desperation of the migrants camped around the port ‘as catastrophic’… The new state-sanctioned site has no running water, no electricity, and no toilet facilities…”

Migrant Chaos in Britain and France to Continue

Express wrote on August 1:

“THE Calais migrant crisis causing misery for holidaymakers and businesses will last all summer, David Cameron warned yesterday. The Prime Minister issued his gloomy prediction after chairing an emergency Whitehall meeting to discuss plans to tackle the chaos that is causing havoc on both sides of the Channel… Mr Cameron said Britain planned to send more sniffer dogs and fencing to France. But many feared the minimal response to an escalating crisis was just a ‘sticking plaster’ answer to a massive problem.

“Last night, David Cameron and French President François Hollande spoke about the migrant situation in Calais… Thousands of desperate migrants from Africa and the Middle East are gathered in squalid conditions in Calais from which they are trying every day and night, sometimes with young children, to hitch a perilous ride to Britain on trains and lorries. The chaos has been made worse by striking French ferry workers protesting at job cuts, who yesterday continued their wildcat action by burning tyres to block a road in Calais…

“New laws to tackle illegal working and abuse of the asylum system will be fast-tracked in a bid to deter migrants from coming while Britain and France will jointly put on flights to return migrants to their home countries… Meanwhile there were renewed calls for a longer term solution to the fact that thousands of migrants from countries like Syria, Iraq, Libya, Eritrea and Somalia are crowding into boats to struggle over the Mediterranean seeking a new life in Europe. Thousands then head for Calais in a bid to reach Britain instead of seeking permission to stay in other EU countries.

“Calais police union representative Gilles Debove said various factors made the UK a magnet for the migrants: ‘In Great Britain, the migrants can work without a residency permit or identity card and they can work illegally. In France, we have a police force trained to fight against such illegal work and in the UK you don’t have any police force tracking these people who work in the black market.’

“Labour former Cabinet minister Jack Straw blamed the Schengen agreement, which Britain is not in but which lets people travel freely between EU states that are part of the arrangement once they reach the zone. ‘You now see the price that Europe is paying, as well as the UK is paying for this completely open border arrangement… They need to face up to the consequences of Schengen. My understanding is there is provision in Schengen to reinstitute border controls if it is necessary.’”

Puerto Rico to Default?

The Associated Press reported on July 31:

“Puerto Rico’s government said Friday it would not make a $58 million bond payment due on the weekend and warned that the general fund will run out of liquidity by November if no action is taken… Gov. Alejandro Garcia Padilla warned several weeks ago that the government and state agencies cannot repay the $72 billion in public debt that hangs over the U.S. territory, which is struggling with a nearly decade-long economic slump.

“Puerto Rican officials contend that failure to make Saturday’s payment will not constitute a default because it involves moral obligation bonds, which means there is no legal requirement to repay them. But economists reject that argument. ‘It is a default no matter how they try to disguise it,’ said Sergio Marxuach, policy director at the Center for the New Economy, a Puerto Rico-based think tank. Marxuach and other economists said bondholders could file a lawsuit as soon as next week as a result of the nonpayment, which they said would be the first default in the history of the U.S. territory.”

Obama’s Anti-Semitic Accusations

Breitbart wrote on July 31:

“President Barack Obama is using anti-Jewish language to sell the Iran deal… On Thursday, Obama led a conference call with left-wing activists in which he repeatedly railed against his political opponents by using the old canard of rich Jews using their money to exert control… Obama railed against ‘well-financed’ lobbyists, as well as the ‘big check writers to political campaigns,’ and  ‘billionaires who happily finance super-PACs.’ He complained about ‘$20 million’ being spent on ads against the deal—a subtle reference to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC–whose support he had repeatedly courted when running for office).

“Some of Obama’s references were thinly-veiled attacks on specific (Jewish) individuals—columnist Bill Kristol, for example, the Weekly Standard publisher and former New York Times resident conservative who served in the George H.W. Bush administration, and also helps run the Emergency Committee for Israel, which opposes the Iran deal; or billionaire Sheldon Adelson, who is a prodigious Republican benefactor, super PAC donor, and well-known hawk on Israel issues.

“On the call, Obama twice accused his opponents of being the same people “responsible for us getting into the Iraq war.“ That sweeping, and largely false, characterization of the opponents of the Iran deal repeats the sensational accusations of The Israel Lobby, a widely discredited 2007 book that accused a group of pro-Israel, and largely Jewish, individuals and organizations of pushing the U.S. into war with Iraq, and seeking to drag America into a new war with Iran.

“Obama’s deliberate, and jarring, choice of words clearly worried even some sympathetic Jews… a Republican who did the same thing would be criticized as anti-Semitic…

“On the call, Obama’s case for the agreement was weak. He claimed it has the most rigorous inspections regime ever—ignoring the fact that unlike the inspections under the New START treaty, the Iran deal excludes Americans from participating. He said that while it was possible military force might be needed if Iran raced to the bomb after the deal expired in 15 years, the U.S. would be better prepared for war then—ignoring the likelihood that Iran would be, as well…”

It was also mentioned in the press on August 5 that in a subsequent phone call, President Obama shared his “frustration” with Jewish leaders in the USA regarding the “inaccurate” Jewish reporting on the Iran deal.

Huckabee Responds to Obama’s Anti-Semitic Language

Breitbart wrote on July 31:

“GOP presidential candidate Gov. Mike Huckabee is responding to Breitbart News’ Joel Pollak’s recent report about President Obama using anti-Jewish language in order to boast his Iran deal. The former Arkansas governor says: ‘Instead of blasting his critics with personal attacks, President Obama needs to open up his eyes. The last time the world ignored these types of threats against Jews, millions died, and it shouldn’t take a mushroom cloud over Israel for Obama to realize that “taking Iran’s word for it,” is idiotic and absolutely insane…’

“Huckabee continued, ‘If Congress approves this agreement, President Obama will go down in history as the architect of a dangerous deal that triggered senseless death and a nuclear arms race across the Middle East.’…  Huckabee recently made headlines and was attacked by the mainstream media, Obama, Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton, and fellow GOP candidate former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, when he referenced the Holocaust when expressing his disapproval over Obama’s deal with Iran.

“The backlash from the left and the establishment didn’t prove to harm Huckabee [who] saw an increase in social media support and visitors to his campaign website after he made his statements against the Obama Administration and the deal with Iran.”

The attacks on Huckabee’s statements that the Iran deal will march Jews to the door of the ovens are ludicrous. Huckabee warned against the consequences of the Iran deal and in no way compared Obama with Hitler, as some critics have maliciously claimed. For more information, please view our new StandingWatch program, “The Secret Iran Deal–What They Are Hiding From You!”

Huckabee Responds to Malicious Accusations Against Him

On July 31, USA Today published the following editorial by Mike Huckabee:

“The world said ‘never again’ after the Holocaust, yet today, some refuse to take Iran’s evil threats seriously. Hillary Clinton directly attacked me this week and said my comments about Iran were ‘offensive.’  President Obama said they were ‘ridiculous’ and ‘sad’. What’s offensive, ridiculous and sad is that Obama and Clinton are more upset about my comments than Iran’s threat to kill millions of Jews and then direct their missiles at the United States.

“Iran has the blood of American soldiers and civilians on its hands. For decades, Iranians have murdered Jews, Christians and Muslims across the world… Iran has been crystal clear. Iran’s… leaders and politicians have directly called Israel a ‘barbaric, wolflike and infanticidal regime’ that must be ‘erase[d]’ and ‘wiped off’ the map. They have threatened to ‘replace Israel…with a big Holocaust.’

“Tehran’s tyrants can be trusted no more than Goebbels or the Gestapo. The last time the world ignored these types of threats against Jews, millions died… After negotiating a deal with Adolf Hitler in 1938, Neville Chamberlain claimed he secured ‘peace in our time’. One year later, Hitler’s tanks rolled into Poland and Europe descended into war…

“Sadly, this administration signed a nuclear deal that injects $150 billion into Iran’s economy. Why would we reward the world’s biggest sponsor of terrorism with money, power, global recognition and a path to a nuclear weapon?…

“We should be prosecuting Iranian officials for genocide and crimes against humanity, not allowing them to enrich uranium to be used to build a bomb. My words might be too brash for President Obama, but they echo the words of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: ‘The Ayatollahs in Iran, they deny the Holocaust while planning another genocide against our people,’ he said.  The nuclear deal with Iran ‘signals that the lessons of the Holocaust have not been learned.’ Netanyahu is a Winston Churchill in a world full of Chamberlains…

“While Congress can stop this deal, sadly, they are heading home for an August recess. This is no time for a vacation. This is not a political battle between Democrats and Republicans. Many courageous Democrats refuse to wave the white flag and betray our ally…”

Huckabee Against Planned Parenthood, Same-Sex Marriage and Abortion

Newsmax wrote on July 31:

“Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee told Newsmax TV on Friday that ‘there would be no funding for Planned Parenthood’ if he were elected to the White House next year… ‘There’s nothing that they do, which is very little for women’s health, that couldn’t be done by better and more responsible providers rather than these butchers who are out there justifying and defending the slaughter of children and the selling of their parts. It’s time for us to get honest… Let’s end this scourge of abortion,’ he added. ‘Fifty-five million unborn children have died in what ought to be the safest place in the world, in a mother’s womb. We, as a culture, as a civilization, need to come to grips with the evil of this practice — and we need to end it.’

“Huckabee, an ordained Southern Baptist minister, told Hayworth that he feared that last month’s Supreme Court ruling on gay marriage would lead to the federal government ordering pastors to perform such unions. ‘It’s headed in that direction,’ he said. ‘Churches losing tax-exempt status, economic terrorism already being applied to people across America, fines of $135,000 to a wedding-cake maker for the simple and just denial of making a wedding cake for a same-sex couple…  ‘There is no legislation that has ever passed Congress signed by a president that authorizes same-sex marriage — and there’s nothing in the Constitution…’

“At two campaign stops in Iowa Thursday, Huckabee said he’d ‘invoke the 5th and 14th amendments for the protection of every human being’ to stop abortions – and suggested he’d consider using the FBI or federal forces to do so, the Topeka Capital-Journal reports. Both amendments contain due process protections against depriving people of life without due process of law. Huckabee argued the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision was wrong to cite the right to privacy as a reason for allowing abortion. ‘Privacy doesn’t allow you to take a life,’ he said… At a second event, asked if he’d use the FBI or federal troops to stop abortion, he replied: ‘We’ll see, if I get to be president.’”

Hillary Clinton’s Deep Personal and Economic Interests in Planned Parenthood

Breitbart wrote on July 31:

“A new report released jointly by PACs America Rising and Women Speak Out… chronicles the longstanding relationship between Democrat presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and Planned Parenthood. Though Clinton was first quoted as saying she found the Planned Parenthood videos depicting the organization’s officials describing the sale of aborted baby organs as ‘disturbing,’ the former Secretary of State tweeted out her support for the nation’s largest abortion provider on Thursday: ‘Proud to stand w/Planned Parenthood & for access to quality, affordable healthcare for women, men & young people.’

“‘What’s really “disturbing” are Hillary Clinton’s long financial connections to Planned Parenthood,’ said Joe Pounder, spokesman for America Rising, in a press release. ‘Like any Clinton associate, all you need to do is follow the money to discover how deep Clinton’s Planned Parenthood ties go. That’s exactly why you will never see Clinton criticize the group—her personal interests run too deep.’ ‘Planned Parenthood’s brutal abortion business has been laid bare for all to see and Americans are repulsed,’ said Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of Women Speak Out PAC. ‘Hillary Clinton must immediately renounce her Margaret Sanger Award, Planned Parenthood’s highest honor, and return the tens of thousands of dollars she’s accepted from them.’”

New Disgusting Video About Planned Parenthood’s Practices

Newsmax reported on August 4:

“The Center for Medical Progress, the anti-abortion group that has released recordings of Planned Parenthood officials discussing the harvesting and selling of organs of aborted babies, has released a fifth video that deals with using ‘intact fetuses’ and the organization’s ‘diversification of the revenue stream’…  The video is ‘repulsive and unconscionable,’ said Texas Gov. Greg Abbott after the fifth video from the Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast clinic in Texas was released.

“AP reports that footage shows people touring the clinic as they pretended to be from a company that procures fetal tissue for research. Not only were the individuals shown recently collected fetuses, but the video also shows a Planned Parenthood official, Melissa Farrell, director of research for Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast, discussing intact fetuses. ‘Just depending on the patient’s anatomy, how many weeks, where it’s placed in the uterus … we’re going to potentially be able to have some that will be more or less intact, and then some that will not be,’ she tells an interviewer…

“Planned Parenthood has previously stated that rather than selling the body parts and organs for profit, Planned Parenthood will ‘donate’ human remains to for-profit and non-profit entities. However, the latest video shows a Planned Parenthood official stating, ‘we’ve had studies in which the company, or in the case of the investigator, has a specific need for a certain portion of the products of conception and we take that into our contract, and our protocol, that we follow this. So we deviate from our standard in order to do that. If we alter our process and we are able to obtain intact fetal cadavers, then we can make it part of the budget, that any dissections are this, and splitting the specimens into different shipments is this. I mean, it’s all just a matter of line items,’ she adds later…

“The first four videos that were released by the anti-abortion group has caused an uproar amongst conservatives and has ultimately led to a fight to defund Planned Parenthood. According to The Hill, despite court orders blocking the release of some of the videos, Daleiden’s group is planning to release other videos that are not affected by the court ruling.

“On Monday afternoon, a standalone Republican-led bill to defund Planned Parenthood failed to defeat a Democratic filibuster, securing 53 votes in favor and 46 against. While Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has promised no government shut downs on his watch, presidential candidate Donald Trump says the ‘only way to get rid of Planned Parenthood money is to shut the government down.’”

Growing Human Organs in Mice

Breitbart reported on August 5:

“Medical researchers are growing human organs in mice by implanting dead human baby organs into rodents, a practice that stands to gain greater scrutiny in light of undercover videos exposing what appears to be Planned Parenthood affiliates selling aborted baby parts to medical procurement companies like StemExpress.

“In a fourth video released from the Center for Medical Progress (CMP), Planned Parenthood personnel can be seen sifting through aborted baby parts allegedly to show what parts can be salvaged and sold. These mice or rats are created by removing a human organ such as a kidney from a dead human baby and implanting it into a mouse or rat for the purpose of medical research…

“StemExpress is a primary buyer of baby parts from Planned Parenthood… [It is] claimed that all donors consent to donating the aborted baby parts… Questions have arisen, however, over whether the mothers donating are truly ‘informed’ as required under parameters for organ donation…

“While the mothers may not be receiving direct compensation, the undercover investigative videos documenting Planned Parenthood affiliates show what appears to be financial dealings between these abortion providers and medical waste procurement dealers such as StemExpress. Ethical questions over these experiments have also arisen over creating a potential incentive to induce a pregnant woman to choose abortion. After Center for Medical Progress videos began hitting the media, StemExpress promptly acquired a restraining order against CMP regarding further release of videos that involve StemExpress.”

For more information, please watch our new StandingWatch program, “Planned Parenthood—Just the Tip of the Iceberg.”

Hillary Clinton’s Potentially Illegal Email Conduct

Newsmax reported on July 31:

“Republicans Friday slammed Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton amid revelations that she kept classified documents from five government agencies on her private server and that many [emails]… newly released by the State Department had been censored because the Obama administration deemed the information too sensitive to make public…

“David Kendall, Clinton’s attorney, has back-up copies of the emails on a thumb drive in his Washington office. This also has sparked outrage among GOP legislators — and some analysts said Friday that storing the emails on the private [server] and thumb drive might be illegal… That Clinton kept the emails on her private server — and, with Kendall now holding the back-up copies — may violate federal laws governing the storage and removal of classified information, national security attorney Edward MacMahon Jr. said. ‘In most situations like this, you’d expect that a warrant would be issued and that the Marshals and the feds — FBI, somebody — would go and get that thumb drive and take it somewhere where it would be considered safe by the government,’ MacMahon told Fox News…

“Federal law describes the illegal removal and storage of classified information as when someone ‘knowingly removes such documents or materials without authority and with the intent to retain such documents or materials at an unauthorized location,’ Fox reports… Friday’s release brings the volume of emails made public by the State Department to about 12 percent of the 55,000 pages Clinton had turned over to department lawyers earlier this year. That falls short of the 15 percent goal set by a court ruling in May, a lag the State Department attributed to interest by the inspector general of the U.S. intelligence community in the possible compromise of classified information.”

The Observer reported on August 1:

“[F]ederal Judge Emmet G. Sullivan has… given the State Department only a week—until August 7—to get some answers from Hillary Clinton, and her top aides Huma Abedin and Cheryl Mills—under penalty of perjury… Judge Sullivan reopened the case when he learned that Clinton and her staff used personal email accounts to conduct government business. This is a flagrant violation of the Federal Records Act and jeopardizes national security—prompting rapidly escalating concerns of countless ramifications internationally, nationally, and criminally…

“Now the State Department must produce for the court’s docket its correspondence with and between Mrs. Clinton, Ms. Abedin, and Ms. Cheryl Mills regarding the government records in their possession; identify what servers, etc. the State Department has; require Ms. Clinton, Ms. Abedin and Ms. Mills to state under oath whether they have produced all responsive materials; and, have Ms. Abedin and Ms. Mills describe the extent to which they used Ms. Clinton’s server for government business…”

The Washington Post reported on August 4:

“The FBI has begun looking into the security of Hillary Rodham Clinton’s private e-mail setup, contacting in the past week a Denver-based technology firm that helped manage the unusual system, according to two government officials…”

Newsmax added on August 4:

“[F]ormer New York Times Magazine editor-in-chief Edward Klein… said he… believes Clinton is in ‘a kind of race against time.’ ‘Which is going to come first, is she going to be able to sew up the nomination by just throwing more money, more organization at the primaries so that she is unbeatable – or will a criminal indictment come down from the Justice Department [over her personal email system while Secretary of State] before that fact?’ Klein said. ‘And they’re [the Clinton camp] very concerned about which is going to come first.’”

Did Joe Biden Promise His Son to Run for the Presidency?

The New York Times wrote on August 1:

“Joe Biden is… talking to friends, family and donors about jumping in. The 72-year-old vice president has been having meetings at his Washington residence to explore the idea of taking on Hillary [Clinton] in Iowa and New Hampshire… going through the crucible of the loss of his oldest son, Beau, to brain cancer made the vice president consider the quest again. As a little boy, Beau helped get his father through the tragedy of losing his beautiful first wife and 13-month-old daughter in the car crash that injured Beau and his brother, Hunter.

“When Beau realized he was not going to make it, he asked his father if he had a minute to sit down and talk… He tried to make his father promise to run, arguing that the White House should not revert to the Clintons and that the country would be better off with Biden values…

“It could be awkward for President Obama, who detoured from the usual route — supporting your vice president — and basically passed the torch to Hillary. Some in Obama’s circle do not understand why he laid out the red carpet for his former rivals. ‘He has no idea how much the Clintons dislike him,’ said one former top White House official. But the president has been so tender and supportive to his vice president ever since learning that Beau was sick, it’s hard to say how he will react…”

Cardinal Dolan Attacks Trump

On July 30, Breitbart published the following apology of Catholic Priest Marcel Guarnizo regarding a written attack by Cardinal Timothy Dolan against Donald Trump:

“This week, Cardinal Timothy Dolan took to the New York Daily News to write an incoherent and defamatory political hit piece against Donald Trump. As a Catholic priest, I can only say it is embarrassing to have a Cardinal so blatantly and unfairly trying to associate Mr. Trump with the worst kinds of racism imaginable. I offer an apology on behalf of so many Catholics who are outraged by the dirty politics of Cardinal Dolan.

“Ever so ‘cleverly,’ Dolan makes clear that in his opinion Trump is the revival of nativism, ‘an organized, white, Protestant antagonism towards the Catholic immigrant,’ which for Dolan is just a more recent incarnation of the KKK and other racist organizations–an absurd claim–and perhaps one of the most ignorant statements and mean-spirited remarks I have ever seen a bishop state publicly. The more than clear implication by Dolan that Trump is a white supremacist reaches levels of defamation that even the most liberal media has not dare trod.

“Dolan should perhaps realize that the continued race bating in this country by President Obama and others is immoral and destructive to the social fabric of our nation…  Dolan’s words are unbecoming of a bishop and are not factual… This is the same bishop who is silent about the recently revealed atrocities of Planned Parenthood, who did little to defend marriage and has done absolutely nothing about pro abortion politicians in his diocese receiving communion and remaining falsely in good standing in the Catholic Church…

“Dolan seems jovially unaware of the social unrest that lax immigration laws are causing in France, England and other nations in Europe. It is not Catholic or Christian to advocate for irresponsible immigration. Immigration to be of any help to immigrants and the host country, requires order, knowledge and balance… If Dolan were to say something sensible about politics to Catholics he should perhaps state the obvious: no Catholic in good conscience can vote for the Democratic party, a party that supports funding Planned Parenthood, opposes marriage, and is seen to be devastating the social fabric of this nation while bringing economic ruin to a once prosperous country…”

The Dilemma of the American Political Class

Breitbart wrote on July 31:

“A new National Journal survey of ‘Republican insiders’ finds that 57 percent of these political professionals think Donald Trump will bow out of the Presidential race before the Iowa Caucuses. This survey probably says more about the state of the Republican political class than anything about the 2016 race or Republican voters. Interestingly, 65 percent of ‘Democrat insiders’ believe Trump will compete in the Iowa Caucuses in February next year. The survey results could easily be dismissed as both groups answering what they hope will happen…

“The easiest political prediction to make is that the Trump campaign will implode after some impolitic remark. To date, though, that hasn’t been the case, despite a full-throttled assault by the media and DC’s political class. Trump currently leads all national polling in the race. His lead has apparently increased even after he made off-the-cuff remarks criticizing Sen. John McCain’s war record. That he has gained support after those remarks should be a sobering wake-up call to the political class.

“Peggy Noonan, the Republican establishment’s Greek chorus, has woken up to the realization that the Trump phenomenon — and it is exactly that — is real. She understands something the political class doesn’t: ‘His rise is not due to his supporters’ anger at government. It is a gesture of contempt for government, for the men and women in Congress, the White House, the agencies.’…

“True, the national polling this summer is of little consequence to the actual race once voting starts. That said, Trump is polling very strongly in Iowa and New Hampshire, the first states to vote early next year. Further, it is hard to imagine any new information coming to light that will blunt Trump’s raw appeal to a significant section of Republican voters. Trump has lived his life in the public eye for decades. His bombastic, off-the-cuff, outrageous demeanor is already baked into the cake. Voters know all of this about him and a large number of them don’t particularly like him, but they like less the thin intellectual gruel that has been served up by the political class for the last several years.

“This is the real threat of the Trump campaign. As Noonan observes: ‘American political establishment, take note: In the past 20 years you have turned America into a nation a third of whose people would make Donald Trump their president. Look on your wonders and despair.’”

The American political class and establishment have failed miserably. Trust in American politicians has reached an all-time low, which is due to the dishonest and corrupt behavior of politicians.

Ben Carson’s Disappointing Response as to Whom to Obey

Newsmax reported on August 2:

“Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson says that whether the Bible has authority over the U.S. Constitution depends on the specifics. Carson was posed the question during an appearance on ‘Meet the Press’ Sunday… Moderator Chuck Todd told Carson he was ending with a ‘simple question … Does the Bible have authority over the Constitution?’

“Carson, a retired pediatric neurosurgeon and devout Seventh-day Adventist, paused before replying, ‘That is not a simple question… I think probably what you have to do is ask a very specific question about a specific passage of the Bible and a specific portion of the Constitution,’ Carson said. ‘I don’t think you can answer that question other than out of very specific context.'”

This is a sad and disappointing response, but it is typical for those who want to be politically correct… However, Ben Carson has a history of giving evasive answers, or of apologizing for or “clarifying” controversial statements (such as his comments on homosexuality). The answer to the question at issue is VERY clear. We must obey God rather than man. If there is a conflict between the US Constitution and the Bible,  we MUST obey the Bible.

Northern Ireland’s Persecution of a Christian Pastor

Breitbart wrote on August 6:

“The Belfast pastor who said Islam was ‘satanic’ and ‘heathen’ is to make his first appearance in court today. The elderly man, who is in ill health, faces up to six-months in jail for making the remarks.

“Pastor James McConnell, 78, made the comments in May 2014 during a sermon that was broadcast live on the Internet… Northern Ireland’s Public Prosecution Service has said he violated the 2003 Communications Act by ‘sending, or causing to be sent, by means of a public electronic communications network, a message or other matter that was grossly offensive.’…

“The pastor has refused to give any admission of guilt… He said: ‘It is a battle of free speech…’

“Meanwhile, the local Muslim ‘community leader’ pushing for his prosecution – who has used the controversy to leverage government into supplying land for a mega-mosque – has expressed sympathy for Islamic State (IS) but has been left alone by the law.”

Such travesty of justice is repulsive and abominable.

Merkel to Run for Fourth Term?

Reuters wrote on August 1:

“Chancellor Angela Merkel, who has ruled Germany since 2005, has decided to run for a fourth term and has started planning her 2017 re-election campaign, according to an unsourced report on Saturday in Der Spiegel news magazine… Merkel, who has guided Europe’s biggest economy through the 2008 financial crisis and euro zone turmoil, regularly ranks as one of Germany’s most popular leaders, which is unusual for a sitting chancellor.

“There are no term limits in Germany and the last CDU chancellor, Helmut Kohl, ruled for 16 years before losing his bid for a fifth term in 1998 to Gerhard Schroeder of the Social Democrats (SPD). Neither were as popular among voters as Merkel. In a country that cherishes stability after the Weimar Republic’s chaos contributed to Hitler’s rise, Merkel is only the eighth post-war chancellor. Her CDU has no obvious successor…

“Merkel is so popular in Germany that one SPD leader, Schleswig-Holstein state premier Torsten Albig, said recently the SPD should not bother putting up a candidate to run against her in 2017…”

Not yet, anyway.

Incredible Atrocities Against Innocent Germans AFTER World War II

The Local wrote on July 30:

“Seventy years ago on Friday, a munitions depot exploded in [the] Czechoslovakian town [of Ústí] … The explosion happened in the afternoon of July 31st, 1945. Around 27 people were killed, including seven Czechs. World War II had ended just weeks before – and Czechoslovakia had begun to forcibly expel over two million Sudeten Germans who lived in the country. So when the explosion happened, rumours quickly spread that the Germans were responsible. What followed was a massacre.

“All ethnic Germans had been forced to wear white armbands, making them easily recognizable – and on the day of the explosion, German men, women and children were mercilessly beaten and killed. Some were shot dead. Others were thrown into the River Elbe and then shot at while they tried to swim to safety… Those responsible for the massacre were Revolutionary Guards (a post-war Czech paramilitary group) alongside Soviet and Czech soldiers, as well as around 300 Czech civilians who had just arrived from Prague by train…

“The massacre was part of something much wider… and what happened in Ústí was… only one of many violent examples of what historians and German expellees call the wilde Vertreibungen (fierce expulsion) of Germans from countries such as Czechoslovakia… The massacre divided the two countries for decades – with ongoing controversy as to why exactly it occurred… Since the German expulsion from Czechoslovakia, the Czech government has refused German calls for compensation for these refugees – several thousand of whom died in the expulsion.

“But in 1997, the German-Czech Declaration was founded. The agreement saw both sides state that they would ‘not allow past legal and political issues to be a burden’ on the relationship between the two countries…”

The article continued to point out that more than 5,000,000 Germans were expelled from Poland, “which was one of the largest and most organized ethnic cleansings in modern history outside of India and Pakistan.” War is SO wrong and leads to indescribable suffering of innocent victims. NO ONE wins in war, and EVERY country is guilty of inflicting horrible pain, suffering and death on the helpless elderly, women and children. This is Satan’s world, and NO war fought by human beings in ANY country can be described as just and godly.

Pope Francis and the Catholic Church’s Teaching on Divorce

The Associated Press reported on August 5:

“Pope Francis declared on Wednesday that divorced Catholics who remarry, as well as their children, deserve better treatment from the church, warning pastors against treating these couples as if they were excommunicated. Catholic teaching considers divorced Catholics who remarry are living in sin and are not allowed to receive Communion…

“Francis’ emphasis on mercy in church leadership has raised hope among many such Catholics that he might lift the Communion ban. Catholics who divorce after a church marriage but don’t take up a new union, such as a second marriage, can receive Communion. The Vatican this fall is holding a month-long follow-up meeting on family issues, after a similar gathering last year left divorced Catholics who remarry hoping in vain that a quick end to the ban would have resulted from those discussions…

“‘People who started a new union after the defeat of their sacramental marriage are not at all excommunicated, and they absolutely must not be treated that way,’ Francis told pilgrims and tourists at his first general audience after a summer break. ‘They always belong to the church.’ The church, he said, must be one of ‘open doors.’

“The pope acknowledged that church teaching considers ‘taking up a new union’ after divorce wrong. ‘The church knows well that such a situation contradicts the Christian sacrament’ of marriage…

“Other than being widowed, the only possible way for Catholics who marry in the church to remarry is receiving an annulment. That long, complicated process essentially involves examining whether the marriage never existed in the first place. Grounds for annulment include refusal by a spouse to have children. Previous pontiffs had complained that annulments in some places, notably in the United States, were being granted too liberally.”

The problem is that the Catholic Church’s teaching on divorce is not biblical. The Bible does allow for divorce and re-marriage, under limited circumstances, even for a converted Christian.

Vatican: “God May Have Created Alien Life Forms”… “Bible Not a Scientific Book”

AFP wrote on July 31:

“On a leafy hilltop near the papal summer home of Castel Gandolfo sits the Vatican’s Observatory, one of the oldest astronomical research institutions in the world, where planetary scientists mix the study of meteorites and the Big Bang theory with theology. Boasting a prestigious research centre at the University of Arizona in the United States, the institute has never shied away from asking whether there could be life on other planets and is thrilled with the discovery of an ‘Earth 2.0’.

“Astronomers hunting for a planet like ours announced to huge excitement last week that they have found the closest match yet, Kepler 452b, which is circling its star at the same distance as our home orbits the Sun. Around 60 percent larger than Earth, it sits squarely in the Goldilocks zone of its star, where life could exist because it is neither too hot nor too cold to support liquid water, according to the US space agency NASA.

“The discovery ‘is great news’, the Observatory’s Argentine director Jose Funes told AFP, despite the fact that scientists suspect increasing energy from the planet’s ageing sun might now be heating the surface and evaporating any oceans, making life difficult… Kepler 452b is 1,400 light-years away — an impossible distance to cover using mankind’s current technology. NASA may have made history this year with a Pluto fly-by, but it took nine years for its probe to get there despite the planet being under six light hours away. The fastest spaceship in the Solar System, it would take some 11 million years to reach the Earth’s cousin…

“What is clear, [Funes] says, is that while God may have created aliens and planets similar to Earth, there can be no second Jesus… ‘The bible is not a scientific book. If we look for scientific responses to our questions in the bible, we are making a mistake,’ he said. ‘It answers great questions, like “what is our role in the Universe?”‘ But such answers can also come from exploring the stars, he said…”

This rejection of the Holy Scriptures is pathetic. For TRUE understanding on these matters, please read our free booklets, “Evolution—a Fairy Tale for Adults?” and “Heavens and Earth… Before and After the First Man.”

 In addition, the comment never seems to be made by those proponents of space exploration about cost.  The amount of money spent on such projects is astronomical and could be used for far more immediate practical benefits for the 7 billion people currently living on earth.   Also, as we cannot conduct ourselves properly on the earth that God gave us and that 6,000 years of appallingly bad stewardship of a wonderful gift given to man amply prove, do they think that expanding man’s occupation of other parts of the galaxy would be any different?   Of course, it won’t happen, but if it did, it would be a repetition of the historical bad management that is there for all who have eyes to see.   How different it will be in the Kingdom of God.

When the Holy Spirit first came upon the house of Cornelius, those in attendance were amazed. “While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word. And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also” (Acts 10:44-45). Why were “those of the circumcision” amazed? What made this event astonishing? As it turns out, the inclusion of the Gentiles in the calling of God is something that many in the early New Testament times did not believe would happen. However, as we will find out, it has always been God’s plan to offer the gift of the Holy Spirit and salvation to all men, Jews and Gentiles alike.

The reference to those of the circumcision applies primarily to the Jews who had become Christians, and now received the Holy Spirit. The fact that these people were Jewish by heritage helps to explain their astonishment. Until this moment, the Holy Spirit was primarily received under very special circumstances by others written about in the Bible before Christ. Since the establishment of the ancient Houses of Israel and Judah, most, but not all, of the people who received the Holy Spirit in Old Testament times were of the House of Israel, but now the Holy Spirit was offered on a larger scale to those outside the Houses of Israel and Judah. For this reason the Jews were amazed – other than circumcised Gentiles who had become Proselytes and part of the community of Judah, they didn’t think that people with a non-Israelite heritage would be given the Holy Spirit. This event was a revelation of one of the mysteries of the Bible, that salvation will be offered to the Gentile, just as it is to the Jew and the Israelite.

In another Q&A about the presence of Arabs in Jerusalem at the Day of Pentecost, we learn that until the moment when Cornelius received the Holy Spirit, only Jews, Proselytes who had converted to Judaism, and Samaritans (compare Acts 8) had received it. We stated: “It is… NOT correct to conclude that only native Jews were present in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost in 31 A.D, when the New Testament Church of God began. There were also Proselytes in attendance, including Arabs… Paul, after his conversion, went to Arabia (Galatians 1:17) and stayed there for a while, perhaps, as Young’s Analytical Concordance to the Bible suggests, to associate with those Arabs who had been converted on the Day of Pentecost.”

Because of these facts, it is easy to see how Jews of that time might come to the conclusion that only Jews and Proselytes might receive the Holy Spirit. That is why the event of Cornelius receiving the Holy Spirit is so momentous.

Even Peter was confused and amazed by this revelation. He received a vision about it, showing him that “‘What God has cleansed you must not call common’” (Acts 10:9-16). Initially, Peter did not understand the meaning of this vision and was perplexed by it. Shortly after receiving the vision, Peter traveled to meet Cornelius, who wished to hear the Gospel preached. Being Jewish, Peter knew that affiliating with Gentiles was condemned by Jewish tradition (compare a later event in Galatians 2:11-12), and to be in this situation with Cornelius must have put him out of his comfort zone. Regardless, after witnessing the Holy Spirit coming upon the house of Cornelius, he understood that the salvation offered to man extended to those who historically had been considered unclean.

When the Jews at Jerusalem heard of this event, they were outraged. However, after explaining the revelation of the mystery to them, they too were enlightened to the depth of the plan of God. “When they heard these things they became silent; and they glorified God, saying, ‘Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life’” (Acts 11:18). The mystery of the inclusion of Gentiles in the plan of salvation was being revealed. No longer was it limited to the Jew, Israelite, and Proselytes, but it was now made available to all those willing to repent of sin, and become baptized. It still took some time for this young Church to come to the realization that physical circumcision was not a requirement to become part of the Body of Christ, but the process of accepting Gentiles as fellow brethren had begun.

Peter began revealing the mystery, and Paul continued. As he wrote letters to the churches and delivered his ministry, Paul revealed the mystery that the gift of salvation is extended to Gentiles as well as Jews, Israelites, and Proselytes. To the Church of Ephesus he wrote about how this mystery, “that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel” (Ephesians 3:6), was not made known to the sons of men in other ages, but was now revealed by the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 3:5). The fact that now Gentiles could become part of the same spiritual body had immense significance then and it is just as significant now.

We explain this as follows in our free booklet, “The Mysteries of the Bible,” chapter 4:

“… the mystery of Christ not only relates to who and what Christ was and is, but also, what Christ does… God must reveal this mystery to us in His Word, and He does reveal it.

“Ephesians 3:1–7 explains: ‘For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles—if indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you, how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets: that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ through the gospel, of which I became a minister according to the gift of the grace of God given to me by the effective working of his power.’

“The mystery of Christ includes the fact that Jesus Christ is selecting people from all nations to be placed in His spiritual body, His Church, to become fellow heirs of God’s promise—the inheritance of the Kingdom of God. God the Father gives the Spirit of His Son to all those whom He wants (Galatians 4:6)—not just to those who are physical descendants of the tribes of Israel and Judah (and even the modern identity of Israel and Judah is a mystery to most people).

“In Colossians 1:24–28, Paul sheds further light on the mystery of Christ—that Christ, through the Holy Spirit, lives in all whom God the Father has called, and that He is making us perfect to attain to His glory in God’s Kingdom.

“He tells us: ‘I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church, of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God which was given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God, the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints [‘the initiated’]. To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Jesus Christ.’”

Paul explains the analogous mechanics of this mystery to the Romans as well. He writes about salvation of the Jews and the Gentiles, “I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not! But through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles” (Romans 11:11). He then proceeds to explain how Gentiles have been figuratively grafted onto a growing root and thereby becoming partakers of the gift of salvation offered to spiritual Israel (compare Romans 11:13-26). It is clear in reading this explanation that God intended for all mankind to be saved. This was already made clear in the Old Testament symbolism of the two unleavened loaves of bread at the Day of Pentecost. Please review our free booklet on “The Meaning of God’s Spring Holy Days.”

Paul realized the significance of this mystery, that no man is excluded from the potential of being saved. “To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus” (Colossians 1:27-28). We see the inclusive nature of these statements, that “every man” is included in the plan.

It is also interesting to note that even though the apostles revealed this mystery that Gentiles are included in the gift of salvation, it is referenced by Jesus Christ. He was aware of the wide-ranging effect of His inevitable sacrifice extending to the Gentiles. “And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd” (John 10:16). Jesus reveals the inclusiveness of the plan of God to include other followers in His plan, referring to the Gentiles, and bring everyone together into one spiritual body.  (Compare Ephesians 2:11-18 and our free booklet, “Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians,” explaining this passage.) Even though this was a mystery to the early Christian churches, Jesus Christ knew that this was part of the plan from the beginning.

The mystery of the salvation of the Gentiles was a huge revelation to the early Church. The impact is massive in that all of mankind is included. It is amazing to reflect on the absolute mercy offered. God does not show partiality to man (Acts 10:34), and making the gift of His Holy Spirit and the gift of salvation available to all who turn to God is proof of God’s grace.

Lead Writers: Eric Rank and Norbert Link

As a reminder, here are the dates for the Fall Holy Days:

September 14— Feast of Trumpets

September 23—Day of Atonement

September 28 through October 4—Feast of Tabernacles

October 5—Last Great Day

“The Secret Iran Deal–What They Are Hiding From You!” is the title of a new StandingWatch program presented by Evangelist Norbert Link. Here is a summary:

The Iran Deal has been labeled as the “historic deal of the century,” which will bring peace to the Middle East. It has also been described as “catastrophic” and “idiotic,” which is “marching Israelis to the door of the oven.” There are many aspects within the deal and its many secret side deals which the US government refuses to reveal to the American public. In this program, we will show you numerous widely-unknown facts, proving that America’s leadership has given away “the whole store,” while receiving NOTHING in return and having become a laughing stock of the Iranians. This is all in line with biblical prophecy, and YOU need to know what YOU can do, individually, to escape the inevitable downfall of the USA. We are offering our free booklet, “The Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord.”

“Planned Parenthood—Just the Tip of the Iceberg” is the title of the most recent StandingWatch program. Here is a summary:

The horrible atrocities which are being committed by Planned Parenthood and other organizations in harvesting and selling body parts of aborted fetuses are a terrible testimony of the evil times we are living in, while the spineless and hypocritical political establishment is doing nothing to change this. However, these abominable actions are just the tip of the iceberg. Are YOU an indifferent passive or even an active part of a conspiracy to destroy human life?

“Hat Gott Gefühle und Emotionen?” is the title of this week’s German sermon. Title in English: “Does God Have Feelings and Emotions?”

A new German AufPostenStehen program has been recorded, titled, “Wissen Sie, Wer der Wahre Gott Ist?” Title in English: “Do You Know Who Is the True God?” We are offering two of our newly-printed German booklets on the Trinity and on God being a Family.

“Where to Begin?” the sermonette presented last Sabbath by Eric Rank, is now posted. Here is a summary:

Faced with impossible circumstances, a natural human response is to become stymied, not knowing what to do. At times, there may be many options to consider, yet none may be right. Since the calling of a Christian is a call to action we need to know where to begin, especially when facing the seemingly impossible.

“Set Your Hope in God,” the sermon present last Sabbath by Dave Harris, is now posted. Here is a summary:

When we face an uncertain future filled with potential trials—or when great opportunities lie before us, what should we do? There are astounding promises in the Word of God for Christians, and we can confidently turn to Him as we fulfill our calling to salvation.