Norbert Link

Current Events

by Norbert Link

We begin with explosive developments in Germany and discuss the ongoing public dissatisfaction with the current and proposed new government, while also addressing the uncertain and perhaps somewhat surprising future of Martin Schulz and Angela Merkel. (Also note this week’s Editorial on the developments in Germany, as well as our new StandingWatch program, “Germany’s Dirty Politics.”  The program was also published in the German language, titled, “Deutschlands Schmutzige Politik.” ).

We continue with the short temporary shutdown of the US government; an agreed-upon budget pact of $400 billion; and President Trump’s proposed controversial $4 trillion budget for 2019; Dow Jones’ unprecedented rollercoaster ride; the sure expectation of a very bad recession within perhaps three years; the interesting perception that President Trump does not understand economics, combined with one of his proposals which seems to be dead on arrival; another court ruling blocking the implementation of his decision on DACA; his politically risky refusal to release the Democratic response to a Republican memo charging the FBI and others with wrongdoing; and his stance on domestic violence in the light of continued allegations against him of harassment and improper sexual conduct.

We address the horrific mass shooting in Florida; the volatile escalation of the situation in Syria, as it pertains to Israel and Iran as well as the USA, Turkey and the Kurds; and the interesting recommendation that in light of America’s total absence in the Syrian issue, Europe and especially Germany should intervene to avoid the outbreak of a terrible third war in the region. We conclude with Israel’s strong position to ignore America’s stance if it conflicts with Israel’s interests; and America’s concern regarding the European Joint Defense Agreement; as well as a shocking article about Poland.

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

Politics Is Such a Dirty Business!

by Norbert Link

Last week’s events in Germany serve as a striking example as to HOW DIRTY politics is. Much of the world breathed a sigh of relief when Germany’s two leading parties, the CDU and the SPD, finally reached a grand coalition agreement under Angela Merkel (CDU) and Martin Schulz (SPD), thereby ending an historic time of political limbo after Germany’s election in September. But soon afterwards, due to political maneuvering within his own party, Schulz was forced to declare that he would not accept the contemplated role of foreign minister within the new government.

The German press recognized the true motives at play. Much blame was placed on Sigmar Gabriel (SPD) who presently holds the office of foreign minister in a “caretaker position”. Bild Online wrote on February 9 that Gabriel was using dirty tricks against Schulz; that the same party delegates who had voted for Schulz were now blackmailing him and used him as cannon-fodder; and that the entire situation confirmed almost every possible perception of the meanness and lack of principles in politics.

Bild added that a power struggle had engulfed the SPD; that Schulz was given an ultimatum; and that Gabriel hinted at an alleged agreement between him and Schulz that he would remain the foreign minister in consideration of giving the position of party chief to Schulz. But the German press claims that Gabriel only resigned as the leader of his party in order to escape responsibility if the grand coalition talks would fail (and most observers predicted at the time that they would fail).

In all fairness, even though Schulz had originally declared that he and his party would not be a part of a German government under Merkel, due to the intervention of German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier (SPD), he changed his mind [or broke his word, depending on one’s viewpoint]… but so did all the major players in his party, including Sigmar Gabriel. And there can be no doubt that he worked out a masterful deal for the SPD. The Local wrote on February 7: “The SPD managed to wangle the Foreign Ministry, the Finance Ministry and the Labor Ministry out of the talks. They appear to have done pretty well for themselves there… The only question is – with so many key ministries going to the other parties – what have the CDU kept for themselves?” The answer: Merkel managed to get the chancellorship… for herself.

With these many key positions for the SPD, that party should have been thankful to Schulz. Instead, they dropped him like a hot potato. The Telegraph commented on February 9 that “Mr. Schulz, a former European parliament president, was briefly talked of as Germany’s next chancellor when he returned from Brussels to enter national politics. He was elected SPD leader with 100 per cent support in 2016 and the country was gripped by ‘Schulzmania’ in the early part of last year. But he led the party to its worst ever result in September’s election. His political career is now almost certainly over…”

The German press echoed those sentiments. Bild Online wrote that Schulz is facing the end of his political career which began with 100 percent and ended with nothing, slipping “from 100 to Zero.”

We don’t share this conclusion. We had predicted that Donald Trump, when he announced his candidacy, would become the President of the USA, even though very few agreed with us at the time. We had predicted that Merkel and Schulz would hammer out a grand coalition agreement when most felt the opposite and thought that Merkel would enter a coalition with smaller parties, without the SPD (the so-called “Jamaica coalition”), and failing this, new elections would be held. We had said that Schulz would play an important role within the new German government. We still feel the same, even though the almost unanimous political viewpoint disagrees. Whether Schulz’s political career is indeed over will have to be seen. In the past, many politicians were viewed at one time as “yesterday’s news,” but they made spectacular comebacks. Just think of Napoleon, Mussolini, and last, but not least, Adolf Hitler. And so, historically, strange and unexpected things have happened in the dirty business of politics, and just maybe, the deadly wound which Schulz received might be healed in the future, which would indeed surprise the whole world.

We all know that politics is mean—rotten to the core. The recent example in Germany only supports this universal truth. Politicians are motivated and driven by lies, betrayal, backstabbing and broken words and promises, while totally lacking in principle and godly character. As the Bible says, “There is none righteous, no, not one.” Politics is like a prostitute who embraces her lovers, but only as long as she can use them. Why is that so? Simply, because the originator of politics is none other than Satan the Devil—a dirty, mean, lying being without any principles or godly character. Satan rules this world. He designs the evil politics of this world, and he influences and inspires those who are engaged in this field. Nothing good will ever come out of it. That is why true Christians must have NOTHING to do with it. Rather, they ought to pray for God’s Kingdom to come very soon which will end, once and for all, the dirty business of politics.

Germany’s Dirty Politics

The events in Germany serve as a striking example as to how dirty and rotten politics is. But why is that? What can all of us learn from these developments? And do the events point at significant biblical prophecies—especially, when focusing on the political future of Angela Merkel and Martin Schulz?

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Believing Multitudes Persecute Jesus

by Norbert Link

Multitudes followed Jesus when He lived here on earth as a human being.  The Bible says that Christ was surrounded by an innumerable multitude of supporters. But many who believed in Him and accepted His teachings ceased to walk with Him; they became aggressive; claimed that He was possessed; and were willing to stone Him because of blasphemy. Only very few remained faithful. How could such a turn of events develop? And is it possible that something like this could happen again in our time?

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Current Events

by Norbert Link

The world has experienced several days of crazy trading. The Dow Jones bounced back late Tuesday, but dropped again Wednesday and on Thursday, it plunged again more than 1,000 points. The loss has been tremendous [for instance, time.com reported that Warren Buffet’s net worth dropped by $5 billion on Monday alone] and the world is getting a foretaste as to what is surely going to happen very soon.

The Vatican and Turkey, as well as the Europeans, are ganging up on Israel and are fighting for the Temple Mount, and our new StandingWatch program, titled, “The Vatican’s Fight for Mount Zion and Jerusalem,” addresses this prophetic development in detail.

Poland is anxious to deny any responsibility for the Holocaust, and a political move by Germany’s controversial foreign minister (SPD) supports Poland and angers Israel. However, these questionable actions are only helping the right-wing AfD to gain further ground in Germany. As we predicted, Angela Merkel (CDU) and Martin Schulz (SPD) finally struck a coalition deal to form a new government, which still needs to be approved by the membership of the SPD.

At the same time, Germany seems to abide by EU rules only when they are advantageous to Germany.

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

What if Ruth Had Lived Today?

by Norbert Link

Ruth from Moab came to the land of Judah and married Boaz. Ruth and Boaz became the ancestors of David. Rahab from Jericho became a stranger in Israel and married Salmon, the son of the leader of Judah. Rahab and Salmon became the ancestors of Boaz and of David. Both Joseph and Mary, as well as Jesus, descended from David. But if today’s immigration laws had been in effect at the time of Rahab and Ruth, none of these developments could have happened, and there would have been no David, no Mary, and no Jesus.

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You Shall Not Swear!

by Norbert Link

The topic of swearing and giving an oath is not as easily answered as some may think. Many concepts abound, pro and con. The Bible tells us that God swears; that angels swear; that righteous people in the Old Testament have sworn, and that people in the Millennium will swear. But don’t Jesus and James tell us that we are not to swear at all? However, some claim that Jesus and Paul have sworn. What is the answer?

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Does the Genealogy of Jesus, as Set Forth in Matthew and Luke, Contradict the Scriptures Stating that God Cursed King Jeconiah?

To explain the issue more fully, the Bible teaches that Jesus is the Messiah and that He will sit on the throne of David after He returns. In Matthew 1 and in Luke 3, we find the genealogy of Jesus through Joseph (the book of Matthew describes Christ’s legal genealogy through His stepfather Joseph) and through Mary (the book of Luke describes Christ’s natural genealogy through His mother Mary). For a further explanation, see our free booklet, Jesus Christ—a Great Mystery.

In the genealogy set forth by Matthew, King Jeconiah of Judah is mentioned (Matthew 1:11), but in both genealogies, Shealtiel and Zerubbabel are mentioned as well (Matthew 1:12 and Luke 3:27). They were descendants of Jeconiah, who is also named Coniah and Jehoiachin (Matthew 1:11; compare Margin in the new King James Bible). Jeremiah 22:30 states that none of Coniah’s descendants “shall prosper, Sitting on the throne of David, And ruling in Judah.” This curse is repeated in Jeremiah 36:30, where the following is added: “I will punish him, his family [lit. seed] and his servants for their iniquity…”

The argument advanced by many Jews is that Christ could not be the Messiah and sit in the future on the throne of David, as He is claimed (both in Matthew and in Luke) to be a descendant of Coniah and Coniah’s offspring; i.e., Coniah’s son Shealtiel and his grandson Zerubbabel; compare also Haggai 1:12.

Several attempts have been made to explain this apparent contradiction. A very popular explanation is that the curse had only relevance for the legal genealogy of Jesus, as recorded in Matthew, but not for the natural genealogy, as recorded in Luke. The argument goes like this:

“Matthew 1 clearly explains that Joseph is Mary’s husband. Matthew recorded this for legal purposes, to show the Jews that Christ was the Messiah… If Joseph had been Christ’s natural father, then Christ could never have sat on the throne of David, because of a curse God placed on one of Joseph’s ancestors. This ancestor [Jeconiah] is mentioned in Matthew 1:11-12. He is also referred to as Coniah in Jeremiah 22:24-30. Verse 30 states, ‘Thus says the LORD, Write you this man childless, a man that shall not prosper in his days: for no man of his seed shall prosper, sitting upon the throne of David, and ruling any more in Judah.’ This man was so evil, that God cursed him and his descendants. Jeconiah… did go on to have children (I Chron. 3:17). But, this curse was fulfilled because none of his children went on to rule from the throne of David…

“Luke records Mary’s genealogy. According to Jewish tradition, in marriage, Mary’s genealogy was placed in her husband’s name. The Greek simply records that Joseph was ‘of Heli’ (Luke 3:23). But since Jacob was Joseph’s father (Matt. 1:16), Joseph was the son-in-law of Heli. Mary’s lineage did not have this curse as Joseph’s did. And Mary descended from Nathan—one of David’s sons! (see Luke 3:31). God honored Nathan, and made him the ancestor to the promised King—Jesus Christ—who would sit on David’s throne forever (Luke 1:31-33). This fulfills God’s promise of establishing David’s throne for eternity! According to Israel’s law, if a daughter were the only heir to the father, she would inherit all his possessions, inheritance and rights—but only if she married within her tribe (Num. 27:1-8; 36:6-8). Since Mary had no brothers who could be heirs to her father, she was able to transmit David’s royal inheritance—and the right to the throne—to her husband upon marriage. This made Joseph heir to Heli, giving him the right to David’s throne. This inheritance was then passed to Christ.”

However, this explanation appears to be flawed, because even though in Luke’s genealogy, Jeconiah (Matthew 1:11-12) or Coniah is not mentioned per se, his son Shealtiel and his grandson Zerubbabel are. God pronounced a curse on Coniah and his descendants to the effect that none of Coniah’s descendants would sit on the throne of David. This would include Shealtiel and Zerubbabel and ultimately Jesus Christ, who WILL rule in Jerusalem, sitting on the throne of David (Luke 1:31-33).

[In passing, an interesting explanation is given by the Schlachter commentary as to why Zerubbabel and Shealtiel are mentioned in both genealogies of Jesus, even though Matthew’s genealogy of Joseph lists Solomon as one of his ancestors, while Luke’s genealogy of Mary lists Nathan as one of her ancestors. It is pointed out that in 1 Chronicles 3:17-19, Zerubbabel is listed as a son of Pedaiah, the brother of Shealtiel, while Zerubbabel is otherwise referred to as the son of Shealtiel (Ezra 3:2; Nehemiah 12:1). It is being suggested that Shealtiel might have adopted his nephew Zerubbabel and that Zerubbabel appears in both genealogies because he might have entered into a levirate marriage with the wife of his deceased brother Pedaiah.]

Another explanation is that the “offspring” of Jeconiah mentioned in the curse (denying them rulership on David’s throne) could be a limited reference to the king’s own children—his immediate offspring—and it would only be in force while the king lived.

This proposal is not very convincing. As we have seen, Shealtiel was one of Coniah’s sons. It is true that he did not sit on David’s throne as a king, and neither did Coniah’s grandson Zerubbabel, but the curse, as it is worded and without further explanation, does not seem to imply that it only referred to Coniah’s immediate sons during Coniah’s lifetime.

A third explanation is that God reversed the curse against Coniah and his offspring. This is hinted at by the prophet Haggai, who told Zerubbabel, Coniah’s grandson, that God would make him a “signet ring” on God’s hand (Haggai 2:23). Earlier, God had said to Coniah that even if he had been the signet ring on God’s right hand, He would pluck him out (Jeremiah 22:24). Now, the same “signet ring” imagery is applied to Zerubbabel. (For the importance of a signet ring, compare also Genesis 41:41-43 and Esther 3:10; 8:2, 10.) This would mean that God took away the signet ring from Coniah and gave it to Zerubbabel, thereby re-establishing the Davidic line of kingship.

The Bible may indicate this reversal of God’s curse during Coniah’s life. We read that after Coniah was imprisoned by Nebuchadnezzar, Coniah’s uncle was made king by the King of Babel who changed his name to Zedekiah (2 Kings 24:17). But Zedekiah rebelled and was blinded and imprisoned, and all his sons were killed. However, his daughters Tea or Tea-Tephi and Scota survived, and the prophet Jeremiah went with them to Ireland and planted the throne of David there through one of Zedekiah’s daughters, Tea, who married the Irish king, Eochaidh. For further explanations, see our free booklets, “The Fall and Rise of Britain and America,” and “The Fall and Rise of the Jewish People.”

After Zedekiah’s demise, the King of Babylon, Evil-Merodach, released Coniah from prison, and “he gave him a more prominent seat than those of the kings who were with him in Babylon… and he ate bread regularly before the king all the days of his life” (2 Kings 25:28-29). These are remarkable events in light of the fact that God had pronounced a curse on Coniah in Jeremiah 22:30, stating that he would not prosper in his days, and that none of his descendants would prosper. However, one would be entitled to say that Coniah did prosper at the end of his life, and Coniah’s grandson Zerubbabel surely prospered in building the Second Temple, as we read in Zechariah 4:6-10.

The concept of a reversal of God’s curse has some biblical support. We might consider the account of Jonah in Nineveh, showing that human repentance can change God’s declared intent of destruction. Even though Jonah was commissioned by God to declare that Nineveh would be destroyed in 40 days, that curse was not carried out by God when the people of Nineveh repented. We also read in Jeremiah 18:7-8 that God relents of the disaster that He thought to bring over a nation if that nation repents and turns from evil (compare also Jeremiah 26:3). Please also recall that God’s curse was pronounced in connection with God’s punishment for iniquity. If iniquity is repented of and forgiven, the punishment for sin may also be removed. (However, in many cases, punishment for sin, even if repented of, is not automatically removed, compare our free booklet, Punishment for Our Sins.)

In addition, several rabbinic sources teach that Coniah repented in Babylon and that God forgave him and lifted the curse. The following is taken from the Internet, pointing out:

“Sanhedrin 37b-38a states about Coniah: ‘Notwithstanding the curse that he should be childless and not prosper, after being exiled he was forgiven.’”

“Jewish tradition also maintains that the Messiah will be descended from Jeconiah—and such a tradition would be incompatible with a belief that Jeconiah’s lineage is under a perpetual curse. The Jewish Encyclopedia’s article ‘Jehoiachin,’ vol. 7, p.84 [states]: ‘Jehoiachin’s sad experiences changed his nature entirely, and as he repented of the sins which he had committed as king he was pardoned by God, who revoked the decree to the effect that none of his descendants should ever become king (Jer. xxii.30; Pesik., ed. Buber, xxv. 163a, b): he even became the ancestor of the Messiah (Tan., Toledot, 20 [ed. Buber, i. 140]).’’”

A slight deviation of this proposal reads as follows:

“The Encyclopedia Judaica maintains (under ‘Jehoiachin’ (9:1319)), that the curse was lifted under Zerubbabel: ‘Even the decree that none of his descendants would ascend the throne… was repealed when Zerubbabel was appointed leader of the returned exiles’ (cf. Sanh. 37b-38a).”

Even though no further explanation is given for this conclusion, we might think of God’s declaration in Ezekiel 18:1-4, 19-20, stating that the son shall not bear the guilt of the father (compare also 2 Kings 14:6). In addition, there are examples when righteous people intervened on behalf of sinners, so that God, at times, relented from carrying out a curse, or He modified or reversed a curse.

Due to Abraham’s repeated pleas, God would not have destroyed Sodom if ten righteous persons would have been found there (Genesis 18:20-32); due to Moses’ plea, God relented from destroying Israel (Exodus 32:7-14); and God heard Daniel’s heart-felt prayer, acknowledging God’s curse on the nation and asking for forgiveness of his and his nation’s sins (Daniel 9:4-27). The same might be said about Zerubbabel: When he repented and asked God for forgiveness, God might have reversed the curse placed on Coniah and his descendants. We read in Galatians 3:13 that Christ redeems us from the curse of the law… that is, He removes the penalty [referring to the death penalty for breaking the law, Romans 6:23] when we repent.

Matthew lists Coniah in Christ’s genealogy, and Luke lists Coniah’s son and grandson, even though they clearly would have known about Coniah’s curse in the book of Jeremiah. It is obvious that they did not feel that God’s curse disqualified Jesus from inheriting and sitting on the throne of David. Writing under godly inspiration, they must have known that somehow, God’s curse which was pronounced against Coniah did not prevent Christ’s Messiahship. The most convincing conclusion seems to be that God did in fact reverse the curse, apparently due to Coniah’s repentance, and/or that He did not apply Coniah’s sin and the resulting curse to Coniah’s grandson Zerubbabel, due to Zerubbabel’s repentance and his plea for his grandfather Coniah.

Lead Writer: Norbert Link with material provided by Brian Gale

Current Events

by Norbert Link

We begin with President Trump’s first State of the Union address, which seemed to have failed in bringing about more unity between the two warring parties; and we continue with the unique and at times rocky relationship between the State of Israel and America’s evangelicals; the resurgence of atrocities in Afghanistan as an apparent response to America’s new security policies; further incredible facts about Hawaii’s incompetency in relationship to the false alarm of a nuclear attack; the conviction of most millennials that America is on the wrong track while President Trump’s approval rating is climbing; serious concerns for world conditions in 2018 due to President Trump’s unpredictability and his short temper; and the dark prospects of a trade war between Europe and the USA with terrible consequences for the entire world.

We continue with ongoing steps to unify continental Europe as a most powerful entity; address the coalition negotiations in Germany, under Angela Merkel and Manfred Schulz; speak about Austria’s role as a “bridge-builder”; point out the UK’s failing army; and point out further disagreement regarding Brexit talks. 

In the remaining part of this Current Events section, we speak on abominable “scientific” experiments with animals and humans, including by car manufactures in Germany and the USA; the cloning of chimpanzees and the creation of human-animal hybrids; the inevitability of a huge earthquake in Canada; and the rise of demonic activities in Ireland and elsewhere. We warn of dangerous statements by Pope Francis in this context [please see our new StandingWatch program, “Demon Uprising or Medical Side Effects?”]; and we conclude with an article proving the existence of God as the Creator of our solar system.

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

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