When we decided to become baptized and live God’s Way, we made a life-long decision. We counted the cost and chose God over everything else. But in time, our first love and enthusiasm might have diminished. Other priorities might have taken hold of us. Sin might have become less serious in our minds, and ongoing repentance might have been looked at as rather unimportant. How dedicated are we today to hold fast until the end?
Norbert Link
Russia’s Persecution of the Jehovah’s Witnesses
New appalling developments are happening in Russia, showing the relentless persecution of religious minorities by the State apparatus in collaboration with the Russian Orthodox Church. Today they are focusing on the Jehovah’s Witnesses, justifying their intolerance with ridiculous and blatantly false “reasons.” Who will be their next targets?
Download AudioCurrent Events
by Norbert Link
In this issue, we are focusing on Brexit guidelines adopted by the EU and tough Brexit talks ahead; as well as the EU’s commitment to establish a common “security defense”; and we continue with the election in France and its importance for the survival of the EU. We also speak on persecution of Jews in Europe and Europe’s decision regarding the visa waiver program for Americans and Canadians.
We speak on the volatile situation regarding North Korea and the mixed messages coming from the White House; and we discuss Donald Trump’s “first hundred days of chaos”; a welcome clarification regarding IRS restrictions for churches; and the successful attempt to rush through a new healthcare bill in the House with devastating consequences for many insured. We also address the enactment of a highly controversial spending bill allowing the US government to continue operations until the end of September; and Puerto Rico’s unprecedented declaration of bankruptcy.
We address Turkey’s ongoing descent into a totalitarian dictatorship; and we point out the deteriorating relationship between Germany and Israel, as well as between Germany and Russia.
We conclude with articles about Britain’s intolerance towards those who emphasize biblical standards; and Pope Francis’ controversial comments about existing concentration camps in Europe.
Understanding the Work of God
Is there a Work of God today? If so, what is it? Or, has the Work of God ended? Will it ever end? Is there a connection between the Work of God and the creation of man, the building of the tabernacle and the temple, the appearance of Jesus Christ as a Man, the Sabbath and the preaching of the gospel of the Kingdom of God? How can you have a part in the Work of God? The Bible gives us astonishing answers and contradicts common beliefs about the Work of God.
How Long Were the Days in Genesis 1 and 2?
Genesis 1:2-2:3 describe the re-creation of the surface of the earth, after a catastrophe caused the earth to become void and empty. God brought order into the chaos in six days, followed by the creation of the seventh day—the Sabbath. During the six days, God created those kinds of animals which are still in existence today; and He created man. (For a full explanation of these events, please read our free booklets, “The Theory of Evolution–a Fairy Tale for Adults?“ and “Heavens and Earth… Before and After the First Man.”)
Some have proposed that the days mentioned in the above-quoted Scriptures were indefinite time periods of perhaps millions or billions of years. The underlying rationale might be that this would explain the existence of planet earth for a much longer time than just 6,000 years. However, this interpretation would be unnecessary, as the earth was created in the beginning (Genesis 1:1)… and the Bible does not tell us when that beginning was. It is only the re-recreation of the surface of the earth which occurred approximately 6,000 years ago.
The concept of the seven days in Genesis describing billions of years is commonly known as the “Day-Age-Theory.” It was not mentioned until the 1800’s, when the idea of evolution became popular. But as the evolution theory is wrong, so is the Day-Age Theory.
The Hebrew word for “day” is “yom”. It is true that this word is used in a variety of ways. It is used in the prophetic term, “day of the Lord,” which describes a time span of approximately one year; and it is also used in Genesis 2:4 when the entire creation or better restoration of the heavens and the earth is referred to as “in the day.” (Compare, “Heavens and Earth…Before and after the First Man!,” page 26).
But in the vast majority of passages, the word “yom” describes a twenty-four hour day. Researchers tell us that the word is used about 2000 times, and in 95% of all Old Testament Scriptures, it refers to a twenty-four hour day with a daylight portion of approximately 12 hours, followed by the dark portion of 12 hours (compare John 11:9-10). In addition, when the word “day” (“yom”) is combined with a number (first day, second day, seventh day), it always describes a twenty-four hour time period. Again, researchers tell us that this is the case in about 200 Old Testament Scriptures.
We should also note that when the words “evening” and “morning” are used together, they describe portions of a twenty-four hour day (compare Exodus 16:8). We read in Genesis 1:5: “So the evening and the morning were the first day.” (Compare also Genesis 1:8, 13, 19, 23, 31). According to the Hebrew calendar, days begin and end with sunset (evening). That is why we read here that “evening and morning were the first day”; and not, that “morning and evening” were the first day. Literally, the passage should be translated as, “And evening was, and morning was, day one.” Of course, the Bible uses the term, “from morning to evening,” again clearly identifying the time period as not exceeding 24 hours (compare Exodus 18:13-14).
We also read in Genesis 1:4-5 that God divided the light from the darkness, calling the light “Day” and the darkness “Night,” and that evening and morning became the first day. We see that the expressions darkness, night and evening are used interchangeably, as are the terms light, day and morning. They all describe portions of a normal twenty-four hour day.
A compelling reason why the days in Genesis 1 could not possibly describe time periods longer than 24 hours can be seen in the phenomenon of symbiosis, which can be defined as “a close connection between different types of organisms in which they live together and benefit from each other.” This interdependency can be seen in the relationship between plants, birds and insects. Fruit-bearing plants were created on the third day but insects (like bees) to pollinate such plants (so that the plants could reproduce) were apparently created on the fifth or the sixth day (when “birds” and “creeping things” were created.) Plants could not have survived if the days were to be understood as epochs of millions or billions of years.
We read that the yucca plant is totally dependent on the yucca moth for pollination and reproduction. An interesting example was reported about the Calvaria tree on the Mauritius islands. It was dependent on the dodo bird for survival. The dodo bird ingested the tree’s seed, scarified its hard coating, and excreted the seed before germination. The dodo bird became extinct in 1681. No reproduction of the tree has occurred since then.
The idea that the days in Genesis 1 and the first three verses in Genesis 2 could refer to time periods lasting for millions or billions of years is contradicted by the fact that the seventh day (Genesis 2:1-3) is the weekly Sabbath day. God rested on that day, to give us an example to do likewise. But the Sabbath day is clearly a time period of 24 hours. Leviticus 23:32 speaks of the annual Sabbath of the Day of Atonement as the time lasting from evening to evening. It is not an epoch, lasting billions of years. God rested only on that very first Sabbath, which He created for man. He has not been resting for billions of years since that time (John 5:17).
One objection has been raised in connection with Genesis 2:19-20 where we read that Adam named the animals which were brought to him. It has been claimed that Adam could not possibly have named the animals in just one day. But reading the passage carefully, we find that God brought to him only the cattle, the birds and the beasts of the field, to show him that they would not qualify as “helpers compatible to him.” This could have been easily accomplished in one day.
In conclusion, the evidence is overwhelming that the days in Genesis 1:2-31 and in Genesis 2:1-3 were literal twenty-four hour days, and not indefinite epochs of millions or billions of years.
Lead Writer: Norbert Link
Terror Attacks in Jerusalem
Many are not aware of the fact that terror attacks happen in Israel and Jerusalem on a frequent basis. This fact, in addition to anti-Semitism in the Middle East and Europe, the bringing of animal sacrifices (including the Passover sacrifice) and the building of a Third Temple on the Temple Mount; will lead to prophesied end-time developments of catastrophic proportions.
Download AudioHow Thankful Are You?
Are we thankful enough? Do we only show our gratitude when it goes well with us? How can we be thankful in trials? What is a major cause for unthankfulness? Is thankfulness conditional?
Brexit and Core Europe—Fulfilled Prophecies
March 29 and March 25, 2017, will be viewed as unique historical dates with tremendous significance. In addition, the Brexit and a core Europe have been prophesied in your Bible for thousands of years.
Download AudioGermany and the USA… What Next?
It was not a great meeting… by any stretch of the imagination. The Local wrote on March 18: “Stark differences between President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Angela Merkel on everything from trade to immigration were in full view during an icy first meeting at the White House Friday. In a frequently awkward joint press conference, Trump and Merkel showed little common ground…”
The New York Times added on March 17: “Worlds apart in style and policy, Mr. Trump and Mrs. Merkel… could not disguise the gulf that separates them…”
The Daily Mail supplied the following interesting comments on March 17:
“The two ‘could hardly be more contradictory’… President Trump defended his chilly summit with Merkel on Twitter Saturday, insisting it was a ‘great meeting’ – and immediately blasting Germany for owing what he said were ‘vast sums of money’ to NATO. He claimed that all reports criticizing their meeting were ‘fake news.'”
The idea that Germany owes money to NATO or the USA was strongly rejected by American and German newspapers alike.
The Washington Post wrote on March 18: “[Former] U.S. ambassador to NATO Ivo Daalder wrote that… [the] alliance gave all member states until 2024 to reach that goal, and Germany is on track. ‘Trump’s comments misrepresent the way NATO functions,’ Daalder told us… ‘that’s not how it works.'”
German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen simply stated that there ”is no debt account at NATO,” adding however that it was necessary “to have a ‘modern security concept’ that included… a European defense union…'” (Reuters, March 19).
On the other hand, German journalists received much praise from their somewhat intimidated American colleagues, for asking pointed questions during the joint press conference. As Deutsche Welle reported on March 17, “Politico reporter Tara Palmeri admitted… ‘The German press shamed us.’ Trump was also asked point-blank by one reporter [from Die Welt] why he keeps making statements he knows are not true. It was a question that… ‘shocked’ US reporters… The straightforward line of questioning visibly put off Trump… Rarely has [Trump] appeared so uncomfortable…”
President Trump is not one who can easily forgive and forget, as he has admitted in interviews. His impulsiveness is well-known and reflected by his emotional nightly tweets. To believe that the relationship between Mr. Trump and Mrs. Merkel will substantially improve would be naïve. And IF Mrs. Merkel will be replaced in September by her challenger Martin Schulz, then the relationship between Germany and the USA might deteriorate even further, as Mr. Schulz is known for being very outspoken (not as reserved and at times “stone-faced” as Angela Merkel), and he is an open critic of Donald Trump.
Deutsche Welle wrote on March 19 about Mr. Schulz: “[T]he former president of the European Parliament… vigorously defended his party’s support for the European Union… Schulz also took potshots at US President Donald Trump, saying that an election like that in the United States featuring ‘fake news’ and the ‘denigration of whole groups of the population’ had ‘no place in Germany.’ ‘A German chancellor can take a clear negative position’ toward the US, Schulz added…”
Both Mrs. Merkel and Mr. Schulz are strong supporters of the EU, which Mr. Trump opposes. On almost every issue of international consequence, Germany and the USA are in disagreement. Mr. Trump is extremely disliked by the vast majority of the German people (despite the fact that Mr. Trump is of German heritage). Focus wrote on March 17: “This President is anything else but a natural friend of the Germans. His government will not consider the obligations and needs of their allies.”
Even in the USA, President Trump’s popularity declines (notwithstanding some “reports” by Breitbart and the Hannity Show). But Donald Trump will be the President for at least four more years, enjoying the approval of unwavering core supporters, and he can rule with an iron fist within his realm of authority… no matter how the majority of American citizens might feel. And in times of hostility and danger, patriotic Americans will support their President in his fight against foreign enemies, regardless of what they might think about him.
The relationship between Germany and the USA has always been a difficult one. As we explain on page 17 of our free booklet, “The Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord,” “German Kaiser Wilhelm II had a plan to attack the United States about 100 years ago… His ultimate goal was to establish and possess colonies in South America and in the Pacific, and to gain control over the Panama Canal. The plan, though 10 years in the making, was not carried out. Instead, Kaiser Wilhelm II led Germany into World War I in 1914.
“In addition to Adolph Hitler’s attack on Great Britain, he also declared war on the United States on December 11, 1941. This was just two days after President Roosevelt announced that Germany was as guilty for attacking Pearl Harbor as was Japan. Hitler then ordered the destruction of all American ships, wherever they could be found. Hitler lost this war, as he fought too many battles at the same time…”
We reveal in our free literature that Germany is the modern descendant of ancient Assyria, while the United States is the modern descendant of one of the two most prominent tribes of the ancient house of Israel. As Assyria defeated and enslaved the house of Israel in ancient times, so it is prophesied that another war between these powers will occur in the last days, with devastating results. The difference will be that this time, Assyria (modern Germany) will not act alone, but it will lead a power bloc of ten European nations or groups of nations (the final revival of the ancient Roman Empire), and the ensuing war will be fought with nuclear weapons, destroying all major cities in the USA and exterminating millions upon millions of Americans. But after God has performed His punishment of the modern house of Israel, calling it an “ungodly nation” (Isaiah 10:6), He will then direct His wrath against Germany and the entire European power bloc, leading to their destruction, because they are not any more righteous than the American nation.
All of this will happen soon, no matter what people may want to believe or reject. God calls this coming time the “great tribulation, such as not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be” (Matthew 24:21; compare also Daniel 12:1).
Are you getting spiritually ready for this time? “Sudden destruction” will come upon this world (1 Thessalonians 5:2-3). But you could “escape all these things that will come to pass” (Luke 21:36). Our free literature tells you how.
Germany and the USA… What Next?
The meeting between Angela Merkel and Donald Trump was not great. The two leaders could not have been more contradictory and showed little common ground. They could not disguise the gulf that separates them. What does this mean for the future relationship between the USA and Europe under German leadership? The Bible tells us very clearly what is going to happen… very soon.
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