On May 3, 2014, Robb Harris will give the sermon, titled, “Becoming the Family of God.”

The live services are available, over video and audio, at www.cognetservices.org (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.

Our culture is filled with stories and ideals of heroes.  We bestow the title of “hero” for deeds that seem to rise above normal human courage.  Soldiers charging into enemy fire to save comrades or teachers shielding innocents from murderous rampages—both speak to a selfless frame of mind.  A heroic act to save another is something that can never be repaid, and it is why we revere calling someone a hero.  Sadly, even the most honorable of intentions and deeds does little to stop the growing darkness of a world that is sick and dying.

While we give a fleeting nod to selflessness, our society reveres those who vainly set themselves upon pillars to be honored and even worshipped.  The entertainment industry is a self-aggrandizing enterprise, a distraction to show how Satan is transforming this world.  Our end-time age is warned against this practice: “But the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons, and idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk. And they did not repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts” (Revelation 9:20-21).

It is easy to point out obvious idolatry that we should avoid.  What is difficult as a Christian is to not become blinded by subtle idolatry that is at times embraced by the world.  In a recent CNN article about Pope Francis the author states, “The popular pontiff has also made a positive impression among Americans in general: Nearly three in four view Francis favorably.  The new survey suggests that the Pope is arguably the most well-regarded religious figure among the American public today, said CNN Polling Director Keating Holland. According to one study, Pope Francis was the most talked about person on the Internet this year, and even atheists have professed appreciation for the 77-year-old pontiff.” This kind of hero worship, whether it is of debase or lofty ideals, is still false worship. Judgment is coming to those that practice it.

Satan has masterfully hidden away from this world the truth of Jesus Christ: “These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men” (Matthew 15:8-9).  Christ gave His life for all who have or ever will exist.  He alone is the epitome of Heroism because His self-sacrifice wasn’t in vain.  Many have died to give others longer physical life. Only One has died to give us eternal life. Paul acknowledged this belief was not in vain, he had “…hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began” (Titus 1:2).  Our hope is not in vain! The One True Hero is alive and He awaits for us to join Him in eternal life.

Sainthood in the Catholic Church leads our reporting this week with articles showing the remarkable resurgence and world status being fostered by Pope Francis and the Vatican; the struggle for peace between Israel and Palistine once more fails to get off the ground, while Jews face ominous growing anti-Semitism throughout Hungary; also, Western governments play with tepid sanctions as German Chancellor Angela Merkel rules out war and Russian officials join the blame game.

We report on a less than friendly exchange between the Turkish Prime Minister and Germany’s president; note even further decline in British society; and conclude with a report on just how truly fragile America’s society is.

Catholic Superstitions

Deutsche Welle wrote on April 27:

“On Sunday morning, Pope Francis declared two former popes, John XXIII and John Paul II, saints before a crowd of hundreds of thousands in Vatican City’s St. Peter’s [Square.] The double-canonization, which was attended by Pope Francis’ predecessor, Pope emeritus Benedict XVI, was a first in the Catholic Church’s 2,000 year history… In a Latin prayer, Pope Francis said ‘we declare and define Blessed John XXIII and John Paul II be saints and we enroll them among the saints, decreeing that they are to be venerated as such by the whole church.’… Relics of the two new saints were then brought to the altar. Blood from John Paul II was brought by Costa Rican woman Floribeth Mora, whose recovery from a brain aneurism in 2011 was declared the miracle required for John Paul’s canonization. The relic for John XXIII was a small piece of his skin…
 
“Along with the multitudes of pilgrims, leaders from more than 90 nations were due to attend the canonization celebrations, according to the Vatican. These included the Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe, former Polish president and Solidarity leader Lech Walesa and the kings of Spain and Belgium… Leading the Catholic Church from 1958 to 1963, John XXIII called the Second Vatican Council, which changed many aspects of church life including allowing Mass to be held in local languages instead of just Latin. He also encouraged greater dialogue with followers of other faiths, in particular Jewish people… John Paul II was pontiff from 1978 to 2005 and became known for helping to hasten the end of the Cold War and bring down communist rule in Eastern Europe. He also established the popular World Youth Days. His canonization will be the fastest declaration of sainthood in modern history… Earlier this week, critics questioned the appropriateness of declaring Pope John Paul II a saint, citing an abuse scandal linked to an order of priests which he and his closest advisors had strongly supported…”

Big Business Sponsors Catholic Church Event

NBC News wrote on April 26:

“He has railed against the ‘tyranny’ of global capitalism and the ‘idolatry of money, but even Pope Francis needs a little corporate coin sometimes – as proven by the list of sponsors for Sunday’s canonizations. An oil and gas giant, several banks and Switzerland—based food megacorp Nestle are among more than a dozen financial backers of the Rome event…

“The Catholic Church sits upon enormous assets – the Vatican Bank manages $8 billion worth of worldwide investments as well as 33,000 accounts for clergy and parishes – but its governing body, the Holy See, made a loss of $18.4 million in 2011.”

Pope Francis’ Clever Move

Deutsche Welle wrote on April 27:

“The two former popes canonized on Sunday (27.04.2014) by their successor represent opposing positions in the Catholic Church. Pope Francis’ move has placed him squarely between the two poles – a clever diplomatic chess move ahead of important decisions he will have to make.

“John Paul II, sometimes called the ‘Pilgrim Pope’ because of his many travels abroad, distinguished himself during the political unification of Europe. At the same time, he set the Church on a conservative track. Pope John XXIII, meanwhile, ‘tore doors and windows open to let a fresh wind into the Church,’ as one Catholic historian put it. He initiated the Second Vatican Council, with all the reforms it brought, and opened the Church to the people.

“Any canonization reflects on the pope who does the canonizing – even if he did not initiate the process himself. It reveals something of his interpretation of his office. The Polish conservative on the one hand, the Italian reformer on the other: Pope Francis is positioning himself between the two… This is clever a move, and it is the only way that Francis can build the bridges so vital to a Church facing a number of expectations. Following the election of the modest but charismatic Francis a year ago, a stubborn tug-of-war between reformers and traditionalists has been going on behind the scenes at the Vatican – and not only there…

“Sunday’s double-canonization shows that Pope Francis remains an ambiguous figure. But as anyone can now see, he has left all his options open.”

Peace Talks Suspended

JTA wrote on April 25:

“President Obama said it may be time for a pause in Middle East peacemaking in the wake of a breakdown in Israel-Palestinian talks… The crisis began March 29, when Israel failed to meet a deadline to release the final 26 of 104 Palestinian prisoners it had pledged to release at the outset of renewed talks last July. It escalated within days when the Palestinians violated their own pledge not to apply to join international agreements while talks were underway.

“The crisis deepened on Wednesday when the Palestinian Authority signed a unity agreement with Hamas, the group controlling the Gaza Strip that has been designated as terrorist by Israel, the United States and the European Union. Israel suspended the talks formally on Thursday… Netanyahu’s security cabinet ‘decided unanimously that it will not negotiate with a Palestinian government that incorporates Hamas, a terrorist organization that seeks the destruction of Israel.’”

John Kerry Blames Israeli and Palestinian Leaders

The Daily Beast wrote on April 27:

“If there’s no two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict soon, Israel risks becoming ‘an apartheid state,’ Secretary of State John Kerry told a room of influential world leaders in a closed-door meeting Friday. Senior American officials have rarely, if ever, used the term ‘apartheid’ in reference to Israel, and President Obama has previously rejected the idea that the word should apply to the Jewish state. Kerry’s use of the loaded term is already rankling Jewish leaders in America—and it could attract unwanted attention in Israel, as well.

“It wasn’t the only controversial comment on the Middle East that Kerry made… Kerry also repeated his warning that a failure of Middle East peace talks could lead to a resumption of Palestinian violence against Israeli citizens. He suggested that a change in either the Israeli or Palestinian leadership could make achieving a peace deal more feasible. He lashed out against Israeli settlement-building. And Kerry said that both Israeli and Palestinian leaders share the blame for the current impasse in the talks.”

The New York Times added on April 28:

“Secretary of State John Kerry issued an unusual statement Monday evening expressing his support for Israel after a controversy erupted over a politically charged phrase [see above] he used in a private appearance… During his push for a comprehensive peace agreement, Mr. Kerry has repeatedly warned that Israel could face economic pressure from European nations as well as Palestinian violence and a demographic time bomb at home — meaning Jews could become a minority in Israel and the territories they control — if Israel did not negotiate an agreement that led to an independent Palestinian state…

“[Kerry] said that he had been a staunch supporter of Israel during his years as a senator and had spent many hours since working with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli officials… Mr. Kerry added that he did not believe that Israel was an ‘ partied state’ or intended to become one. Mr. Kerry did not dispute he had used the phrase but said it had led to a ‘ misimpression’ about his views. ‘If I could rewind the tape, I would have chosen a different word to describe my firm belief that the only way in the long term to have a Jewish state and two nations and two peoples living side by side in peace and security is through a two state solution,’ he said.

“J Street, a pro-peace Jewish organization,  defended Mr. Kerry. ‘Instead of putting energy into attacking Secretary Kerry, those who are upset with the secretary’s use of the term should put their energy into opposing and changing the policies that are leading Israel down this road,’ it said in a statement.”

Regardless, the Bible indicates that Israel WILL become an “apartheid state”; that is, it will become more and more isolated and without any true supporters.

Rise of the Hungarian Far-Right

Reuters reported on April 27:

“Tens of thousands of Hungarians joined a protest march on Sunday against anti-Semitism, three weeks after the far-right Jobbik party won nearly a quarter of votes cast in a national election.

“Budapest’s annual ‘March of the Living’ has drawn an increasing number of participants in recent years to commemorate the deaths of around half a million Hungarian Jews during the Holocaust in World War Two.

“The marchers, many holding European Union and Israeli flags, attended the inauguration of a Holocaust monument on a bank of the Danube where Jews were executed during the war. They then marched in silence through the city to an old railway station from which trains departed 70 years ago for Nazi death camps…

“Jobbik denies being anti-Semitic but does little to dispel its reputation for intolerance. Its followers are often openly hostile to Jews and other ethnic and religious minorities.

“‘Anti-Semitism has risen. You can feel that in all segments of society: in politics, in media, in schools and in social intercourse,’ said another marcher, Gyorgy Burjan, a retired engineer, adding that Jobbik had capitalized on that.”

US and EU Sanctions of Little Consequence

The Washington Post wrote on April 29:

“The sanctions on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s inner circle were supposed to roll back the chaos besetting eastern Ukraine. But here in Russia’s blossoming capital, such a retreat is nowhere to be seen. Some targets of the sanctions are sitting down for softball interviews on Kremlin-controlled TV channels. Moscow’s stock market rebounded Tuesday for the second day in a row after the latest round of sanctions turned out to be weaker than expected. Chaos is spiraling in eastern Ukraine, where pro-Russian separatists stormed a regional government building in the roiling city of Luhansk on Tuesday. And tens of thousands of Russian troops remain arrayed on Ukraine’s border…  some of the targets have rolled their eyes, saying the United States and Europe are only inflicting wounds on themselves…

“But sanctions targeting individuals rather than industry sectors are unlikely to have a big effect on behavior, said Kirill Rogov, a senior researcher at the Gaidar Institute for Economic Policy in Moscow. ‘No one will stop buying oil or gas because of these sanctions,’ he said.”

In Germany, the mood of the German people is sympathetic towards Mr. Putin, while the official newscasts and the mainstream press struggle to paint a somewhat negative picture. The embrace of former Chancellor Schroeder and Putin and their celebration of Putin’s birthday have caused some initial consternation among politicians, but they were quick to put a spin on it, indicating that Schroeder might have spoken in private to Putin to encourage him to pursue a more peaceful action… which appears rather doubtful.

Merkel Says No War!

The Globe and Mail reported on April 30:

“German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday ruled out military intervention in the dispute with Russia over Ukraine and said she was counting on a diplomatic resolution to Europe’s worst crisis since the Cold War ended.

“In a speech to about 1,200 people in Frankfurt, Germany’s financial capital, ahead of the European parliamentary elections next month, Merkel said the lessons of two world wars in the last century could not be forgotten…

“’I’ll continue working towards a good partnership with Russia,’ said Merkel.

“’We will not resolve our conflicts in Europe with military means. Military solutions can be excluded,’ she added to loud applause.

“Germany, which relies heavily on Russia for natural-gas supplies, has been trying to defuse tensions over Ukraine and is seen in the West as reluctant to ratchet up sanctions against Moscow.”

Russia Accuses West of Wanting to Control Ukraine

The Associated Press reported on April 25:

“Accusing the West of plotting to control Ukraine, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov declared Friday that the pro-Russia insurgents in eastern Ukraine will only lay down their arms if the Ukrainian government clears out the Maidan protest camp in Kiev. ‘The West wants — and this is how it all began — to seize control of Ukraine because of their own political ambitions, not in the interests of the Ukrainian people,’ Lavrov said. He added the pro-Russia insurgents will disarm and vacate buildings ‘only if Kiev authorities get down to implementing the Geneva accords, clear out that shameful Maidan and liberate the buildings that have been illegally seized.’

“Ukraine’s reaction was swift. ‘The world has not yet forgotten the second World War, but Russia is already keen on starting a third world war,’ acting Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk retorted.”

Gauck vs. Errdogan

The Local wrote on April 29:

“Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Errdogan on Tuesday rejected criticism from Germany’s president who said he was ‘scared’ by the Turkey’s recent spate of rights abuses. ‘I think he still thinks of himself as pastor,’ Erdogan told parliament, a day after he met with German President Joachim Gauck who is on a four-day visit to Turkey.

“Gauck, an outspoken former Lutheran pastor, gave a harsh indictment of recent actions by the Turkish government during speeches in Ankara on Monday – particularly efforts to ban Twitter and YouTube and increase control over the judiciary in response to protests and a corruption scandal. ‘I must confess that these developments are scaring me,’ Gauck said in a speech at the Middle East Technical University.

“He added that the rule of law was in danger from efforts to muzzle the opposition. ‘I ask myself if judicial independence is still guaranteed if the government purges so many prosecutors and police, and prevents them from shedding light on crooked developments… or manipulates decisions in its favour,’ Gauck said during his four-day visit to the country.  But Erdogan said Gauck’s approach ‘upset’ him.”

That Turkey has become a dangerous country regarding personal liberties and freedoms, there can be no doubt. President Gauck’s criticism was more than justified, and Errdogan’s reply was more than weak. What diminishes Gauck’s credibility substantially is his personal lifestyle—living together with another woman, while still being married.

Britain No Longer a Christian Country

BBC News wrote on April 27:

“Britain is now a ‘post-Christian’ country, former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams has said… Lord Williams said Britain was not a nation of believers and that the era of widespread worship was over… It comes after Prime Minister David Cameron said people in Britain should be confident of its status as ‘a Christian country’…

“Lord Williams, who retired from being the leader of the Church of England in 2012, said: ‘If I say that this is a post-Christian nation, that doesn’t mean necessarily non-Christian. It means the cultural memory is still quite strongly Christian.’

“He added: ‘But [Britain is] post-Christian in the sense that habitual practice for most of the population is not taken for granted. A Christian nation can sound like a nation of committed believers and we are not that. Equally, we are not a nation of dedicated secularists. It’s a matter of defining terms. A Christian country as a nation of believers? No…”

Don’t Quote Churchill in Britain

The Washington Times wrote on April 29:

“Quoting Winston Churchill’s opinions on Islam contributed to a U.K. politician’s arrest — and possible imprisonment of up to two years. Paul Weston, chairman of the party Liberty GB, was making a speech Saturday outside the Winchester Guildhall in Hampshire, when he quoting the famous prime minister, the Independent reported.

“After a member of the public complained, Mr. Weston was subsequently arrested for religious harassment when he did not comply with officers’ orders to leave the area. The text that contributed to Mr. Weston’s arrest came from Churchill’s book ‘The River of War: An Account of the Reconquest of the Sudan,’ written by the former prime minister in 1899 during his time as an Army officer in Sudan.

“Mr. Weston read the following passage, among others, by Mr. Churchill, the Blaze reported: ‘The fact that in Mohammedan law every woman must belong to some man as his absolute property, either as a child, a wife, or a concubine, must delay the final extinction of slavery until the faith of Islam has ceased to be a great power among men. Individual Moslems may show splendid qualities – but the influence of the religion paralyses the social development of those who follow it. No stronger retrograde force exists in the world. Far from being moribund, Mohammedanism is a militant and proselytizing faith.’”

To get arrested for quoting Winston Churchill’s comments on Islam is another example for the inevitable downfall of Great Britain.

1 In 7 Americans Couldn’t Survive a Week Without a Job

Newsmax wrote on April 26:

“Fourteen percent of Americans, or about one in seven, say they would experience ‘significant financial hardship’ within a week if they lost their job, a Gallup survey reveals. Another 29 percent say they would face financial troubles within a month if they no longer received a paycheck, while 26 percent wouldn’t survive financially more than four months without a job. Just 17 percent could survive for up to one year, and 14 percent could last more than a year, according to Gallup’s poll of adults employed full-time or part-time in all 50 states.

“And among those with an annual household income of less than $50,000, 45 percent could not last one month and 25 percent could not last even a week… More than 60 percent of adults ages 18 to 34 could go only one month or less before experiencing hardship…

“Gallup concludes: ‘With long-term unemployment a serious problem in recent years, many U.S. workers are not in a position financially to go a month, or even a week, without finding a new job if laid off. That underscores the economic hardship that unemployment of any length can bring on U.S. families, particularly for younger and lower-income workers.’”

The Bible reveals many astounding details concerning events which will take place at the time of the end!  One such example is a prophecy about the fate of two individuals who are mentioned several times in the Word of God. What is said about them will help us answer exactly who “the man of sin” is:

“Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone” (Revelation 19:20).

First to be identified is “the beast” and then “the false prophet.” This false prophet performs miraculous signs in support of the beast. The relationship finds an antecedent in Pharaoh with his sorcerers and magicians when Moses and Aaron appeared before them (compare Exodus 7:11, 22; 8:7, 18).

The beast is a domineering political leader controlling the military of many nations, while the false prophet serves him through a powerful religious office—all under the influence of Satan. These two men are also mentioned in the prophecies found in Revelation 13.

In the beginning verses of this chapter, a beast is revealed which is representative of the Roman Empire throughout its existence. In addition, specific reference is made to “the beast,” who is also the individual leader when this prophecy is fulfilled. In a similar way in the past, Nebuchadnezzar was identified as the ruler over Babylon (compare Daniel, chapter 2).

Verse 8 of Revelation, chapter 13, says of the beast that, “All who dwell on the earth will worship him…”

WHY is a political/military, secular person the object of such deification?

It is because of the actions of the “false prophet” we read about in Revelation 19:20! Now consider what is said of this man—a person who quite obviously functions in a religious capacity. The following prophecy addresses the religious system as well as the religious leader of that system:

“Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon. And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence, and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men.

“And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived. He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed. He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name” (Revelation 13:11-17).

Because this next “beast” (verse 11) will be empowered by satanic forces, he will mesmerize the world through his deceptive signs and wonders.

The time setting for the activity of this false prophet is the end of the age and the return of Jesus Christ (Note that Revelation 19:20 shows that both the beast and false prophet will be alive when Jesus Christ returns). Jesus also strictly warned His followers that they must not be deceived by those who appear to have miraculous powers:

“‘For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand’” (Matthew 24:24-25).

Another occurrence spoken of by Jesus—and one which will take place shortly before His return—has to do with the Temple of God in Jerusalem, and it involves the false prophet, the one identified in Revelation 13 and 19. Here is how Jesus begins a series of warnings to His disciples:

“‘Therefore when you see the “abomination of desolation,” spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place’ (whoever reads, let him understand)…” (Matthew 24:15).

While the abomination of desolation refers to the European army attacking and surrounding Jerusalem, it also describes the false prophet in God’s Temple and perhaps a pagan statue dedicated to a false Jesus or the “Virgin Mary.”

In context, this event is also mentioned by the apostle Paul as being fulfilled by “the man of sin”:

“Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God” (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4).

Again, we must consider, exactly who is “the man of sin”? Is he the beast, the false prophet or even someone else?

The answer lies in examining the actions of this person as foretold in the Bible. Note this additional information from Paul:

“And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved” (2 Thessalonians 2:8-10).

From this description, we can understand that the man of sin, “the lawless one,” will receive great power from Satan to deceive people (compare Revelation 16:13-14). Jesus said of Satan that, “‘…he is a liar and the father of it’” (John 8:44). Likewise, it is said of Satan that he “…deceives the whole world” (Revelation 12:9).

In addition to the details of chapter 13 of Revelation in which the man of sin is described in relation to his role with the leader of the political/military system, chapters 17, 18 and 19 address the religious organization over which he rules. 

The man of sin and his religion are known by several names in the Word of God: “God” (2 Thessalonians 2:4); “mystery of lawlessness” (2 Thessalonians 2:7); “lawless one” (2 Thessalonians 2:8); “the false prophet” (Revelation 19:20); the abomination of desolation (Matthew 24:15); the “prince of Tyre” (Ezekiel 28:1-10); “another beast” (Revelation 13:11); “‘the great harlot’”; (Revelation 17:1); “woman” (Revelation 17:3); “‘MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH’” (Revelation 17:5); “that great city” (Revelation 17:18); “that mighty city” (Revelation 18:10).

The man of sin is the false prophet, the religious leader, whom Jesus Christ will destroy at His return. This man will be possessed by Satan and empowered by demons to perform false signs and lying wonders.

Understanding the identity of the man of sin grows more crucial as the end of this age draws to a conclusion. We have several booklets which will provide greater context and even more detail on this topic:

“The Ten European Revivals of the Ancient Roman Empire”

“Is That In The Bible? The Mysteries of the Book of Revelation!”

“The Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord”

“The Mysteries of the Bible”

Lead Writer: Dave Harris

While in Germany, Mr. Link has finalized the new German site for the 2014 Feast of Tabernacles. The location is near Berlin. Also, a German Member Letter has been sent to subscribers announcing these arrangements.

“The Real Herbert W. Armstrong,” is the title of a new StandingWatch program, presented by Evangelist Norbert Link. Here is a summary:

The Church of the Eternal God and its corporate worldwide affiliates teach as major doctrines those which were taught by Herbert W. Armstrong, as derived from the Bible. Much has been written and said about Herbert Armstrong, but very little resembles the truth. In this program, we present to you the real Herbert Armstrong and explain the end-time commission and purpose of God’s true Church. We also offer our free booklet on the “Authority of the Bible.”

On April 26, 2014, Brian Gale will give the sermon, titled, “The Pre-Existence of Christ.” 

The live services are available, over video and audio, at www.cognetservices.org (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.

Having just gone through the Passover and Days of Unleavened  Bread,  what lies ahead for us? The next holy day is Pentecost, which is some fifty days away and pictures the church receiving the Holy Spirit for the first time. We understand that some few received it in Old Testament times in order to fulfill God’s purpose, but it was generally not available until given to the Church on Pentecost in 31 AD.

Unleavened bread helped us to focus on the necessity of getting leaven, that is sin, out of our lives. Failing to do so can and would be detrimental to our future positions in the kingdom of God and even being in God’s Family. Sin, like leaven, if not dealt with will grow and eventually completely overcome a person. If not removed with the help of God’s Spirit in us, this can lead to the unpardonable sin and our destruction. Satan as the god of this world is very subtle and usually doesn’t attempt a major overhaul in our thinking but rather puts seeds of doubt, resentment or jealously in our hearts. If we are not careful to put them out in the early stages of their growth, it could be our undoing.

The society we live in is held captive by Satan:

“…whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them” (2 Corinthians 4:4).

Satan is seeking prey—and that includes us:

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8).

We can overcome Satan:

“Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).

Notice, we must submit to God, which implies effort on our part in order for the devil to leave us alone. We must put our trust in God to help us.

Remember, also, that we must be diligent in our effort to get the good news of the Kingdom of God out to this world!  The return of Jesus Christ is the only true hope for mankind. At the same time, we must continue to be vigilant in keeping sin out of our lives and in drawing close to God so that He can and will draw near to us:

“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded” (James 4:8).

We can be assured that if we follow this admonition we will be successful in fulfilling our calling, and we will thus be guaranteed a position in the glorious kingdom of God. That is our hope; that is our destiny—-let’s ensure that we do not let down, but rather go on to glory in the future God has promised!

Our reports focus on the growing militarism of nations in Asia and Europe in the face of President Putin’s aggressive moves and the apparent continuing weakness of the United States. We present an article challenging “an outrageous new book” making claims about Hitler’s influence on the formation of the modern EU. We conclude with a report on the role of so-called miracles and signs within the Catholic Church, and a short article, along with our comments, regarding Jewish observance of the Feast of Unleavened Bread and other of God’s commanded Holy Days.

NATO’s Half-Hearted Response

Newsmax wrote on April 17:

“The Obama administration is sending ground troops to Poland in response to Russia’s moves in Ukraine… The move… was agreed to as part of an expansion of the NATO presence in the region. The New York Times, meanwhile, said the troops would participate in small exercises in Estonia as well as Poland… The Army exercise is far short of what Poland Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski suggested earlier this month, when he said he wants NATO to deploy two combat brigades with as many as 5,000 troops.”

The “Tentative” Agreement

The Washington Times wrote on April 17:

“Secretory of State John F. Kerry reached a tentative agreement Thursday with Russia’s foreign minister to de-escalate the crisis in Ukraine by disarming militias, but tensions remained high as three pro-Russian separatists were killed in clashes and Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Kiev of plunging the country into an abyss.

“In the first such talks since Russia annexed the Crimea region of Ukraine last month, the diplomats in Geneva agreed that all sides would refrain from violence and that all ‘illegal armed groups will be disarmed.’ Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called the agreement ‘  compromise of sorts’…

“The document didn’t address the 40,000 Russian troops who the U.S. says are massed on Ukraine’s eastern and southern borders. President Obama expressed skepticism that the agreement would hold… Mr. Putin scoffed at the renewed threat from the West. ‘They badly want to bite us, but their opportunities are limited,’ Mr. Putin said. ‘If they try to punish us by putting us into a corner on our knees like naughty children, they will cut the branch they are sitting on.’”

What Putin Really Wants

The New York Times wrote on April 17:

“Even as the world’s top diplomats were gingerly drafting a tentative accord to ‘de-escalate tensions’ in Ukraine, President Vladimir V. Putin was on national television here, brashly declaring Russia’s historical claims over Ukrainian territory, reiterating a threat to use military force and generally sounding a defiant, even mocking, tone toward the United States. Mr. Putin, appearing cool and confident during a four-hour question-and-answer show, referred repeatedly to southeast Ukraine as ‘new Russia’ — a historical term for the area north of the Black Sea that the Russian Empire conquered in the 1700s. And, he said, only ‘God knows’ why the region became part of Ukraine in the 1920s, signaling that he would gladly correct that error… Mr. Putin pointedly asserted that he had the authority to invade Ukraine, but added that he hoped it would not be necessary.”

Breitbart wrote on April 17:

“Russia has achieved a strategic psychological victory over NATO in the Ukraine with the announcement by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Geneva that an agreement had been reached with Ukrainian and NATO member diplomats to ease tensions in the country…

“Over the last few weeks, NATO has been shown to be economically unstable, fully dependent on Russian energy, and lacking a meaningful military deterrent. Russia has brutally humiliated NATO and has strategically reemerged as the dominant nation in Europe… After succeeding in annexing the Crimean peninsula from the Ukraine by popular demand, Moscow sought to bait the Ukrainian government into violent reprisals against pro-Russian protestors and government building occupiers in eastern and southern Ukraine. But unlike the Crimea where the support for Russia was overwhelming, eastern pro-Russian protests were often met with large pro-Western counter-demonstrations. Without the supportive political conditions to welcome a military intervention, Russia fostered the maximum amount of turmoil in the hope the Ukraine military would violently retaliate against both paramilitary groups and civilians.

“The Ukrainian government did begin an ‘anti-terrorism’ campaign in eastern Ukraine in an attempt to drive out mobs of pro-Russian forces that had barricaded themselves inside federal buildings near the Russian border, demanding the government disarm… Russia has succeeded in stopping any further talk of Ukraine joining NATO and must be ecstatic with the state of paralysis in the nation that was already facing financial insolvency and default. The International Monetary Fund had already approved a loan in March that required politically painful austerity spending reforms. Those reforms include doubling of residential natural gas prices and adopting a floating currency exchange rate that will devalue the buying power of worker’s salaries and pensions.

“With a highly contentious Ukraine presidential election coming on May 25th, Russia will be able to criticize the legitimacy of the vote count and feed bitter historic antagonism against politicians in the western Ukrainian capital city of Kiev. If continuing protests cause the elections to be delayed, Russia can push for a break-up of the country or a decentralization of power. Either event would strengthen Russia’s position and humiliate the credibility of NATO as a friend and ally to other Eastern European nations.

“President Vladimir Putin is enjoying a 75% approval rating at home since the beginning of his muscular response to Ukraine. As a former KGB operative, Putin has the luxury of choreographing events in a way that emphasizes his defiance of perceived Western meddling in other nations’ internal affairs. Fearing a scenario like the Ukraine, I expect a number of countries to move away from NATO and re-establish ‘ harmonious relationships’ now that Russia has reemerged as the dominant power in Europe.”

One People Before God?

Deutsche Welle wrote on April 20:

“In an interview with NBC’s ‘Meet the Press,’ Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk has warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin dreamed of restoring Moscow’s former geopolitical and territorial power. According to excerpts of the interview released ahead of Sunday’s broadcast, Yatsenyuk said: ‘President Putin has a dream to restore the Soviet Union. And every day, he goes further and further. And God knows where is the final destination.’…

“Pro-Russian activists remain in control of government buildings in more than a dozen eastern cities. They have rejected the terms of Thursday’s Geneva deal, in which Russia, the US, the EU and Ukraine agreed that activists must lay down their arms and end their occupation of administrative offices. The separatists insist they will remain where they are until the ‘illegitimate’ government in Kyiv – established after the fall of pro-Kremlin president Viktor Yanukovych – steps down. They have also reiterated calls for a referendum on joining the Russian Federation.

“… proof that tensions remain high came from religious leaders on opposing sides of the conflict, who delivered deeply political Easter Sunday messages. The head of Ukraine’s Orthodox Church condemned Russian ‘aggression’ and said ‘evil’ would be defeated. ‘God cannot be on the side of evil, so the enemy of the Ukrainian people is condemned to defeat,’ Patriarch Filaret told worshippers in Western-friendly Kyiv. Across the border in Moscow, Russian Church Patriarch Kirill, called on God to put ‘an end to the designs of those who want to destroy Holy Russia’. He said that while Ukraine was ‘politically’ separate, spiritually and historically’ it was at one with Russia, and he prayed that it would benefit from authorities that are ‘legitimately elected’. ‘We are a single people before God,’ he added.”

Russia Fortifies in the Far East

RIA Novosti reported on April 18:

“Russia will build more than 150 military facilities on the Iturup and Kunashir islands, part of the Kuril chain disputed by Japan, a senior military commander told reporters Friday.

“’All decisions on the construction of military stations on the Iturup and Kunashir islands have been made and approved,’ said Col. Gen. Sergei Suvorkin, the head of Russia’s Eastern Military District.

“’All essential facilities, more than 150, will be built before 2016,’ he added.

“The government endorsed the decision to revamp Russia’s troops on the Far Eastern Kuril Islands in 2011. A territorial dispute with Japan over the island chain, in addition to the island of Sakhalin, prompted Russia to tighten its grip on the territories…

“The four disputed islands — Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and Habomai — were given to Soviet forces at the end of World War II and are still claimed by Japan.

“The two countries never signed a permanent peace treaty following the end of World War II because of the row over the islands, which Russia calls the Southern Kurils and Japan calls the Northern Territories.”

Japan’s Defensive Concerns

Reuters wrote on April 19:

“Japan began its first military expansion at the western end of its island chain in more than 40 years on Saturday, breaking ground on a radar station on a tropical island off Taiwan.

“The move risks angering China, locked in a dispute with Japan over nearby islands which they both claim.

“Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera, who attended a ceremony on Yonaguni island to mark the start of construction, suggested the military presence could be enlarged to other islands in the seas southwest of Japan’s main islands.’

“‘This is the first deployment since the U.S. returned Okinawa (1972) and calls for us to be more on guard are growing,’ Onodera told reporters. ‘I want to build an operation able to properly defend islands that are part of Japan’s territory.’

“The military radar station on Yonaguni, part of a longstanding plan to improve defense and surveillance, gives Japan a lookout just 150 km (93 miles) from the Japanese-held islands claimed by China.”

Pakistan-China Military Exercise

Xinhuanet reported on April 20:

“Two-week long Pakistan-China joint military exercise started Sunday near the garrison of Rawalpindi, Pakistan’s military said.

“Flags of both countries were hoisted and national anthems played to mark the opening of the joint military exercise in a ceremony, a statement from the army’s Inter-Services Public Relations said. ‘The joint exercise is aimed at sharing mutual experience and information in [the] medical field through a comprehensive training program in near real time environment,’ it said…

“The exercise will also provide an opportunity to exchange latest technological advancement in [the] medical field to improve medical operations during peace and war.

“The joint military exercise ‘Peace Angel 2014’ will certainly pave the way for further cementing the existing bilateral relations between the armies of the two countries.”

Sweden Reacts to Russia

thelocal.se wrote on April

“Sweden’s centre-right government coalition announced plans on Tuesday to pump more funds into the military if the four parties win the September elections, with an emphasis on more fighter jets and submarines.

“In an article published in the newspaper Dagens Nyheter (DN) the four party leaders wrote about the crisis in Ukraine and how Russia had now ramped up both its military and propaganda machines.

“The leaders said they had previously welcomed Russia’s attempts to embed itself deeper in the global community, despite harbouring fears that the tide could turn at any point.

“‘What we see today is a Russia that acts in a way that confirms and surpasses the fears we had then,’ the leaders of the Moderate, Liberal (Folkpartiet), Centre and Christian Democrat Parties wrote.”

Hitler and the EU

Express wrote on April 17:

“The EU was HITLER’S idea and it proves Germany WON the Second World War, claims [a] new book. “THE ‘fascist’ EU was inspired and designed by the NAZIS and is proof Hitler won the Second World War, an outrageous new book is claiming.

“’The EU: The Truth About The Fourth Reich – How Hitler Won The Second World War’ argues the single currency, the free market and even the phrase ‘United States of Europe’ were all dreamt up by high ranking Nazis, including the Fuhrer himself… It also claims the only country which benefits from the EU is Germany – just as Hitler planned.

“A spokesperson for the Liberal Democrats – which its leader Nick Clegg describes as the ‘party of in’ when it comes to the EU – dismissed the authors of the book as ‘peddling outlandish myths’.

“The book, co-written by Daniel J Beddowes and Falvio Cipollini, says: ‘What is the EU for? Who really benefits? And the answer is of course Germany… We may think we won the Second World War. But we lost. It is no surprise that we are all living in the Fourth Reich. Knowingly or not those who support and defend the European Union are supporting the Nazi legacy.’…

“Under a chapter heading ‘The EU was inspired [and] designed by Nazis’, the authors claim: ‘Hitler was the man who gave bones to the dreams first expressed by Charlemagne and Napoleon but the finishing touches to the EU as we know it were put in place during World War II by a man called Walther Funk, who was President of the Reichsbank and a director of the Bank for International Settlements…’ The book argues it is no coincidence that the EU is so close to Hitler’s plan for post-war Europe.

“According to the authors: ‘In 1945, Hitler’s Masterplan was captured by the Allies. The Plan included details of his scheme to create an economic integration of Europe and to found a European Union on a federal basis. The Nazi plan for a federal Europe was based on Lenin’s belief that ‘federation is a transitional form towards complete union of all nations’. It is impossible to find a difference between Hitler’s plan for a new United States of Europe, dominated by Germany, and the European Union we have today.’…

“It is not the first time the EU has been described as a German plot to take over Europe. In 1990, Cabinet Minister Nicholas Ridley – a close ally of Margaret Thatcher – was forced to resign after he described proposed Economic and Monetary Union as ‘a German racket designed to take over the whole of Europe’ and said that giving up sovereignty to the European Union was as bad as giving it up to Hitler.”

False Signs and Wonders

The Telegraph wrote on April 23:

“A woman whose ‘miraculous’ recovery from an inoperable brain aneurysm paved the way for the late Pope John Paul II to be declared a saint at a ceremony at the Vatican this weekend has described how the Polish pontiff appeared to her in a vision. Floribeth Mora Diaz, from Costa Rica, will be a guest of honor at the ceremony on Sunday, when Pope Francis will canonise two of his predecessors – John Paul II and John XXIII, the Italian pontiff nicknamed ‘the Good Pope’ who initiated reforms to the Catholic Church in the 1960s.

“Three years ago, Mrs Mora was told by doctors in her home country that her condition was hopeless and that her death was only a matter of time. Partially paralysed, she was on pain medication and lying in bed at home on May 1, 2011, clutching a magazine with a front cover photograph of the former Polish pontiff, when he purportedly appeared before her in a vision. It was the day that John Paul II was beatified at a grand open-air ceremony in St Peter’s Square – the first step towards him being made a saint.

“‘Floribeth, get up, what are you doing here? Why don’t you go into the kitchen and see your husband?’ the vision said to her. The late Pope’s hands seemed to reach out towards her from the cover of the magazine, she said. ‘And I responded, now I feel fine, I’m going, I’m going,’ the 50-year-old mother-of-four told Il Messagero, an Italian daily, on Wednesday. She insisted that from that day on, she was completely cured…

“Even her neurosurgeon seems to be convinced. ‘If I cannot explain it from a medical standpoint, something non-medical happened,’ said Alejandro Vargas Roman. “‘[I] can believe it was a miracle.’ Since her recovery, she has become the object of almost cult-like devotion, with the faithful and people suffering from illnesses flocking to her home in a middle-class neighborhood in the town of Dulce Nombre de Cartago, 12 miles outside the capital of Costa Rica, San Jose… Her cure, which the Vatican insists cannot be explained by science, was declared a miracle last July by Pope Francis, in a move which gave the final approval for John Paul II to be canonized.

“The first miracle attributed to him was the apparent healing of a French nun, Sister Marie Simon-Pierre. Her recovery from Parkinson’s disease after praying for the late Pope’s ‘intercession’ in 2005 had no medical explanation, the Catholic Church maintains.”

We can expect to hear more about such false signs and miracles within the Catholic Church. Biblically, these occurrences are NOT in any way connected with the working of the true God.

Jews Don’t Keep Unleavened Bread According to the Bible

JTA wrote on April 23:

“On Wednesday, just hours after observant Jews ended their eight days of Passover-mandated abstinence from all things leavened, the New York Times gave them something to chew on: an entire Dining section devoted to bread.”

The interesting thing is that observant Jews keep their own traditions, while transgressing God’s commandments (Mark 7:6-9, 11). According to the Bible, Passover had to be kept this year on Sunday evening, April 13, but the Jews kept it one day too late, while confusing it with the Night to Be Much Observed—the beginning of the first Day of Unleavened Bread in the evening of April 14. Then, the Days of Unleavened Bread were to be kept for seven days, ending on Monday evening, April 21. Somehow, observant Jews managed to keep the allotted time for eight days and ended the period one day late—in the evening of Tuesday, April 22. While God gave the Jews the responsibility to faithfully maintain the Hebrew calendar, which they did, He does not approve of their unfaithfulness in misapplying God’s laws… for example, in keeping each annual Holy Day for two days, while rejecting to observe the entire eight days of the Feast of Tabernacles and the Last Great Day (they only keep four days of the entire time span).

Some doubt that Christ became human at all. Others believe that He was fully God and fully man when He was here on earth. Then there are those who teach that while the “human form” of Jesus was here on earth, the “Son of God” was still in heaven. They believe that when Jesus “died,” the Son of God continued to live.

None of these concepts are correct. As we explain in our free booklet, “Jesus Christ—A Great Mystery,” the Word or the “Logos”; that is, the Son of God—Jesus Christ—BECAME flesh. When He was changed into flesh, divesting Himself of His divinity and laying aside His divine attributes and glory, He ceased to exist as an immortal Spirit Being. Rather, He BECAME—was CHANGED INTO—flesh.

How did this happen?

We will be attempting to answer this question by first pointing out what the Bible clearly reveals, and by then deducting from these revelations the most likely possibilities, which are presenting themselves.

We read that Christ existed since all eternity. There was never a time when He did not exist. He was always the second Member of the God Family, which always existed as two immortal God Beings—God the Father and the Son. But Christ, who was “slain from the beginning of the world,” BECAME a human being—consisting fully of flesh—so that He could overcome sin in the flesh and DIE. When He became a man, He ceased to exist as a Spirit Being. When He died, He ceased to live—He did not continue to live, while in the grave for three days and three nights.

God the Father resurrected Him from the dead as an immortal Spirit Being, with the glory that He had before He became flesh.

God is Spirit, and so Jesus Christ, before He became a man, was Spirit because Christ was God (John 1:1). The Holy Spirit is not a Person, but the power and mind of God, flowing from God. As long as Christ was a God Being, His Holy Spirit flowed from Him, as it did and does from God the Father. But in order to bestow the Holy Spirit on others, one has to be a glorified God Being. When Jesus became a human being, He did not have any longer the Holy Spirit on His own. Rather, it was the FATHER, who lived in Christ through HIS—the Father’s—Holy Spirit. (See our Q & A on the need of Christ’s glorification for the bestowing of the gift of the Holy Spirit). It was the Father’s Holy Spirit of power, which dwelled in Christ from His human inception without measure.

When Christ became a human being, the Father changed the immortal Spirit Being—Jesus Christ—into a mortal human being, thereby also becoming the Father of the HUMAN being Jesus Christ. Later, the Father “reversed” the process by changing the human being—Jesus Christ—back into an immortal Spirit Being.

How did the Father accomplish the change from Spirit to flesh in the Person of Jesus? Actually, this had to be an extremely unique and awesome accomplishment, so that Jesus became the ONLY-SO-begotten Son of the Father.

First, we read that Mary was found pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. It was the power of God the Father Who impregnated Mary with Jesus. To put it bluntly, from all the biblical evidence available to us, we conclude that Jesus was changed into and became a sperm in the womb of Mary. Mary’s ovum was thus fertilized, as every human baby comes into existence through the fertilization of a female egg through a male sperm. In Jesus’ case, however, the sperm was not from a human father, but it was the result of a change from immortal to mortal, through the power of God the Father’s Holy Spirit.

When a human being is conceived in the womb of his or her mother, God gives that tiny little fetus a spirit—called the spirit in man. We do not know, exactly, how this is done—whether through an individual miraculous action and intervention on God’s part, or whether through an automatic “mechanism” and “procedure” which is somehow attached to or incorporated in the male sperm and brought into motion at the time of conception. In any event, this human spirit did not exist before in its individual “capacity”—we read that God “forms” or“creates” it in man (Zechariah 12:1), apparently at the time of conception. That individual human spirit, which is created and comes into existence at the moment of conception, does of course not have any “memory” of anything prior to its “creation” in the human fetus.

It appears that this concept applies to Christ as well. When God the Father placed in Christ the HUMAN spirit at the time of His conception in the womb of Mary, it did not carry with it any memory of Christ’s prior life as a God Being—as the HUMAN spirit of Christ did not exist prior to Christ’s change into a mortal human being.

At the same time, we read that Christ, when He was a man, clearly recalled His preexistence. We do not know exactly when Christ began to “remember,” but it appears that His memory came to Him, gradually, through the indwelling Holy Spirit of God the Father.

This conclusion is based on the fact that Christ told His disciples that the Holy Spirit would remind them of the things which He had told them. In the same way, it stands to reason that the Spirit of God the Father reminded Christ of prior events in His Life as a God Being.

When a human being dies, his human spirit returns to God who gave it. It is stored in heaven to be used for the purpose of a later resurrection of the person, as it retained everything of the person, including his outward appearance, thoughts, memories, experiences and actions in his life prior to death (See our booklet, The Theory of Evolution—a Fairy Tale for Adults?). But the spirit in man is not a person, and neither is the Holy Spirit.

Still, when a person becomes converted and is properly baptized, he will receive from God the Holy Spirit, thereby giving him divine nature, potentially leading to immortal divine life at the time of his resurrection. When that converted person dies, both his human spirit and his Holy Spirit return to God, and are retained in heaven, until the time of his resurrection to an immortal spirit being.

The same happened at the time of Christ’s death. His human spirit, together with God the Father’s Holy Spirit, returned to God, and after three days and three nights in the grave, God the Father resurrected Christ from the dead as an immortal glorified God Being, using the spirit in man and the Father’s Holy Spirit to create a spiritual body with all physical and spiritual memories, thoughts and accomplishments.

But in the case of Christ, even more had to be involved.

Returning to our discussion on Christ’s physical birth, recall that we said that Christ was changed from spiritual to physical. He willingly gave up His glory and laid aside His divine attributes. The question arises, what occurred at that moment to His Holy Spirit? As a God Being, He had the Holy Spirit on His own, but He did not have it on its own when He was human.

Three arguable possibilities might be discussed.

First, His Holy Spirit simply ceased to exist. This possibility must be ruled out. God’s Holy Spirit does not simply cease to exist; in the parable of the unprofitable servant, God takes back from him that what had been given to him—the Holy Spirit—to bestow it on someone else.

Another possibility could be that Christ’s Holy Spirit changed into something mortal—the human spirit perhaps—when Christ changed into a human sperm. But there is really not much evidentiary basis for that conclusion, especially if considering the following third possibility, which is in harmony with God’s usual course of action.

This possibility is that Christ’s Holy Spirit stayed with God the Father in heaven—clearly NOT as a self-conscious entity, and most assuredly NOT as the Son of God—but as God retains in heaven his human spirit after a converted person’s death, together with the Holy Spirit given to and residing in that person, so it appears that when Christ became a human being, the Father “retained” Christ’s Holy Spirit in heaven, which Christ “laid aside.”

Subsequently, when Christ died and His human spirit and the Holy Spirit of the Father (which dwelt in the human Christ without measure) returned to the Father in heaven, both the Father’s Holy Spirit and the Spirit of Christ (retained in heaven) would have combined or  “merged,” and when the Father resurrected Christ from the dead, He would have done so by using Christ’s human spirit, as well as the Father’s Spirit which had dwelt in Christ without measure and Christ’s Spirit which had been retained in heaven. But it was still the FATHER who resurrected Christ through the power of HIS Spirit.

But to repeat, neither the Holy Spirit nor the spirit in man are self-conscious entities or persons. When Christ died, He was dead. There was no consciousness in Him, nor did God the Father’s Holy Spirit that had dwelt in Christ continue to “live” with consciousness, while Christ was in the grave.

Likewise, Christ’s Holy Spirit that was retained by God the Father in heaven while Jesus lived on earth did not have any self-consciousness. But based on our understanding, one can clearly see how the FALSE concept of a conscious immortal soul which keeps on living after a person dies could have entered the confused mind of man, as well as the FALSE concept that the Son of God continued to exist as a conscious Being in heaven, while the man Jesus lived on earth.

Today, as both God the Father and Jesus Christ are immortal glorified God beings, both the Spirit of the Father and the Spirit of Christ dwell in a converted Christian. We read that there is ONE Spirit, in the sense that both the Father and Christ are totally UNIFIED.  And we also read that true Christians are to be ONE or unified, AS God the Father and the Son are ONE or unified.

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

We are pleased to announce that during services of the Last Day of Unleavened Bread, Thilo and Anita Hanstein, and Christoph and Monique Sperzel were ordained by Norbert and Michael Link as deacons and deaconesses.

This week, Norbert and Johanna Link, as well as Christoph Sperzel and Anita Hanstein, travelled to Templin (near Berlin) to successfully finalize arrangements for the Feast of Tabernacles 2014. Further announcements will be forthcoming.

“Why is Putin Winning?,” is the title of a new StandingWatch program, presented by Evangelist Norbert Link. Here is a summary;

Vladimir Putin is winning, but WHY? Does God tell us in the Bible? WHY do we see increased collaboration between Russia, China, Japan and India? WHY does Putin reassert himself in Afghanistan and Latin America? WHY do most Americans refuse to see the parallels between Putin’s annexation of Crimea and Hitler’s land grab of Sudetenland? WHY do German companies and many Germans express understanding or even support for Putin? WHY is Russia winning in the Middle East?

by Manuela Mitchell

When I was a child, I remember  a week feeling like it took a month, and a month seeming like a year. I remember my summer vacation lasting what seemed like a lifetime as I waited for the new school year to start. But, as I grew older, I discovered that time did not wait and more responsibilities were added to my schedule. Within the last few weeks, I have felt as if I could not keep up with the routines of life. There are always increased trials around the Passover season, and even the simple idea of time can be one of them.
 
I have found that I seem to be always rushing; whether it be before work, church, dropping my son off at preschool, or, for even recreational activities. I don’t mean to rush, and I often prepare enough time to get things done, but somehow, unexpected things find me. I have trouble sitting still; I am always up either at work or working on things around the house. There have been times when I have found myself rushing through prayer or study because my mind won’t take a rest from everything that is occurring all at once.
 
I know that taking a moment to recollect what is truly important in life will help me manage the time that I do have to spend on other things. Sometimes, I have to take a moment to just sit and not fret about the worries in life, but focus on God who will in time make me stronger and be more at peace with myself.

On April 19, 2014, Brian Gale will give the sermon, titled, “No Hiding Place.” 

The live services are available, over video and audio, at www.cognetservices.org (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.

NOTE: Morning and Afternoon Services will be conducted on the last Day of Unleavened Bread, Monday, April 21, 2014. The times are 9:00 am and 1:00 pm Pacific Time.

After participating in the Passover and while we are in the midst of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, many of us have similar thoughts running through our minds. Foremost, the sin that we acknowledged during our personal examination of ourselves in preparation for Passover has become starkly clear. We are all sinners (1 John 1:8-10), and the wages of the sin we commit is death (Romans 6:23). Because of this, God required that His Son be sacrificed so that we might have the opportunity to live forever as part of His Family. These facts describe the bottom line of Christianity – the ultimate plan of God. If we want to participate in that plan, we have some responsibilities.

The fundamental starting point occurs during the Passover, with the acknowledgement of our sin, when we take personal responsibility for causing the death of Jesus Christ. The Days of Unleavened Bread follow, giving us the instruction to continue from that acknowledgement of sin, and work to remove it from our lives. It is a common and intended phenomenon for us to become acutely aware of our inadequacies and weaknesses during this time, so we specifically know the areas where we need to improve. This is heavy stuff to take in, and this is the season of the year when these truths generally penetrate the deepest. It is enough to trigger a great deal of guilt, knowing that individually we have directly caused the death of our Savior – and that we have so, so much to work on.
 
Becoming paralyzed by guilt is not something that we should allow, however. While we live lives that include sinful actions, which might cause us to feel unworthy of Christ’s Sacrifice, our remorse must transform into repentance. Our willingness to change our behavior to be in accordance with God’s laws proves to Him that even though we sin, we are working to improve. Bearing fruits of repentance is what God looks for in our lives. That shows God that we are not behaving unworthily of the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

Repentance takes work because it is so contrary to the way of this world in which we live. However, it is something that God believes we are capable of performing, with His help, and He is glad to offer us the opportunity. It is, after all, His good pleasure to offer us the Kingdom of God (Luke 12:32). For this awesome opportunity to repent, we should be thankful.

Even though the wages of sin is death, the gift of God is eternal life! What we have to remember is that God wants us to take advantage of the opportunity He provides to us. Jesus Christ was not sacrificed so that we might continue to feel guilty and unworthy, but rather, so that we might claim it, change our lives, and be grateful. The guilt of our sin, transformed by repentance into good behavior, should make us grateful. Do you offer God your sincere thanks for this gift? Now is certainly the time to do so.
 
But even after partaking of the Passover, we find that we sin again. The Feast of Unleavened Bread reminds us that we have to continue, with God’s help, to conquer the sin that stares us directly in the face. We must remember how God wants us to respond. We must not become paralyzed by the faults we recognize, leading us to inaction. Instead, we must be thankful for the opportunity to be saved and actively express that gratitude by bearing fruit of repentance.

As rumors of serious military conflicts loom in our news, we begin with a report on Israel’s stringent requirements for military service; we note the burdensome tax structure in America; we offer several articles focusing on the crisis in Ukraine–noting how this event is spiraling into a realignment of Europe’s self-defense.

We conclude with a report and note of caution on the false claims being offered to explain “heavenly signs.”

Virtually No Conscientious Objection in Israel

The Telegraph reported on April 14:

“Israeli teenagers risk being sent to prison by refusing to join the army… Draft-age pupils in Israel have defied the law and Benjamin Netanyahu by telling him they will not join the army after leaving school… All men and women are obliged to join the Israeli Defence Forces at age 18, although exemptions exist for Arab citizens and ultra-Orthodox Jews engaged in religious studies.”

We can be thankful that the USA does not have similar restrictive laws, prohibiting religious freedom of sincerely held beliefs against fighting in war. Also, to compel women to fight in war is extremely troublesome.

American Companies Flee Overbearing Tax Liabilities

The Financial Tines wrote on April 13:

“Walgreen has come under pressure from an influential group of its shareholders, who want the US pharmacy chain to consider relocating to Europe, in what would be one of the largest tax inversions ever attempted. At a private meeting in Paris on Friday, investors owning close to 5 per cent of Walgreens’ shares lobbied the company’s management to use its $16bn takeover of Swiss-based Alliance Boots to re-domicile its tax base…

“Existing rules mean that a US company can forgo its domestic tax status through a deal that transfers more than 20 per cent of its shares to foreign owners. A tax inversion by Walgreens would be likely to face strong political resistance in the US, where the practice has become increasingly popular during the past two years…”

With ridiculous American tax laws, those practices should surprise no one. As usual, America is digging its own grave in so many different ways.

Ukraine Crisis Escalates

AFP wrote on April 13:

“The UN Security Council has held emergency talks after Ukraine declared a ‘full-scale’ military operation against pro-Russia forces, amid deadly clashes in its restive east. Russia and the West locked horns over the escalating crisis in Ukraine with Russian ambassador Vitaly Churkin saying ‘there has already been bloodshed and a further escalation must be swiftly stopped’…”

“Ukraine’s Interior Minister Arsen Avakov announced the launch of a counterstrike against the armed separatists in the eastern Donetsk region early on Sunday morning… US ambassador Power urged Russia to explain why 40,000 of its forces are massed on the Ukrainian border and find constructive ideas to stop armed attacks on government buildings in eastern Ukraine.”

This crisis will not end any time soon…

Russia’s Preparations For Ukrainian Occupation

AFP wrote on April 16:

“Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev on Tuesday said Ukraine was on the verge of civil war as Kiev authorities launched a military operation against pro-Kremlin militants in the separatist east. ‘I will be brief: Ukraine is on the brink of civil war, it’s frightening,’ the country’s former president was quoted as saying by Russian news agencies.”

The Local added on April 16:

“Russian President Vladimir Putin warned Chancellor Angela Merkel that Ukraine was on the verge of civil war after the Kiev government sent in the army against separatists in the east of the country, the Kremlin said on Wednesday.”

Apparently, Russia is preparing the occupation of Ukraine and providing the West with a “justification” for their anticipated actions. One should not be fooled by Russia’s promises to cooperate with the West in regard to Mr. Putin’s militant separatists.

Global Military Spending

Deutsche Welle reported on April 14:

“Global military spending totaled $1.7 trillion (1.23 trillion euros) in 2013, a decrease of nearly 2 percent from the previous year. However, the drop in overall investment in the armed forces was by no means a sign of countries across the globe of nations slowing down military development, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said on Monday… the  major cause of the 2-percent drop stemmed from changes the United States’ military budget, the top spender in the world. Washington-approved budget cuts led to a 7.8 percent drop year-on-year, down to $640 billion. The withdrawal from Iraq and the winding down of operations in Afghanistan also contributed to the decrease in spending.

“Meanwhile, China, Russia and Saudi Arabia sharply increased their spending between 2012 and 2013. Beijing invested 7.4 percent more in its armed forces, bringing its total budget to $188 billion. Saudi Arabia rose from seventh to fourth in the world. In 2013, its military expenditures totaled $67 billion, an increase of 14 percent from the previous year…

“France, Britain, Germany, Japan, India and South Korea were among the top spenders. The SIPRI report also noted stark growth in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin America and the Middle East as the West spent less.

“SIPRI ranked Russia number three on its list, noting that it had invested a greater percentage of its GDP in its military in 2013, beating out the US for the first time in a decade. Moscow spent 4.1 percent of its GDP on its armed forces, barely overtaking Washington, which spent only 3.8 percent of its GDP on the same sector…

“Moscow’s deployment of troops along its southwestern border with Ukraine has worried Western leaders, who are trying to de-escalate tensions between Russian President Vladimir Putin and the transitional government in Kyiv. The SIPRI report noted that the perceived threat of Russian military aggression could also have an influence on EU military spending, which has dropped in the face of the eurozone crisis.”

These statistics are highly significant, in light of biblical prophecy, which predicts the military decline of the USA, and the rise of military spending in Russia, China and Europe.

Germany Warns of War in Europe

The Local wrote on April 14:

“Germany warned of war in Europe on Monday, with vice chancellor Sigmar Gabriel stating the continent was being ‘dragged’ into a ‘smoldering conflict’ with Russia over Ukraine… He said that good news several months ago from Ukraine – including an end to bloody violence against protesters – had since given way to ‘an ongoing military confrontation’ and the realization that ‘Russia is apparently willing to let tanks cross European borders. Suddenly, we are being dragged from the observer’s position into a long smoldering and incendiary conflict, which is also demanding a price from Europe in the form of sanctions against Russia,’ he said.

“Foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier meanwhile, called the danger of Europe splitting a ‘ dal one’…

“He told the paper that he believed Russia was testing the West through it’s handling of Crimea. ‘ [It] cannot be, seven decades after the end of the second world war and 25 years after the end of the cold war, that we start changing borders based on ethic, linguistic or religious factors.’ Berlin also said it saw indications Russia was supporting pro-Kremlin militias who seized government buildings in eastern Ukraine.

“Christiane Wirtz, spokeswoman for Chancellor Angela Merkel said: ‘There are many signs that the armed groups active in eastern Ukraine are receiving support from Russia,’ she said, adding that Merkel had discussed the crisis with British Prime Minister David Cameron by phone on Monday morning. ‘A look at the appearance, uniforms and weaponry of some of these groups hardly suggests that they are defense forces spontaneously formed by civilians,’ she said.”

NATO Reacts to Russia’s Threats

AP wrote on April 16:

“NATO is strengthening its military footprint along its eastern border immediately in response to Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, the alliance’s chief said Wednesday.

“Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said NATO’s air policing aircraft will fly more sorties over the Baltic region west of Ukraine, far from the tensions in the eastern part of the country. He said allied warships will also deploy to the Baltic Sea, the eastern Mediterranean and elsewhere if needed.

“NATO’s supreme commander in Europe told reporters that ground forces could also be involved at some point, but gave no details.

“NATO members Poland and the Baltic countries Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia have been wary following Russia’s annexation of the Ukrainian Crimean Peninsula, demanding a more robust military posture to counter neighboring Russia.’
“Rasmussen said the new NATO deployments are about ‘deterrence and de-escalation” in the face of Russia’s aggressive behavior in Ukraine, which is not a member of the 28-nation alliance…

“Air Force Gen. Philip Breedlove said multiple nations have approached him with offers of ground forces that will be included in a plan of operations he will give to NATO later Wednesday or Thursday.

“Breedlove said the package of new military moves is designed to remain in place through Dec. 31.”

One certain outcome from Russia’s gamesmanship is the awakening in Europe to the fact that their military strength must increase! The US has proven itself to be weakened and can no longer be looked to as their first line of defense.

Signs in the Heavens?

The Daily Mail reported on April 14:

“Popular televangelist claims four blood moons are sign of ‘world-shaking event… Four complete lunar eclipses will appear in the sky starting on April 15. Pastor John Hagee, of Texas’ Cornerstone Church, believes God is trying to communicate with humans through these celestial signs….

“Bestselling author and televangelist Pastor John Hagee claims the four blood moons that will soon appear in the skies over America are evidence of a future ‘world-shaking event.’ The blood moons are part of a tetrad, a set of complete and consecutive lunar eclipses that will begin on April 15 and continue in roughly six-month intervals until October 2015…

“The April 15 event happens during Passover. On Oct. 8, the blood moon will occur during the Feast of Tabernacles. Another blood moon will occur during Passover on April 4, 2015. The last will happen on Sept. 28, 2015, another Feast of the Tabernacles.”

Technically, all the predictions don’t match the times of God’s Holy Days. In 2014, the Passover was already in the evening of April 12. It is true, however, that the Days of Unleavened Bread fall from the evening of April 14 until sunset of April 21. Further, the Feast of Tabernacles 2014 BEGINS at sunset—at the end of October 8. In 2015, Passover will be in the evening of April 2, and the Days of Unleavened Bread will begin with sunset of April 3. In 2015, the Feast of Tabernacles will be celebrated, according to the Hebrew calendar, from the evening of September 27 until October 5. Even though close, Hagee’s dates are not completely accurate.

In any event, we must be careful not to assign “heavenly signs” to events like the ones described by Hagee. The biblical heavenly signs will cause tremendous catastrophes… they involve much more than just inconsequential visible constellations or eclipses. Also, from a time sequence standpoint, the heavenly signs will occur AFTER the BEGINNING of the Great Tribulation. The Great Tribulation did not begin with Passover of 2014, and it is not to be expected that it will begin in 2015 either.

In your weekly Update 112 for the Week ending October 11th, 2003, you discussed the Last Great Day of the Feast of Tabernacles.   Do you still feel that this is the 8th day as there are those in the Church of God who think that this applies to the seventh day of the Feast?
 
We are happy to discuss this further.   The Q & A that you refer to can be found at https://www.globalchurchofgod.co.uk/qa/3525 .   In this answer, the last paragraph states the following:
 
“It is important to note what Christ said. He pointed out that the time would arrive when EVERYONE who thirsts could come to Him to receive from Him the gift of living waters — the Holy Spirit. That promise will not be fulfilled until the Great White Throne Judgment (Revelation 20:11-12) — AFTER the Millennium (Revelation 20:4, 6). While the Feast of Tabernacles pictures the Millennium, the Great White Throne Judgment is pictured by the Last Great Day or the EIGHTH Day. When THAT time has arrived, all persons who had not been called before will be resurrected to physical life and will then be given their first real opportunity to accept God’s calling. Christ’s words in John 7:37-39 speak of a time when God’s Spirit will be offered to all, for at that time, all will be CALLED to salvation.”
 
This is an important paragraph because it clearly shows that in John 7:37-39 Christ spoke of the time when EVERYONE who thirsted and who could come to Him to receive the gift of living waters – the Holy Spirit.   It is worth reiterating and emphasising this point because that time won’t come until the Great White Throne Judgment when all who have ever lived and have not been called will have their first opportunity to accept God’s calling.   That is why the Last Great Day, or the eighth day, pictures the Great White Throne Judgment.
 
But there is more.   The 7th day of the Feast of Tabernacles is not even a Holy Day – it is the last of 7 days of the Feast of Tabernacles and in that context, the symbolism if the 7th day was that “great day of the Feast” wouldn’t really make sense. When the Bible designates an annual Holy Day—as distinguished from a weekly Sabbath—it oftentimes makes this distinction very clear. For example, when referring to the First Day of Unleavened Bread, it states in John 19:31, that “that Sabbath was a high day.”  (For further explanation, compare our free booklet, “Jesus Christ—A Great Mystery.”).  Likewise, in John 7:37, the terminology, “that great day of the Feast,” does not just refer to a “normal” day, and not even to a weekly Sabbath, but to an annual Holy Day.

It has also been stated that if the Last Great Day is a one day Feast, which would indicate that there are other days, how could it be called the Great Day of the Feast?   It is an interesting question.
 
In Matthew 26:17 we read “Now on the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying to Him, “Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?”   This shows that the Jews spoke about the Passover and Days of Unleavened Bread as one period of time.
 
Barnes notes on the Bible states that “The first day … – The feast continued “eight” days, including the day on which the paschal lamb was killed and eaten, Exodus 12:15.   That was the fourteenth day of the month Abib, answering to parts of our March and April.”
 
Clarke’s Commentary on the Bible has this to say: “Now the first day of the feast of unleavened bread – As the feast of unleavened bread did not begin till the day after the Passover, the fifteenth day of the month, Leviticus 23:5, Leviticus 23:6; Numbers 28:16, Numbers 28:17, this could not have been, properly, the first day of that feast; but as the Jews began to eat unleavened bread on the fourteenth,Exodus 12:18, this day was often termed the first of unleavened bread. The evangelists use it in this sense, and call even the paschal day by this name. See Mark 14:12; Luke 22:7.”
 
We can see that the period which would encompass the Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread was seen by the Jews as a time which they celebrated as one.
 
In Mark 14:1-2 we read “After two days it was the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. And the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take Him by trickery and put Him to death. But they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar of the people.”   Again we can see that there were two separate Feasts but for the Jews “Unleavened Bread” covered the whole period.
 
In Mark 14:12-16 we read – “Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they killed the Passoverlamb, His disciples said to Him, “Where do You want us to go and prepare, that You may eat the Passover?”  And He sent out two of His disciples and said to them, “Go into the city, and a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him.  Wherever he goes in, say to the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says, “Where is the guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?”’  Then he will show you a large upper room, furnished and prepared; there make ready for us.”  So His disciples went out, and came into the city, and found it just as He had said to them; and they prepared the Passover.”   Again, the Jews reckoned that the Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread were one whole period and Feast.
 
Again, we read in Luke 22:1 we read this same terminology: “Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called Passover.”
 
Having seen that the Jews lumped the Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread together, we can better understand that, likewise the Feast of Tabernacles and the Last Great Day were also seen as one celebration.

In addition, if John 7:37-39 were to refer to the seventh day, and not the eighth day of the Tabernacles season, what then would the symbolic meaning be for the eighth day? Some say that it would refer to a time when God would colonize the universe or recreate the new heavens and the new earth. However, God’s annual Holy Days picture God’s plan for physical mankind, culminating in the final enlargement of God’s Family— the change of all of physical man into God beings or the extinction of those who maliciously refused to be part of the Kingdom of God. The eighth day pictures this final accomplishment for physical man. To now reduce this final step of God’s plan for physical man to the seventh day of the Feast and then add a totally new and unrelated thought to the symbolism of the eighth day—the colonization of the universe or the creation of new heavens and a new earth—makes little sense in consideration of the entire picture for mankind, as symbolized by God’s annual Holy Days.  
 
It seems clear, when reviewing all of the available information contained in the Word of God, that “… the last day, that great day of the Feast” (John 7:37) was the eighth day which pictures the Great White Throne Judgment.

Lead Writer: Brian Gale

Mr. Link reported that three persons were baptized following last week’s Sabbath services in Germany.

Norbert and Johanna Link, Michael Link, Thilo and Anita Hanstein, and Christoph and Monique Sperzel met with a German attorney and a notary to sign the constitution and other papers for the purpose of registering the Kirche des Ewigen Gottes in Germany. These documents will now be filed with the government and the tax authorities to obtain legal status and tax exemption.

“Why Do YOU Keep Easter?,” is the title of a new StandingWatch program presented by Evangelist Norbert Link. Here is a summary:

Where did the celebration of Easter come from? Why did many Christians over the centuries never keep it, including the Reformers and the Puritans, and why don’t some Christians keep it today? How and through whom were Easter customs adopted by the American people? Does the Bible endorse their observance? Our free booklet on “Man’s Holidays and God’s Holy Days” is offered as well.