Some claim that Valentine’s Day is celebrated on February 14 to commemorate the anniversary of the violent deaths of Christian martyrs. The true origin goes back to the Roman fertility feast of Lupercalia, the “Wolf Festival,” in honor of pagan gods such as Lupercus or Pan, the god of shepherds, and ultimately the worship of biblical idols such as the sun god Baal.
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Current Events
“We Want a United States of Europe!”
The Telegraph wrote on January 11:
“A campaign for the European Union to become a ‘United States of Europe’ will be the ‘best weapon against the Eurosceptics’, one of Brussels’ most senior officials has said. Viviane Reding, vice president of the European Commission and the longest serving Brussels commissioner, has called for ‘a true political union’ to be put on the agenda for EU elections this spring. ‘We need to build a United States of Europe with the Commission as government and two chambers – the European Parliament and a “Senate” of Member States,’ she said.
“Mrs Reding’s vision, which is shared by many in the European institutions, would transform the EU into [a] superstate relegating national governments and parliaments to a minor political role equivalent to that played by local councils in Britain. Under her plan, the commission would have supremacy over governments and MEPs in the European Parliament would supersede the sovereignty of MPs in the House of Commons. National leaders, meeting as the European Council, would be reduced to consultative, second chamber role similar to the House of Lords…
“Mrs Reding’s comments illustrate the growing gulf between a Europe committed to ‘ever closer union’ and Britain, which is pushing to reduce the EU’s powers… While Britain may have been written off, concern is mounting because hostility has reached unprecedented levels across continental Europe and anti-EU parties are leading the polls in France, the Netherlands and Greece. Senior EU figures, such as Mrs Reding, want the European elections in May to move beyond debates over eurozone austerity by embracing a grand vision of Europe. ‘This debate is moving into the decisive phase now. In a little more than four months’ time, citizens across Europe will be able to choose the Europe they want to live in,’ she said…
“Speaking in Athens, José Manuel Barroso, the commission president, signalled that the EU would use the centenary of World War One to warn that Euroscepticism, far-Right and populist anti-European parties could bring war back to Europe…[He said:] ‘It is especially important to recall this as we will commemorate this year the start of the First World War. We must never take peace, democracy or freedom for granted. It is also especially important to remind this as in May the peoples of Europe will be called to participate in European elections.’”
The Bible shows that Europe will unite—including politically and militarily—under German leadership.
Germany Has Been Wanting a United Europe
On January 15, 2014, the International Herald Tribune published an article from January 15, 1964:
“West German Chancellor Ludwig Erhard called today [Jan. 15] for a united Europe with British participation. Mr. Erhard, who arrived for a two-day official visit, made his appeal in a speech at a Mansion House banquet given in his honor by the Lord Mayor of London. ‘Europe will remain a torso unless it is joined by Great Britain,’ he told the gathering of British and German leaders. Mr. Erhard was greeted in London by Prime Minister Sir Alec Douglas-Home. In his speech, Mr. Erhard said Germany has proposed ‘a new Initiative’ to prevent Europe from being strangled by technocrats. The Chancellor, in contrast to French President Charles de Gaulle, called for an outward- looking Europe. ‘The Atlantic partnership is indispensable if we are to survive in this world of tension,’ he said. ‘If Europe is to play a decisive role in world politics and make its influence felt, this also means that it has to be a united Europe, a community of free equals.’”
UK Threatens Again with European Exit
The Guardian wrote on January 14:
“George Osborn will today deliver a stark warning to Britain’s European partners that the UK will leave the EU unless it embarks on whole-scale economic and political reform. The chancellor’s comments come as the Tory leadership tries to regain the initiative on Europe, after 95 MPs signed a letter calling for the dismantling of the core principles of the EU… Tory backbencher Bernard Jenkin won the support of about 100 MPs for a letter to David Cameron calling for the British parliament to be given a veto over all EU laws.
“Such a move would dismantle the rules of the European single market… Osborne will make clear that Cameron will push for wide-ranging reforms if he wins the general election next year with a mandate to renegotiate the terms of British membership.”
Deutsche Welle added on January 15:
“Osborne once again went as far as to say that Britain might be forced to leave the European Union, should the rights and interests of EU members currently not in the single-currency be neglected… His renewed EU exit threats came as Osborne remained under pressure from the euroskeptic wing of his Conservative Party, with Prime Minister David Cameron having promised to hold a referendum on EU membership by 2017, should he be re-elected next year.”
Soon, the wish of the UK will become true, and they will leave or be excluded from the unification of the core nations of Europe.
New European No-Spying Pact?
The Local wrote January 16:
“Germany has hosted confidential EU talks for months to forge a ‘no-spying’ pact among its member states, a drive opposed especially by Britain, a newspaper reported on Wednesday. The Süddeutsche Zeitung report came two days after the newspaper said that similar US-German talks were seen close to failure, sparking denials from both Berlin and Washington…
“In the aftermath of the Snowden revelations, Germany ‘is negotiating with the EU member states a European anti-espionage agreement,’ the Süddeutsche and public broadcaster NDR reported. Such a pact had been discussed confidentially for months in Berlin and would commit the countries of the 28-nation bloc ‘to refrain from mutual espionage’, both political and economic, the daily said.”
How to Make German Military an “Attractive Employer”
The Associated Press reported on January 12:
“Germany’s new defense minister is pledging to make the country’s military more attractive for people with young families as the all-professional force seeks recruits. Ursula von der Leyen, a mother of seven, became Germany’s first female defense minister last month — inheriting an ongoing military overhaul after Germany abandoned conscription in 2011.
“Von der Leyen said in an interview with Sunday’s Bild am Sonntag newspaper that ‘reconciling service and family’ is the key issue in efforts to make the Bundeswehr an attractive employer. She said she will review its practice of regularly moving service-people, suggested it could explore part-time options and added the military needs ‘a flexible childcare system.’”
Germany’s military is destined to become very powerful.
Vatican Claims Diplomatic Immunity for Alleged High-Ranking Sex Offender
The Associated Press reported on January 11:
“The Vatican has told Polish prosecutors that its former ambassador to the Dominican Republic, under investigation for alleged sex abuse, is covered by diplomatic immunity and that the Vatican doesn’t extradite its citizens, Polish officials said in the latest development in an embarrassing case for the Holy See.
“Polish Archbishop Josef Wesolowski is the highest-ranking Vatican official to be investigated for alleged sex abuse, and his case has raised questions about whether the Vatican, by removing him from Dominican jurisdiction, was protecting him and placing its own investigations ahead of that of authorities in the Caribbean nation.
“The Holy See recalled Wesolowski on Aug. 21 and relieved him of his job after the archbishop of Santo Domingo, Cardinal Nicolas de Jesus Lopez, told Pope Francis in July about rumors that Wesolowski had sexually abused teenage boys in the Dominican Republic. Dominican authorities subsequently opened an investigation, but haven’t charged him. Poland, too, has opened an investigation into Wesolowski and a friend and fellow Polish priest…
“That two Vatican entities are investigating Wesolowski suggests that he has remained inside the Vatican ever since his recall. The Vatican has refused to say where he is, provide information about whether he has a lawyer or how he has responded to the accusations.
“The case is particularly problematic for the Vatican since Wesolowski was a representative of the pope, accused of grave crimes that the Holy See has previously sought to distance itself from by blaming the worldwide sex abuse scandal on wayward priests and their bishops who failed to discipline them. The Wesolowski case is also delicate because he was both ordained a priest and bishop by his Polish countryman, Pope John Paul II, who will be made a saint in April.”
The Catholic Church under its new Pope is by no means turning into an organization which will show much transparency. One is reminded of President Obama’s promises to run a transparent government, while the facts are that his administration has become one of the least transparent US administrations of all times.
Pope Francis Pleases Conservatives!
Newsmax wrote on January 13:
“Pope Francis, whom conservatives in the Roman Catholic Church have accused of not speaking out forcefully enough against abortion, on Monday called the practice ‘horrific’. The pope made his toughest remarks to date on abortion in his yearly address to diplomats accredited to the Vatican, a speech known as his ‘State of the World’ address. ‘It is horrific even to think that there are children, victims of abortion, who will never see the light of day,’ he said in a section of the speech about the rights of children around the world.
“Since his election in March, the pope, while showing no signs of changing the Church’s position against abortion, has not spoken out against it as sternly or as repeatedly as his predecessors Pope Benedict XVI and the late John Paul II. Both of those popes often delivered sermons against abortion, which the Church considers murder.
“Conservatives in the Church were alarmed when Francis, in a landmark interview in September with the Italian Jesuit magazine Civilta Cattolica, said the Church must shake off an ‘obsession’ with teachings on abortion, contraception and homosexuality. His stance favoring mercy over condemnation has disoriented conservative Catholics, notably in rich countries such as the United States, where the Catholic Church has become polarized on issues such as abortion.
“Last year, Bishop Thomas J. Tobin of Providence, Rhode Island, spoke for many conservative Catholics when he said he was disappointed that the pope had not addressed ‘the evil of abortion’ more directly. Conservative Catholic websites have criticized the pope in the past months for what they called his silence on abortion.”
Pope Francis is anxious to please all sides. Note the next article.
Pope Francis Pleases Liberals
The New York Times wrote on January 13:
“Francis is steadily replacing traditionalists with moderates… Cardinal Raymond L. Burke, one of the highest-ranking Americans in the Vatican, found his influence diluted. Another conservative, Cardinal Mauro Piacenza, was demoted. Among the bishops, Archbishop Guido Pozzo was sidelined. To some degree, Francis, 77, is simply bringing in his own team…
“Interviews with cardinals, bishops, priests, Vatican officials, Italian politicians, diplomats and analysts indicate that the mood inside the Vatican ranges from adulation to uncertainty to deep anxiety, even a touch of paranoia. Several people say they fear Francis is going department by department looking for heads to roll. Others whisper about six mysterious Jesuit spies who act as the pope’s eyes and ears on the Vatican grounds. Mostly, once-powerful officials feel out of the loop…
“Francis remains tricky to define, a doctrinal conservative whose humble style and symbolic gestures have thrilled many liberals.”
The true colors of Pope Francis will be revealed very soon.
Kerry Asks Vatican For Help
JTA wrote on January 14:
“U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry asked the Vatican to intercede in helping free American-Jewish contractor Alan Gross from a Cuban jail. Kerry said in a meeting Tuesday with the Vatican’s secretary of state, Archbishop Pietro Parolin, they discussed Cuba and the need for respect for freedom of religion and human rights in the island nation. ‘I raised the issue of Alan Gross and his captivity, and we hope very much that they might be able to be of assistance with respect to that issue,’ Kerry told reporters following the meeting…
“Kerry is the first Catholic U.S. secretary of state in more than 30 years, according to Reuters. He and Parolin in their meeting also discussed such issues as Syria, Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations and global poverty.”
World politicians will turn more and more towards the Vatican for help.
How the US Government Wastes Our Money…
Engadget wrote on January 8:
“The International Space Station just got another lease on life. The White House has approved funding that would keep the floating lab running until ‘at least’ 2024, as long as other countries also chip in.
“The additional funding should help both general science research as well as the human endurance studies that NASA needs for voyages to asteroids and Mars. The extension is primarily good news for those who want a long-term human presence in space; it’s the second extension past the original 2015 decommissioning timeframe…”
While the poor in this country increase and unemployment benefits and disability payments are being withheld, money is being pilfered to explore space—in the vain attempt to find life out there to “prove” the ungodly concept of the evolution hypostasis.
House Passes Spending Bill Without Reading It
Breitbart wrote on January 15:
“On Wednesday, the House of Representatives passed the 1,582 page omnibus spending bill worth more than a trillion dollars of spending to accompany the recently-passed budget deal. The deal came up for the vote in the House less than two full days after it was introduced Monday evening, meaning that many of the members who voted for it likely did not read it. The vote overwhelmingly passed the House with a total vote count of 359-67. Only three Democrats – Reps. Rush Holt (D-NJ), Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), and Mike McIntyre (D-NC) – voted against it, while 64 Republicans did the same… this bill was conceived in a flawed process, which exemplifies dysfunctional Washington. This massive 1,582 page bill was written behind closed doors. There was no open debate. No amendments were allowed…”
The Los Angeles Times added on January 16:
“Congress gave final approval Thursday to a $1-trillion spending bill, but not without a last-minute standoff in the Senate by tea party Republicans who opposed the measure. Conservative Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) kept senators in suspense throughout the afternoon as he considered his options for blocking the bipartisan measure, which was overwhelmingly approved Tuesday by the House. Eventually, the tea party opponents lost their fight and the measure was approved on a lopsided vote, 72-26.
“Seventeen Republicans voted in favor and 26 opposed. All Democrats and independents voted in favor. President Obama is expected to quickly sign the bill into law before Saturday’s midnight deadline when funding for federal operations runs out… Budget issues continue to divide Republicans. The party’s top leaders in the Senate, including Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, voted against the measure, as did the GOP’s potential presidential hopefuls, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.).”
US Government “Arrangements” with Mexican Drug Cartel
Business Insider wrote on January 13:
“An investigation… found that between the years 2000 and 2012, the U.S. government had an arrangement with Mexico’s Sinaloa drug cartel that allowed the organization to smuggle billions of dollars of drugs while Sinaloa provided information on rival cartels. Sinaloa, led by Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzman, supplies 80% of the drugs entering the Chicago area and has a presence in cities across the U.S. There have long been allegations that Guzman, considered to be ‘the world’s most powerful drug trafficker,’ coordinates with American authorities.
“But the El Universal investigation is the first to publish court documents that include corroborating testimony from a DEA agent and a Justice Department official… ‘The DEA agents met with members of the cartel in Mexico to obtain information about their rivals and simultaneously built a network of informants who sign drug cooperation agreements, subject to results, to enable them to obtain future benefits, including cancellation of charges in the U.S.’ reports El Universal, which also interviewed more than one hundred active and retired police officers as well as prisoners and experts.”
Nothing new under the sun… but still shocking to be reminded of such activities…
Murder of Four Americans in Benghazi Could Have Been Prevented
The New York Times wrote on January 15:
“A stinging report by the Senate Intelligence Committee released Wednesday concluded that the attacks 16 months ago that killed four Americans in Benghazi, Libya, could have been prevented, and blames both American diplomats and the C.I.A. for poor communication and lax security during the weeks leading up to the deadly episode.
“The report is broadly consistent with the findings of previous inquiries into the September 2012 attacks, which has become the subject of a fiercely partisan debate, with Republicans charging that Obama administration officials made misleading statements about connections between the attackers and Al Qaeda… [The report] is unsparing in its criticism of the State Department for failing to provide adequate security at the diplomatic compound in Benghazi… The report found that, in the months before the attacks, American intelligence agencies gave ample warning about deteriorating security in Benghazi and the risks to Americans in the city… Moreover, the committee found, the Pentagon was ill prepared to deal with crisis that night…”
While all this incompetency was going on, the American public was misled into believing that the attack was just a spontaneous reaction to an anti-Mohammed movie.
Target’s Data Breach
cnet.com wrote on January 10:
“Target’s data breach is much broader than once believed. The nationwide retailer on Friday announced that personal information on as many as 70 million additional customers was stolen as part of the company’s payment card data breach. The information stolen includes names, mailing addresses, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses, the company said. While Target spokesperson Molly Snyder said that there could be some overlap with the approximately 40 million people first said to be affected by the breach in December, the new total of people impacted by the breach could be as high as 110 million…
“Not surprisingly, hackers moved quickly to take advantage of the stolen information and put the information on the black market. According to reports, following the Target breach there was a ‘ten-to-twentyfold increase’ in stolen cards available on underground markets…
“Target, which has nearly 1,800 stores in the US, said Friday that affected customers will suffer no liability for any fraudulent charges. The company will also offer one free year of credit monitoring and identity theft protection… the company was forced to lower its fourth-quarter sales forecast, saying that it experienced ‘meaningfully weaker-than-expected sales’ following the data-breach announcement.”
Many customers of other companies are apparently being “targeted” as well, but it may take years to find out the terrible scope of those affected by these unscrupulous vicious criminals.
Germany Outraged over Obama and “No-Spy Agreement” with USA
Deutsche Welle reported on January 15:
“Talks between Berlin and Washington over a deal to not spy on each other was announced last August, after it was revealed the US tapped Chancellor Angela Merkel’s phone. A New York Times report in December had hinted that Germany would likely be disappointed in its efforts to broker a deal. The paper reported Obama’s national security advisor Susan Rice had already warned the government in Berlin that Washington did not want to set an international precedent by making an explicit arrangement with Germany.
“On Tuesday, Munich-based newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung quoted a German source close to the talks as saying: ‘We’re getting nothing.’ Interior Ministry Parliamentary State Secretary Günter Krings, of Merkel’s conservative Christian Democrats party (CDU), conceded that information the US has supplied on NSA spying was ‘highly unsatisfactory,’ but said that to achieve more transparency the no-spy agreement negotiations had to continue…
“Adding to the controversy over the spying affair was the revelation Wednesday that the NSA has developed the ability to spy on computers that are not connected to the internet. According to the New York Times, the NSA has implanted software in 100,000 computers around the world allowing the agency to conduct surveillance and creates a ‘digital highway’ for launching cyber-attacks…”
Deutsche Welle added on January 14:
“In a story that ran under the headline ‘The US lied to us,’ the Süddeutsche Zeitung (SZ), along with national public broadcaster NDR, reported on Monday (13.01.2013) that the planned no-spy agreement between the US and Germany was on course to fail, according to insiders.
“On Tuesday (14.01.2013), the SZ voiced an expectation that US President Barack Obama could make a statement on reforms at the NSA this week, but claimed that these are likely to be ‘political declarations’ rather than detailed agreements. An opinion piece also published in the Munich-based paper on Tuesday poured scorn on US justifications for refusing to come to a binding agreement, for example by pointing out that ‘The US refusal [to agree to stop spying on German politicians] shows that the fight against terrorism is only an excuse.’ The daily paper claimed that it was an illusion to think that the spying was an ‘aberration, an excess of the US intelligence agency alone, and not of US politics in toto’, which it concludes must see itself as ‘above the law.’
“The national daily Die Welt hypothesized about possible ways to protect German privacy if the no-spy agreement really and truly falls through. Several German politicians interviewed by the paper suggest that technical advancements could prevent spying or at least make it more difficult. According to member of the Bundestag Wolfgang Bosbach one way would be to create a European Internet server, so that German internet traffic would no longer pass through US servers – along the lines of a similar suggestion made by Germany’s Digital Infrastructure Minister Alexander Dobrindt. The paper also quotes a spokesman of the conservative CDU party, Stephan Mayer, who explains that such technical solutions would entail increased investment in the Federal Office for Information Security: ‘We need a bigger toolbox,’ he told Die Welt.
“The Kölner Stadtanzeiger cautioned that the Süddeutsche Zeitung’s claims, which it also reported, have not been ‘officially confirmed’ and added that ‘German security politicians had been becoming less and less hopeful in the past weeks’ anyway. The article also calls on Chancellor Angela Merkel to finally take a stand on the issue, rather than shirking her responsibilities, as she did at the height of the scandal last summer.
“The weekly news magazine Stern went further in chastizing the government and Angela Merkel’s politics in particular. It wrote that by refusing to guarantee that the NSA will stop spying on German politicians and adhere to German law in their missions in Germany, US President Obama has ‘conclusively downgraded Germany to a second-class ally,’ and is even labeling the country as a potential enemy. And since Merkel was depending on the negotiations over a no spy agreement to resolve the NSA scandal, Stern concludes that ‘The German state is not able to protect our civil rights. It can’t even protect itself.’ And if Merkel ‘doesn’t dare’ to risk putting transatlantic relations on the line to ‘put up a fight,’ the NSA will have won, the newpaper said.”
America is playing with fire, and Angela Merkel’s dillydallying around will soon backfire, because Germans will not much longer tolerate the irresponsible conduct of the American and German leadership.
Innocent Drone Deaths—Shocking Statistics
Breitbart wrote on January 10:
“Sometime within the last year, the U.S. has probably killed more innocent people through drone strikes than the 2,606 U.S. citizens killed on 9/11. Although there are no hard numbers for the public to source, the statistical ratio from leaked sources can provide reasonable assurances that, at some point in the last year, we have surpassed this threshold.
“Back in February 2013, while speaking at a Rotary Club meeting, Senator Lindsey Graham stated that the number of people killed by our current drone program was 4,700. The most recent data added another approximately 271 persons to this total. Although from a historical casualty perspective, 4,971 is not a large number when a country is at war, the number of deaths of innocent people relative to deaths of ‘high-value targets’ is deeply skewed. This makes the existing drone policy nothing more than an Al Qaeda recruiting tool.
“The U.S. has incinerated innocent women and children as well as low-level minions who pose no risk to our country in the process of fighting our endless War on Terror. The irony of this war is that through our own actions, we are creating a new crop of jihadists who might have otherwise lived their lives out in peace.
“In the 2008 and 2012 election cycles, Presidential candidate Ron Paul brought up the concept of ‘blowback’ to the American public. People like Rudy Giuliani showed their ignorance by laughing in response. This term, familiar within government circles, is not something the average man on the street spends any time contemplating. In essence, by waging a covert war from the skies, the very thing we are trying to stop – terrorism – might blowback in our faces further down the road when the families of innocent victims set out to avenge their loved ones’ murders.
“The reaction of some Americans, if this were to happen to their friends or family, would be nothing short of an all-out bloodbath exacted on the perpetrators. For example, if Mexico, in its efforts to stop their drug cartels from operating within our borders, were to employ drones to do their dirty work, and this resulted in the deaths of innocent citizens, it would not be surprising to see within hours the great state of Texas mobilizing and loading for bear. What will we say to Russia or China in the future if they begin deploying drones in foreign lands? We have set a terrible precedent.
“The problem we have with evaluating this program is that the public has been intentionally kept in the dark about what our country is doing. This administration, which ran on being ‘the most transparent ever,’ has been exposed as even more secretive and devious than its predecessor. It’s no wonder the American public has grown to fear its own government more than terrorists; we are being told lies all the time!
“How can the public have confidence that the numbers we have been given are, in fact, true?… Patrolling high above the clouds on the other side of the world, drones have mistaken things like wedding parties and tribal gatherings for Al Qaeda. Heather Linebaugh, former Air Force Geo-spatial analyst who has firsthand knowledge of a drone’s limitations, reported to The Guardian that what ‘the public needs to understand is that the video provided by a drone is not usually clear enough to detect someone carrying a weapon, even on a crystal-clear day with limited clouds and perfect light.’…”
This conduct by the American government and military is truly appalling.
Iran in Blatant Defiance of Geneva Deal
Debka wrote on January 9:
“Iran’s utilization of advanced IR-2m centrifuges for enriching uranium, in violation of the interim Geneva accord, was presented by the US and the five powers Wednesday, Jan. 8, as the main difficulty in its implementation… Iran has not even started implementing any part of the Geneva accord it signed last November 24…
“Iranian Majlis member Mohammed Nabavian took the podium on Friday January 3… The main point of Nabavian’s narrative wasn’t just confirmation that Iran possesses the capacity to produce a nuclear bomb at extremely short notice, but its continued development of ever-faster centrifuges that will dramatically change these figures within a short time and produce a complete arsenal aimed at a single target: Israel.
“This is not what President Obama, Secretary of State Kerry or Prime Minister Netanyahu wants to hear or bring to general knowledge. The Iranians have no such inhibitions and are making no bones about flouting at least five separate clauses of the nuclear pact they signed in Geneva – plus one:
“1. There has been no suspension or slowdown of 20-percent uranium enrichment.
“2. Uranium enrichment to 3.5- and 5-percent purity continues apace in disregard of the ceiling agreed in Geneva.
“3. Advanced IR-2m centrifuges continue to roll off the assembly lines. Making a slight bow to the pact, they are being installed at Fordo and Natanz in individual units, not cascades. The Geneva pact bans their installation in any shape or form.
“4. Iran has not stopped preparations for moving up to 60-percent enrichment and is being urged by many voices at home to go up to 80 percent. Iran’s pretext is that this level is necessary to fuel the reactors of the nuclear vessels it is building.
“5. There has been no pause in the high-speed construction of the heavy water-plutonium plant at Arak.
“6. Neither is there any slowdown at the research and development centers for nuclear weapons. Since the military dimension of Iran’s nuclear program was left unmentioned in the Geneva accord, Tehran is at liberty to continue this pursuit free of international inspection while denying it is taking place.”
This “deal of the Century” was a joke from the outset. One wonders whether the USA and the other “world” powers negotiating with Iran are really that naïve, or whether some act with ulterior motives, while God has poured on others the spirit of slumber.
JTA wrote on January 12:
“Iran and six world powers signed an agreement implementing a plan that temporarily freezes Iran’s nuclear production. The Joint Plan of Action, which was finalized and approved on Sunday, will go into effect on Jan. 20.
“Under the plan first agreed to in November, Iran will freeze most of its nuclear enrichment capability, including not installing or starting up additional centrifuges or using next-generation centrifuges. In return, the United States and five other world powers — Germany, Russia, England, France and China — will provide Iran with some economic sanctions relief. Iran also will allow new and more frequent inspections of its nuclear sites.”
We will see whether this new “agreement” will be worth the paper it is written on. Note the next article.
Iran’s Victory and the Surrender of the Western Powers
The Associated Press reported on January 14:
“President Hassan Rouhani has praised a landmark nuclear deal struck in Geneva as his country’s victory, telling a home crowd it effectively means the ‘surrender’ of Western powers to Iranian demands. The remarks were part of the moderate Rouhani’s efforts to bring around hard-liners who claim the deal tramples on Iran’s enrichment rights.
“Last week, the six-nation group — the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council and Germany — and Iran agreed to start implementing the terms of the November deal later this month.”
Ariel Sharon (85) Has Died
Newsmax wrote on January 11:
“Ariel Sharon — the military hero and prime minister who was among the most controversial figures in the history of Israel — has died, eight years after the massive stroke that left him comatose. He was 85. He died Saturday at Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer, outside of Tel Aviv, where he has been cared for since 2006.
“Over his long career Sharon served as Israel’s 11th prime minister, headed several ministries including Defense, and rose to the rank of general in the Israeli army, seeing action in all four of Israel’s major wars. Reviled by Arabs over his hardline policies and viewed with a mixture of respect and suspicion by many Israelis, Sharon had been on life support at the hospital far from the public gaze…
“Sharon’s bold maneuver in crossing the Suez Canal and encircling Egypt’s Third Army was considered the key to Israel’s ultimate victory and led the Israeli public to nickname him ‘The King of Israel’ and ‘The Lion of God.’… In 1983, an Israeli state inquiry found Sharon indirectly responsible for the killing of hundreds of Palestinian men, women, and children at Beirut’s Sabra and Shatila refugee camps. The slaughter took place after the Israeli army, which invaded Lebanon in 1982, allowed Israeli-backed Christian Phalangist militiamen to enter the camps. Sharon was forced to resign his post…
“On Sept. 28, 2000, Sharon — then head of the Likud Party — led more than 1,000 Israeli police officers to the Temple Mount complex in Jerusalem, a Jewish holy site that also includes two of Islam’s holiest sites, the Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa Mosque. He declared that the complex would remain under perpetual Israeli control. The provocative move torpedoed ongoing peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians and led to the Palestinian uprising known as the intifada. But Sharon and his supporters claimed that Yasser Arafat and the Palestinian National Authority had planned the uprising months before Sharon’s visit…
“He ordered the unilateral withdrawal of Jewish settlers from the Gaza Strip, expelling nearly 10,000 settlers from 21 settlements in August 2005. Israeli soldiers formally left Gaza in September. Critics of the withdrawal point to the territory’s seizure two years later by Hamas Islamists opposed to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, and to intensive rocket fire from Gaza. The withdrawal decision sparked bitter protests from members of the Likud Party. Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu quit the Cabinet in protest.
“In November 2005, Sharon resigned as head of Likud to form a new party, Kadima, and his rival Netanyahu took over as leader of Likud… Polls in November 2005 indicated that Sharon was likely to beat Netanyahu at the polls, but on Dec. 18, he suffered a mild stroke while heading to his ranch in the Negev Desert. He left the hospital after two days, but on Jan. 4, 2006, suffered a massive cerebral hemorrhage that left him comatose and on life support… Within months, Sharon was transferred to a long-term care unit at Sheba. Medical experts said his cognitive abilities were destroyed by the stroke and he was in a persistent vegetative state with little chance of regaining consciousness, though family members refused to allow them to turn off his life support… In the end, he died peacefully.”
Tel Aviv—Bastion of Secularism
The Local wrote on January 11:
“Israel unveiled Friday a memorial in Tel Aviv to remember the gay and lesbian victims of Nazi persecution, in a ceremony attended by Germany’s ambassador. Members of Tel Aviv’s gay community turned out to see the stone monument, modelled on the pink triangle Nazis made homosexuals wear in concentration camps during World War II, which features inscriptions in German, Hebrew and English. ‘In addition to the extermination of Europe’s Jews, the Nazis committed many atrocities, in an attempt to destroy anyone who was considered different,’ Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai said at the unveiling…
“The heart of Israel’s cultural life and a bastion of secularism, Tel Aviv hosts an annual gay pride parade with relatively few objections from the country’s religious community, unlike similar events in Jerusalem that have seen violence and even one stabbing. Israel is widely seen as having liberal gay rights policies, despite the hostility shown towards homosexuals, particularly men, from the ultra-orthodox Jewish community… Adolf Hitler’s Nazi Germany sent thousands of homosexuals to concentration camps in the 1930s and 1940s, and the Gestapo secret police arrested an estimated 100,000 men for being gay.”
Jewish Discovery Might Cause Diplomatic Earthquake
Israel Today reported on January 10:
“We reported last year on the discovery of an ancient biblical-era palace probably dating back to the time of King David himself that was subsequently covered up for political reasons. Now, the group that stumbled upon the unprecedented find tells Israel National News that they will publicly reveal the location of the buried palace next Friday, January 17, an event that is likely to cause a diplomatic earthquake…
“At the time, a member of the Kfar Etzion Field School in the Eztion Bloc of Jewish communities had stumbled across an ancient ornate pillar as he descended into a cave in the Judean hills. The pillar and its attached capital clearly belonged to a royal structure, and local archaeologists said it certainly dated back to the times of the Judean kings, if not David himself…
“The Antiquities Authority later confirmed to Makor Rishon that the find exists, and had actually been first discovered the year prior, but that political sensitivities had prevented archaeologists from exploring the site. It was pointed out that the find is located in territory claimed by the Palestinian Authority. Uncovering a major and even unprecedented archaeological site that solidifies the ancient Jewish presence in and control of these lands could upset the peace process.”
No Recognition of Israel?
JTA wrote on January 12:
“Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas told supporters that he will not recognize Israel as a Jewish state or sign a peace deal that fails to include eastern Jerusalem as the capital of a Palestinian state… Abbas also said he would not negotiate beyond the original nine-month deadline set by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry for the U.S.-backed negotiations to end in a final status deal. After the deadline, which expires in May, Abbas said he will seek international recognition for a Palestinian state without an agreement.
“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he will not sign an agreement unless the Palestinians recognize Israel as a Jewish state. Kerry reportedly will return soon to the region to present a framework agreement to Israeli and Palestinian negotiators that covers the core issues.”
There will not be a true and lasting peace treaty with Israel in the Middle East. It is prophesied that the state of Israel will be attacked and occupied by European powers, and that God will allow this to happen to punish Israel for their sins (compare, for example, the previous article on Tel Aviv). Subsequently, the invading armies will be overthrown themselves, as Europe is by no means “more righteous” than Israel.
Massive Extinction of Fish
The Associated Press reported on January 15:
“State wildlife officials are trying to figure out why all the fish have died in a northern Nevada marina where the stocked fishery has flourished since the man-made lake was created nearly 15 years ago. As many as 100,000 trout, bass and catfish have died over the past month in the Sparks Marina along U.S. Interstate 80 east of Reno…
“Scientists… don’t understand what sparked the massive die-off… ‘The 100,000 dead fish figure is something that is probably a pretty conservative guess,” said [Nevada Department of Wildlife spokesman Chris] Healy, who estimates they’ve stocked close to 1 million adult fish in the lake since they started in 1998… ‘We don’t know if any small fish have survived, but for all intents and purposes, the fishery doesn’t exist anymore,’ he told The Associated Press…”
The Bible predicts that in these end times, many land animals and ALL fish will die.
This Week in the News
We begin reporting about interesting developments regarding European political unification and the ongoing scandal pertaining to sex abuses within the Catholic Church and apparent cover-up attempts by the Vatican, as well as the documented desire of the Pope to please liberals and conservatives alike, while increasing his own support base in the Vatican and beyond.
We continue with examples as to how the US government wastes the tax money of American citizens; that arrangements have been made with Mexican drug cartels; that the Obama Administration could have prevented the attack on Benghazi; how widespread the Target data breach has become; and we report on Germany’s anger about America’s unwillingness to rule in the NSA. We also shed some light on the shocking statistic of “fatalities” of innocent civilians through American drone attacks.
We point out Iran’s blatant defiance of their Geneva agreement with the USA and other world powers; report on Ariel Sharon’s death and the homosexual life style in Tel Aviv—the “bastion of secularism”; speak about an explosive archeological find in territories claimed by the Palestinian Authority; quote Palestinian leader Abba’s refusal to recognize Israel; and conclude with a report on mysterious massive extinction of fish in Nevada.
Update 622
Live Services
The Power of Truth
On January 18, 2014, Dave Harris will give the sermon titled, “The Power of Truth.”
The services can be heard 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.
Editorial
The Golden Rule
by Kalon Mitchell
Growing up, I remember learning the “golden rule” from my parents, which is based on the Bible: “… whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them…” (Matthew 7:12). These words uttered by Jesus Christ Himself were, as He stated, the very essence of what was taught by “the Law and the Prophets.”
Christians should use this Scripture as a catalyst. In our daily lives, we should be actively looking out for the welfare of others—in our thoughts, in what we say and how we treat each other. When we scratch, bite and claw each other, we will be devoured, as it says in Galatians 5:15.
And yet, we have a continuing command to show the love to others that God shows to us (compare verse 14). It is not a self-serving kind of love that God shows, but is an all-encompassing love that does no harm to others.
How do we respond when wrong is done to us? Ecclesiastes 7:21-22 and Matthew 5:38-44 give us valuable direction. Life is full of situations when people in the world are going to use and abuse us. They are going to say mean things. They will try and get at us. But if we pay back in kind, then we are no better then they, and our Christianity becomes meaningless.
Are we asking ourselves: How important am I? How important are my emotions, my well-being, my self? Do we see how easy it is to fall into these traps of self-deceit, self-aggrandizement and self-centeredness? This is how Satan fell. The deception of pride crept into his heart. It rooted out ALL godliness. It became the very contradiction to God’s Way of Life.
Claiming to be a “Christian” does not mean that we are Christians, as 1 John 2:9-11,15-17 states so powerfully. So instead of engaging in deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness, we should instead be taking the extra care and diligence that is required to be focused on others. Philippians 2:1-5 says (in the New International Version): “If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than [above] yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude [mindset] should be the same as that of Christ Jesus…”
Being a Christian demands action. It takes care and concern. It takes using the “golden rule” in our lives so that others around us can see that we live by what we say. And in turn they (in time) will perhaps learn to glorify God. There is no passing the buck when applying this rule. It is our individual duty that each one of us apply it in our lives for the benefit of others.
Current Events
We begin reporting about interesting developments regarding European political unification and the ongoing scandal pertaining to sex abuses within the Catholic Church and apparent cover-up attempts by the Vatican, as well as the documented desire of the Pope to please liberals and conservatives alike, while increasing his own support base in the Vatican and beyond.
We continue with examples as to how the US government wastes the tax money of American citizens; that arrangements have been made with Mexican drug cartels; that the Obama Administration could have prevented the attack on Benghazi; how widespread the Target data breach has become; and we report on Germany’s anger about America’s unwillingness to rule in the NSA. We also shed some light on the shocking statistic of “fatalities” of innocent civilians through American drone attacks.
We point out Iran’s blatant defiance of their Geneva agreement with the USA and other world powers; report on Ariel Sharon’s death and the homosexual life style in Tel Aviv—the “bastion of secularism”; speak about an explosive archeological find in territories claimed by the Palestinian Authority; quote Palestinian leader Abba’s refusal to recognize Israel; and conclude with a report on mysterious massive extinction of fish in Nevada.
This Week in the News
“We Want a United States of Europe!”
The Telegraph wrote on January 11:
“A campaign for the European Union to become a ‘United States of Europe’ will be the ‘best weapon against the Eurosceptics’, one of Brussels’ most senior officials has said. Viviane Reding, vice president of the European Commission and the longest serving Brussels commissioner, has called for ‘a true political union’ to be put on the agenda for EU elections this spring. ‘We need to build a United States of Europe with the Commission as government and two chambers – the European Parliament and a “Senate” of Member States,’ she said.
“Mrs Reding’s vision, which is shared by many in the European institutions, would transform the EU into [a] superstate relegating national governments and parliaments to a minor political role equivalent to that played by local councils in Britain. Under her plan, the commission would have supremacy over governments and MEPs in the European Parliament would supersede the sovereignty of MPs in the House of Commons. National leaders, meeting as the European Council, would be reduced to consultative, second chamber role similar to the House of Lords…
“Mrs Reding’s comments illustrate the growing gulf between a Europe committed to ‘ever closer union’ and Britain, which is pushing to reduce the EU’s powers… While Britain may have been written off, concern is mounting because hostility has reached unprecedented levels across continental Europe and anti-EU parties are leading the polls in France, the Netherlands and Greece. Senior EU figures, such as Mrs Reding, want the European elections in May to move beyond debates over eurozone austerity by embracing a grand vision of Europe. ‘This debate is moving into the decisive phase now. In a little more than four months’ time, citizens across Europe will be able to choose the Europe they want to live in,’ she said…
“Speaking in Athens, José Manuel Barroso, the commission president, signalled that the EU would use the centenary of World War One to warn that Euroscepticism, far-Right and populist anti-European parties could bring war back to Europe…[He said:] ‘It is especially important to recall this as we will commemorate this year the start of the First World War. We must never take peace, democracy or freedom for granted. It is also especially important to remind this as in May the peoples of Europe will be called to participate in European elections.’”
The Bible shows that Europe will unite—including politically and militarily—under German leadership.
Germany Has Been Wanting a United Europe
On January 15, 2014, the International Herald Tribune published an article from January 15, 1964:
“West German Chancellor Ludwig Erhard called today [Jan. 15] for a united Europe with British participation. Mr. Erhard, who arrived for a two-day official visit, made his appeal in a speech at a Mansion House banquet given in his honor by the Lord Mayor of London. ‘Europe will remain a torso unless it is joined by Great Britain,’ he told the gathering of British and German leaders. Mr. Erhard was greeted in London by Prime Minister Sir Alec Douglas-Home. In his speech, Mr. Erhard said Germany has proposed ‘a new Initiative’ to prevent Europe from being strangled by technocrats. The Chancellor, in contrast to French President Charles de Gaulle, called for an outward- looking Europe. ‘The Atlantic partnership is indispensable if we are to survive in this world of tension,’ he said. ‘If Europe is to play a decisive role in world politics and make its influence felt, this also means that it has to be a united Europe, a community of free equals.’”
UK Threatens Again with European Exit
The Guardian wrote on January 14:
“George Osborn will today deliver a stark warning to Britain’s European partners that the UK will leave the EU unless it embarks on whole-scale economic and political reform. The chancellor’s comments come as the Tory leadership tries to regain the initiative on Europe, after 95 MPs signed a letter calling for the dismantling of the core principles of the EU… Tory backbencher Bernard Jenkin won the support of about 100 MPs for a letter to David Cameron calling for the British parliament to be given a veto over all EU laws.
“Such a move would dismantle the rules of the European single market… Osborne will make clear that Cameron will push for wide-ranging reforms if he wins the general election next year with a mandate to renegotiate the terms of British membership.”
Deutsche Welle added on January 15:
“Osborne once again went as far as to say that Britain might be forced to leave the European Union, should the rights and interests of EU members currently not in the single-currency be neglected… His renewed EU exit threats came as Osborne remained under pressure from the euroskeptic wing of his Conservative Party, with Prime Minister David Cameron having promised to hold a referendum on EU membership by 2017, should he be re-elected next year.”
Soon, the wish of the UK will become true, and they will leave or be excluded from the unification of the core nations of Europe.
New European No-Spying Pact?
The Local wrote January 16:
“Germany has hosted confidential EU talks for months to forge a ‘no-spying’ pact among its member states, a drive opposed especially by Britain, a newspaper reported on Wednesday. The Süddeutsche Zeitung report came two days after the newspaper said that similar US-German talks were seen close to failure, sparking denials from both Berlin and Washington…
“In the aftermath of the Snowden revelations, Germany ‘is negotiating with the EU member states a European anti-espionage agreement,’ the Süddeutsche and public broadcaster NDR reported. Such a pact had been discussed confidentially for months in Berlin and would commit the countries of the 28-nation bloc ‘to refrain from mutual espionage’, both political and economic, the daily said.”
How to Make German Military an “Attractive Employer”
The Associated Press reported on January 12:
“Germany’s new defense minister is pledging to make the country’s military more attractive for people with young families as the all-professional force seeks recruits. Ursula von der Leyen, a mother of seven, became Germany’s first female defense minister last month — inheriting an ongoing military overhaul after Germany abandoned conscription in 2011.
“Von der Leyen said in an interview with Sunday’s Bild am Sonntag newspaper that ‘reconciling service and family’ is the key issue in efforts to make the Bundeswehr an attractive employer. She said she will review its practice of regularly moving service-people, suggested it could explore part-time options and added the military needs ‘a flexible childcare system.’”
Germany’s military is destined to become very powerful.
Vatican Claims Diplomatic Immunity for Alleged High-Ranking Sex Offender
The Associated Press reported on January 11:
“The Vatican has told Polish prosecutors that its former ambassador to the Dominican Republic, under investigation for alleged sex abuse, is covered by diplomatic immunity and that the Vatican doesn’t extradite its citizens, Polish officials said in the latest development in an embarrassing case for the Holy See.
“Polish Archbishop Josef Wesolowski is the highest-ranking Vatican official to be investigated for alleged sex abuse, and his case has raised questions about whether the Vatican, by removing him from Dominican jurisdiction, was protecting him and placing its own investigations ahead of that of authorities in the Caribbean nation.
“The Holy See recalled Wesolowski on Aug. 21 and relieved him of his job after the archbishop of Santo Domingo, Cardinal Nicolas de Jesus Lopez, told Pope Francis in July about rumors that Wesolowski had sexually abused teenage boys in the Dominican Republic. Dominican authorities subsequently opened an investigation, but haven’t charged him. Poland, too, has opened an investigation into Wesolowski and a friend and fellow Polish priest…
“That two Vatican entities are investigating Wesolowski suggests that he has remained inside the Vatican ever since his recall. The Vatican has refused to say where he is, provide information about whether he has a lawyer or how he has responded to the accusations.
“The case is particularly problematic for the Vatican since Wesolowski was a representative of the pope, accused of grave crimes that the Holy See has previously sought to distance itself from by blaming the worldwide sex abuse scandal on wayward priests and their bishops who failed to discipline them. The Wesolowski case is also delicate because he was both ordained a priest and bishop by his Polish countryman, Pope John Paul II, who will be made a saint in April.”
The Catholic Church under its new Pope is by no means turning into an organization which will show much transparency. One is reminded of President Obama’s promises to run a transparent government, while the facts are that his administration has become one of the least transparent US administrations of all times.
Pope Francis Pleases Conservatives!
Newsmax wrote on January 13:
“Pope Francis, whom conservatives in the Roman Catholic Church have accused of not speaking out forcefully enough against abortion, on Monday called the practice ‘horrific’. The pope made his toughest remarks to date on abortion in his yearly address to diplomats accredited to the Vatican, a speech known as his ‘State of the World’ address. ‘It is horrific even to think that there are children, victims of abortion, who will never see the light of day,’ he said in a section of the speech about the rights of children around the world.
“Since his election in March, the pope, while showing no signs of changing the Church’s position against abortion, has not spoken out against it as sternly or as repeatedly as his predecessors Pope Benedict XVI and the late John Paul II. Both of those popes often delivered sermons against abortion, which the Church considers murder.
“Conservatives in the Church were alarmed when Francis, in a landmark interview in September with the Italian Jesuit magazine Civilta Cattolica, said the Church must shake off an ‘obsession’ with teachings on abortion, contraception and homosexuality. His stance favoring mercy over condemnation has disoriented conservative Catholics, notably in rich countries such as the United States, where the Catholic Church has become polarized on issues such as abortion.
“Last year, Bishop Thomas J. Tobin of Providence, Rhode Island, spoke for many conservative Catholics when he said he was disappointed that the pope had not addressed ‘the evil of abortion’ more directly. Conservative Catholic websites have criticized the pope in the past months for what they called his silence on abortion.”
Pope Francis is anxious to please all sides. Note the next article.
Pope Francis Pleases Liberals
The New York Times wrote on January 13:
“Francis is steadily replacing traditionalists with moderates… Cardinal Raymond L. Burke, one of the highest-ranking Americans in the Vatican, found his influence diluted. Another conservative, Cardinal Mauro Piacenza, was demoted. Among the bishops, Archbishop Guido Pozzo was sidelined. To some degree, Francis, 77, is simply bringing in his own team…
“Interviews with cardinals, bishops, priests, Vatican officials, Italian politicians, diplomats and analysts indicate that the mood inside the Vatican ranges from adulation to uncertainty to deep anxiety, even a touch of paranoia. Several people say they fear Francis is going department by department looking for heads to roll. Others whisper about six mysterious Jesuit spies who act as the pope’s eyes and ears on the Vatican grounds. Mostly, once-powerful officials feel out of the loop…
“Francis remains tricky to define, a doctrinal conservative whose humble style and symbolic gestures have thrilled many liberals.”
The true colors of Pope Francis will be revealed very soon.
Kerry Asks Vatican For Help
JTA wrote on January 14:
“U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry asked the Vatican to intercede in helping free American-Jewish contractor Alan Gross from a Cuban jail. Kerry said in a meeting Tuesday with the Vatican’s secretary of state, Archbishop Pietro Parolin, they discussed Cuba and the need for respect for freedom of religion and human rights in the island nation. ‘I raised the issue of Alan Gross and his captivity, and we hope very much that they might be able to be of assistance with respect to that issue,’ Kerry told reporters following the meeting…
“Kerry is the first Catholic U.S. secretary of state in more than 30 years, according to Reuters. He and Parolin in their meeting also discussed such issues as Syria, Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations and global poverty.”
World politicians will turn more and more towards the Vatican for help.
How the US Government Wastes Our Money…
Engadget wrote on January 8:
“The International Space Station just got another lease on life. The White House has approved funding that would keep the floating lab running until ‘at least’ 2024, as long as other countries also chip in.
“The additional funding should help both general science research as well as the human endurance studies that NASA needs for voyages to asteroids and Mars. The extension is primarily good news for those who want a long-term human presence in space; it’s the second extension past the original 2015 decommissioning timeframe…”
While the poor in this country increase and unemployment benefits and disability payments are being withheld, money is being pilfered to explore space—in the vain attempt to find life out there to “prove” the ungodly concept of the evolution hypostasis.
House Passes Spending Bill Without Reading It
Breitbart wrote on January 15:
“On Wednesday, the House of Representatives passed the 1,582 page omnibus spending bill worth more than a trillion dollars of spending to accompany the recently-passed budget deal. The deal came up for the vote in the House less than two full days after it was introduced Monday evening, meaning that many of the members who voted for it likely did not read it. The vote overwhelmingly passed the House with a total vote count of 359-67. Only three Democrats – Reps. Rush Holt (D-NJ), Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), and Mike McIntyre (D-NC) – voted against it, while 64 Republicans did the same… this bill was conceived in a flawed process, which exemplifies dysfunctional Washington. This massive 1,582 page bill was written behind closed doors. There was no open debate. No amendments were allowed…”
The Los Angeles Times added on January 16:
“Congress gave final approval Thursday to a $1-trillion spending bill, but not without a last-minute standoff in the Senate by tea party Republicans who opposed the measure. Conservative Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) kept senators in suspense throughout the afternoon as he considered his options for blocking the bipartisan measure, which was overwhelmingly approved Tuesday by the House. Eventually, the tea party opponents lost their fight and the measure was approved on a lopsided vote, 72-26.
“Seventeen Republicans voted in favor and 26 opposed. All Democrats and independents voted in favor. President Obama is expected to quickly sign the bill into law before Saturday’s midnight deadline when funding for federal operations runs out… Budget issues continue to divide Republicans. The party’s top leaders in the Senate, including Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, voted against the measure, as did the GOP’s potential presidential hopefuls, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.).”
US Government “Arrangements” with Mexican Drug Cartel
Business Insider wrote on January 13:
“An investigation… found that between the years 2000 and 2012, the U.S. government had an arrangement with Mexico’s Sinaloa drug cartel that allowed the organization to smuggle billions of dollars of drugs while Sinaloa provided information on rival cartels. Sinaloa, led by Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzman, supplies 80% of the drugs entering the Chicago area and has a presence in cities across the U.S. There have long been allegations that Guzman, considered to be ‘the world’s most powerful drug trafficker,’ coordinates with American authorities.
“But the El Universal investigation is the first to publish court documents that include corroborating testimony from a DEA agent and a Justice Department official… ‘The DEA agents met with members of the cartel in Mexico to obtain information about their rivals and simultaneously built a network of informants who sign drug cooperation agreements, subject to results, to enable them to obtain future benefits, including cancellation of charges in the U.S.’ reports El Universal, which also interviewed more than one hundred active and retired police officers as well as prisoners and experts.”
Nothing new under the sun… but still shocking to be reminded of such activities…
Murder of Four Americans in Benghazi Could Have Been Prevented
The New York Times wrote on January 15:
“A stinging report by the Senate Intelligence Committee released Wednesday concluded that the attacks 16 months ago that killed four Americans in Benghazi, Libya, could have been prevented, and blames both American diplomats and the C.I.A. for poor communication and lax security during the weeks leading up to the deadly episode.
“The report is broadly consistent with the findings of previous inquiries into the September 2012 attacks, which has become the subject of a fiercely partisan debate, with Republicans charging that Obama administration officials made misleading statements about connections between the attackers and Al Qaeda… [The report] is unsparing in its criticism of the State Department for failing to provide adequate security at the diplomatic compound in Benghazi… The report found that, in the months before the attacks, American intelligence agencies gave ample warning about deteriorating security in Benghazi and the risks to Americans in the city… Moreover, the committee found, the Pentagon was ill prepared to deal with crisis that night…”
While all this incompetency was going on, the American public was misled into believing that the attack was just a spontaneous reaction to an anti-Mohammed movie.
Target’s Data Breach
cnet.com wrote on January 10:
“Target’s data breach is much broader than once believed. The nationwide retailer on Friday announced that personal information on as many as 70 million additional customers was stolen as part of the company’s payment card data breach. The information stolen includes names, mailing addresses, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses, the company said. While Target spokesperson Molly Snyder said that there could be some overlap with the approximately 40 million people first said to be affected by the breach in December, the new total of people impacted by the breach could be as high as 110 million…
“Not surprisingly, hackers moved quickly to take advantage of the stolen information and put the information on the black market. According to reports, following the Target breach there was a ‘ten-to-twentyfold increase’ in stolen cards available on underground markets…
“Target, which has nearly 1,800 stores in the US, said Friday that affected customers will suffer no liability for any fraudulent charges. The company will also offer one free year of credit monitoring and identity theft protection… the company was forced to lower its fourth-quarter sales forecast, saying that it experienced ‘meaningfully weaker-than-expected sales’ following the data-breach announcement.”
Many customers of other companies are apparently being “targeted” as well, but it may take years to find out the terrible scope of those affected by these unscrupulous vicious criminals.
Germany Outraged over Obama and “No-Spy Agreement” with USA
Deutsche Welle reported on January 15:
“Talks between Berlin and Washington over a deal to not spy on each other was announced last August, after it was revealed the US tapped Chancellor Angela Merkel’s phone. A New York Times report in December had hinted that Germany would likely be disappointed in its efforts to broker a deal. The paper reported Obama’s national security advisor Susan Rice had already warned the government in Berlin that Washington did not want to set an international precedent by making an explicit arrangement with Germany.
“On Tuesday, Munich-based newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung quoted a German source close to the talks as saying: ‘We’re getting nothing.’ Interior Ministry Parliamentary State Secretary Günter Krings, of Merkel’s conservative Christian Democrats party (CDU), conceded that information the US has supplied on NSA spying was ‘highly unsatisfactory,’ but said that to achieve more transparency the no-spy agreement negotiations had to continue…
“Adding to the controversy over the spying affair was the revelation Wednesday that the NSA has developed the ability to spy on computers that are not connected to the internet. According to the New York Times, the NSA has implanted software in 100,000 computers around the world allowing the agency to conduct surveillance and creates a ‘digital highway’ for launching cyber-attacks…”
Deutsche Welle added on January 14:
“In a story that ran under the headline ‘The US lied to us,’ the Süddeutsche Zeitung (SZ), along with national public broadcaster NDR, reported on Monday (13.01.2013) that the planned no-spy agreement between the US and Germany was on course to fail, according to insiders.
“On Tuesday (14.01.2013), the SZ voiced an expectation that US President Barack Obama could make a statement on reforms at the NSA this week, but claimed that these are likely to be ‘political declarations’ rather than detailed agreements. An opinion piece also published in the Munich-based paper on Tuesday poured scorn on US justifications for refusing to come to a binding agreement, for example by pointing out that ‘The US refusal [to agree to stop spying on German politicians] shows that the fight against terrorism is only an excuse.’ The daily paper claimed that it was an illusion to think that the spying was an ‘aberration, an excess of the US intelligence agency alone, and not of US politics in toto’, which it concludes must see itself as ‘above the law.’
“The national daily Die Welt hypothesized about possible ways to protect German privacy if the no-spy agreement really and truly falls through. Several German politicians interviewed by the paper suggest that technical advancements could prevent spying or at least make it more difficult. According to member of the Bundestag Wolfgang Bosbach one way would be to create a European Internet server, so that German internet traffic would no longer pass through US servers – along the lines of a similar suggestion made by Germany’s Digital Infrastructure Minister Alexander Dobrindt. The paper also quotes a spokesman of the conservative CDU party, Stephan Mayer, who explains that such technical solutions would entail increased investment in the Federal Office for Information Security: ‘We need a bigger toolbox,’ he told Die Welt.
“The Kölner Stadtanzeiger cautioned that the Süddeutsche Zeitung’s claims, which it also reported, have not been ‘officially confirmed’ and added that ‘German security politicians had been becoming less and less hopeful in the past weeks’ anyway. The article also calls on Chancellor Angela Merkel to finally take a stand on the issue, rather than shirking her responsibilities, as she did at the height of the scandal last summer.
“The weekly news magazine Stern went further in chastizing the government and Angela Merkel’s politics in particular. It wrote that by refusing to guarantee that the NSA will stop spying on German politicians and adhere to German law in their missions in Germany, US President Obama has ‘conclusively downgraded Germany to a second-class ally,’ and is even labeling the country as a potential enemy. And since Merkel was depending on the negotiations over a no spy agreement to resolve the NSA scandal, Stern concludes that ‘The German state is not able to protect our civil rights. It can’t even protect itself.’ And if Merkel ‘doesn’t dare’ to risk putting transatlantic relations on the line to ‘put up a fight,’ the NSA will have won, the newpaper said.”
America is playing with fire, and Angela Merkel’s dillydallying around will soon backfire, because Germans will not much longer tolerate the irresponsible conduct of the American and German leadership.
Innocent Drone Deaths—Shocking Statistics
Breitbart wrote on January 10:
“Sometime within the last year, the U.S. has probably killed more innocent people through drone strikes than the 2,606 U.S. citizens killed on 9/11. Although there are no hard numbers for the public to source, the statistical ratio from leaked sources can provide reasonable assurances that, at some point in the last year, we have surpassed this threshold.
“Back in February 2013, while speaking at a Rotary Club meeting, Senator Lindsey Graham stated that the number of people killed by our current drone program was 4,700. The most recent data added another approximately 271 persons to this total. Although from a historical casualty perspective, 4,971 is not a large number when a country is at war, the number of deaths of innocent people relative to deaths of ‘high-value targets’ is deeply skewed. This makes the existing drone policy nothing more than an Al Qaeda recruiting tool.
“The U.S. has incinerated innocent women and children as well as low-level minions who pose no risk to our country in the process of fighting our endless War on Terror. The irony of this war is that through our own actions, we are creating a new crop of jihadists who might have otherwise lived their lives out in peace.
“In the 2008 and 2012 election cycles, Presidential candidate Ron Paul brought up the concept of ‘blowback’ to the American public. People like Rudy Giuliani showed their ignorance by laughing in response. This term, familiar within government circles, is not something the average man on the street spends any time contemplating. In essence, by waging a covert war from the skies, the very thing we are trying to stop – terrorism – might blowback in our faces further down the road when the families of innocent victims set out to avenge their loved ones’ murders.
“The reaction of some Americans, if this were to happen to their friends or family, would be nothing short of an all-out bloodbath exacted on the perpetrators. For example, if Mexico, in its efforts to stop their drug cartels from operating within our borders, were to employ drones to do their dirty work, and this resulted in the deaths of innocent citizens, it would not be surprising to see within hours the great state of Texas mobilizing and loading for bear. What will we say to Russia or China in the future if they begin deploying drones in foreign lands? We have set a terrible precedent.
“The problem we have with evaluating this program is that the public has been intentionally kept in the dark about what our country is doing. This administration, which ran on being ‘the most transparent ever,’ has been exposed as even more secretive and devious than its predecessor. It’s no wonder the American public has grown to fear its own government more than terrorists; we are being told lies all the time!
“How can the public have confidence that the numbers we have been given are, in fact, true?… Patrolling high above the clouds on the other side of the world, drones have mistaken things like wedding parties and tribal gatherings for Al Qaeda. Heather Linebaugh, former Air Force Geo-spatial analyst who has firsthand knowledge of a drone’s limitations, reported to The Guardian that what ‘the public needs to understand is that the video provided by a drone is not usually clear enough to detect someone carrying a weapon, even on a crystal-clear day with limited clouds and perfect light.’…”
This conduct by the American government and military is truly appalling.
Iran in Blatant Defiance of Geneva Deal
Debka wrote on January 9:
“Iran’s utilization of advanced IR-2m centrifuges for enriching uranium, in violation of the interim Geneva accord, was presented by the US and the five powers Wednesday, Jan. 8, as the main difficulty in its implementation… Iran has not even started implementing any part of the Geneva accord it signed last November 24…
“Iranian Majlis member Mohammed Nabavian took the podium on Friday January 3… The main point of Nabavian’s narrative wasn’t just confirmation that Iran possesses the capacity to produce a nuclear bomb at extremely short notice, but its continued development of ever-faster centrifuges that will dramatically change these figures within a short time and produce a complete arsenal aimed at a single target: Israel.
“This is not what President Obama, Secretary of State Kerry or Prime Minister Netanyahu wants to hear or bring to general knowledge. The Iranians have no such inhibitions and are making no bones about flouting at least five separate clauses of the nuclear pact they signed in Geneva – plus one:
“1. There has been no suspension or slowdown of 20-percent uranium enrichment.
“2. Uranium enrichment to 3.5- and 5-percent purity continues apace in disregard of the ceiling agreed in Geneva.
“3. Advanced IR-2m centrifuges continue to roll off the assembly lines. Making a slight bow to the pact, they are being installed at Fordo and Natanz in individual units, not cascades. The Geneva pact bans their installation in any shape or form.
“4. Iran has not stopped preparations for moving up to 60-percent enrichment and is being urged by many voices at home to go up to 80 percent. Iran’s pretext is that this level is necessary to fuel the reactors of the nuclear vessels it is building.
“5. There has been no pause in the high-speed construction of the heavy water-plutonium plant at Arak.
“6. Neither is there any slowdown at the research and development centers for nuclear weapons. Since the military dimension of Iran’s nuclear program was left unmentioned in the Geneva accord, Tehran is at liberty to continue this pursuit free of international inspection while denying it is taking place.”
This “deal of the Century” was a joke from the outset. One wonders whether the USA and the other “world” powers negotiating with Iran are really that naïve, or whether some act with ulterior motives, while God has poured on others the spirit of slumber.
JTA wrote on January 12:
“Iran and six world powers signed an agreement implementing a plan that temporarily freezes Iran’s nuclear production. The Joint Plan of Action, which was finalized and approved on Sunday, will go into effect on Jan. 20.
“Under the plan first agreed to in November, Iran will freeze most of its nuclear enrichment capability, including not installing or starting up additional centrifuges or using next-generation centrifuges. In return, the United States and five other world powers — Germany, Russia, England, France and China — will provide Iran with some economic sanctions relief. Iran also will allow new and more frequent inspections of its nuclear sites.”
We will see whether this new “agreement” will be worth the paper it is written on. Note the next article.
Iran’s Victory and the Surrender of the Western Powers
The Associated Press reported on January 14:
“President Hassan Rouhani has praised a landmark nuclear deal struck in Geneva as his country’s victory, telling a home crowd it effectively means the ‘surrender’ of Western powers to Iranian demands. The remarks were part of the moderate Rouhani’s efforts to bring around hard-liners who claim the deal tramples on Iran’s enrichment rights.
“Last week, the six-nation group — the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council and Germany — and Iran agreed to start implementing the terms of the November deal later this month.”
Ariel Sharon (85) Has Died
Newsmax wrote on January 11:
“Ariel Sharon — the military hero and prime minister who was among the most controversial figures in the history of Israel — has died, eight years after the massive stroke that left him comatose. He was 85. He died Saturday at Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer, outside of Tel Aviv, where he has been cared for since 2006.
“Over his long career Sharon served as Israel’s 11th prime minister, headed several ministries including Defense, and rose to the rank of general in the Israeli army, seeing action in all four of Israel’s major wars. Reviled by Arabs over his hardline policies and viewed with a mixture of respect and suspicion by many Israelis, Sharon had been on life support at the hospital far from the public gaze…
“Sharon’s bold maneuver in crossing the Suez Canal and encircling Egypt’s Third Army was considered the key to Israel’s ultimate victory and led the Israeli public to nickname him ‘The King of Israel’ and ‘The Lion of God.’… In 1983, an Israeli state inquiry found Sharon indirectly responsible for the killing of hundreds of Palestinian men, women, and children at Beirut’s Sabra and Shatila refugee camps. The slaughter took place after the Israeli army, which invaded Lebanon in 1982, allowed Israeli-backed Christian Phalangist militiamen to enter the camps. Sharon was forced to resign his post…
“On Sept. 28, 2000, Sharon — then head of the Likud Party — led more than 1,000 Israeli police officers to the Temple Mount complex in Jerusalem, a Jewish holy site that also includes two of Islam’s holiest sites, the Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa Mosque. He declared that the complex would remain under perpetual Israeli control. The provocative move torpedoed ongoing peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians and led to the Palestinian uprising known as the intifada. But Sharon and his supporters claimed that Yasser Arafat and the Palestinian National Authority had planned the uprising months before Sharon’s visit…
“He ordered the unilateral withdrawal of Jewish settlers from the Gaza Strip, expelling nearly 10,000 settlers from 21 settlements in August 2005. Israeli soldiers formally left Gaza in September. Critics of the withdrawal point to the territory’s seizure two years later by Hamas Islamists opposed to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, and to intensive rocket fire from Gaza. The withdrawal decision sparked bitter protests from members of the Likud Party. Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu quit the Cabinet in protest.
“In November 2005, Sharon resigned as head of Likud to form a new party, Kadima, and his rival Netanyahu took over as leader of Likud… Polls in November 2005 indicated that Sharon was likely to beat Netanyahu at the polls, but on Dec. 18, he suffered a mild stroke while heading to his ranch in the Negev Desert. He left the hospital after two days, but on Jan. 4, 2006, suffered a massive cerebral hemorrhage that left him comatose and on life support… Within months, Sharon was transferred to a long-term care unit at Sheba. Medical experts said his cognitive abilities were destroyed by the stroke and he was in a persistent vegetative state with little chance of regaining consciousness, though family members refused to allow them to turn off his life support… In the end, he died peacefully.”
Tel Aviv—Bastion of Secularism
The Local wrote on January 11:
“Israel unveiled Friday a memorial in Tel Aviv to remember the gay and lesbian victims of Nazi persecution, in a ceremony attended by Germany’s ambassador. Members of Tel Aviv’s gay community turned out to see the stone monument, modelled on the pink triangle Nazis made homosexuals wear in concentration camps during World War II, which features inscriptions in German, Hebrew and English. ‘In addition to the extermination of Europe’s Jews, the Nazis committed many atrocities, in an attempt to destroy anyone who was considered different,’ Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai said at the unveiling…
“The heart of Israel’s cultural life and a bastion of secularism, Tel Aviv hosts an annual gay pride parade with relatively few objections from the country’s religious community, unlike similar events in Jerusalem that have seen violence and even one stabbing. Israel is widely seen as having liberal gay rights policies, despite the hostility shown towards homosexuals, particularly men, from the ultra-orthodox Jewish community… Adolf Hitler’s Nazi Germany sent thousands of homosexuals to concentration camps in the 1930s and 1940s, and the Gestapo secret police arrested an estimated 100,000 men for being gay.”
Jewish Discovery Might Cause Diplomatic Earthquake
Israel Today reported on January 10:
“We reported last year on the discovery of an ancient biblical-era palace probably dating back to the time of King David himself that was subsequently covered up for political reasons. Now, the group that stumbled upon the unprecedented find tells Israel National News that they will publicly reveal the location of the buried palace next Friday, January 17, an event that is likely to cause a diplomatic earthquake…
“At the time, a member of the Kfar Etzion Field School in the Eztion Bloc of Jewish communities had stumbled across an ancient ornate pillar as he descended into a cave in the Judean hills. The pillar and its attached capital clearly belonged to a royal structure, and local archaeologists said it certainly dated back to the times of the Judean kings, if not David himself…
“The Antiquities Authority later confirmed to Makor Rishon that the find exists, and had actually been first discovered the year prior, but that political sensitivities had prevented archaeologists from exploring the site. It was pointed out that the find is located in territory claimed by the Palestinian Authority. Uncovering a major and even unprecedented archaeological site that solidifies the ancient Jewish presence in and control of these lands could upset the peace process.”
No Recognition of Israel?
JTA wrote on January 12:
“Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas told supporters that he will not recognize Israel as a Jewish state or sign a peace deal that fails to include eastern Jerusalem as the capital of a Palestinian state… Abbas also said he would not negotiate beyond the original nine-month deadline set by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry for the U.S.-backed negotiations to end in a final status deal. After the deadline, which expires in May, Abbas said he will seek international recognition for a Palestinian state without an agreement.
“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he will not sign an agreement unless the Palestinians recognize Israel as a Jewish state. Kerry reportedly will return soon to the region to present a framework agreement to Israeli and Palestinian negotiators that covers the core issues.”
There will not be a true and lasting peace treaty with Israel in the Middle East. It is prophesied that the state of Israel will be attacked and occupied by European powers, and that God will allow this to happen to punish Israel for their sins (compare, for example, the previous article on Tel Aviv). Subsequently, the invading armies will be overthrown themselves, as Europe is by no means “more righteous” than Israel.
Massive Extinction of Fish
The Associated Press reported on January 15:
“State wildlife officials are trying to figure out why all the fish have died in a northern Nevada marina where the stocked fishery has flourished since the man-made lake was created nearly 15 years ago. As many as 100,000 trout, bass and catfish have died over the past month in the Sparks Marina along U.S. Interstate 80 east of Reno…
“Scientists… don’t understand what sparked the massive die-off… ‘The 100,000 dead fish figure is something that is probably a pretty conservative guess,” said [Nevada Department of Wildlife spokesman Chris] Healy, who estimates they’ve stocked close to 1 million adult fish in the lake since they started in 1998… ‘We don’t know if any small fish have survived, but for all intents and purposes, the fishery doesn’t exist anymore,’ he told The Associated Press…”
The Bible predicts that in these end times, many land animals and ALL fish will die.
Q&A
Does Acts 1:15 say that Christ had only about 120 disciples at that time? Does this not contradict 1 Corinthians 15:6 which states that Christ had appeared after His resurrection to 500 brethren?
In Acts 1:15, it says there were about 120 disciples.
In 1 Corinthians 15:6, we read that Christ appeared to 500 “brethren” or disciples.
Many commentaries suggest that the 120 disciples, mentioned in Acts 1:15, only refer to those in Jerusalem, and that the 500 brethren were living in Galilee at that time.
Jamieson, Fausset and Brown states: “… the number … about an hundred and twenty—Many, therefore, of the ‘five hundred brethren’ who saw their risen Lord ‘at once’ (1Co 15:6), must have remained in Galilee.”
The People’s New Testament agrees, stating: “[They were] about an hundred and twenty. This was the number of disciples at Jerusalem, but not all who were then disciples. See 1Co 15:6.”
Wesley’s Notes add: “Who were together in the upper room were a hundred and twenty – But he had undoubtedly many more in other places; of whom more than five hundred saw him at once after his resurrection, 1Cor 15:6.”
On the other hand, Barclay, The Acts of the Apostles, thinks there were only 120 disciples at that time: “There were only 120 pledged to Christ and it is very unlikely that any of them had even been outside the narrow confines of Palestine in his life. Since there were about 4,000,000 Jews in Palestine, this means that fewer than 1 in 30,000 were Christians… If ever anything began from small beginnings the Christian Church did.”
Does 1 Corinthians 15:6 support the idea that Christ had more than 120 disciples at the time of Acts 1:15? Does the reference of 500 disciples in 1 Corinthians 15:6 refer to the time prior to Acts 1:15, or does it describe a subsequent event?
In the New King James Bible, Paul says in 1.Corinthians 15:3-8:
“For I delivered to you first of all which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He was seen by Cephas, then [Greek ”eita”] by the twelve. After that [Greek: “epeita”] He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. After that [Greek: “epeita”] he was seen by James, then [Greek: “eita”] by all the apostles. Then last of all [here, the word for “then” does not appear in the Greek; it says, and last of all] He was seen by me also…”
This passage does not have to set forth a time sequence of events or appearances, but it could refer to a list of important events, without setting forth a time sequence.
The Greek word “eita” means “afterwards” or “furthermore.” Compare Hebrews 12:9, where it does clearly NOT describe a time sequence. There, it just sets forth an additional thought or argument.
Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible #1534, defines “eita” as a “succession in time or logical enumeration,” and gives alternative renderings such as “then, moreover, furthermore.”
The word “epeita,” Strong’s #1899, is defined as “after that,” and it is stated that it is derived from “eita” and “epi.” The Greek word “epi” (Strong’s #1909) is defined as “superimposition of time or order.”
In Hebrews 7:2, the word “epeita” (rendered as “then” in the New King James Bible) clearly does not describe a time sequence of events. Another example is James 3:17, where an enumeration of important characteristics is being given.
Another example is 1 Thessalonians 4:17 (“Then we who are alive…”). One of our Q&A’s addresses this passage. It shows that the word “then” in that context does not refer to a time sequence of events, as these events, as described, will occur simultaneously.
What Paul is addressing in 1 Corinthians 15:3-8 is important proof that Christ was resurrected and that He manifested Himself to the disciples, in bodily form, after His resurrection. He lists different occurrences, not necessarily in time sequence, but perhaps in an order of logical enumeration.
But even if a time sequence is described here, we need to consider the following:
The manifestations of Jesus Christ after His resurrection, as listed by Paul, are by no means exhaustive. He does not list the appearance of Jesus to Mary and the other woman; or to the two disciples on their way to Emmaus, when He appeared to them in “another form” (Mark 16:12). In fact, the Bible does not report anywhere else most of the occurrences which Paul lists.
We do not read anywhere else that Jesus appeared to Peter or Cephas [Aramaic name for Peter] alone or at first, and only then or “afterwards” to the twelve. In fact, the Bible states elsewhere that Christ appeared to the women and then to Peter and the other nine apostles, but “doubting Thomas” was not present. Then He appeared to the eleven—not the twelve, as Judas was dead and was not replaced yet by Matthias. THAT appearance [when the apostles had again reached the number twelve] could have only taken place AFTER the event described in Acts 1:15. Even though Matthias had been with Christ and the apostles from the beginning, so had Barsabas (Acts 1:21-23). But Matthias was not an apostle then; it was determined by lot that he should become an apostle and he was then “numbered with the eleven apostles” (verses 25-26). So when Christ appeared to the twelve apostles after His resurrection, it must have occurred after Matthias had become an apostle—that is, after the events described in Acts 1. See also Matthew 28:16 and Mark 16:14-18, where Christ appeared to the “eleven apostles” after His resurrection, to give them “the great commission.”
Likewise, Christ’s additional appearance to Peter alone must have happened on a different occasion—not, when He appeared to the eleven or the twelve or all of the apostles–and the Bible does not tell us, when exactly it occurred. As an additional consideration, note what the apostle John said about his own recounting of the life of Christ:
“And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name” (John 20:30-31).
We also do not read elsewhere that and when Christ appeared to the 500 brethren; or when He appeared to James, the half-brother of Christ (even though we might conclude that THAT appearance to James did occur in fact prior to the events in Acts 1:15; compare our free booklet, “Jesus Christ—a Great Mystery.”). We are also not told when He appeared to ALL the apostles [obviously referring to more than just twelve, but at the time of Christ’s ascension (Acts 1:6), we only read of eleven apostles, so, as mentioned, the appearance to TWELVE apostles and to “ALL the apostles” (apparently including James at that time) must have taken place AFTER the events in Acts 1:15].
We therefore conclude that some of Christ’s appearances, which are mentioned in 1 Corinthians 15, must have occurred AFTER His ascension and AFTER the event described in Acts 1:15, when about 120 disciples are listed and when Matthias is chosen as one of the apostles, replacing Judas.
Paul is also saying that finally, Christ appeared to him. We know, of course, that He appeared to Paul (then Saul) on his way to Damascus many days after His ascension and the event in Acts 1:15. However, when Christ spoke to Paul on his way to Damascus, the Bible does not tell us that Christ manifested Himself to Paul. We read in Acts 9:3-4 that Paul saw a light which blinded him, and that he heard the voice of Christ. Also, Acts 22:1-21 recounts Paul’s experience in a little more detail; compare in particular verses 6-11. Paul recounts his experience again in Acts 26:12-19, specifically stating that it was a “heavenly vision.”
In addition, Paul was in a “trance” when Christ communicated to him on another occasion (Acts 22:17). This seems to be indicating that Paul saw Him on that occasion in a vision as well (as Stephen did prior to his death, when He saw Christ together with the Father, Acts 7:55-56). We also read that Christ appeared to Paul at one time in another vision (Acts 18:9). [He even saw the third heaven in a vision, compare 2 Corinthians 12:1-4; and John saw the glorified Christ and God the Father in a vision, while on the isle of Patmos, Revelation 1:9-20; 4:2-3].
But we also read in Acts 23:11 that “the following night the Lord stood by” Paul and encouraged him. On that occasion, the way this is worded, it does not say that Paul saw Christ in a vision [compare again by contrast Acts 18:9]; rather, the implication is that Christ seemed to have manifested Himself to Paul at that time (as angels also manifest themselves to man at times, without being recognized by man as angels, Hebrews 13:2). We also recall that Christ, prior to His birth as a human being, manifested Himself on several occasions to man, appearing as a man. He appeared as the high priest Melchizedek (Hebrews 7:1-8); He appeared with two angels to Abraham; and He spoke to Moses who even saw His glory, but only from behind.
In addition, Paul’s reference in 1 Corinthians 15:6 might not have been to any of his VISIONS, during which he saw Christ, as the other occurrences that he mentions in 1 Corinthians 15:5-7 were clearly not “visions” either, but “bodily” manifestations of Christ. Rather, Paul, in mentioning Christ’s appearance to him, might have referred to his lengthy stay in Arabia when he was apparently personally instructed by Christ. In our free booklet, “Paul’s Letter to the Galatians,” we state regarding Galatians 1:11-14:
“‘(Verse 11) But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man.’ That is, the gospel of the Kingdom of God is not invented by man. It is a message from God the Father that has to be revealed. In Paul’s case, Christ taught him directly, as is stated in verse 12—apparently, while he lived in Arabia (see below, in verse 17).
“Paul states in Galatians 1:12… ‘For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ…’
“Paul goes on to say… ‘Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus…’
“It appears that Paul was instructed personally by Jesus Christ, when dwelling in Arabia (verse 17)…”
In light of all the foregoing, it appears that the list in 1 Corinthians 15:5-8 does not necessarily set forth a time sequence of events, but even if it does, it is not compelling to conclude that Christ manifested Himself to 500 brethren prior to the event in Acts 1:15. It is plausible that some of Christ’s appearances, including His manifestation to all of the twelve apostles and even to ALL the apostles (more than twelve), and His manifestation(s) to Paul, as well as His manifestation to 500 brethren, occurred after the event described in Acts 1:15, so that the implication is that at the time of Acts 1:15, there were only about 120 disciples who were loyal to Christ.
But we know that subsequently, the Church grew tremendously (compare Acts 2:41, stating that on the Day of Pentecost alone, about 3,000 “souls” were added), but we are also told that later, many fell away from the faith, and the warning remains for us today that prior to Christ’s return, a falling away from the truth in God’s Church is still to occur.
Lead Writer: Norbert Link
The Work
Preaching the Gospel and Feeding the Flock
The contract for The Hilton Garden Inn at Pismo Beach is signed for this year’s Feast of Tabernacles and Last Great Day observance in the US. We reserved 15 rooms with more available, as needed. Please contact us before the end of January and tell us that you want to stay in the hotel. We will compose an assignment list. The prices and amenities are very close to those of two years ago.
Norbert and Johanna Link will travel to Germany on April 7th of this year. Plans are being made for counseling brethren as well as conducting services for Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread along with finalizing organizational arrangements for the Church in Germany. Michael Link will also travel to Germany for Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread and assist with Church functions and organizational arrangements. Several baptisms are anticipated, and Norbert Link will officiate at a church wedding on May 1. The Links will also investigate a new Feast site for 2015. Norbert and Johanna Link will return to the US on May 5, 2014. Additonally, plans for the 2014 Feast of Tabernacles are that we will again keep the Feast (from October 8 until October 16, departure date October 17) at the same hotel in the Black Forest (Hotel Birkenhof, Freudenstadt) as we did in 2013. Please contact us before the end of January and tell us that you want to stay in the hotel. We will compose an assignment list. The prices and amenities are very close to those of a year ago.
The 2014 Church Conference will begin Friday, March 28th, and continue through Tuesday, April 1st, in San Diego, California. Brian and Jill Gale will stay following the Conference, and Mr. Gale will conduct Passover services in Ramona, California. Rene and Delia Messier will be in Oregon for Passover and the beginning of Unleavened Bread. Passover Services will be conducted by the ministry in Fort Collins, Colorado, as well.
“Will Pope Francis Reform the Catholic Church?,” is the title of a new StandingWatch program presented by Evangelist Norbert Link. Here is a summary:
What can we expect from Pope Francis, the first Jesuit Pope in the history of the Catholic Church? Is he a liberal or a conservative? What are his beliefs? How was he elected, and why did Pope Benedict resign? Why is he condoning homosexual conduct? Why is he getting more and more involved in politics? What does Bible prophecy say about all of this?
“Wird Papst Franziskus die Katholische Kirche Reformieren?,” is the title of a new AufPostenStehen program in which Mr. Link covers much of the same material as summarized above.
A new Member Letter (with attachment) has been written to the German brethren and friends. It announces our Webex meeting this Sabbath (when Norbert Link will address the congregation live right after Sabbath services) and includes a write-up on the first, second and third tithe.
“Gottes Segnungen für Unsere Kinder,” is the title of this week’s German sermon, to be played this coming Sabbath. This is the second part of the German sermon series on the fate of our children. Title in English: “God’s Blessings for Our Children.“
Forums
Safe Zone
by Shelly Bruno
As the Church announced the US Feast site this year, I got excited thinking about celebrating the Holy Days. It’s a time of year that is wonderful and joyous but also safe. I consider it my personal safe zone. It is like that secure place from childhood games—the spot I couldn’t be caught or tagged—but could safely watch everyone else playing.
Today I’m not seeking “safety” in playing a game, but from the season of holidays that has just passed. When Halloween arrives every year with Christmas fast on its heels, I get that queasy feeling of having to work extra hard to avoid the insidiousness of what society celebrates. It’s the time of year when those cultural holidays seep into conversation with others, affront me when I leave my house, or influence every station that delivers music or news.
Thankfully God’s fall festival comes at a perfect time, giving me the extra strength to overcome that influence. And now, with some of the cultural holidays behind me, I look forward to the Spring Holy Days. God’s perfect timing gives me the strength just when I need it. There is more for me to overcome, but that next safe zone is again within sight.
How This Work is Financed
This Update is an official publication by the ministry of the Church of the Eternal God in the United States of America; the Church of God, a Christian Fellowship in Canada; and the Global Church of God in the United Kingdom.
Editorial Team: Norbert Link, Dave Harris, Rene Messier, Brian Gale, Johanna Link, Eric Rank, Michael Link, Anna Link, Kalon Mitchell, Manuela Mitchell, Dawn Thompson
Technical Team: Eric Rank, Shana Rank
Our activities and literature, including booklets, weekly updates, sermons on CD are provided free of charge. They are made possible by the tithes, offerings and contributions of Church members and others who have elected to support this Work.
While we do not solicit the general public for funds, contributions are gratefully welcomed and are tax-deductible in the U.S. and Canada.
Donations can be sent to the following addresses:
United States: Church of the Eternal God, P.O. Box 270519, San Diego, CA 92198
Canada: Church of God, ACF, Box 1480, Summerland, B.C. V0H 1Z0
United Kingdom: Global Church of God, PO Box 44, MABLETHORPE, LN12 9AN, United Kingdom
Will Pope Francis Reform the Catholic Church?
What can we expect from Pope Francis, the first Jesuit Pope in the history of the Catholic Church? Is he a liberal or a conservative? What are his beliefs? How was he elected, and why did Pope Benedict resign? Why is he condoning homosexual conduct? Why is he getting more and more involved in politics? What does Bible prophecy say about all of this?
Download Audio Download VideoJosiah-A Righteous King of Judah
Following David and Solomon, most kings of Israel and Judah were evil in the sight of God. Not one king from the house of Israel lived up to God’s standards, and only very few kings from the house of Judah did. One shining example was righteous King Josiah, and it is worthwhile to study his life for encouragement and inspiration. Josiah abandoned pagan worship and restored the true worship of God. He was willing to obey God, but his life ended prematurely due to a wrong decision.
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Current Events
Is History Repeating Itself – 1914 All Over Again?
The Independent wrote on January 5:
“… an internationally respected historian is warning that today’s world bears a number of striking similarities with the build-up to the First World War. The newly mechanised armies of the early 20th century produced unprecedented slaughter on the battlefields of the ‘war to end all wars’ after a spark lit in the Balkans with the assassination of the Austro-Hungarian Empire’s Archduke Franz Ferdinand.
“Professor Margaret MacMillan, of the University of Cambridge, argues that the Middle East could be viewed as the modern-day equivalent of this turbulent region. A nuclear arms race that would be likely to start if Iran developed a bomb ‘would make for a very dangerous world indeed, which could lead to a recreation of the kind of tinderbox that exploded in the Balkans 100 years ago – only this time with mushroom clouds,’ she writes in an essay for the Brookings Institution, a leading US think-tank… ‘the Middle East today bears a worrying resemblance to the Balkans then,’ she says. ‘A similar mix of toxic nationalisms threatens to draw in outside powers as the US, Turkey, Russia, and Iran look to protect their interests and clients.’
“Professor MacMillan highlights a string of other parallels between today and a century ago. Modern-day Islamist terrorists mirror the revolutionary communists and anarchists who carried out a string of assassinations in the name of a philosophy that sanctioned murder to achieve their vision of a better world…
“Another similarity highlighted by the historian is the belief that a full-scale war between the major powers is unthinkable after such a prolonged period of peace. ‘Now, as then, the march of globalisation has lulled us into a false sense of safety,’ she says. ‘The 100th anniversary of 1914 should make us reflect anew on our vulnerability to human error, sudden catastrophes, and sheer accident…’”
The Bible has prophesied long ago that in our days, World War III is coming…
Iraqi City Fallujah Back in Al Qaida Hands
On January 3, 2014, Newsmax wrote the following:
“Al-Qaida-linked militants held control of much of the Iraqi city of Fallujah and other nearby towns, fighting off efforts by troops with air support to regain control… Fallujah became notorious among Americans when insurgents in 2004 killed four American security contractors and hung their burned bodies from a bridge… The town also was the site of one of the bloodiest battles of the Iraq War. Nearly 100 U.S. Marines were killed and hundreds wounded in the second battle of Fallujah in 2004.
“Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki sent reinforcements on Jan. 1 to dislodge militants from Fallujah and nearby Ramadi, a focus of the 2007 ‘surge’ of U.S. forces. The fighting there is part of an escalation of violence in Iraq, where 2013 saw the most civilian casualties for five years amid the kind of sectarian violence between Sunni and Shiite Muslims that also has engulfed Syria and Lebanon…
“There is little support in the U.S. for renewed military involvement in Iraq, where 4,489 Americans were killed and 51,778 wounded in action after the Bush administration invaded the country almost 11 years ago. Obama has listed ending the war in Iraq as one of his main accomplishments. Civilian fatalities in Iraq, including police, totaled 7,818 last year, with almost 18,000 wounded…
“So far, the violence hasn’t affected Iraq’s major oil fields, the country’s main source of revenue. Output rose by 100,000 barrels a day last month to 3.2 million barrels, the most since August… The country pumped more crude as it increased links to wells in its predominately Shiite south. Iraq is the second-biggest producer in OPEC after Saudi Arabia… Maliki also faces political unrest, with 44 members of Iraq’s parliament resigning because the government used force to dismantle Sunni-led protests.”
Deutsche Welle reported on January 7:
“For most Americans, the Iraq War ended when its last troops were withdrawn at the end of 2011. But the violence in the country has barely relented since then, and last week’s outbreak of fighting in Fallujah and Ramadi was only the latest eruption of long-lasting sectarian tensions… Those sectarian tensions remained unresolved when US troops forces pulled out… In effect, then, analysts argue, greater diplomatic pressure on Baghdad in 2009 and early 2010 could have stemmed the tensions that erupted so violently last week.”
The Iraqi war was a terrible mistake and destined to failure from the outset, and subsequent diplomatic blunders only added to the disaster. Things have only gotten worse. And what if Iraq’s oil fields fell into the hands of radical Islamists and the oil export to the USA were to stop?
North Korea’s Leader Kim Jong Un and His Unpredictable Demonic Rule
The Straits Times wrote on January 2:
“The execution of Jang Song Thaek, the No. 2 man in North Korea, took Beijing by surprise and will adversely affect bilateral relations. Beijing’s displeasure is expressed through the publication of a detailed account of Jang’s brutal execution in Wen Wei Po, its official mouthpiece, in Hong Kong, on Dec 12. According to the report, unlike previous executions of political prisoners which were carried out by firing squads with machine guns, Jang was stripped naked and thrown into a cage, along with his five closest aides. Then 120 hounds, starved for three days, were allowed to prey on them until they were completely eaten up. This is called ‘quan jue’, or execution by dogs. The report said the entire process lasted for an hour, with Mr Kim Jong Un, the supreme leader in North Korea, supervising it along with 300 senior officials.
“The horrifying report vividly depicted the brutality of the young North Korean leader. The fact that it appeared in a Beijing-controlled newspaper showed that China no longer cares about its relations with the Kim regime. Two days later, the Global Times, associated with the People’s Daily, a Chinese Communist Party organ, followed up with a sternly worded editorial saying that the abrupt political change epitomised the backwardness of the North Korean political system. It warned the Chinese government not to coddle North Korea any longer, saying that the majority of Chinese were extremely disgusted with the Kim regime…
“The purge of Jang reflected the longstanding suspicion and apprehension of the North Korean regime towards China, which dates back to the time of Kim Il Sung, North Korea’s founder. Although China fought the Korean War to preserve the Kim regime, he was less than grateful. Once the war was over, Kim started purging the Yan-an faction within his party. This faction received its training in Yan-an, the capital of the Chinese Communist Party in the 1940s… When the son, Kim Jong Il, took over the helm, he did not hide the fact that his nuclear weapons could be used against China… So when the grandson, … Kim Jong Un, took over the helm, this family tradition of suspecting China prompted the young leader to take drastic action to cleanse the party of any pro-China elements.
“Recent developments have posed a number of issues for China. First, China’s own security is at risk. The erratic and ruthless behaviour of Mr Kim Jong Un suggests that China should not underrate the likelihood of a nuclear threat from Pyongyang…
“Second, China’s political and strategic influence on the Korean peninsula has been drastically reduced. China was widely considered to be able to rein in the unruly Kim regime, thus acting as a force for peace in the region. But it now appears China’s influence over its neighbour is close to zero. This is clear from the fact that Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi telephoned his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov for urgent consultation on Dec 13. This was followed by Ambassador Wu Dawei’s trip to Moscow. Both moves suggest that Beijing realises it can no longer tame the Kim regime by itself.
“Third, China had hoped to nurture a less belligerent neighbour by encouraging reform, open-door policies and economic development in North Korea… With Jang brutally executed, the idea of a peaceful transformation seems unrealistic.”
Some, like Newsmax, dated January 6, have stated that the “dog story” might have been a myth, as it was allegedly received from a Chinese satire website. There is no discussion, however, that Jang Song Thaek was murdered by the North Korean regime, but it is suggested that he was “executed” by a firing squad. We have serious doubts that this “clarification” is based on facts. Kim Jong Un is a ruthless leader, and further reports have emerged that his aunt, wife of the late Jang Song Thaek, is also dead. As the Daily Mail reported, dated January 6, she died “under mysterious circumstances.” She “is said to have either suffered a heart attack or committed suicide by North Korean media.”
Rodman’s Shameful and Disgusting Show in North Korea
Based on the foregoing, the following report by CNN, dated January 6, is appalling, stating: “Eccentric basketball star Dennis Rodman and several other former NBA players have arrived in North Korea to take part in a controversial basketball game on the birthday of Kim Jong-Un, the country’s young, unpredictable leader.”
On January 8, 2014, BBC News added: “US basketball star Dennis Rodman has sung Happy Birthday to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in front of a crowd of thousands in the capital. Rodman said Mr Kim, who was in the audience with his wife and other senior officials, was his ‘best friend’.”
How anyone, “eccentric or not,” can justify celebrating the birthday of Kim Jong-un by playing a basketball game is beyond sound reasoning. To call him “his best friend” shows much about the character of Rodman — former Chicago Bull teammate of Michael Jordan–and those following him. What a shameful disgrace for the US, which became even more appalling during Rodman’s interview with CNN. As Deutsche Welle reported on January 8:
“Rodman’s CNN appearance took a turn towards the surreal when he was asked about US missionary Kenneth Bae, who has been held in North Korean custody since May on charges described only as ‘anti-state’ crimes… ‘If you understand what Kenneth Bae did … Do you understand what he did in this country? Why is he held captive in this country?’ Rodman asked the interviewer, declining to elaborate when asked to provide the information in question…
“White House spokesman Jay Carney said he was ‘not going to dignify that outburst with a response’… The National Basketball Association (NBA), meanwhile, issued a statement saying it was ‘not involved’ in Rodman’s trip and would not take part in so-called ‘basketball diplomacy’ without discussions with the US State Department.”
This response by the NBA is another shameful and cowardly attempt not to take any position against Rodman’s and the other former NBA players’ behavior.
In that context, Breitbart wrote on January 6:
“‘The trip comes at the worst possible time—after Kim Jong-un brutally solidified his grip on power—and with no progress towards denuclearization,’ Congressman Ed Royce, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told Breitbart.com. ‘This basketball game will do nothing to improve the abysmal human rights conditions in North Korea. It’s a propaganda win for the regime.’
“If they don’t return home with a renewed appreciation for America, the basketball giants might thank God for their height. North Korea has long pursued an eradication campaign against little people—ones even smaller than the diminutive Kim Jong-un—that has relied on imprisonment and eugenics. Kim Jong-un’s father, Kim Jong-il, strangely proclaimed, ‘The race of dwarves must disappear.’”
This reminds us of Hitler and his Nazi elite, who strangely advocated the advance of a Nordic master race (blond, blue-eyed and tall)—a description which was not met in the slightest by little Hitler, overweight Goering or limping Goebbels.
We are convinced that Kim Jong Un is demonically possessed, and those too closely associated with him come likewise under his demonic “spell.” This fact makes the baby-faced young radical murderer extremely dangerous, irrational and privy to any imaginable destructive action. We might think of Hitler who was undoubtedly demon-possessed as well. For proof, please read our free booklets, “Europe in Prophecy” and “The Ten European Revivals of the Ancient Roman Empire.”
We can expect that more and more world leaders will give in to strong demonic influences, as the Bible clearly prophesies. Demons truly rule this world, and true Christians must be aware of this and resist Satan, while submitting to God for His protection. You might want to view or re-view our recent sermon on the topic, titled, “Demons on the Loose.”
Demonic Possession on the Rise
The Telegraph wrote on January 5:
“Dioceses across Italy, as well as in countries such as Spain, are increasing the number of priests schooled in administering the rite of exorcism, fabled to rid people of possession by the Devil. The rise in demonic cases is a result of more people dabbling in practices such as black magic, paganism, Satanic rites and Ouija boards, often exploring the dark arts with the help of information readily found on the internet, the Church said.
“The increase in the number of priests being trained to tackle the phenomenon is also an effort by the Church to sideline unauthorised, self-proclaimed exorcists, and its tacit recognition that belief in Satan, once regarded by Catholic progressives as an embarrassment, is still very much alive. The trend comes four decades after the 1973 release of The Exorcist, the American horror film based on the demonic possession of a 12-year-old girl and attempts to exorcise her by two priests…
“In Spain, Antonio Maria Rouco Varela, the archbishop of Madrid, chose eight priests to undergo special training in May to confront what he described as ‘an unprecedented rise’ in cases of ‘demonic possession’. The Church in Spain was coming across many cases that ‘go beyond the competence of psychologists’ and they were occurring with ‘a striking frequency’, the archbishop said. ‘Diabolical possessions are on the increase as a result of people subscribing to occultism,’ said Fr Francesco Bamonte, the president of the Italy-based International Association for Exorcists. ‘The few exorcists that we have in the dioceses are often not able to handle the enormous number of requests for help,’ he told La Repubblica last month.
“The association was founded in 1993 by Fr Gabriele Amorth, who served as the Vatican’s chief exorcist and claims to have conducted thousands of exorcisms. A controversial figure, he has claimed that yoga is ‘evil’ because it leads to a worship of Hinduism and other Eastern religions. During the papacy of Benedict XVI he said that the sex abuse scandals which engulfed the Church in the US, Ireland, Australia and other countries were proof that the Antichrist was waging a war against the Holy See…
“[People with demonic possession] must undergo the official Catholic rite of exorcism, which involves a consecrated priest invoking the name of God, as well as various saints and the Archangel Michael, to cast out their demons…”
It is true that demonic influence and possession are on the rise. But the “exorcisms” performed by the Catholic Church, as well as those by certain TV Evangelists, are deceitful and of no help whatsoever. For more information, please read our free booklet, “Angels, Demons and the Spirit World.”
Pope Francis and the Gay Community
AFP wrote on January 5:
“Pope Francis has called for a rethink in the way the Catholic Church deals with the children of gay couples and divorced parents… Though the Church has often been in conflict with the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community over its opposition to same-sex marriage and to homosexuality, Francis has drawn praise for attempts to be inclusive. In July he reached out to gays, declaring that ‘if someone is gay and seeks the Lord with good will, who am I to judge?’ And in December, the Advocate magazine — dedicated to the gay and lesbian community — chose the head of the Catholic Church as the ‘single most influential person of 2013 on the lives of LGBT people.’”
Inasmuch as it has been reported infrequently in the news that some—if not many—within the Catholic clergy are homosexual, this recent trend within that Church is quite remarkable. The conservative German paper, Die Welt, reported on January 7, 2014, that many men of the Catholic Swiss Guard have been allegedly approached by priests, bishops and cardinals. In its article, “The Vatican is a Paradise for Gays,” the paper wrote that the Swiss Guard has been “protecting” the Pope and the Vatican for 500 years, but that the 110-men-troop has also been serving as a “lust object.”
Pope Francis—“The Lamb of God”
This is how the Drudge Report linked the following article by The Independent, dated January 8:
“Pope Francis has visited a live nativity re-enactment at the Church of St Alfonso Maria dei Liguori on the outskirts of Rome. After greeting the 200 costumed participants and a large number of farmyard animals, he made his way to the most important member of the group: the 2-month-old baby Francesco, who had been baptised that morning and played the role of Jesus in the proceedings. A group of ‘shepherds’ also placed a young lamb on the Pope’s shoulders as children sang Christmas songs and presented the Pope with a bunch of roses.”
UFO Sighting in Germany
The Local wrote on January 7:
“An unidentified flying object which ruined the travel plans of passengers at Bremen airport on Monday night looked like a plane but was a lot louder, according to eyewitnesses… The airport said on Monday night that the UFO showed up on its radar several times over three hours from 6.30pm to 9.30pm. Police said in a statement that they were alerted at 6.30pm about a UFO over Bremen and a patrol car also saw the object.
“A police helicopter was sent up to try and find the UFO but could not, although the Weser Kurier newspaper reported it could be seen through binoculars from the airport’s traffic control tower. The helicopter search was called off at 8.45pm, according to the police statement.
“Officers are now investigating the case on grounds of unauthorized intrusion into controlled air space. A spokeswoman for German Air Traffic Control (DFS) said: ‘It had normal lights, red and green, and an approach light on both sides,’ the Weser Kurier reported. Eyewitness Dominique Höber told the paper the object was flying at between 100 and 200 metres and passed over his house four times. ‘It looked like a plane,’ he said. ‘It had lights but was a lot louder.’
“A flight from Frankfurt had to be cancelled and a second flight from Munich was diverted to Hannover. Another plane coming from Paris had to stay airborne for a while before it could land. A Bremen police spokesman said. ‘We still don’t know what it was, but it was there.’ Possible explanations are that it was a drone or a balloon-like aircraft.
“On Sunday in the town of Zwickau, Saxony, an initially unidentified aircraft landed on a field behind a house. Hours later it turned out to be a remote-controlled model airship.”
Whatever it might have been, the fact that it could not be located and identified is quite disturbing and worrisome.
Israel’s Challenges for 2014
The Jerusalem Post wrote on January 3:
“Here are [several] challenges that await Netanyahu in 2014:
“… Iran – Insisting on a good deal. Netanyahu’s goal is to ensure the world reaches a deal that will permanently prevent Iran’s military nuclearization and avoid the need for a military strike…
“… Syria – Staying out of it. The Washington Institute estimated this week that there are fighters from 74 countries in the Syrian civil war, which has become what in wrestling is called a battle royal. While Israel is included on that list because there are Druse from the Golan who went there to help their families, the Jewish state has done a good job so far in staying out of the fighting. The last thing Israel wants in 2014 is for all those fighters to stop attacking each other, and decide to turn their guns against their common enemy.
“… Palestinians – Avoiding war. Hamas’s ability to attack Israel has been hindered by the new Egyptian regime closing hundreds of tunnels from Egypt to Gaza. Hamas loses millions in monthly revenue from the tunnels. But terror tunnels to Israel are still being built and rockets are still fired regularly.
“… Palestinians – Making peace. The prime minister is under intense pressure from US Secretary of State John Kerry… If Netanyahu’s goal is to stall and avoid concessions, it will be harder than ever in 2014. If his goal is to reach an agreement, then – as usual – his success will depend on whether his Palestinian counterparts have the same goal…”
The paper lists additional challenges for Mr. Netanyahu’s political survival, but the ones quoted above go beyond just the person of Mr. Netanyahu, and address the problems regarding the very survival of the state of Israel.
Kerry Leaves Israel Without a Deal
JTA wrote on January 7:
“Israel published plans to build nearly 300 West Bank apartments as U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry wrapped up a visit to the Middle East without an official framework agreement between Israeli and Palestinian negotiators… On Monday, Netanyahu reportedly told Knesset members from his Likud party that he would oppose withdrawal from settlements such as Hebron and Beit El, which are not part of major settlement blocs but are ‘important to the Jewish people’…”
Michael Moore: “Obamacare Is Awful!”
On December 31, 2013, The New York Times published an editorial by left-liberal filmmaker and Obama-supporter Michael Moore, severely criticizing Obamacare. Moore became famous for films such as “Bowling for Columbine,” dealing with the unregulated use of guns, and his 2007 film ‘Sicko,’ which examined the American health care industry:
“Today marks the beginning of health care coverage under the Affordable Care Act’s new insurance exchanges, for which two million Americans have signed up. Now that the individual mandate is officially here, let me begin with an admission: Obamacare is awful.
“That is the dirty little secret many liberals have avoided saying out loud for fear of aiding the president’s enemies, at a time when the ideal of universal health care needed all the support it could get…
“I believe Obamacare’s rocky start — clueless planning, a lousy website, insurance companies raising rates, and the president’s telling people they could keep their coverage when, in fact, not all could — is a result of one fatal flaw: The Affordable Care Act is a pro-insurance-industry plan…
“What we now call Obamacare was conceived at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, and birthed in Massachusetts by Mitt Romney, then the governor. The president took Romneycare, a program designed to keep the private insurance industry intact, and just improved some of its provisions…By 2017, we will be funneling over $100 billion annually to private insurance companies…
“For many people, the ‘affordable’ part of the Affordable Care Act risks being a cruel joke. The cheapest plan available to a 60-year-old couple making $65,000 a year in Hartford, Conn., will cost $11,800 in annual premiums. And their deductible will be $12,600. If both become seriously ill, they might have to pay almost $25,000 in a single year…”
Of course, Moore has also “good things” to say about Obamacare, which we do not quote herein, as we do not believe that Moore’s overly optimistic and gratuitous comments insofar are accurate. But we did quote the excerpts above to show that even strong Obama supporters are unhappy with the President’s health-care policies… even though they might disagree for wrong reasons…
Secret Court Continues to Authorize Secret Spying on All American Phone Calls
The Washington Times wrote on January 3:
“The secret court that oversees the nation’s intelligence activities renewed its approval of the National Security Agency’s telephone-records program on Friday, granting the government a new three-month window to collect data on all Americans’ phone calls… The decision marks the 36th time the program has been approved by the secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court…
“Last month a federal judge in the District of Columbia ruled that the NSA’s phone-records program was likely unconstitutional, but another federal judge in New York concluded the opposite. The Obama administration has said it is appealing the adverse ruling… Under the NSA program, the agency collects the time, duration and parties involved in most calls placed within the U.S. The agency stores that data for five years…
“A White House review, released last month, was harshly critical of the program, saying the NSA shouldn’t store the data but rather should leave it with telephone companies, only accessing the data when analysts have a specific articulable reason. The White House review was also critical of the secret court that has repeatedly upheld the NSA’s snooping program…”
Just to clarify and bring back to America’s consciousness. These incredible violations of privacy are not perpetrated in dictatorial countries such as North Korea, but in the “land of the brave and the free.”
Class Action Lawsuit by Rand Paul and Ken Cuccinelli against Obama for Spying
Breitbart reported on January 4:
“Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) said the grassroots in America will ‘overwhelm’ the federal government and President Barack Obama’s administration by signing up for his class action lawsuit against Obama himself over the National Security Agency (NSA) spying on American citizens.
“‘Well, the thing about it is the question here is whether or not constitutionally you can have a single warrant apply to millions of people,’ Paul said in an exclusive interview with Fox News’ Eric Bolling on Friday evening… ‘We now have several hundred thousand people who want to be part of this suit to say to the government and to the NSA “you can’t have our records without our permission or without a warrant specific to an individual.”… We want to overwhelm the government and we want to show publicly that hundreds of thousands of people object to the government looking at our records without our permission.
“Paul confirmed to Bolling that former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli will be leading his legal team’s efforts against President Obama… He was also the first attorney general to file a lawsuit against Obamacare. And he’s joined our legal team. He has constitutional expertise. We’re hoping with his help we can get a hearing in court and so that we can get this class action lawsuit, I think the first of its kind, all the way to the Supreme Court.’
“Paul said the goal of the lawsuit is to force the Obama administration to follow the constitution… ‘We want them to protect the Fourth Amendment,’ Paul said. ‘We want them to protect the right to privacy. We want them to understand that we’re not willing to trade our liberty for security. We think we can have security and we can defend against terrorism but that doesn’t mean every individual American has to give up their privacy. We think we can have both. But we are very upset that this president doesn’t seem to be too concerned with our right to privacy.’
“When Bolling asked Paul if Director of National Intelligence James Clapper should be prosecuted for a factually inaccurate statement he made to Congress in 2013, Paul said he thinks so. Clapper denied during a congressional hearing that the NSA had engaged in collection of Americans’ records–something that has been proven to be untrue. ‘Lying to Congress is a felony,’ Paul said…”
Whether this class action lawsuit will be successful is doubtful in a country run by a government and a Congress determined to continue with spying on its citizens.
But lest anyone thinks that we are involved in politics and support one particular political candidate, let us make clear that we do not. We are reporting on political events in the light of biblical prophecy and social developments which are in contradiction to biblical standards. But we realize that this is Satan’s world, and that no politician, whether well-meaning or not, is able to solve our problems. That is why we are NOT voting in governmental elections. It will require the return of Jesus Christ to set up godly rule and the Kingdom of God here on earth.
We also know that no politician is infallible. For example, Rand Paul made some questionable statements in opposition to President Obama’s desire to prolong unemployment benefits. We reported about Congress’ failure to extend these benefits in our last Update. Now Newsmax reported on January 7 that Rand Paul “fired back at President Barack Obama’s aggressive push for extended unemployment benefits, saying that like ‘most liberals,’ he makes ‘big-hearted, small-brained policy statements.” Obama had responded to Paul’s controversial claim that “expanding benefits harms the country.” As we mentioned, it is easy to make such unsupportable statements when one is gainfully employed, has big savings in the bank, or has financial support from rich relatives, but it is a different story when one is becoming unemployed, searching for a job and is unable to find one. The Bible COMMANDS and enjoins the nation that these people MUST be supported.
Congress Not Exempted from NSA Spying?
CNN reported on January 5:
“Congress is just like everyone else. That’s the message the National Security Agency has for Sen. Bernie Sanders. The independent senator from Vermont sent a letter to the agency Friday, asking whether it has or is ‘spying’ on members of Congress and other elected American officials. The NSA provided a preliminary response Saturday that said Congress has ‘the same privacy protections as all U.S. persons.’… The NSA would say nothing more, except that it is further reviewing the letter…
“Attorney General Eric Holder similarly deflected answering the same question at a congressional hearing last summer…
“The intelligence community has faced heated criticism from the right and left in 2013 after Edward Snowden’s leaks, and the intensity has continued fiercely in 2014. On Thursday, the New York Times and the Guardian published scathing editorials that slammed the ‘violations’ Snowden’s leaks revealed and advocated a presidential pardon for him.
“Among those charges was the notion that James Clapper Jr., the director of National Intelligence, lied to Congress while testifying last March that the NSA was not collecting data on millions of Americans. National Intelligence was quick to push back, with a letter to the editor… by general counsel Robert Litt, published in the New York Times on Saturday. ‘As a witness to the relevant events and a participant in them, I know that allegation is not true,’ writes Litt, explaining that Clapper misunderstood the question, but couldn’t publicly correct his mistake ‘because the program involved was classified.’… Litt said that Clapper was ‘surprised and distressed’ when he was informed by staff that he gave a misleading answer after the testimony.”
This reminds us of the impeachable offense by former President Bill Clinton when he lied under oath regarding the nature of his extra-marital adulterous affair with “this woman,” subsequently stating that he misunderstood the question…
Obama Most Hostile President Towards the Press Since Nixon?
The Huffington Post wrote on January 7:
“President Obama demanded a criminal investigation into leaks to the New York Times just a month into his first term, a new book by his former defense secretary claims… In it, the paper reports, [Robert] Gates ‘reveals the depth of Mr. Obama’s concerns over leaks of classified information to news outlets, noting that within his first month in office, the new president said he wanted a criminal investigation into disclosures on Iran policy published by The New York Times.’
“It wasn’t clear which exact piece from the Times triggered Obama’s anger. The paper has famously been a subject of a Justice Department investigation into the leaking of detailed information of a classified program against Iran in 2012. But the claim highlights the zeal that has caused many to accuse Obama of being the most hostile president towards the press since Richard Nixon.”
USA in the Grip of Polar Vortex
The Associated Press wrote on January 5:
“Temperatures not seen in years are likely to set records in the coming days across the Midwest, Northeast and South, creating dangerous travel conditions and prompting church and school closures. A ‘polar vortex’ will affect more than half of the continental U.S. starting Sunday and into Monday and Tuesday, with wind chill warnings stretching from Montana to Alabama. The vortex is a counterclockwise-rotating pool of cold, dense air, and is behind the startling forecast: 25 below zero in Fargo, N.D., minus 31 in International Falls, Minn., and 15 below in Indianapolis and Chicago.
“The bitterly cold temperatures already pushed into northern states Sunday morning… It hasn’t been this cold for almost two decades in many parts of the country. Because of that, medical experts are reminding people that frostbite and hypothermia can set in quickly at 15 to 30 below zero, and it’s key to be dressed for the temperatures.”
BBC News added on January 7:
“A brutal blast of arctic air has settled over eastern North America, bringing dangerously low temperatures not seen in decades. About half of the US population has been placed under a wind chill warning or cold weather advisory. In Toronto, the temperature dropped to -24C (-11F) before dawn on Tuesday. Air, rail and road travel remain snarled by high, freezing wind, and residents have been warned to stay indoors to avoid frostbite.
“Cold air broke records in Chicago on Monday, where the temperature of -16F (-27C) was the lowest ever seen on that date. It was one of more than 120 daily temperature records broken in cities across the US since the beginning of 2014, many dating back decades.”
CBS wrote on January 7:
“The Polar Vortex has dropped unusually far south, keeping the Contiguous United States below freezing overnight, and 90-percent of the country below freezing Tuesday!”
Newsmax reported on January 7 that controversial radio host Rush Limbaugh made headlines again, stating: “The polar vortex is ‘a hoax’ perpetuated by the liberal media to further its agenda of climate change and global warming… ‘[We] are having a record-breaking cold snap in many parts of the country, and right on schedule, the media have to come up with a way to make it sound like it’s completely unprecedented,’ the conservative talker said, ‘because they’ve got to find a way to attach this to the global-warming agenda, and they have. It’s called the polar vortex. The dreaded polar vortex.”
It is not quite clear to us what the polar vortex has to do, if anything, with global warming, and why it must be a hoax to support global warming. The fact is, the term and phenomenon of “polar vortex” has been used and known for many years—before there was even a debate about global warming—and the USA is experiencing a freezing record unparalleled for decades. The following editorial by the Washington Times, dated January 6, sounds much more sensible to us than Rush Limbaugh’s conclusions.
“Polar Vortex Threatens Global Warming Delusions”
“If it’s too cold, the cause is man-made global warming. Not cold enough? That’s the fault of man-made global warming… Despite adoption of ‘climate change’ to replace ‘global warming,’ the public takes notice when Midwestern wind chills hit 70 degrees below zero and the average nationwide temperature falls to a mere 15 degrees…
“The liberal website Slate insists ‘Winter Does Not Disprove Global Warming’… Slate’s conclusion rests on a supposed scientific consensus and cites a draft of the U.S. National Climate Assessment that predicts ‘heavy precipitation in winter storms’ as proof that the cold snap is caused by global warming. When the winter is warm, [they] cite the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change assessment of more than a decade ago, which predicted ‘Milder winter temperatures will decrease heavy snowstorms.’ Even ‘mild’ was a cause for alarm, as the same report predicted killer ice storms would cause even more damage than blizzards…
“Australians dutifully heard the urgent warnings of the experts and the climate scientists, and enacted a dramatic global-warming carbon-dioxide tax… It has been in place for more than a year and a half. Instead of cooling down, a summertime heat is scorching the nation with the hottest temperatures on record (by one-half of a degree). Australians have elected a conservative, the Liberal Party’s Tony Abbott, as prime minister, who set as his top priority abolishing the job-killing levy.
“Mr. Abbott’s top business adviser, Maurice L. Newman, put liberals to steaming over recent comments on the subject. ‘Regrettably for the global-warming religion,’ wrote Mr. Newman in an op-ed, “’its predictions have started to appear shaky, and the converts, many of whom have lost their jobs and much of their wealth, are losing faith.’ The new prime minister hopes to collect the votes to kill the global-warming tax after elections later this year.
“Hot and cold, extreme and mild aren’t proof of global warming. They’re proof that nature is stronger than man and man’s feeble attempts to make the weather behave the way he thinks it should.”
British Tea Party on the Rise
Fox News reported on January 4:
“The often stale British political system is being rocked by its very own Tea Party. The UK Independence Party (UKIP), formed in 1993 opposing Britain’s entry into the European Union, failed to make an electoral dent for a long time. However UKIP has built up steam in recent years and is spearheading a seismic shift in the British political spectrum. In this year’s local elections – the British version of midterms — UKIP took a stunning 23 percent of the vote, up from the 3.1 percent they won in the 2010 national election. Their leader, Nigel Farage, is buoyed by their recent success. ‘We want to take back our country, we want to take back our government, and we want to take back our birthright,’ Farage told FoxNews.com in forthright language rarely seen in British politics…
“Farage has good reason to be confident of UKIP’s potential. Since he took the party’s helm for a second time in 2010, the party has been revitalized, capitalizing on dissatisfaction with the Conservative Party’s shift to the center under current Prime Minister David Cameron. Cameron has radically overhauled the ‘Tories,’ embracing nationalized health care, fighting for gay marriage, and changing the party logo from the flame of liberty to an environmentally conscious tree. This, UKIP argues, makes them indistinguishable from the left-wing Labour Party and Liberal Democrats. It is here where UKIP spied an opportunity, adopting an anti-establishment, populist platform that argues for lower taxation, privatization, smaller government and getting Britain out of the European Union. The message is proving effective. UKIP look[s] likely to make significant inroads in the next general election in 2015, possibly snatching seats away from the main parties.
“Farage is not getting ahead of himself however, instead focusing on the European elections in May 2014, where Europe is the determining factor. Britain has been turning decidedly away from Europe in recent years, with a September Opinion poll finding that 53 percent of British voters wanted to leave the E.U., with only 32 percent wanting to stay…
“Andrew Russell, Head of Politics at the University of Manchester, told FoxNews.com that the comparison between the Tea Party and UKIP is an accurate one, and that he believes that UKIP could take the 2014 elections by storm. ‘UKIP will do well in the 2014 European elections. They may even win them in terms of the popular vote. This will increase the pressure on the Conservatives.’ Yet instead of reaching out and finding middle ground, the Tories have snubbed UKIP. In 2006 David Cameron dismissed the newcomers as full of ‘fruitcakes and loonies and closet racists,’ and top Tory Kenneth Clark recently branded them as ‘a collection of clowns.’ However, Russell is unsure as to whether UKIP’s popularity could translate to general election success…”
Time will tell. But the “politically established” “conservative” reaction towards the US and British “Tea Party” movement is the same—dismissal rather than cooperation. This may heavily damage Boehner’s Republican Party as well as Cameron’s “Tories.” And the Bible strongly suggests that the UK will exit the EU.
This Week in the News
We begin with a striking article raising the question whether we are approaching the times similar to the outbreak of World War I; continue with turbulent developments in Iraq; discuss the demonic behavior of North Korea’s baby-faced leader; the unscrupulous conduct of “US basketball star” Dennis Rodman; and demonic possession and exorcisms within the Catholic Church; speak of the Pope’s new-found relationship towards gays; and address Israel’s challenges for 2014.
Turning to America’s domestic problems, we report about left-liberal criticism of Obamacare; the ongoing controversial activities of the NSA; and the nearly unprecedented terrible weather conditions of a large part of the USA.
We conclude with the political landscape in Britain and the rise of their own version of an anti-European “Tea Party.”
Update 621
| Live Services | Josiah—a Righteous King of Judah |
|---|---|
| Editorial | Balancing Act |
| Current Events | This Week in the News |
| Q&A | Why does God allow people to become sick? |
| The Work | Preaching the Gospel and Feeding the Flock |
Live Services
Josiah—a Righteous King of Judah
On January 11, 2014, Norbert Link will give the sermon titled, “Josiah—a Righteous King of Judah.”
The services can be heard 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.
Editorial
Balancing Act
by Robb Harris
Economists would define a balanced budget when an entity’s spending matches its revenue during a period of time. If an entity makes more than it spends, it has a budget surplus. But spending more than it makes puts the entity into a budget deficit. Whether that entity is a government, business or a family, the trend today seems to be living in a financial deficit. Achieving a balance or surplus takes preparation and a conscious effort.
If we seek worldly explanation for the failings of businesses or governments to achieve fiscal balance, we can become ensnared in political punditry. Sensationalized opinions are standard for TV news. Networks promote argumentative “talking heads” for the sake of entertainment value.
Understanding the root cause of the imbalance of this world does not mean we have achieved balance. Seeking equilibrium in our life requires a daily commitment. As Christians, we must always be on guard, always aware of our surroundings and always focused on the goal of pleasing God. Paul spoke of this constant struggle: “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58).
The balance each of us MUST achieve can be accomplished through Godly characteristics. By growing closer to God, we become more balanced. Paul also spoke of those Godly characteristics when speaking to Timothy: “And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will” (2 Timothy 2:24-26). We must have patience to be led by God, while being humble enough to discern when we are not stable. With that balance, we will know God’s truth—enabling us to enter into His Kingdom.
Current Events
We begin with a striking article raising the question whether we are approaching the times similar to the outbreak of World War I; continue with turbulent developments in Iraq; discuss the demonic behavior of North Korea’s baby-faced leader; the unscrupulous conduct of “US basketball star” Dennis Rodman; and demonic possession and exorcisms within the Catholic Church; speak of the Pope’s new-found relationship towards gays; and address Israel’s challenges for 2014.
Turning to America’s domestic problems, we report about left-liberal criticism of Obamacare; the ongoing controversial activities of the NSA; and the nearly unprecedented terrible weather conditions of a large part of the USA.
We conclude with the political landscape in Britain and the rise of their own version of an anti-European “Tea Party.”
This Week in the News
Is History Repeating Itself – 1914 All Over Again?
The Independent wrote on January 5:
“… an internationally respected historian is warning that today’s world bears a number of striking similarities with the build-up to the First World War. The newly mechanised armies of the early 20th century produced unprecedented slaughter on the battlefields of the ‘war to end all wars’ after a spark lit in the Balkans with the assassination of the Austro-Hungarian Empire’s Archduke Franz Ferdinand.
“Professor Margaret MacMillan, of the University of Cambridge, argues that the Middle East could be viewed as the modern-day equivalent of this turbulent region. A nuclear arms race that would be likely to start if Iran developed a bomb ‘would make for a very dangerous world indeed, which could lead to a recreation of the kind of tinderbox that exploded in the Balkans 100 years ago – only this time with mushroom clouds,’ she writes in an essay for the Brookings Institution, a leading US think-tank… ‘the Middle East today bears a worrying resemblance to the Balkans then,’ she says. ‘A similar mix of toxic nationalisms threatens to draw in outside powers as the US, Turkey, Russia, and Iran look to protect their interests and clients.’
“Professor MacMillan highlights a string of other parallels between today and a century ago. Modern-day Islamist terrorists mirror the revolutionary communists and anarchists who carried out a string of assassinations in the name of a philosophy that sanctioned murder to achieve their vision of a better world…
“Another similarity highlighted by the historian is the belief that a full-scale war between the major powers is unthinkable after such a prolonged period of peace. ‘Now, as then, the march of globalisation has lulled us into a false sense of safety,’ she says. ‘The 100th anniversary of 1914 should make us reflect anew on our vulnerability to human error, sudden catastrophes, and sheer accident…’”
The Bible has prophesied long ago that in our days, World War III is coming…
Iraqi City Fallujah Back in Al Qaida Hands
On January 3, 2014, Newsmax wrote the following:
“Al-Qaida-linked militants held control of much of the Iraqi city of Fallujah and other nearby towns, fighting off efforts by troops with air support to regain control… Fallujah became notorious among Americans when insurgents in 2004 killed four American security contractors and hung their burned bodies from a bridge… The town also was the site of one of the bloodiest battles of the Iraq War. Nearly 100 U.S. Marines were killed and hundreds wounded in the second battle of Fallujah in 2004.
“Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki sent reinforcements on Jan. 1 to dislodge militants from Fallujah and nearby Ramadi, a focus of the 2007 ‘surge’ of U.S. forces. The fighting there is part of an escalation of violence in Iraq, where 2013 saw the most civilian casualties for five years amid the kind of sectarian violence between Sunni and Shiite Muslims that also has engulfed Syria and Lebanon…
“There is little support in the U.S. for renewed military involvement in Iraq, where 4,489 Americans were killed and 51,778 wounded in action after the Bush administration invaded the country almost 11 years ago. Obama has listed ending the war in Iraq as one of his main accomplishments. Civilian fatalities in Iraq, including police, totaled 7,818 last year, with almost 18,000 wounded…
“So far, the violence hasn’t affected Iraq’s major oil fields, the country’s main source of revenue. Output rose by 100,000 barrels a day last month to 3.2 million barrels, the most since August… The country pumped more crude as it increased links to wells in its predominately Shiite south. Iraq is the second-biggest producer in OPEC after Saudi Arabia… Maliki also faces political unrest, with 44 members of Iraq’s parliament resigning because the government used force to dismantle Sunni-led protests.”
Deutsche Welle reported on January 7:
“For most Americans, the Iraq War ended when its last troops were withdrawn at the end of 2011. But the violence in the country has barely relented since then, and last week’s outbreak of fighting in Fallujah and Ramadi was only the latest eruption of long-lasting sectarian tensions… Those sectarian tensions remained unresolved when US troops forces pulled out… In effect, then, analysts argue, greater diplomatic pressure on Baghdad in 2009 and early 2010 could have stemmed the tensions that erupted so violently last week.”
The Iraqi war was a terrible mistake and destined to failure from the outset, and subsequent diplomatic blunders only added to the disaster. Things have only gotten worse. And what if Iraq’s oil fields fell into the hands of radical Islamists and the oil export to the USA were to stop?
North Korea’s Leader Kim Jong Un and His Unpredictable Demonic Rule
The Straits Times wrote on January 2:
“The execution of Jang Song Thaek, the No. 2 man in North Korea, took Beijing by surprise and will adversely affect bilateral relations. Beijing’s displeasure is expressed through the publication of a detailed account of Jang’s brutal execution in Wen Wei Po, its official mouthpiece, in Hong Kong, on Dec 12. According to the report, unlike previous executions of political prisoners which were carried out by firing squads with machine guns, Jang was stripped naked and thrown into a cage, along with his five closest aides. Then 120 hounds, starved for three days, were allowed to prey on them until they were completely eaten up. This is called ‘quan jue’, or execution by dogs. The report said the entire process lasted for an hour, with Mr Kim Jong Un, the supreme leader in North Korea, supervising it along with 300 senior officials.
“The horrifying report vividly depicted the brutality of the young North Korean leader. The fact that it appeared in a Beijing-controlled newspaper showed that China no longer cares about its relations with the Kim regime. Two days later, the Global Times, associated with the People’s Daily, a Chinese Communist Party organ, followed up with a sternly worded editorial saying that the abrupt political change epitomised the backwardness of the North Korean political system. It warned the Chinese government not to coddle North Korea any longer, saying that the majority of Chinese were extremely disgusted with the Kim regime…
“The purge of Jang reflected the longstanding suspicion and apprehension of the North Korean regime towards China, which dates back to the time of Kim Il Sung, North Korea’s founder. Although China fought the Korean War to preserve the Kim regime, he was less than grateful. Once the war was over, Kim started purging the Yan-an faction within his party. This faction received its training in Yan-an, the capital of the Chinese Communist Party in the 1940s… When the son, Kim Jong Il, took over the helm, he did not hide the fact that his nuclear weapons could be used against China… So when the grandson, … Kim Jong Un, took over the helm, this family tradition of suspecting China prompted the young leader to take drastic action to cleanse the party of any pro-China elements.
“Recent developments have posed a number of issues for China. First, China’s own security is at risk. The erratic and ruthless behaviour of Mr Kim Jong Un suggests that China should not underrate the likelihood of a nuclear threat from Pyongyang…
“Second, China’s political and strategic influence on the Korean peninsula has been drastically reduced. China was widely considered to be able to rein in the unruly Kim regime, thus acting as a force for peace in the region. But it now appears China’s influence over its neighbour is close to zero. This is clear from the fact that Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi telephoned his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov for urgent consultation on Dec 13. This was followed by Ambassador Wu Dawei’s trip to Moscow. Both moves suggest that Beijing realises it can no longer tame the Kim regime by itself.
“Third, China had hoped to nurture a less belligerent neighbour by encouraging reform, open-door policies and economic development in North Korea… With Jang brutally executed, the idea of a peaceful transformation seems unrealistic.”
Some, like Newsmax, dated January 6, have stated that the “dog story” might have been a myth, as it was allegedly received from a Chinese satire website. There is no discussion, however, that Jang Song Thaek was murdered by the North Korean regime, but it is suggested that he was “executed” by a firing squad. We have serious doubts that this “clarification” is based on facts. Kim Jong Un is a ruthless leader, and further reports have emerged that his aunt, wife of the late Jang Song Thaek, is also dead. As the Daily Mail reported, dated January 6, she died “under mysterious circumstances.” She “is said to have either suffered a heart attack or committed suicide by North Korean media.”
Rodman’s Shameful and Disgusting Show in North Korea
Based on the foregoing, the following report by CNN, dated January 6, is appalling, stating: “Eccentric basketball star Dennis Rodman and several other former NBA players have arrived in North Korea to take part in a controversial basketball game on the birthday of Kim Jong-Un, the country’s young, unpredictable leader.”
On January 8, 2014, BBC News added: “US basketball star Dennis Rodman has sung Happy Birthday to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in front of a crowd of thousands in the capital. Rodman said Mr Kim, who was in the audience with his wife and other senior officials, was his ‘best friend’.”
How anyone, “eccentric or not,” can justify celebrating the birthday of Kim Jong-un by playing a basketball game is beyond sound reasoning. To call him “his best friend” shows much about the character of Rodman — former Chicago Bull teammate of Michael Jordan–and those following him. What a shameful disgrace for the US, which became even more appalling during Rodman’s interview with CNN. As Deutsche Welle reported on January 8:
“Rodman’s CNN appearance took a turn towards the surreal when he was asked about US missionary Kenneth Bae, who has been held in North Korean custody since May on charges described only as ‘anti-state’ crimes… ‘If you understand what Kenneth Bae did … Do you understand what he did in this country? Why is he held captive in this country?’ Rodman asked the interviewer, declining to elaborate when asked to provide the information in question…
“White House spokesman Jay Carney said he was ‘not going to dignify that outburst with a response’… The National Basketball Association (NBA), meanwhile, issued a statement saying it was ‘not involved’ in Rodman’s trip and would not take part in so-called ‘basketball diplomacy’ without discussions with the US State Department.”
This response by the NBA is another shameful and cowardly attempt not to take any position against Rodman’s and the other former NBA players’ behavior.
In that context, Breitbart wrote on January 6:
“‘The trip comes at the worst possible time—after Kim Jong-un brutally solidified his grip on power—and with no progress towards denuclearization,’ Congressman Ed Royce, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told Breitbart.com. ‘This basketball game will do nothing to improve the abysmal human rights conditions in North Korea. It’s a propaganda win for the regime.’
“If they don’t return home with a renewed appreciation for America, the basketball giants might thank God for their height. North Korea has long pursued an eradication campaign against little people—ones even smaller than the diminutive Kim Jong-un—that has relied on imprisonment and eugenics. Kim Jong-un’s father, Kim Jong-il, strangely proclaimed, ‘The race of dwarves must disappear.’”
This reminds us of Hitler and his Nazi elite, who strangely advocated the advance of a Nordic master race (blond, blue-eyed and tall)—a description which was not met in the slightest by little Hitler, overweight Goering or limping Goebbels.
We are convinced that Kim Jong Un is demonically possessed, and those too closely associated with him come likewise under his demonic “spell.” This fact makes the baby-faced young radical murderer extremely dangerous, irrational and privy to any imaginable destructive action. We might think of Hitler who was undoubtedly demon-possessed as well. For proof, please read our free booklets, “Europe in Prophecy” and “The Ten European Revivals of the Ancient Roman Empire.”
We can expect that more and more world leaders will give in to strong demonic influences, as the Bible clearly prophesies. Demons truly rule this world, and true Christians must be aware of this and resist Satan, while submitting to God for His protection. You might want to view or re-view our recent sermon on the topic, titled, “Demons on the Loose.”
Demonic Possession on the Rise
The Telegraph wrote on January 5:
“Dioceses across Italy, as well as in countries such as Spain, are increasing the number of priests schooled in administering the rite of exorcism, fabled to rid people of possession by the Devil. The rise in demonic cases is a result of more people dabbling in practices such as black magic, paganism, Satanic rites and Ouija boards, often exploring the dark arts with the help of information readily found on the internet, the Church said.
“The increase in the number of priests being trained to tackle the phenomenon is also an effort by the Church to sideline unauthorised, self-proclaimed exorcists, and its tacit recognition that belief in Satan, once regarded by Catholic progressives as an embarrassment, is still very much alive. The trend comes four decades after the 1973 release of The Exorcist, the American horror film based on the demonic possession of a 12-year-old girl and attempts to exorcise her by two priests…
“In Spain, Antonio Maria Rouco Varela, the archbishop of Madrid, chose eight priests to undergo special training in May to confront what he described as ‘an unprecedented rise’ in cases of ‘demonic possession’. The Church in Spain was coming across many cases that ‘go beyond the competence of psychologists’ and they were occurring with ‘a striking frequency’, the archbishop said. ‘Diabolical possessions are on the increase as a result of people subscribing to occultism,’ said Fr Francesco Bamonte, the president of the Italy-based International Association for Exorcists. ‘The few exorcists that we have in the dioceses are often not able to handle the enormous number of requests for help,’ he told La Repubblica last month.
“The association was founded in 1993 by Fr Gabriele Amorth, who served as the Vatican’s chief exorcist and claims to have conducted thousands of exorcisms. A controversial figure, he has claimed that yoga is ‘evil’ because it leads to a worship of Hinduism and other Eastern religions. During the papacy of Benedict XVI he said that the sex abuse scandals which engulfed the Church in the US, Ireland, Australia and other countries were proof that the Antichrist was waging a war against the Holy See…
“[People with demonic possession] must undergo the official Catholic rite of exorcism, which involves a consecrated priest invoking the name of God, as well as various saints and the Archangel Michael, to cast out their demons…”
It is true that demonic influence and possession are on the rise. But the “exorcisms” performed by the Catholic Church, as well as those by certain TV Evangelists, are deceitful and of no help whatsoever. For more information, please read our free booklet, “Angels, Demons and the Spirit World.”
Pope Francis and the Gay Community
AFP wrote on January 5:
“Pope Francis has called for a rethink in the way the Catholic Church deals with the children of gay couples and divorced parents… Though the Church has often been in conflict with the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community over its opposition to same-sex marriage and to homosexuality, Francis has drawn praise for attempts to be inclusive. In July he reached out to gays, declaring that ‘if someone is gay and seeks the Lord with good will, who am I to judge?’ And in December, the Advocate magazine — dedicated to the gay and lesbian community — chose the head of the Catholic Church as the ‘single most influential person of 2013 on the lives of LGBT people.’”
Inasmuch as it has been reported infrequently in the news that some—if not many—within the Catholic clergy are homosexual, this recent trend within that Church is quite remarkable. The conservative German paper, Die Welt, reported on January 7, 2014, that many men of the Catholic Swiss Guard have been allegedly approached by priests, bishops and cardinals. In its article, “The Vatican is a Paradise for Gays,” the paper wrote that the Swiss Guard has been “protecting” the Pope and the Vatican for 500 years, but that the 110-men-troop has also been serving as a “lust object.”
Pope Francis—“The Lamb of God”
This is how the Drudge Report linked the following article by The Independent, dated January 8:
“Pope Francis has visited a live nativity re-enactment at the Church of St Alfonso Maria dei Liguori on the outskirts of Rome. After greeting the 200 costumed participants and a large number of farmyard animals, he made his way to the most important member of the group: the 2-month-old baby Francesco, who had been baptised that morning and played the role of Jesus in the proceedings. A group of ‘shepherds’ also placed a young lamb on the Pope’s shoulders as children sang Christmas songs and presented the Pope with a bunch of roses.”
UFO Sighting in Germany
The Local wrote on January 7:
“An unidentified flying object which ruined the travel plans of passengers at Bremen airport on Monday night looked like a plane but was a lot louder, according to eyewitnesses… The airport said on Monday night that the UFO showed up on its radar several times over three hours from 6.30pm to 9.30pm. Police said in a statement that they were alerted at 6.30pm about a UFO over Bremen and a patrol car also saw the object.
“A police helicopter was sent up to try and find the UFO but could not, although the Weser Kurier newspaper reported it could be seen through binoculars from the airport’s traffic control tower. The helicopter search was called off at 8.45pm, according to the police statement.
“Officers are now investigating the case on grounds of unauthorized intrusion into controlled air space. A spokeswoman for German Air Traffic Control (DFS) said: ‘It had normal lights, red and green, and an approach light on both sides,’ the Weser Kurier reported. Eyewitness Dominique Höber told the paper the object was flying at between 100 and 200 metres and passed over his house four times. ‘It looked like a plane,’ he said. ‘It had lights but was a lot louder.’
“A flight from Frankfurt had to be cancelled and a second flight from Munich was diverted to Hannover. Another plane coming from Paris had to stay airborne for a while before it could land. A Bremen police spokesman said. ‘We still don’t know what it was, but it was there.’ Possible explanations are that it was a drone or a balloon-like aircraft.
“On Sunday in the town of Zwickau, Saxony, an initially unidentified aircraft landed on a field behind a house. Hours later it turned out to be a remote-controlled model airship.”
Whatever it might have been, the fact that it could not be located and identified is quite disturbing and worrisome.
Israel’s Challenges for 2014
The Jerusalem Post wrote on January 3:
“Here are [several] challenges that await Netanyahu in 2014:
“… Iran – Insisting on a good deal. Netanyahu’s goal is to ensure the world reaches a deal that will permanently prevent Iran’s military nuclearization and avoid the need for a military strike…
“… Syria – Staying out of it. The Washington Institute estimated this week that there are fighters from 74 countries in the Syrian civil war, which has become what in wrestling is called a battle royal. While Israel is included on that list because there are Druse from the Golan who went there to help their families, the Jewish state has done a good job so far in staying out of the fighting. The last thing Israel wants in 2014 is for all those fighters to stop attacking each other, and decide to turn their guns against their common enemy.
“… Palestinians – Avoiding war. Hamas’s ability to attack Israel has been hindered by the new Egyptian regime closing hundreds of tunnels from Egypt to Gaza. Hamas loses millions in monthly revenue from the tunnels. But terror tunnels to Israel are still being built and rockets are still fired regularly.
“… Palestinians – Making peace. The prime minister is under intense pressure from US Secretary of State John Kerry… If Netanyahu’s goal is to stall and avoid concessions, it will be harder than ever in 2014. If his goal is to reach an agreement, then – as usual – his success will depend on whether his Palestinian counterparts have the same goal…”
The paper lists additional challenges for Mr. Netanyahu’s political survival, but the ones quoted above go beyond just the person of Mr. Netanyahu, and address the problems regarding the very survival of the state of Israel.
Kerry Leaves Israel Without a Deal
JTA wrote on January 7:
“Israel published plans to build nearly 300 West Bank apartments as U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry wrapped up a visit to the Middle East without an official framework agreement between Israeli and Palestinian negotiators… On Monday, Netanyahu reportedly told Knesset members from his Likud party that he would oppose withdrawal from settlements such as Hebron and Beit El, which are not part of major settlement blocs but are ‘important to the Jewish people’…”
Michael Moore: “Obamacare Is Awful!”
On December 31, 2013, The New York Times published an editorial by left-liberal filmmaker and Obama-supporter Michael Moore, severely criticizing Obamacare. Moore became famous for films such as “Bowling for Columbine,” dealing with the unregulated use of guns, and his 2007 film ‘Sicko,’ which examined the American health care industry:
“Today marks the beginning of health care coverage under the Affordable Care Act’s new insurance exchanges, for which two million Americans have signed up. Now that the individual mandate is officially here, let me begin with an admission: Obamacare is awful.
“That is the dirty little secret many liberals have avoided saying out loud for fear of aiding the president’s enemies, at a time when the ideal of universal health care needed all the support it could get…
“I believe Obamacare’s rocky start — clueless planning, a lousy website, insurance companies raising rates, and the president’s telling people they could keep their coverage when, in fact, not all could — is a result of one fatal flaw: The Affordable Care Act is a pro-insurance-industry plan…
“What we now call Obamacare was conceived at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, and birthed in Massachusetts by Mitt Romney, then the governor. The president took Romneycare, a program designed to keep the private insurance industry intact, and just improved some of its provisions…By 2017, we will be funneling over $100 billion annually to private insurance companies…
“For many people, the ‘affordable’ part of the Affordable Care Act risks being a cruel joke. The cheapest plan available to a 60-year-old couple making $65,000 a year in Hartford, Conn., will cost $11,800 in annual premiums. And their deductible will be $12,600. If both become seriously ill, they might have to pay almost $25,000 in a single year…”
Of course, Moore has also “good things” to say about Obamacare, which we do not quote herein, as we do not believe that Moore’s overly optimistic and gratuitous comments insofar are accurate. But we did quote the excerpts above to show that even strong Obama supporters are unhappy with the President’s health-care policies… even though they might disagree for wrong reasons…
Secret Court Continues to Authorize Secret Spying on All American Phone Calls
The Washington Times wrote on January 3:
“The secret court that oversees the nation’s intelligence activities renewed its approval of the National Security Agency’s telephone-records program on Friday, granting the government a new three-month window to collect data on all Americans’ phone calls… The decision marks the 36th time the program has been approved by the secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court…
“Last month a federal judge in the District of Columbia ruled that the NSA’s phone-records program was likely unconstitutional, but another federal judge in New York concluded the opposite. The Obama administration has said it is appealing the adverse ruling… Under the NSA program, the agency collects the time, duration and parties involved in most calls placed within the U.S. The agency stores that data for five years…
“A White House review, released last month, was harshly critical of the program, saying the NSA shouldn’t store the data but rather should leave it with telephone companies, only accessing the data when analysts have a specific articulable reason. The White House review was also critical of the secret court that has repeatedly upheld the NSA’s snooping program…”
Just to clarify and bring back to America’s consciousness. These incredible violations of privacy are not perpetrated in dictatorial countries such as North Korea, but in the “land of the brave and the free.”
Class Action Lawsuit by Rand Paul and Ken Cuccinelli against Obama for Spying
Breitbart reported on January 4:
“Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) said the grassroots in America will ‘overwhelm’ the federal government and President Barack Obama’s administration by signing up for his class action lawsuit against Obama himself over the National Security Agency (NSA) spying on American citizens.
“‘Well, the thing about it is the question here is whether or not constitutionally you can have a single warrant apply to millions of people,’ Paul said in an exclusive interview with Fox News’ Eric Bolling on Friday evening… ‘We now have several hundred thousand people who want to be part of this suit to say to the government and to the NSA “you can’t have our records without our permission or without a warrant specific to an individual.”… We want to overwhelm the government and we want to show publicly that hundreds of thousands of people object to the government looking at our records without our permission.
“Paul confirmed to Bolling that former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli will be leading his legal team’s efforts against President Obama… He was also the first attorney general to file a lawsuit against Obamacare. And he’s joined our legal team. He has constitutional expertise. We’re hoping with his help we can get a hearing in court and so that we can get this class action lawsuit, I think the first of its kind, all the way to the Supreme Court.’
“Paul said the goal of the lawsuit is to force the Obama administration to follow the constitution… ‘We want them to protect the Fourth Amendment,’ Paul said. ‘We want them to protect the right to privacy. We want them to understand that we’re not willing to trade our liberty for security. We think we can have security and we can defend against terrorism but that doesn’t mean every individual American has to give up their privacy. We think we can have both. But we are very upset that this president doesn’t seem to be too concerned with our right to privacy.’
“When Bolling asked Paul if Director of National Intelligence James Clapper should be prosecuted for a factually inaccurate statement he made to Congress in 2013, Paul said he thinks so. Clapper denied during a congressional hearing that the NSA had engaged in collection of Americans’ records–something that has been proven to be untrue. ‘Lying to Congress is a felony,’ Paul said…”
Whether this class action lawsuit will be successful is doubtful in a country run by a government and a Congress determined to continue with spying on its citizens.
But lest anyone thinks that we are involved in politics and support one particular political candidate, let us make clear that we do not. We are reporting on political events in the light of biblical prophecy and social developments which are in contradiction to biblical standards. But we realize that this is Satan’s world, and that no politician, whether well-meaning or not, is able to solve our problems. That is why we are NOT voting in governmental elections. It will require the return of Jesus Christ to set up godly rule and the Kingdom of God here on earth.
We also know that no politician is infallible. For example, Rand Paul made some questionable statements in opposition to President Obama’s desire to prolong unemployment benefits. We reported about Congress’ failure to extend these benefits in our last Update. Now Newsmax reported on January 7 that Rand Paul “fired back at President Barack Obama’s aggressive push for extended unemployment benefits, saying that like ‘most liberals,’ he makes ‘big-hearted, small-brained policy statements.” Obama had responded to Paul’s controversial claim that “expanding benefits harms the country.” As we mentioned, it is easy to make such unsupportable statements when one is gainfully employed, has big savings in the bank, or has financial support from rich relatives, but it is a different story when one is becoming unemployed, searching for a job and is unable to find one. The Bible COMMANDS and enjoins the nation that these people MUST be supported.
Congress Not Exempted from NSA Spying?
CNN reported on January 5:
“Congress is just like everyone else. That’s the message the National Security Agency has for Sen. Bernie Sanders. The independent senator from Vermont sent a letter to the agency Friday, asking whether it has or is ‘spying’ on members of Congress and other elected American officials. The NSA provided a preliminary response Saturday that said Congress has ‘the same privacy protections as all U.S. persons.’… The NSA would say nothing more, except that it is further reviewing the letter…
“Attorney General Eric Holder similarly deflected answering the same question at a congressional hearing last summer…
“The intelligence community has faced heated criticism from the right and left in 2013 after Edward Snowden’s leaks, and the intensity has continued fiercely in 2014. On Thursday, the New York Times and the Guardian published scathing editorials that slammed the ‘violations’ Snowden’s leaks revealed and advocated a presidential pardon for him.
“Among those charges was the notion that James Clapper Jr., the director of National Intelligence, lied to Congress while testifying last March that the NSA was not collecting data on millions of Americans. National Intelligence was quick to push back, with a letter to the editor… by general counsel Robert Litt, published in the New York Times on Saturday. ‘As a witness to the relevant events and a participant in them, I know that allegation is not true,’ writes Litt, explaining that Clapper misunderstood the question, but couldn’t publicly correct his mistake ‘because the program involved was classified.’… Litt said that Clapper was ‘surprised and distressed’ when he was informed by staff that he gave a misleading answer after the testimony.”
This reminds us of the impeachable offense by former President Bill Clinton when he lied under oath regarding the nature of his extra-marital adulterous affair with “this woman,” subsequently stating that he misunderstood the question…
Obama Most Hostile President Towards the Press Since Nixon?
The Huffington Post wrote on January 7:
“President Obama demanded a criminal investigation into leaks to the New York Times just a month into his first term, a new book by his former defense secretary claims… In it, the paper reports, [Robert] Gates ‘reveals the depth of Mr. Obama’s concerns over leaks of classified information to news outlets, noting that within his first month in office, the new president said he wanted a criminal investigation into disclosures on Iran policy published by The New York Times.’
“It wasn’t clear which exact piece from the Times triggered Obama’s anger. The paper has famously been a subject of a Justice Department investigation into the leaking of detailed information of a classified program against Iran in 2012. But the claim highlights the zeal that has caused many to accuse Obama of being the most hostile president towards the press since Richard Nixon.”
USA in the Grip of Polar Vortex
The Associated Press wrote on January 5:
“Temperatures not seen in years are likely to set records in the coming days across the Midwest, Northeast and South, creating dangerous travel conditions and prompting church and school closures. A ‘polar vortex’ will affect more than half of the continental U.S. starting Sunday and into Monday and Tuesday, with wind chill warnings stretching from Montana to Alabama. The vortex is a counterclockwise-rotating pool of cold, dense air, and is behind the startling forecast: 25 below zero in Fargo, N.D., minus 31 in International Falls, Minn., and 15 below in Indianapolis and Chicago.
“The bitterly cold temperatures already pushed into northern states Sunday morning… It hasn’t been this cold for almost two decades in many parts of the country. Because of that, medical experts are reminding people that frostbite and hypothermia can set in quickly at 15 to 30 below zero, and it’s key to be dressed for the temperatures.”
BBC News added on January 7:
“A brutal blast of arctic air has settled over eastern North America, bringing dangerously low temperatures not seen in decades. About half of the US population has been placed under a wind chill warning or cold weather advisory. In Toronto, the temperature dropped to -24C (-11F) before dawn on Tuesday. Air, rail and road travel remain snarled by high, freezing wind, and residents have been warned to stay indoors to avoid frostbite.
“Cold air broke records in Chicago on Monday, where the temperature of -16F (-27C) was the lowest ever seen on that date. It was one of more than 120 daily temperature records broken in cities across the US since the beginning of 2014, many dating back decades.”
CBS wrote on January 7:
“The Polar Vortex has dropped unusually far south, keeping the Contiguous United States below freezing overnight, and 90-percent of the country below freezing Tuesday!”
Newsmax reported on January 7 that controversial radio host Rush Limbaugh made headlines again, stating: “The polar vortex is ‘a hoax’ perpetuated by the liberal media to further its agenda of climate change and global warming… ‘[We] are having a record-breaking cold snap in many parts of the country, and right on schedule, the media have to come up with a way to make it sound like it’s completely unprecedented,’ the conservative talker said, ‘because they’ve got to find a way to attach this to the global-warming agenda, and they have. It’s called the polar vortex. The dreaded polar vortex.”
It is not quite clear to us what the polar vortex has to do, if anything, with global warming, and why it must be a hoax to support global warming. The fact is, the term and phenomenon of “polar vortex” has been used and known for many years—before there was even a debate about global warming—and the USA is experiencing a freezing record unparalleled for decades. The following editorial by the Washington Times, dated January 6, sounds much more sensible to us than Rush Limbaugh’s conclusions.
“Polar Vortex Threatens Global Warming Delusions”
“If it’s too cold, the cause is man-made global warming. Not cold enough? That’s the fault of man-made global warming… Despite adoption of ‘climate change’ to replace ‘global warming,’ the public takes notice when Midwestern wind chills hit 70 degrees below zero and the average nationwide temperature falls to a mere 15 degrees…
“The liberal website Slate insists ‘Winter Does Not Disprove Global Warming’… Slate’s conclusion rests on a supposed scientific consensus and cites a draft of the U.S. National Climate Assessment that predicts ‘heavy precipitation in winter storms’ as proof that the cold snap is caused by global warming. When the winter is warm, [they] cite the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change assessment of more than a decade ago, which predicted ‘Milder winter temperatures will decrease heavy snowstorms.’ Even ‘mild’ was a cause for alarm, as the same report predicted killer ice storms would cause even more damage than blizzards…
“Australians dutifully heard the urgent warnings of the experts and the climate scientists, and enacted a dramatic global-warming carbon-dioxide tax… It has been in place for more than a year and a half. Instead of cooling down, a summertime heat is scorching the nation with the hottest temperatures on record (by one-half of a degree). Australians have elected a conservative, the Liberal Party’s Tony Abbott, as prime minister, who set as his top priority abolishing the job-killing levy.
“Mr. Abbott’s top business adviser, Maurice L. Newman, put liberals to steaming over recent comments on the subject. ‘Regrettably for the global-warming religion,’ wrote Mr. Newman in an op-ed, “’its predictions have started to appear shaky, and the converts, many of whom have lost their jobs and much of their wealth, are losing faith.’ The new prime minister hopes to collect the votes to kill the global-warming tax after elections later this year.
“Hot and cold, extreme and mild aren’t proof of global warming. They’re proof that nature is stronger than man and man’s feeble attempts to make the weather behave the way he thinks it should.”
British Tea Party on the Rise
Fox News reported on January 4:
“The often stale British political system is being rocked by its very own Tea Party. The UK Independence Party (UKIP), formed in 1993 opposing Britain’s entry into the European Union, failed to make an electoral dent for a long time. However UKIP has built up steam in recent years and is spearheading a seismic shift in the British political spectrum. In this year’s local elections – the British version of midterms — UKIP took a stunning 23 percent of the vote, up from the 3.1 percent they won in the 2010 national election. Their leader, Nigel Farage, is buoyed by their recent success. ‘We want to take back our country, we want to take back our government, and we want to take back our birthright,’ Farage told FoxNews.com in forthright language rarely seen in British politics…
“Farage has good reason to be confident of UKIP’s potential. Since he took the party’s helm for a second time in 2010, the party has been revitalized, capitalizing on dissatisfaction with the Conservative Party’s shift to the center under current Prime Minister David Cameron. Cameron has radically overhauled the ‘Tories,’ embracing nationalized health care, fighting for gay marriage, and changing the party logo from the flame of liberty to an environmentally conscious tree. This, UKIP argues, makes them indistinguishable from the left-wing Labour Party and Liberal Democrats. It is here where UKIP spied an opportunity, adopting an anti-establishment, populist platform that argues for lower taxation, privatization, smaller government and getting Britain out of the European Union. The message is proving effective. UKIP look[s] likely to make significant inroads in the next general election in 2015, possibly snatching seats away from the main parties.
“Farage is not getting ahead of himself however, instead focusing on the European elections in May 2014, where Europe is the determining factor. Britain has been turning decidedly away from Europe in recent years, with a September Opinion poll finding that 53 percent of British voters wanted to leave the E.U., with only 32 percent wanting to stay…
“Andrew Russell, Head of Politics at the University of Manchester, told FoxNews.com that the comparison between the Tea Party and UKIP is an accurate one, and that he believes that UKIP could take the 2014 elections by storm. ‘UKIP will do well in the 2014 European elections. They may even win them in terms of the popular vote. This will increase the pressure on the Conservatives.’ Yet instead of reaching out and finding middle ground, the Tories have snubbed UKIP. In 2006 David Cameron dismissed the newcomers as full of ‘fruitcakes and loonies and closet racists,’ and top Tory Kenneth Clark recently branded them as ‘a collection of clowns.’ However, Russell is unsure as to whether UKIP’s popularity could translate to general election success…”
Time will tell. But the “politically established” “conservative” reaction towards the US and British “Tea Party” movement is the same—dismissal rather than cooperation. This may heavily damage Boehner’s Republican Party as well as Cameron’s “Tories.” And the Bible strongly suggests that the UK will exit the EU.
Q&A
Why does God allow people to become sick?
This is a question that has troubled people for ages. If God is perfect and powerful, and if sickness is bad, why do people become sick? Whether a sickness is life threatening or just enough to slow us down, it is important to understand the reason and purpose for sickness in man. The Bible reveals that sickness is something that God allows for several different reasons.
Before explaining some of the reasons for why sickness may occur, it is very important to draw a distinction between people who leave their life up to time and chance, and those who commit their lives into the trust of God. Ecclesiastes 9:1 declares that the righteous and the wise put their lives into God’s hands, to watch over and help control the circumstances in their lives. Those who are unwilling to live in submission to God’s Will give over their lives instead to time and chance (Ecclesiastes 9:11). This is important to acknowledge when asking about why people become sick because there are certainly situations in which God is not directly involved in causing an illness. (For more information on the biblical teaching of “time and chance,” please read our free booklet, “Human Suffering—Why?… and How Much Longer?”).
In addition, an illness may not be the result of God’s intervention in a true Christian’s life, even if he or she lives in submission to God’s Will. He may choose to allow a Christian to become sick because of the corrupt environment in which he lives. Satan is the god of this world, and makes every attempt to do harm when he can. Therefore it should be no surprise that germs spread, and global pandemics cause great harm to people because physical contact is made with a pathogen. People may also be afflicted with degenerative diseases or inherited birth defects for reasons that do not involve God’s direct intervention, but are an effect of having a physical body in a corrupt world. In our free booklet, “Sickness and Healing—What the Bible Tells Us,” we write that Jesus Christ experienced illness: “We understand from the Bible that Jesus Christ never sinned. Still, we find that He knew about sickness, having experienced it as a human being. It is true, of course, that He carried our sicknesses so that we today can be healed from them, but we must still say that Christ became sick, even though He never sinned. This again shows that not every sickness is the result of individual sin.” God is not always directly involved in, nor the cause of, the sickness of a Church member.
Still, God does, in some situations, use sickness and affliction for a purpose. One of the most straight-forward reasons for sickness is as a punishment for disobedience. This reason serves common sense and explains that there is a cause to the effect of sickness. Deuteronomy 28:58-59 explains this in no uncertain terms: “’If you do not carefully observe all the words of this law that are written in this book, that you may fear this glorious and awesome name, THE LORD YOUR GOD, then the LORD will bring upon you and your descendants extraordinary plagues—great and prolonged plagues—and serious and prolonged sicknesses.’” This message was to the Israelites as they came out of Egypt, but it still applies to us today. God reserves the right to punish sin, which is lawlessness or the transgression of His Law.
In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul admonishes the Corinthians to take the Passover in a worthy manner; that is, with complete acceptance, admitting personal guilt of sin, causing the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ to be necessary, and with willingness to submit to God’s Will, living obediently. When these conditions for taking the Passover worthily are not met, sickness and even death may result. “For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep” (1 Corinthians 11:29-30). Taking the Passover is a serious matter in God’s eyes, and there are consequences of illness that may result when it is improperly observed.
In Psalm 39:8–11, David gives us insight into a reason for illness in his recognition that God uses it as a tool for correction. He writes: “Deliver me from all my transgressions; Do not make me the reproach of the foolish. I was mute, I did not open my mouth, Because it was You who did it. Remove Your plague from me; I am consumed by the blow of Your hand. When with rebukes You correct man for iniquity, You make his beauty melt away like a moth; Surely every man is vapor. Selah.” David acknowledges his sin in this passage, and understands that God uses sickness to rebuke and correct man for his sins.
The story of Job gives us another interesting example. Job was terribly afflicted with sickness as a result of Satan’s influence (Job 2:7-8). Yet, leading up to that moment God describes him as being blameless and upright, fearing God and shunning evil (Job 2:3). While it is true that all men but Jesus are guilty of sin, it is hard to conclude that Job became afflicted because God wanted to punish him. What is more evident throughout the story of Job is that he was afflicted so that he might recognize his hidden sin. As Job’s story progresses, it is revealed that Job had a need to repent of the sin of self-righteousness. This sin might not have been exposed if Job had never experienced the physical sickness and affliction that he did. In this case, God allowed Job to become sick to show him what he had to repent of. The result for Job was very fruitful in the way that his experience – going through a trial of physical affliction – caused him to learn about his latent and hidden sin. When he learned about it, he overcame it and repented (Job 42:6) and returned to a long and prosperous life (Job 42:17).
While punishment is a purpose of sickness that appeals to common sense, it is not always used for that reason.
Quoting again from our booklet, “Sickness and Healing—What the Bible Tells Us,” we write about John 9:1-3. “In this passage, Jesus and the disciples observed a man who was blind from birth. His disciples, apparently believing that his blindness had to be the result of his individual sin and the punishment for it, asked a pointed question: ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’ Jesus answered: ‘Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him.’ He then proceeded to heal the blind man.
“Christ made it clear that the blindness of the person was NOT the result of individual sin of either the blind person or his parents. This passage proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that teaching that every sickness is the result of individual sin of the sick person is patently wrong and unbiblical.”
In addition, this example proves that there was a different kind of purpose involved. The reason for this man’s blindness revealed the works of God! Jesus Christ was sent to the earth to preach the Gospel, and as a part of that work, many people came to believe Him because of the miracles that He performed, including healing the sick. The Bible describes this man as having blindness so that he could be healed. God’s purpose for sickness is not always for a punishment.
Another example of an affliction used by God for reasons other than punishment is that of the thorn in Paul’s side. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 12:7-8: “And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me.” Paul realized that this affliction he experienced actually helped him to remain humble. He was thankful for the weakness and infirmity that God gave him in this regard, concluding by saying: “For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10).
Empathy is another effect that may result from an illness or affliction. When we experience physical pain or an ailment, we build within ourselves a first-hand understanding of how others feel when they are sick. This aspect of love for a brother or sister in Christ through empathy is a vitally important character trait that all Christians must build. Jesus Christ was afflicted specifically for the sake of those who would follow Him, and as a result, He fully understands and sympathizes with our physical weakness (Hebrews 4:15). Isaiah 53:5 describes the deep meaning of Jesus’ affliction and the resulting empathy that He has for us, giving us a means by which we may be healed: “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.” This example is ours to follow, so that when we are afflicted with an ailment, we may understand the pain of others, and support them as they have need.
Sickness that we experience is not a physically pleasant condition to handle. It is a burden for anyone directly involved. Yet, God has given us the ability to claim the Sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ, so that we can receive healing.
Lead Writer: Eric Rank
The Work
Preaching the Gospel and Feeding the Flock
The contract for The Hilton Garden Inn at Pismo Beach is signed for this year’s Feast of Tabernacles and Last Great Day observance in the US. We reserved 15 rooms with more available, as needed. Please contact us and tell us that you want to stay in the hotel. We will compose an assignment list. Also, we will have more details available shortly. The prices and amenities are very close to those of two years ago.
“Demonic Possession on the Rise?” is the title of a new StandingWatch program presented by Evangelist Norbert Link. Here is a summary:
The Telegraph reported on January 5, 2014, that according to the Catholic Church, demonic possession and exorcisms are on the rise. They say this is a result of more people dabbling in black magic, paganism, Satanic rites, Ouija boards, and even yoga. Is this true? What does the Bible say about the practice of casting out demons? Could it be that an apparent “exorcism” is nothing else but a demonic deception?
A new Member Letter for January, written by Brian Gale, has been mailed out and is now posted.
The monthly Tech Team meeting was conducted on Monday evening of this week. Reports on development of our redesigned website were presented along with further use of social networking.
“Das Schicksal unserer Kinder,” is the title of this week’s German sermon. Mr. Norbert Link addresses the fate of our children, focusing on the bad example and influence of parents. The next sermon will address the parent’s good example. The title in English: “The Fate of Our Children.”
Pastor Rene Messier (Canada) has presented a new StandingWatch Talking Point program, asking: Can evolution be true. If so how do you explain some of the issues it creates in regards to migrating birds and nesting birds and how does order come out of chaos?
Pastor Brian Gale (United Kingdom) has presented a new StandingWatch Talking Point program in which he highlights our booklet, “Middle Eastern and African Nations in Bible Prophecy.” Here is a summary:
The Bible speaks of many modern countries in prophetic terms, using, of course, ancient names for our peoples today. In order to understand biblical prophecies, one must understand the biblical identity of today’s nations and countries.
How This Work is Financed
This Update is an official publication by the ministry of the Church of the Eternal God in the United States of America; the Church of God, a Christian Fellowship in Canada; and the Global Church of God in the United Kingdom.
Editorial Team: Norbert Link, Dave Harris, Rene Messier, Brian Gale, Johanna Link, Eric Rank, Michael Link, Anna Link, Kalon Mitchell, Manuela Mitchell, Dawn Thompson
Technical Team: Eric Rank, Shana Rank
Our activities and literature, including booklets, weekly updates, sermons on CD are provided free of charge. They are made possible by the tithes, offerings and contributions of Church members and others who have elected to support this Work.
While we do not solicit the general public for funds, contributions are gratefully welcomed and are tax-deductible in the U.S. and Canada.
Donations can be sent to the following addresses:
United States: Church of the Eternal God, P.O. Box 270519, San Diego, CA 92198
Canada: Church of God, ACF, Box 1480, Summerland, B.C. V0H 1Z0
United Kingdom: Global Church of God, PO Box 44, MABLETHORPE, LN12 9AN, United Kingdom
Demonic Possession on the Rise?
The Telegraph reported on January 5, 2014, that according to the Catholic Church, demonic possession and exorcisms are on the rise. They say this is a result of more people dabbling in black magic, paganism, Satanic rites, Ouija boards, and even yoga. Is this true? What does the Bible say about the practice of casting out demons? Could it be that an apparent “exorcism” is nothing else but a demonic deception?
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