On February 25, 2012, Norbert Link will give the sermon, titled, “A Time to Weep…”

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). Just click on Connect to Live Stream.

Have you ever slipped? Did you have moments when you felt you just could not go on? Did you withdraw? Were you ready to throw in the towel? Did you lose your way?

If so, you might be surprised to learn that you would not have been alone. Many great heroes in the Bible experienced feelings of doubt, frustration, disappointment and disillusionment. What matters in such moments is how we deal with them. Remember, even the righteous may fall seven times and rise again (Proverbs 24:16). True friends can help in the process.

One of the great inspired writings in God’s Word is the gospel record of Mark. Even though the Bible does not specifically say that Mark penned the account, numerous documents from the early Church unanimously identify him as the author, and they tell us that it was Peter who more or less dictated the account to Mark (compare 1 Peter 5:13, where Peter calls Mark affectionately “my son”). Mark was actually the Roman surname of his Hebrew name John, and Peter had known Mark or John Mark for a long time (Acts 12:12). It seemed that Mark had significant contact with Peter and the other leaders within the Jerusalem church. Mark might have been the “certain young man” who left his linen cloth and fled naked from the soldiers when Christ was arrested (Mark 14:51-52).

Mark was a cousin of Barnabas (Colossians 4:10). He accompanied Paul and Barnabas on their early missionary travels (Acts 12:25). Later, Paul referred to Mark as one of his fellow laborers (Philemon 23-24), who was useful to him in the ministry (2 Timothy 4:11).

But after Paul and Barnabas had been ordained as apostles and went on a missionary journey, John Mark decided not to continue with them on their journey, but to return to Jerusalem (Acts 13:13). We are not told why Mark made this decision, and we can surmise from other passages that Paul was not pleased with Mark’s conduct. It is implied in Scripture that for whatever unknown reasons, Mark was not willing to fulfill the need of the Work at the time. And so we read that on a later occasion, a strong controversy arose between Paul and Barnabas over Mark and his prior departure.

Acts 15:36-41 states: “Then after some days Paul said to Barnabas, ‘Let us now go back and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord, and see how they are doing.’ Now Barnabas was determined to take with them John called Mark. But Paul insisted that they should not take with them the one who had departed from them in Pamphylia, and had not gone with them to the work. Then the contention became so sharp that they parted from one another. And so Barnabas took Mark and sailed to Cyprus; but Paul chose Silas and departed, being commended by the brethren to the grace of God. And he went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.”

However, the Bible does not specifically comment on who was to blame for this rather strong contention and the subsequent parting of the ways between Paul and Barnabas. When reading between the lines and considering other passages, it appears that Barnabas was correct in trying to give Mark another opportunity. Barnabas was a very compassionate man, “a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith” (Acts 11:24), and it was he who brought Paul to the early apostles, who were concerned about Paul’s true conversion, due to his prior terrible acts (Acts 9:26-27). So it appears that Paul could and should have followed Barnabas’ example and grant the same mercy to Mark, which he himself had received. But we know that later, Paul and Mark worked together again, and as we have seen, Mark became a fellow laborer in the Work and useful to Paul’s ministry.

Let us assume for a moment that things had turned out differently; that both Paul and Barnabas had refused to take Mark with them on further travels; that Mark had become deeply disappointed with them, and as a consequence, that he had even forsaken the faith.

For one, he would not have used the information received from Peter to pen his gospel record, and we would not have today important information about the ministry of Jesus Christ. Mark would not have been a useful tool in God’s ministry, undoubtedly helping some, if not many, to come to the true faith.

Fortunately, Mark did not give up. He continued in the faith. He did not harbor any grudges against Paul, and he did not allow a spirit of resentment and lack of forgiveness to settle in his mind. Rather, he became one of the giants in the Bible.

Have you ever felt like giving up? Are you feeling like that right now? If so, think of Mark. He repented of what he might have done wrong, and pressed forward toward the goal of eternal life in the Kingdom of God. He did not allow anything or anyone to stand in the way. And that is what we must do… always…

We report on the resignation of the German President and the nomination of his successor; comment on the latest EU-Greece bailout deal; address the increasingly troublesome developments pertaining to Iran and Syria and the strong possibility of a new Mideast war; speak of domestic and international activities of the USA; address the nomination of twelve Catholic cardinals and relate other information regarding the historical and prophesied unification of political and religious Europe; address German-Israeli relationship and a new Sabbath controversy; report on scientific “accomplishments,” which have the potential of destroying mankind; and conclude with a series of articles on marriage and “alternative” relationships, including the rapid increase of babies being born out of wedlock, the trend to legalize same-sex “marriages,” and the troubling phenomenon of children and teens, being diagnosed as suffering from “Gender Identity Disorder.”

German President Resigns in Disgrace

The Local reported on February 17:

“German President Christian Wulff resigned in disgrace on Friday, finally bowing to pressure and a lack of trust on the back of months of revelations about blurred lines between personal, business and political advantage… the next president will be Germany’s third within two years… Wulff has been under increasing pressure to resign since last December when details of a soft loan of €500,000 he got from the wife of a businessman but did not declare, became public…

“Wulff himself was a controversial candidate who Merkel pushed into office in the face of opposition from within her own party’s ranks. He took over after his predecessor Horst Köhler resigned in May 2010 after making comments which appeared to justify Germany taking military action to defend its economic interests… The German constitution says that should a president resign or be prevented from carrying out his duties, his office should be filled by the president of the upper house of parliament, the Bundesrat – currently Christian Social Union leader Horst Seehofer. The enormous Federal Convention which elects the president, must meet at the latest 30 days after a resignation to start voting on candidates…”

It was announced that the vote will take place on March 18.

Der Spiegel Online added on February 17:

“Following the announcement by prosecutors that they would seek to lift his immunity, German President Christian Wulff announced Friday morning he would resign as the country’s head of state… The resignation of Wulff, Merkel’s handpicked president, is likely to come as a blow to the chancellor and her party in the run-up to state elections in Schleswig-Holstein and Saarland… At the center of the probe are allegations that a film producer had paid for a vacation in a luxury hotel for Wulff during his time as head of a state government. Wulff has denied the allegation, saying he repaid the filmmaker in cash…”

German Parties Pick New President

BBC News reported on February 19:

“German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said she backs [independent] Joachim Gauck, a [Lutheran] pastor and former East German rights activist, to be the country’s next president. Mr Gauck was proposed by the opposition Social Democrats and Greens after Christian Wulff quit as president on Friday over corruption allegations. Mrs Merkel opposed Mr Gauck for the presidency in 2010, instead supporting her ally Mr Wulff. Germany’s president has a largely ceremonial, but influential, role. With the backing of all the major parties, Mr Gauck’s election to the position next month should be a formality…

“The 72-year-old Mr Gauck is well known for his work as a dissident in East Germany and for running the archives on the Stasi secret police after the Berlin Wall came down, exposing its crimes… ‘Let’s not forget that we have churchmen like Gauck to thank for the success of East Germany’s peaceful revolution,’ [Angela Merkel] said. Mrs Merkel is herself the daughter of a Protestant pastor and, like Mr Gauck, grew up in the former East Germany… But the affair has come at a bad time for Mrs Merkel, who is trying to steer a way through the eurozone crisis…”

It is interesting that Angela Markel should emphasize the important role of the Lutheran Church in respect to the developments in East Germany, leading to the fall of the Berlin Wall. At the same time, it is well-known what important role the Catholic Church under its (then) Polish pope played in respect to the fall of the Iron Curtain.

Deutsche Welle wrote on February 19:

“Having lived under the dictatorship of East Germany and been forced to look on as his father was shipped to a Soviet gulag for four years, Gauck has dedicated his life to promoting freedom… Due to his family background and because he was not a member of East Germany’s official socialist youth association, Gauck was denied the opportunity to study German language and literature at university. Instead, he took up theology in 1958, and he began work as a Lutheran pastor in 1965… When the religious community took on a central role in promoting democracy in the former East Germany in 1989, it was Gauck who helped lead the popular movement New Forum in Rostock and who held the religious ceremonies that often preceded large-scale demonstrations on the streets of East German cities…

“Gauck’s role investigating the Stasi has made him unpopular in some parts of the Left party, a successor to the former East German communist party. When he ultimately lost out on being appointed president to Wulff in 2010, Left party leader Gesine Lötzsch called Gauck a ‘man of the past’ who did not ‘set a path for the future’… While the Left party has consistently refused to support Gauck’s candidacy for the president’s office, Germany’s other parties have regularly backed him… During the two days of tense discussions following Wulff’s resignation, Gauck was the only person to receive the support of the FDP, the junior partner in Merkel’s governing coalition, as well as the SPD and Greens. Gauck also enjoys the support of the German population. Two polls published Sunday showed voters would like to see Gauck move into Bellevue Palace, the president’s official residence…”

After many past disappointments, Germans are looking for a decent and trustworthy person to lead them. Not everyone is happy with the most recent choice of Joachim Gauck as new President. The skeptic Twitter community is rather opposed to him, especially because the big German parties support him. Also, Pastor Gauck has been separated [but not divorced] from his wife and mother of their four children for many years, while being together with another woman for 12 years. The German news media is asking the question whether Gauck will now divorce and marry his companion, before they are moving together into Bellevue Palace. Of course, Germany’s Foreign Minister, Guido Westerwelle, a practicing homosexual, does not see the need for this discussion. Sadly, in the future, a charismatic person will arise who will seemingly support all the right values, and the people will love him. But he will be a wolf in sheep’s clothing. He is identified as “the beast” in the Bible.

Merkel’s Bitter Defeat—FDP Guilty of Blackmail?

Der Spiegel Online wrote on February 20:

“In accepting the opposition’s candidate for the next German president, Angela Merkel has suffered the bitterest defeat of her chancellorship. Her junior coalition partner, the FDP, teamed up with the two main opposition parties to push through their choice. The ignominious defeat could mark a turning point for the German chancellor…

“In the ad hoc alliance between the SPD, Greens and the FDP, three parties have come together to oppose the chancellor… Now the three parties, which could conceivably join forces to form a coalition government after the 2013 election, have gone their own way.The trio has outfoxed the arch-strategist Merkel. The chancellor and CDU leader has become more isolated since the weekend — and weaker.”

In a related article, Der Spiegel Online added on February 20:

“The conflict over the choice of Gauck is likely to have repercussions within Merkel’s coalition. Sources in the conservatives told the AFP news agency on Sunday evening that resentment at the FDP would probably have effects on the coalition’s cooperation in the future. SPD politicians could scarcely contain their delight at the split within the government. ‘That was by no means amicable,’ said the SPD’s general secretary, Andrea Nahles, on Sunday evening, describing the conservatives’ concession to the FDP. ‘Amazingly enough, it wasn’t the FDP that was toppled, but the chancellor.’”

The Local wrote on February 21:

“Joachim Gauck’s nomination for the German presidency nearly brought down Angela Merkel’s coalition government, with her Christian Democratic Union accusing their junior partners the Free Democrats of blackmail. The fallout from the row between the CDU and the FDP spilled into public after stories emerged of a stormy meeting between the coalition partners as the decision was being made on Sunday. According to media reports, Chancellor Merkel was incensed after she only heard of the FDP’s decision to back Gauck via the news wires…

“Volker Kauder, head of the CDU’s parliamentary faction was said to have been particularly infuriated, because he had a reputation for defending the shaky alliance with the Free Democrats… FDP leader Philipp Rösler, who is also vice chancellor and economy minister, told Die Welt on Tuesday that the conservatives had seriously threatened to bring down the government. ‘The (CDU) mentioned ending the coalition several times,’ he said… Deputy parliamentary leader Michael Kretschmer called the FDP’s behaviour a ‘flagrant breach of trust’… For a party still languishing in the opinion polls, the long-term effect on the FDP could be devastating.”

The Role of the German President

Deutsche Welle wrote on February 17:

“The resignation of German President Christian Wulff has once again called into question the role of the president. DW takes a look at Germany’s highest office, which plays a largely ceremonial role… Compared with leaders of other countries, the German president has few opportunities to influence day-to-day politics in his or her country. The president represents Germany in matters of international law, and at official gatherings…

“The president signs laws because without that signature they cannot take effect. But it is up for debate exactly how much the president can verify the content of a law, or stop its execution. Some say a president can only make sure that the formalistic lawmaking process has been followed, while others say he or she has the ability to review a law’s contents.

“Part of the president’s job is to propose a chancellor to the lower house of parliament, the Bundestag. He appoints and fires the chancellor based on suggestions made by the Bundestag. Likewise, he can appoint and fire cabinet ministers based on the chancellor’s recommendation. The president can also pardon criminals…

“Unlike in the US, France or Austria, the German president is not elected directly by the people. He is elected by a committee, the Federal Convention, consisting of members of the Bundestag and the same number of delegates sent from the state parliaments. The president has a term of five years, and can only be re-elected once. Any German citizen over the age of 40 is able to become president.

“Why does the German president play a mainly ceremonial role? The reason is that during the Weimar Republic, the period that led up to Nazi Germany, the president had wide-reaching powers. He could annul basic laws and rule with emergency law. These factors played a large role in Hitler’s rise to power…”

However, under certain circumstances, these wide-ranging powers are now vested in Germany’s Chancellor….

Euro Ministers Agree on Greece Bailout

Reuters reported on February 21:

“Euro zone finance ministers agreed a 130-billion-euro ($172 billion) rescue for Greece on Tuesday to avert an imminent chaotic default after forcing Athens to commit to unpopular cuts and private bondholders to take bigger losses. The complex deal wrought in overnight negotiations buys time to stabilize the 17-nation currency bloc and strengthen its financial firewalls, but it leaves deep doubts about Greece’s ability to recover and avoid default in the longer term… Greece will be placed under permanent surveillance by an increased European presence on the ground, and it will have to deposit funds to service its debt in a special account to guarantee repayments.

“The 5 a.m. deal (0400 GMT) was hailed as a step forward for Greece, but experts warned that Athens will need more help to bring its debts down to the level envisaged in the bailout and will remain worryingly ‘accident prone’ in coming years… Greece will struggle for years without economic growth. The austerity measures imposed on Athens are widely disliked among the population and will put pressure on politicians who must contest an election expected in April… An opinion poll taken just before the Brussels deal showed that support for the two mainstream parties backing the rescue had fallen to an all-time low while leftist, anti-bailout parties showed gains…

“Parliaments in three countries that have been most critical of bailouts – Germany, the Netherlands and Finland – must now approve the package. German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble, who caused an outcry by suggesting that Greece was a ‘bottomless pit,’ said he was confident it would be passed… Many economists question whether Greece can pay off even a reduced debt burden, suggesting the deal may only delay a deeper default by a few months…

“A return to economic growth in Greece could take as much as a decade, a prospect that brought thousands onto the streets of Athens to protest on Sunday. The cuts will deepen a recession already in its fifth year, hurting government revenues. ‘We sowed the wind, now we reap the whirlwind,’ said Vassilis Korkidis, head of the Greek Commerce Confederation. ‘The new bailout is selling us time and hope at a very high price, while it doggedly continues to impose harsh austerity measures that keep us in a long and deep recession.’”

The EUObserver added on February 21:

“Eurozone countries have been quick to pat themselves on the back for greenlighting a second bailout for embattled Greece, but the deal is dependent on a wholesale change to Greek society while the rewards in terms of economic growth and employment remain a long way off… The changes – required to cover a fiscal gap of 5 percent in 2013 and 2014 and make the country competitive – imply a thorough change to society, business and administration in Greece.

“Specifically, the country still needs to make it easier to hire and fire people, needs to start means-testing family allowances, reduce supplementary pensions, reduce public investment, decrease wages to special sectors such as the police and military, close or merge government ministries, cut electoral spending, clean up the system for health reimbursements, cut the minimum wage and renegotiate collective agreement with unions. The government also needs tackle what is seen as endemic tax evasion, although officials admit that this is a devil’s quest as the more recession bites the less still is incentive to pay state dues.

“This comes on top of the measures required for the first bailout which saw major pension reform, opening up of professions, and wage reductions – the combination of which has created a new poor in Greece and driven thousands to the streets in protest… Wages are expected to decrease by a further 15 percent over the coming three years… Meanwhile, unemployment has shot up from 9 percent in 2009 to above 18 percent now. The joblessness rate is expected to start decreasing only in 2014. A year later it is expected to still rest around 15 percent.

“…the agreement was political. The actual measures… still have to be enforced…”

The EUObserver wrote on February 22:

“One of the many loose ends to the Greek bail-out agreed in the early hours of Tuesday (21 February) is the lack of a firm commitment from the International Monetary Fund, pending a decision by eurozone leaders next week to merge the firepower of two bail-out funds…”

Military Attack on Iran Inevitable?

The Guardian wrote on February 18:

“The Middle East could be the battleground for a new cold war, if Iran succeeds in acquiring nuclear weapons, Britain’s foreign secretary has warned. William Hague said the world would face the most serious round of nuclear proliferation since the invention of the atomic bomb, which would be a ‘disaster in world affairs’…

“Hague’s desire to give economic sanctions time to work is reflected in Washington. However, officials in key parts of the Obama administration are increasingly convinced that sanctions will not deter Tehran from pursuing its nuclear programme. They believe the US will be left with no option but to launch an attack on Iran or watch Israel do so.”

The Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) wrote on February 18:

“[The] Head of [the] Russian Strategic Research Center for Contemporary Religions and Politics, Maxim Shochenko, said on Saturday [the] US and EU policy of banning Iranian oil is an already failed project… He told IRNA that Iran is cooperating with different countries in this field with many states eying Iranian oil; therefore the US politically-motivated move would bear no fruits for America. Shochenko said Western powers cannot understand the realities in Iran as [an] energy-rich country… He described economic sanctions and [an] oil embargo against Iran as a failed project and said China, India, Turkey and Japan are the main buyers of Iranian crude…”

In spite of the expressed optimism of American and European leaders, these sanctions will not work at all. The reason is that Iran’s leadership is determined to bring about upheaval and war to make possible the return of their Mahdi, as they see it.

Fox News reported on February 19:

“The U.S. and Britain on Sunday urged Israel not to attack Iran’s nuclear program as the White House’s national security adviser arrived in the region, reflecting growing international jitters that the Israelis are poised to strike.

“In their warnings, both the chairman of the U.S. joint chiefs of staff, Gen. Martin Dempsey, and British Foreign Secretary William Hague said an Israeli attack on Iran would have grave consequences for the entire region and urged Israel to give international sanctions against Tehran more time to work…”

Haaretz added on February 20:

“Visits to Jerusalem by senior U.S. officials this week reflect a growing concern in Washington over the possibility that Israel will decide to attack nuclear sites in Iran. The Americans are particularly worried about the hawkish line that Defense Minister Ehud Barak has adopted on the matter… Washington, like Jerusalem, appears to be under the impression that Barak will play a key role in Netanyahu’s decision-making. According to various assessments, in the constellation of forces within the senior forum of eight capital ministers, Barak represents the hawkish camp…”

Haaretz wrote on February 21:

“Iran would take pre-emptive action against its enemies if it felt its national interests were endangered, the deputy head of the Islamic Republic’s armed forces was quoted by a semi-official news agency as saying on Tuesday… Iran is facing growing international pressure and isolation over its disputed nuclear activity. Expanded Western sanctions aim to block its economically vital oil exports and Tehran has said it could retaliate by shutting the Strait of Hormuz shipping lane vital to global energy supplies.

“Earlier Tuesday, Haaretz reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Ehud Barak and other senior officials had protested over recent comments by senior American officials critical of any Israeli attack on Iran, saying this criticism ‘served Iran’s interests.’ A senior Israeli official said Netanyahu and Barak told Tom Donilon, U.S. national security adviser who has been in Israel this week, of their dissatisfaction with the interview given by Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff, to CNN on Sunday.

“Dempsey said ‘I don’t think a wise thing at this moment is for Israel to launch a military attack on Iran,’ and a strike ‘would be destabilizing’ and ‘not prudent.’ Dempsey said the United States has so far not been able to persuade Israel not to attack Iran…”

We are seeing divisions develop between Israel on the one hand, and America and Europe on the other hand. It is interesting that Isaiah 9:21 speaks of contentions between modern-day Ephraim (mainly Great Britain), Manasseh (the USA) and Judah (the state of Israel).

Iran Continues Their Provocations

VOA News reported on February 18:

“Iranian warships have passed through Egypt’s Suez Canal and entered the Mediterranean Sea… the passage… was only the second made by Iranian ships since the 1979 Islamic Revolution… The Suez canal cuts through Egypt and allows shipping to pass between the Middle East to Europe.”

AFP added on February 18:

“Iranian naval forces are composed of small units, including speedboats equipped with missiles, which operate in the Gulf and are under the command of the Revolutionary Guards. The navy, using small frigates, destroyers, and three Russian-made Kilo class submarines, oversees high seas missions in the Gulf of Oman and Gulf of Aden. It now permanently has at least two vessels in those areas to escort merchant ships, and has been involved in more than 100 confrontations with armed pirates, according to the navy commander in December.”

The Associated Press wrote on February 19:

“Iran has halted oil shipments to Britain and France, the Oil Ministry said Sunday, in an apparent pre-emptive blow against the European Union after the bloc imposed sanctions on Iran’s crucial fuel exports. The EU imposed tough sanctions against Iran last month, which included a freeze of the country’s central bank assets and an oil embargo set to begin in July. Iran’s Oil Minister Rostam Qassemi had warned earlier this month that Tehran could cut off oil exports to ‘hostile’ European nations. The 27-nation EU accounts for about 18 percent of Iran’s oil exports. However, the Iranian action was not likely to have any significant direct impact on European supplies because both Britain and France had already moved last year to sharply curtail oil purchases from Tehran to less than 3 percent of their daily needs…”

Der Spiegel Online wrote on February 23:

“Inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency had been hoping to be allowed access to a suspicious facility southeast of Tehran, but the visit was pronounced a failure… The failed inspection visit is the latest setback in international efforts to force Iran to come clean about its nuclear program. Tehran continues to insist the program is exclusively civilian in nature. But an IAEA report issued last November, which for the first time voiced the agency’s strong suspicion that Iran was working towards the construction of atomic weapons, has led the West to redouble its efforts to isolate the country…

“The left-leaning daily Die Tageszeitung writes: ‘Whatever the reasons were for Tehran’s lack of cooperation with the IAEA mission, they have played into the hands of all those who are calling for air strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities, whether they are in Israel, in the US Republican Party, or elsewhere. The danger of crisis has become greater as a result…’

“The left-leaning Berlin daily Berliner Zeitung writes: ‘The inspection ritual in Iran hasn’t changed for 10 years, no matter what threats the West makes or how biting their sanctions are… the current regime will make no concessions in the atomic dispute… Particularly given that Israel has nuclear weapons and is threatening with a military strike. As a result, we will experience the (non-)inspection ritual again and again — until Iran has the bomb.’”

The developments pertaining to Iran are of great concern. Experts have said that if Iran were to close the Strait of Hormuz or if Israel were to attack Iran, the average price for regular gas at American gas stations could rise this summer to 5 or 6 dollars, and that such rising gas prices would be partially due to the greed of gas companies which, according to news analyst and commentator Lou Dobbs, have exported surplus refined oil to countries like China, and because we can expect the usual greed of suppliers to make a buck and bleed their customers. Please also note the next article, which sheds a flickering light on America’s oil-exporting allies.

Bad News on the Oil Market?

CNBC wrote on February 19:

“The world’s top oil exporter, Saudi Arabia, appears to have cut both its oil production and export in December… For the third month in a row, no details were available for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Libya, the immediate reasons for which are unclear.

“Together with other Gulf oil exporters, the UAE has been in focus as a possible source of alternative supply for at least some of Iran’s crude… Iraq, another frequently-cited supplier to make up for part of the Iranian oil shortfall following European Union sanctions, reported no major changes to its supply and export regime…”

Somewhat inconsistently and contradictory, Reuters reported the following on February 19:

“Iran was supplying more than 700,000 barrels per day (bpd) to the EU plus Turkey in 2011, industry sources said. By the start of this year imports had sunk to about 650,000 bpd as some customers cut back in anticipation of an EU ban. Saudi Arabia says it is prepared to supply extra oil either by topping up existing term contracts or by making rare spot market sales.”

It was reported that at some gas stations in Florida, the price for regular gasoline has already reached 6.00 dollars a gallon.

New Mideast War Is Coming Soon

Newsmax reported on February 20:

“From Tunis to Tripoli to Cairo to Damascus, what seems real one day is no longer the next. Policymakers in Western capitals agree that Syrian President Bashar Assad’s suppression of dissent, with a toll of 6,000 dead so far — and still climbing — makes him the war criminal… In Libya, liberation from Moammar Gadhafi’s 40-year-tyranny gradually morphed into inter-tribal warfare… Thousands of Russian surface-to-air missiles bought by Ghadafi’s regime and other weapons lay abandoned in the desert, available to any terrorist group with plans to down commercial aircraft anywhere in the world…

“In Cairo, a new parliament dominated by fundamentalists of the Muslim Brotherhood, with 47 percent of the seats, appeared shaken while trying to project a moderate image for their western interlocutors. Salafists, or Muslim extremists who rooted for the late Osama Bin Laden, emerged from the most recent ballot count with 25 percent of the new parliament. Together, with 72 percent of Parliament, these two branches of Islam will dominate constitutional reform. Liquor, women with uncovered heads or in swimsuits on the beaches of the Mediterranean and Red Sea will be officially banned…

“As the Arab world continued to unravel, the Iranian nuclear crisis had a near-monopoly of front-page news… One nuclear missile obliterating Tel Aviv or Jerusalem would be a global catastrophe. Israel would survive, but Iran would cease to exist as a nation hours later. Israel’s fighter bombers with air-to-air refueling tankers have been on instant standby for months. Violating the air space of other countries wouldn’t even be a consideration…

“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu believes his country cannot wait for Iran to produce its first nuclear weapon… Obama knows that the United States will be drawn automatically into the conflict as Iran unleashes its asymmetrical retaliatory capabilities up and down the Persian Gulf, including the Strait of Hormuz, through which passes 20 percent of the world’s oil consumption… The October surprise: The United States will be in its third war in 10 years.”

“Assad Must Go”

The New York Times reported on February 23:

“A United Nations panel concluded on Thursday that ‘gross human rights violations’ had been ordered by the Syrian authorities as state policy at ‘the highest levels of the armed forces and the government,’ amounting to crimes against humanity… Syrian security forces continued to bombard areas of Homs, a city in central Syria, for a 20th successive day, despite a growing outcry and international calls for the creation of humanitarian corridors to reach the sick, the wounded and the frail. The 72-page report, which was delivered to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva, said that the insurgent Free Syrian Army, made up of defectors from forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad, had also committed abuses, but those were ‘not comparable in scale and organization to those carried out by the state.’…

“The foreign ministers of several European and Arab countries met in London on Thursday ahead of the international ‘friends of Syria’ meeting in Tunis on Friday to discuss ways to bolster Syria’s opposition forces… The United Nations report argued that Syria was now ‘on the brink’ of civil war… The document spoke of torture and killing of civilians…

“Among the scores of people that activist groups reported killed by rockets and bombs through the day on Wednesday, two were Western journalists, the veteran American war correspondent Marie Colvin, who had been working for The Sunday Times of London, and a young French photographer, Rémi Ochlik. The two had been working in a makeshift media center that was destroyed in the assault, raising suspicions that Syrian security forces might have identified its location by tracing satellite signals. Experts say that such tracking is possible with sophisticated equipment.

“The killings provoked an outcry, with powerful media figures and European politicians calling on Syrian forces to permit the retrieval of the bodies and to allow the Red Cross to enter areas where civilians say they are under relentless siege, running short of food and medical supplies. At least two other journalists were wounded on Wednesday and their newspapers in London and Paris said they were trying to find ways to rescue them. The French prime minister, François Fillon, identified one of the wounded journalists as Edith Bouvier, a 31-year-old freelancer for the daily newspaper Le Figaro…

“Late Wednesday, British officials summoned the Syrian ambassador, Sami Khiyami, to protest the continued attacks on Homs…  the Foreign Ministry in Damascus on Thursday rejected ‘all statements that hold Syria accountable for the death of journalists who infiltrated Syria at their own risk without the Syrian authorities’ knowledge of their entry and whereabouts.’ Speaking on the BBC on Thursday, Foreign Secretary William Hague of Britain said that ‘people have been dying in their thousands, that continues. The Assad regime has continued to act seemingly with impunity.’ There would also be further steps at the United Nations to put pressure on Mr. Assad, even though Russia and China have combined to block Western and Arab League efforts to force him from power.

“Russia has said it will not attend the Tunisia meeting and news reports on Thursday said China had not committed itself to attending, blunting the gathering’s chances of securing strong action against Mr. Assad’s government.  Activists, civilian journalists and foreign correspondents who have snuck into Syria have infuriated the authorities and foiled the government’s efforts to control the coverage of clashes, which have claimed thousands of Syrian lives in the last year and which Mr. Assad portrays as caused by an armed insurgency.  Last week, Anthony Shadid, a correspondent for The New York Times, died of an apparent asthma attack in Syria on Thursday after spending nearly a week reporting covertly in the northern area of Idlib, near the Turkish border…  the latest deaths of journalists, on top of the agonizing civilian toll, focused a new wave of international revulsion and anger on Mr. Assad and the Syria government. President Nicolas Sarkozy of France said the killings showed that ‘enough is enough, this regime must go. There is no reason why Syrians should not have the right to live their lives, to freely choose their destiny.’”

It’s Not That Funny…

The Associated Press reported on February 18:

“Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul warned the U.S. [that] … we’re slipping into a fascist system where it’s a combination of government and big business and authoritarian rule and the suppression of the individual rights of each and every American citizen.’…

“Paul repeatedly denounced President Barack Obama’s recent enactment of a law requiring military custody of anyone suspected to be associated with al-Qaida and involved in planning an attack on the U.S…”

Although Ron Paul is sometimes described as the “funny uncle,” who does not really seem to have any chance of becoming the nominated Republican candidate, some of his viewpoints should not be rejected off hand. Conversely, the current four Republican candidates are attacking themselves personally with ever-increasing force, while no one seems to be emerging as the clear leader. There is great concern amongst Republicans that none of them could defeat President Obama in the next election (according to a newscast by MSNBC on February 22, 2012, current poll numbers suggest that President Obama would defeat any one of the Republican candidates). Therefore, the German press is speculating whether the Republicans will choose a new candidate, and some wonder whether this candidate could be former Florida’s governor Jeb Bush. Bild Online asks in its article of February 23, 2012: “Will it be another Bush in the end?” The paper states that rumors have it that additional candidates could be Indiana’s governor, Mitch Daniels, or New Jersey’s governor, Chris Christie.

Center for NATO Missile Defense Shield in Germany

Deutsche Welle reported on February 16:

“While the US is withdrawing combat troops from Europe, the center for NATO’s missile defense shield will be based in Germany… The US state deficit is forcing Washington to reduce military spending by $487 billion (370 billion euros) over the next decade. Some $525 billion is still earmarked for the US defense budget this year. The missions in Iraq and Afghanistan have cost the American taxpayer dearly… the army is to be downsized from 570,000 to 490,000 personnel…

“The US wants to downsize two combat brigades, notably in Germany… German Defense Minister Thomas de Maizière emphasized in Brussels that the US still views NATO as the most important military alliance: ‘The withdrawal of some 35,000-40,000 US soldiers from Germany is not dramatic. Europe remains the biggest base for US soldiers abroad. There is no reason whatsoever to doubt NATO’s commitment and America’s bond with Europe.’

“After the end of the Cold War… the US reduced the number of their troops in Europe from 230,000 to 81,000… Establishing the center for NATO’s planned missile defense shield in Ramstein, in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, was not meant as a compensation for the planned troop withdrawal, say NATO officials. US Air Forces in Europe and NATO’s Allied Air Command already had their headquarters in Ramstein and it was therefore only logical to base the missile defense shield there as well…

“With cuts in the US defense budget, NATO diplomats are expecting that Europeans will be confronted with new tasks and will no longer be able to rely on the Americans stepping in automatically with regard to security issues in future. US Defense Secrety Leon Panetta, however, stressed that cost saving measures would not impede the US’ ability to provide security around the globe and fight two potential adversaries – Iran and North Korea, should it come to that – at the same time.”

While the USA is withdrawing its troops worldwide, including in Germany, US Air Forces in Europe and NATO’s Allied Air Command maintain their headquarters in Germany, and they are also going to establish there the center for NATO’s missile defense shield. This should make us think…

More Bad News for the USA

Reuters reported on February 21:

“About 2,000 Afghans protested outside the main U.S. military base in [Bagram, in] Afghanistan on Tuesday over a report that foreign soldiers improperly disposed of copies of the Koran… NATO’s top general in Afghanistan attempted to contain fury over the incident, which could be a public relations disaster for the U.S. military as it tries to pacify the country ahead of the withdrawal of foreign combat troops in 2014…

“‘We Afghans don’t want these Christians and infidels, they are the enemy of our soil, our honor and our Koran,’ said… one of the protesters. ‘I urge all Muslims to sacrifice themselves in order to pull out these troops from this soil.’ The Afghan Taliban also strongly condemned the incident. ‘Since the invasion of Afghanistan by the animal Americans, this is almost the 10th time that they have degraded the holiest values of Muslims,’ said [a] Taliban spokesman…

“Bagram also houses a prison for Afghans detained by American forces. The center has caused resentment among Afghans because of reports of torture and ill-treatment of suspected Taliban prisoners, with President Hamid Karzai demanding the transfer of prisoners to Afghan security.

“Winning the hearts and minds of Afghans is critical to U.S. efforts to defeating the Taliban, but critics say Western forces often fail to grasp Afghanistan’s religious and cultural sensitivities… The Koran is the holy book of Islam [and] any hint that Western forces are showing it disrespect could deepen resentment over their presence in Afghanistan… Protests raged for three days across Afghanistan in April last year after a U.S. pastor burned a Koran in Florida…”

BBC News reported on February 23:

“President Barack Obama has apologised to the Afghan people for the burning of Korans by American troops at a US base. In a letter to President Hamid Karzai, Mr Obama expressed his ‘deep regret’ and said the incident earlier this week was a genuine mistake.

“Demonstrations against the desecration have continued for a third day across northern and eastern Afghanistan. Two US soldiers and two Afghans were killed in an attack on a military base. Elsewhere there were four other deaths. On Wednesday, another seven people were killed and dozens injured in protests… In addition to those killed, many people have been injured in the protests, some of them critically, while armed men on Thursday also attacked at least two military installations.

“Crowds shouting ‘death to Obama’ have been throwing stones and setting fire to the US flag. Meanwhile the Taliban have called on Afghans to kill and beat all invading forces in revenge for ‘insulting’ the Koran… many officials sympathise with the outrage the US has provoked across the country… Friday prayers may spark more tensions, depending on the tone set by religious leaders.”

Pope Appoints Twelve New Cardinals

The Associated Press reported on February 18:

“Pope Benedict XVI on Saturday brought 22 new Catholic churchmen into the elite club of cardinals who will elect his successor… each of the new cardinals did make a solemn pledge to keep church secrets upon accepting their new title, ring and three-pointed red hat, or biretta, from the pope. Reciting the cardinals’ traditional oath of loyalty, each one pledged to remain faithful to the church and to ‘not to make known to anyone matters entrusted to me in confidence, the disclosure of which could bring damage or dishonor to [the] Holy Church.’

“Benedict was wheeled into St. Peter’s Basilica aboard the moving platform he has been using for several months to spare him the long walk down the center aisle. Benedict, who turns 85 in April, spoke in a strong voice as he told the cardinals they will be called upon to advise him on the problems facing the church.

“In remarks at the start of the service, Benedict recalled that the red color of the three-pointed hat, or biretta, and the scarlet cassock that cardinals wear symbolizes the blood that cardinals must be willing to shed to remain faithful to the church… As of Saturday, Italy will have 30 cardinals out of the 125 under age 80… The consistory class of 2012 is heavily European, reinforcing Europe’s dominance of the College of Cardinals…”

The Bible identifies and associates the color of scarlet quite differently in Revelation 17:4. Also, what kind of disclosure of information, obtained in confidence, would bring “damage or dishonor” to the Catholic Church?

Intended Role of the Holy Roman Emperor

Zenit wrote on February 17:

“Medieval Europe saw the Church increasing[ly] hemmed in by secular powers, in particular by the Holy Roman Emperor, the most powerful man in the world of that age. The role of the Holy Roman Emperor had been established in 800 as a protector of the Church’s person, property and liberties, but by the 11th century the emperor interfered regularly in Church matters, even appointing bishops, and he expected to have a role in electing the Roman Pontiff.

“… on Easter of 1059, Pope Nicholas II issued the papal bull In Nomine Domini, in the presence of 113 bishops gathered in Rome… This bull put the election of the pope into the hands of the cardinals who would be assembled in Rome, and was the equivalent to a declaration of independence… By the 12th century, the College of Cardinals had grown to include men from all over Europe…”

Even though history reveals a close collaboration between church and state during Europe’s different revivals of the Holy Roman Empire, it is also true that many times, a battle for supremacy was fought between church and state. Such a battle is prophesied to repeat itself, after a strong unification between state and church has occurred. The next article may give us a glimpse as to what may happen on a large scale (compare Revelation 17:16). For more information, please read our free booklets, “Europe in Prophecy” and “Is That in the Bible? The Mysteries of the Book of Revelation.”

This Won’t Make the Catholic Church Happy

The EUObserver wrote on February 17:

“The Italian technocrat government of Mario Monti has announced plans forcing the [Catholic] church to pay property tax on buildings used for commercial purposes. The tax is estimated to raise revenues of minimum €500 million, with the Catholic Church being one of Italy’s largest private real estate holders…”

We Are All Catholics Now?

On February 19, the Washington Post published an editorial by controversial newscaster Glenn Beck. IF we take Beck by his words, it’s a terribly unbalanced article. Note the following excerpts:

“I am a proud member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but today, I call myself a Catholic. Why? Because the state is telling the Catholic Church to violate its principles and teachings. So if you are a person of faith, you must call yourself a Catholic.

“Today, the Catholic Church is defending a historic American freedom. We tend to forget that many of America’s earliest European settlers were religious refugees. Europe was not a kind place to the faithful if the state didn’t approve: Jews in Spain, Puritans in England, Protestants in France and so on. You were cast out, or worse.

“Our Founding Fathers remembered this. They knew if you can’t serve God as you choose, you are not free. And so they enshrined that right in the First Amendment of the Constitution: The state ‘shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…’

“This is why Americans are offended by the ruling from the White House that would force church-run institutions to pay for birth control and morning-after pills, which are tantamount to abortion…

“Many people – including those who use contraception and abortion – respect those whose faith teaches them that God wants them to do or not do certain things. They recognize such faith in themselves. Some people don’t drink alcohol. Some don’t eat pork. Some people wear a hijab. Some work in soup kitchens. Some tithe 10 percent of their income. All because God tells them to…

“Because when the state comes against the Catholics, or the Jews, or the Muslims, or the Pentecostals, or the Mormons or those of any other faith – exotic or familiar – we must all stand up as one: We are all Catholics now… this struggle is similar to the fight against anti-Semitism.

“… when it comes to the separation of church and state, we need absolutes. The state needs to be free from the church, and the church from the state. The state has no right to say how much religion any American can practice. It’s our right, and it is the first one our Founding Fathers protected.”

This polemic article raises all kinds of problematic questions. According to Beck’s rationale, the state could not prohibit murder, racial persecution or even child sacrifice because of religious conviction and practice. This is of course total nonsense.

German-Israeli Relationship

Deutsche Welle reported on February 21, 2012:

“Nitzan Horowitz likes to remember the summer of 2006, when he covered the Football World Cup from Germany as a reporter for Israeli television… He beseeched his countrymen not to be afraid of images on television showing Germans waving flags…  Today, Horowitz is a member of the Israeli parliament for the Meretz party… ‘I think today, Germany is an anchor of democracy,’ he told DW. ‘Not just in Europe, but in the whole world.’ Germany, he says, is a strong, democratic and stable state that sets a good example for other countries…’

“But Michael Wolffsohn, a German-Israeli historian, doesn’t share Horowitz’s point of view. ‘There is no friendship between Germany and Israel,’ he said in a recent interview. Wolffsohn says opinion polls show the gap between the countries has increased since 1981, when a fierce controversy between then-leaders Menachem Begin and Helmut Schmidt concerning planned German arms sales to Saudi Arabia led to a profound break in relations… Today, Wolffsohn says Israel ranks as one of the most unpopular states in the world in the eyes of the German public…

“Would Germany, for example, back Israel if the Israeli army attacked Iran in an attempt to stop the country from developing its nuclear program?… Gadi Algazi, a historian who lives in Tel Aviv, would rather not see Germany on the side of Israel in any potential attack on Iran. A military strike against Iran’s nuclear program would be devastating, he says, adding that Germany should never support such a political solution…

“Carlo Strenger, a Swiss psychoanalyst and author, has come under fire for his criticism of Israeli politics… He understands that, due to the shared history, it may be difficult for German politicians to criticize Israel. In this respect, he admires German Chancellor Angela Merkel: while she does not attempt to hide Germany’s past, neither does she shrink from legitimate criticism…”

The Sabbath Controversy

Haaretz reported on February 22:

“Tel Aviv Chief Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau issued a harsh response on Tuesday to the city council’s decision to allow public transportation to operate on Shabbat. The council’s decision was decided by a majority vote on Monday. In a letter published on Tuesday morning, Lau wrote that he was ‘filled with a feeling of deep disappointment and pain’ upon hearing of the council’s decision, and called on Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai and the ministers of transportation and the interior to cancel it. ‘This is a severe blow to the holiness of the Shabbat, which is a remnant of Creation, a reminder of the Exodus from Egypt, a day of rest for every worker and a day of spiritual ascension and the unity of the family,’ he added…

“Among Israeli cities, only Haifa and Eilat are currently allowed to operate public transportation on Shabbat, the Jewish day of rest. Tel Aviv transportation authority head Moshe Tiomkin said on Tuesday that, despite the council’s decision, he did not expect the move to succeed… The Transportation Ministry issued a statement in response, saying, ‘There is a decades-old status quo regarding operation of public transportation on Shabbat, and the Transportation Ministry does not intend to violate it.’”

Scientists Playing God

Der Spiegel wrote on February 17:

“Should scientists be allowed to create extremely aggressive and highly infectious influenza viruses? Dutch virologists have done it …

“Fouchier is attracting so much attention because he has created a new organism. And although it is tiny, if it escaped from his laboratory it would claim far more human lives than an exploding nuclear power plant. The pathogen is a new mutation of the feared bird flu virus, H5N1. In nature, this virus, which kills one of every two people infected, has not yet been transmitted from humans to humans… Fouchier’s ferrets, animals that most closely resemble humans when it comes to influenza, transmitted the virus to each other without direct contact, through tiny droplets of saliva and mucus.

“Many scientists are particularly impressed by the fact that, at almost the same time, another research team also managed to produce a bird flu virus that could be transmitted via airborne respiratory droplets. To achieve this, virologist Yoshihiro Kawaoka of the University of Wisconsin combined the avian flu virus with the swine flu virus. The newly created superbug is highly infectious…

“Similarly controversial experiments have also been conducted with other pathogens… In 2001, a mouse pox virus that was 100-percent fatal was accidentally created in an Australian laboratory… The influenza virus that caused the devastating Spanish Flu in 1918 has been completely recreated… The ‘Russian flu’ of 1977 may have been triggered by a lab virus. SARS, a respiratory disease, almost returned when laboratory workers became infected with the coronavirus during their work. A scientist in Chicago even died of SARS in 2009.

“Hundreds of new virus laboratories have been established worldwide in recent years, and highly dangerous pathogens are used in a large share of these laboratories. ‘The risk of a virus being released accidentally is considerable,’ says [an expert].”

Such “scientific” conduct is so irresponsible, that one has a hard time believing it. No wonder that God tells us that He will come to “destroy those who destroy the earth” (Revelation 11:18).

Massive Rise in Antibiotic-Resistant Blood Poisoning

The Independent wrote on February 20:

“Britain is facing a ‘massive’ rise in antibiotic-resistant blood poisoning caused by the bacterium E.coli – bringing closer the spectre of diseases that are impossible to treat. Experts say the growth of antibiotic resistance now poses as great a threat to global health as the emergence of new diseases such as Aids and pandemic flu… an estimated 25,000 people die each year in the European Union from antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections…”

Everything Goes…?

The Daily Mail wrote on February 20

“A powerful denunciation of David Cameron’s plans to legalise gay marriage is made today by former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey. In an article for the Daily Mail, Lord Carey says the proposal to change the status of marriage ‘constitutes one of the greatest political power grabs in history’. He is backing a new grassroots organisation, the Coalition For Marriage (C4M), which opposes the redefinition of marriage to include same sex couples.”

Leviticus 18:22 states: “You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination.” In the New Testament, 1 Corinthians 6:9 confirms: “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators nor … adulterers, nor homosexuals [those submitting to homosexuals], nor sodomites [male homosexuals] … will inherit the kingdom of God.”

The Telegraph stated on February 20:

“[A] five [year old boy], has been living as a girl for more than a year – after he first refused to live as a boy when he turned three… he has Gender Identity Disorder (GID)… [He]  is one of the youngest in Britain ever to be diagnosed with GID – meaning he feels like he’s a girl trapped in a boy’s body…. [The parents say the boy] used to be a ‘normal’ little boy… but suddenly at the end of 2010, he decided he wanted to live as a girl. He became obsessed with [a] girly kids’ TV character… and started dressing in girl’s clothing… [A] dedicated specialists explained to [the parents] that gender identity disorder is a conflict between a person’s actual physical gender and the gender that person identifies himself or herself as.”

The Associated Press wrote on February 20:

“A small but growing number of teens and even younger children who think they were born the wrong sex are getting support from parents and from doctors who give them sex-changing treatments… An 8-year-old second-grader in Los Angeles is a typical patient. Born a girl, the child announced at 18 months, ‘I a boy’ and has stuck with that belief. The family was shocked but now refers to the child as a boy and is watching for the first signs of puberty to begin treatment… Doctors who provide the treatment say withholding it would be more harmful…

“Guidelines from the Endocrine Society endorse transgender hormone treatment but say it should not be given before puberty begins. At that point, the guidelines recommend puberty-blocking drugs until age 16, [many times in monthly $1,000 injections or implants imbedded in the arm], then lifelong sex-changing hormones with monitoring for potential health risks… a Texas doctor says he’s also provided sex-changing treatment to an increasing number of children; so has a clinic at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles where the 8-year-old is a patient…

“The idea is to give these children time to mature emotionally and make sure they want to proceed with a permanent sex change… boys switching to girls will develop breasts and girls transitioning to boys will be flat-chested if puberty is blocked and sex-hormones started soon enough… Sex hormones, especially in high doses when used long-term, can have serious side effects, including blood clots and cancer…”

The Bible calls such conduct an abomination. Deuteronomy 22:5 prohibits cross-dressing and the practice of living as a transvestite, which would most certainly include sex changes, stating: “A woman shall not wear anything that pertains to a man, nor shall a man put on a woman’s garment, for all who do so are an abomination to the LORD your God.”

The New York Times wrote on February 19:

“As of 2009, more than half of all children born to women under 30 were born to unmarried women. Unmarried mothers, in some areas, have become the norm… Fifty-three percent of all children born to women under 30 is an awful lot of children born outside of what’s been considered, for more than a handful of years, the most stable family structure… The young parents of Lorain (Cleveland, Ohio) said their reliance on the government safety net encouraged them to stay single and that they didn’t trust their youthful peers to be reliable partners…

“Researchers have consistently found that children born outside marriage face elevated risks of falling into poverty, failing in school or suffering emotional and behavioral problems … co-habitation arrangements in the United States are more than twice as likely to dissolve than marriages… Overwhelmingly, the more educated you are, the more likely you are to marry before having children. Bearing children outside of wedlock is a trend that’s most strongly affecting young adults who are already at an economic disadvantage… The further we go in this direction, the more single parents (mostly mothers, but not all) will find themselves and their children living without the stability and security that helps build a happy family life. It’s hard not to think of this as a problem.”

Mail On Line added on February 19:

“More than half of births to American women younger than 30 are outside marriage… And across all ages, a staggering four in ten women are not married when they have children… Fifty years ago, a third of American marriages were sparked by a pregnancy. In the mid-1990s, a third of Americans were born outside marriage. Now, it is 41 per cent and 53 per cent for children born to women under 30. Nearly three quarters of black children are born outside marriage compared with half of Latino babies and 29 per cent of whites. There is also an education divide, with 92 per cent of college-educated women married when they give birth compared with 43 per cent of women with a high school diploma or less.”

God created the institution of marriage between a man and a woman. Christ said in Matthew 19:4-6: “‘Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning made them male and female, and said, for this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. So, then, they are no longer two but one flesh…’” Galatians 5:19-21 adds that those who defile the marriage by practicing adultery, or by practicing sexual relationships outside marriage (“fornication”), will not be given eternal life: “Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are, adultery, fornication… of which I tell you … that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

In a previous Q&A on Daniel 9, we explained that Jesus, the Messiah, would be cut off after His public ministry, but not for Himself (verse 26); and that He will confirm a covenant for a week; but that in the middle of the week, He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering (verse 27). We explained that Jesus Christ was killed quite literally in the middle of the week—on a Wednesday—in 31 A.D. In addition, we showed that He began His public ministry of one prophetic week [of seven prophetic days or seven literal years, applying the principle of “one day for one year” (Numbers 14:34; Ezekiel 4:3-6)], but that He was killed or cut off after 3 ½ years of His public ministry. He began preaching publically in the year of 27 A.D., and He died 3 ½ years later. When He died, He did away with the need for sacrifices and offerings, as they are no longer required today. Also, He confirmed the New Covenant through His death, after having preached about it for 3 ½ years. He will continue the missing 3 ½ years of His public ministry after His return.

To quote from our above-mentioned Q&A, which in turn quoted from literature by the Worldwide Church of God under its late leader, Herbert W. Armstrong (who died in 1986):

“‘Jesus Christ is the minister of the New Covenant (Hebrews 8:6)… He was to CONFIRM the covenant for one “week” (Daniel 9:26-27)… His ministry was to be cut in HALF (verse 27); and… Christ will COMPLETE His work of confirming the New Covenant in the future (Same verse; also Hebrews 8:10 and Jeremiah 31:31-34)…  A “day” in the prophecy of Daniel 9:27 represents a year in fulfillment (Num. 14:34; Ezek. 4:3-6). Christ ministered three-and-a-half years — ONE HALF of this prophetical “week.” For three-and-one-half years He CONFIRMED — spelled out the TERMS of — THE NEW COVENANT with His disciples who recorded them for us today. By dying for our sins in the MIDST OF the “week,” He put the final STAMP on the covenant and made it binding with His blood. Through Him, ALL PEOPLE can now enter into the New Covenant and become HEIRS “according to the promise” which God made to Abraham (Gal. 3:29). But Daniel 9:26-27 reveals that there yet REMAINS three-and-one-half years of Christ’s ministry to be FULFILLED! Let’s understand. When Jesus returns to this earth He will FULFILL the covenant He made with Abraham. Abraham and his SPIRITUAL seed through Christ will then inherit the world and eternal life.’”

What will Jesus Christ do during those 3 ½ years of His ministry, which need to complete the seven years of His public ministry?

One clue is His statement to the original apostles and others that He was sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Matthew 15:24). When here on earth during the time of His first coming, He did not go to preach and confirm the New Covenant, including the physical and spiritual blessings contained therein, to any of the lost tribes of Israel, except for the Jews– those from the house of Judah (please recall that the 12 tribes of Israel or Jacob consisted and consist of many tribes which were and still are scattered in many areas in the world.) Later, Christ’s original apostles would go to preach to all of the lost tribes of the house of Israel (Matthew 10:5-6; compare James 1:1; 1 Peter 1:1), but Christ Himself did not do so during His public ministry. But He will do this after His return, during the 3 ½ years of His ministry which will have to be completed.

As we explained in a previous Q&A on the Great Tribulation, both the house of Judah (the Jews) and the house of Israel (consisting of the USA, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and other English-speaking nations) will have been defeated in a war with Europe and will be suffering under the yoke of captivity. Upon His return, Christ will begin to free those captives and bring them back to the Promised Land, to settle them there and to use them to build the ruins and restore the waste places. Please note how this Exodus from captivity is described, and how it is compared many times with the ancient Exodus from Egyptian slavery. Some who understand that Christ will free the slaves of Israel from captivity and bring them to the Promised Land might think that this will happen in an instant, supernaturally—that they may be somehow transported through the air from one place to another. But this is not how the Bible describes the coming Exodus.

Isaiah 27:13 tells us the following, using the phrase “in that day,” which always describes a time in the future, beginning with about one year prior to Christ’s return:

“So it shall be in that day: The great trumpet will be blown; They will come, who are about to perish in the land of Assyria. And they who are outcasts in the land of Egypt, and shall worship the LORD in the holy mount at Jerusalem.”

Since Jesus will not free the captives of Israel and Judah until after His return, we know that the great trumpet referred to in this passage must be the seventh and last trumpet. There can only be ONE last trumpet. But how exactly will the former slaves of Israel and Judah reach the point when they will be willing to worship the true God?

Isaiah 11:11, 16 sheds more light on this question, stating: “It shall come to pass in that day That the LORD shall set His hand again the SECOND time to recover the remnant of His people who are left, From Assyria (Germany) and Egypt, From Pathros (upper Egypt) and Cush (Ethiopia), From Elam (Persia or Iran) and Shinar (part of Babylon), From Hamath (descendants of Ham’s son Canaan) and the islands of the sea (including the British isles)… There will be a highway for the remnant of His people Who will be left from Assyria. AS IT WAS FOR ISRAEL IN THE DAY THAT HE CAME UP FROM THE LAND OF EGYPT.”

Further facts are given to us in Isaiah 51:10-11: “Are You not the One who DRIED UP THE SEA, The waters of the great deep; That made the depths of the sea a road for the redeemed to cross over, SO the ransomed of the LORD SHALL RETURN, and come to Zion with singing, With everlasting joy on their heads. They shall obtain joy and gladness; sorrow and sighing shall flee away.”

From these passages, it appears that many of the freed captives will WALK to the Promised Land—but not directly and immediately, as will be explained below. In any event, this journey will undoubtedly take some time, and to some extent, the LORD—Jesus Christ—will have an active part in this.

Jeremiah continues comparing the ancient Exodus from Egypt with Israel’s and Judah’s future Exodus.

We read in Jeremiah 16:14-15: “‘Therefore behold, the days are coming,’ says the LORD, ‘that it shall no more be said, “The LORD lives who brought up the children of Israel from the land of Egypt,” but, “The LORD lives who brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north and from all the lands where He had driven them.’ For I will bring them back into their land which I gave to their fathers.’”

Jeremiah 23:7-8 makes clear that an end-time Exodus of the modern house of Israel is being referred to: “‘Therefore, behold, the days are coming,’ says the LORD, ‘that they shall no longer say, “as the LORD lives who brought up the children of Israel from the land of Egypt,” but, “As the LORD lives who brought up and LED the DESCENDANTS OF THE HOUSE of Israel from the north country and from all the countries where I had driven them. And they shall dwell in their own land.’”

Even though one will emphasize the coming Exodus over the previous one, the parallels between both are obvious. Note Micah 7:14-15: “Shepherd Your people with Your staff, The flock of Your heritage… As in the days when you came out of the land of Egypt, I will show them wonders.”

What wonders God will work at that time is not clearly revealed, except that He will apparently again create a way through the sea to enable the Israelites to cross it on their way to the Promised Land.

Notice, too, Jeremiah 46:27: “But do not fear, O My servant Jacob, And do not be dismayed, O Israel! For behold, I will save you from afar, And your offspring from the land of their captivity; Jacob shall return, have rest and be at ease; No one shall make him afraid.”

BOTH houses of Israel and Judah will return TOGETHER to the Promised Land. Jeremiah 3:18 states: “In those days the house of Judah shall WALK WITH the house of Israel, and they shall come TOGETHER out of the land of the north to the land that I have given as an inheritance to your fathers.”

This is also confirmed in Jeremiah 30:3, 8-10: “‘For behold, the days are coming,’ says the LORD, ‘that I will bring back from captivity My people Israel AND Judah,’ says the LORD, ‘And I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it.’… ‘For it shall come to pass in that day,’ says the LORD of hosts, ‘That I will break his yoke from your neck, And will burst your bonds; Foreigners shall no more enslave them. But they shall serve the LORD their God, And David their king, Whom I will raise up for them. Therefore, do not fear, O My servant Jacob,’ says the LORD, ‘Nor be dismayed, O Israel; for behold, I will save you from afar, And your seed from the land of their captivity…’”

As David will be resurrected at the time of Christ’s Return, this is clearly a prophecy for the future. We seem to be reading more about the resurrected King David in Micah 2:12-13: “I will surely assemble all of you, O Jacob, I will surely gather the remnant of Israel; I will put them together like sheep of the fold, Like a flock in the midst of their pasture; they shall make a loud noise because of so many people. The one who breaks open will come up before them; they will break out, Pass through the gate, and go out by it; THEIR KING will pass before them, WITH THE LORD at their head.”

So we see that when Jesus Christ begins to gather the remnant of the captives of Israel and Judah to bring them back to the Promised Land, He will apparently be accompanied by the resurrected and immortal King David. Hosea 3:4-5 says that the modern houses of Israel and Judah had been without a king for “many days” or about at least 3 ½ years, during the time of the Great Tribulation, when they will be in captivity (recall that as of now, the tribe of Ephraim is being ruled by a monarch — Queen Elizabeth of Great Britain, but if she is not alive at that time, it would be a king (Charles is the heir apparent)):

“For the children of Israel shall abide many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred pillar, without ephod or teraphim. Afterward the children of Israel shall return and seek the LORD their God and David their king. They shall fear the LORD and His goodness in the latter days.”

Here we see that when the captives are freed, they will seek God and King David.

Jeremiah 50:4-8 confirms this: “‘In those days and in that time,’ says the LORD, ‘The children of Israel shall come, They and the children of Judah together; With continual weeping they shall come, And seek the LORD their God. They shall ask the way to Zion, with their faces toward it, saying, Come and let us join ourselves to the LORD In a perpetual covenant That will not be forgotten.’”

When the freed captives of Israel and Judah are looking for God and King David, help will be given to them. Strangers will even participate in that process.

Isaiah 14:1-3 states:

“For the LORD will have mercy on Jacob, and will still choose Israel, and settle them in their own land. The strangers will be joined with them, and they will cling to the house of Jacob. Then people WILL TAKE THEM AND BRING THEM TO THEIR PLACE, and the house of Israel will possess them for servants and maids in the land of the LORD…”  (For an in-depth discussion of this Scripture and the question, whether or not there will be slavery in the Millennium, please read our Q&A on that topic.)

But before they are allowed to enter the Promised Land, Christ will have to fulfill an important part of His public ministry. Since they will all be held by their captors in different places around the world, it will be necessary that on their way to seek God and King David, they will first move or be led to a certain place to be gathered there. This will be a place in the wilderness.

Ezekiel 20:34-38, 42-44 states: “I will bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you are scattered, with a mighty hand, with an outstretched arm, and with fury poured out. And I will bring you into the WILDERNESS of the peoples, and there I will plead My case with you face to face, Just as I pleaded My case with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will plead My case with you,’ says the LORD God. ‘I will make you pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant. I will purge the rebels from among you, and those who transgress against Me… they shall not enter the land of Israel… Then you shall know that I am the LORD, when I bring you into the land of Israel, into the country for which I raised My hand in an oath to give to your fathers. And there you shall remember your ways and all your doings with which you were defiled; and you shall loathe yourselves in your own sight because of all the evils that you have committed. Then you shall know that I am the LORD, when I have dealt with you for My name’s sake, not according to your wicked ways nor according to your corrupt doings, O house of Israel,’ says the LORD God.”

So we see that Christ (and apparently King David at His side) will bring the people into the wilderness and meet them there to teach them and show them their iniquity and sin. The people will repent—as we will discuss below, they already commenced repenting, while still in captivity, but repentance is a process and requires time. While in the wilderness, notice what else is revealed in Hosea 12:9: “But I am the LORD your God, Ever since the land of Egypt; I will again make you dwell in tents, As in the days of the appointed feast.”

Israel in particular will be taught that God’s annual festivals are still binding today, and they will be keeping them. But as mentioned, Israel will already begin to repent while still in captivity. Notice Deuteronomy 30:1-6, 8:

“Now it shall come to pass, when all these things come upon you, the blessing and the curse which I have set before you, and you call them to mind among all the nations where the LORD your God drives you, and you return to the LORD your God and obey His voice, according to all that I command you today, you and your children, with all your heart and with all your soul, that the LORD your God will bring you back from captivity, and have compassion on you, and gather you again from all the nations where the LORD your God has scattered you. If any of you are driven out to the farthest parts under heaven, from there the LORD your God will gather you, and from there He will bring you. Then the LORD your God will bring you to the land which your fathers possessed, and you shall possess it. He shall prosper you and multiply you more than your fathers. And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live… And you will again obey the voice of the LORD and do all His commandments which I command you today…”

Once they show a willingness to obey God, He will bring them back into the Promised Land, and it is there that their conversion will continue until they are ultimately ready to be changed into immortal Spirit beings.

Ezekiel 36:24-28 describes their conversion and receipt of the Holy Spirit:

“For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land. Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh  and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them. Then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; you shall be My people, and I will be your God.”

Jeremiah 32:37-40 adds:

“Behold, I will gather them out of all countries where I have driven them in My anger, in My fury, and in great wrath; I will bring them back to this place, and I will cause them to dwell safely. They shall be My people, and I will be their God; then I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear Me forever, for the good of them and their children after them. And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from doing them good; but I will put My fear in their hearts so that they will not depart from Me.”  

What will they physically do after they have returned to the Promised Land? 

Amos 9:14 tells us: “‘I will bring back the captives of My people Israel; they shall build the waste cities and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and drink wine from them; They shall also make gardens and eat fruit from them. I will plant them in their land, And no longer shall they be pulled up From the land I have given them,’ says the LORD your God.”

Jeremiah 33:7-8 confirms:

“And I will cause the captives of Judah and the captives of Israel to return, and will rebuild those places as at the first. I will cleanse them from all their iniquity by which they have sinned against Me, and I will pardon all their iniquities by which they have sinned and by which they have transgressed against Me.”

But before the Millennium of universal peace and happiness can really begin to flourish, another striking event will take place, showing that it is not that easy to unlearn old habits. This important, but often misunderstood event will be discussed, in context, in a subsequent Q&A.

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

Feast of Tabernacles 2012 Reservation

The Feast of Tabernacles and the Last Great Day will be kept in 2012 from the evening of Sunday, September 30, 2012, until and including Monday, October 8, 2012.

Individual reservations for the Feast 2012 with the Hilton Garden Inn in Pismo Beach, California, can commence on Friday, February 24, 2012. The hotel has been provided with a list of our members who are planning to attend. Those who have committed to attending with us have been individually contacted. However, everyone will still need to contact the hotel to make his or her individual reservation. When you call the hotel, please make sure that you mention that you are attending the Feast convention of the Church of the Eternal God.

Accommodation and services are at:

Hilton Garden Inn
601 James Way,
Pismo Beach, CA 93449

Tel: 1-800-773-6020

The hotel is offering us a reduced rate of $109.00 per night for a deluxe room. The reduced rate applies for the days of the Feast and also for up to four additional days just before and two days after the Feast. An additional 10% occupancy tax and 1% city tourism assessment applies to this rate. The rooms do not have kitchenettes, but they all have a microwave and a fridge, and a little counter area where one could fix a meal. The hotel is pet-free, but they would allow service/therapy dogs. They also have rooms for handicapped people.

The deluxe rooms are very spacious (approximately 300 square feet) and quite adequate for just a couple with one child. They have also a sleeper couch. Each deluxe room has a sink in the toilet area and another sink outside the toilet.

There is (wireless) Internet access throughout the hotel, including in the meeting hall (“the Mission Room”), which will hold up to 100 people. We will be having the meeting hall for the entire time, with a 24 hour-hold.

They are offering two free hot breakfasts each day per room (children under 12 eat free). The hotel is only five years old, and was extensively remodeled last year. The rooms are insulated to avoid any noise from the outside. They have a pool (heated throughout the year), a nice pool area, and an exercise room. The closest beach is 5 minutes away, and the area has many restaurants and shopping opportunities. Avila Beach with fire pits is about 10 or 15 minutes away.

Thank you very much for your prayers and continued cooperation–to assure that the Feast 2012 will be the best Feast ever (so far)…

For any other information, please contact Norbert or Johanna Link.

New Video Programs

A new StandingWatch program was posted on YouTube and on our Website www.standingwatch.org. It is titled, “The Truth About Marriage.” Can there be marriage between members of the same gender? Should people live together before they get married? Should one get married at all? If married, can they ever get a divorce? Did God establish marriage just for the purpose of procreation? Are contraceptives wrong? Did Mary remain a virgin until she died? Who told man that his natural state in marriage was sinful and dirty, and that Adam and Eve had to be ashamed of it?

A new German AufPostenStehen program was posted on YouTube and our Website, www.aufpostenstehen.de , titled, “Die Wahrheit ueber die Ehe” (“The Truth about Marriage”).

A new German sermon was posted on YouTube, titled, “Satans Gericht” (“Satan’s Judgment”).

New Radio Programs

Two new radio programs (Numbers 13 and 14) were recorded this week, titled, “What God Says About Marriage” and “Will Russia Attack Israel?” They will be broadcast, respectively, beginning Sunday, March 25, 2012,  and April 1, 2012. Our radio broadcasts are being posted on our Website, www.standingwatch.org.

by Michael Link

After having been placed on a leave of absence from my job for three months, I returned to my work. However, my thought had been to start focusing on my music career by going into the studio with my band to record our first album, essentially being “hired” by the one who had discovered us. During that time it did not materialize, and I couldn’t understand what the reason was, but the time off proved to be of some value.

I was able to spend quality time with my son who is now a year old. My availability opened up to being able to help out more in other ways, whether it was for the church, for the family, and even for myself, by doing things I couldn’t otherwise have done as much. 

As I returned to work, I had to realize certain factors.  First of all, I still had a job and having been off work temporarily was a nice blessing as well. On the other hand, my benefits had run out during my time off, since the accumulation of funds into our health savings account had ceased and the money that was left in the account had been spent.

Right now, I am facing a day by day situation. In all honesty, that is really all I can say since my dream is very much alive, when it comes to the music, but the only unsure issue in my mind is the timing. I know that God is very much involved when it comes to that.  I may not know the actual reason behind the delay, but He does, and I have to continue to respect it, as I continue to pray His Will to be done.  Patience and faith is a continuous process that I can’t let go of and with certain matters in life that I don’t have answers for at this moment, this is exactly what I have to do – take it day by day.

On February 18, 2012, Dave Harris will give the sermon, titled, “A Good Minister of Jesus Christ.”

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). Just click on Connect to Live Stream.

Jesus said that it is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35), and His life was one dedicated to that very end. God the Father “so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

What examples both God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, set for all those who follow their calling to God’s way of life. Giving is demonstrated by God’s actions, and His Word is replete with examples. They set the standard in giving, and we are to follow that lead in our own lives.

When Paul addressed the Aeropagus, he spoke about the attributes of God when he said: “Nor is He worshipped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything since He gives to all life, breath, and all things” (Acts 17:25).

We have been taught in the Church, for decades, that there are two ways of life – that of the “give” way and that of the “get” way. But how giving are we?

We know that there are many that receive from us our weekly Update either by e-mail or a hard copy through the post, our monthly letters, sermon tapes and CD’s, new booklets and other material. But it does take money to keep giving away, free of charge, all of this material to all who ask—and far too many recipients outside the Church seem to take our service of love for granted.

Church members, inevitably, understand the principles of tithing and giving. Perhaps it never enters the minds of those who have received material from us for years that we rely on such income to be able to continue to give. Some, of course, may just not be able to give due to difficult financial circumstances. But for those who are serious about God’s way of life and who are capable of paying their share in the proclamation of the gospel, giving is a must.

How are we doing? Do we practice the give way? If so, then Scripture tells us that we are only doing what we ought to do. “So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say: ‘We are unprofitable servants; we have done that was our duty to do’” (Luke 17:10). If we are not practicing the give way, then it is time to reconsider our approach. We are responsible for the knowledge that we have been given!

We begin with alarming trends manifesting the inevitable political and economic downfall of the United States of America, discuss the fragile relationship between the EU and the USA; Europe’s ambitions; and the volatile relationship between the EU and Greece.

We continue to warn of the frightening development pertaining to Iran. We relate the fact that a victory for Israel against Iran in a violent confrontation is far from certain and that the cocky attitude of the USA might suffer some serious humiliation. In addition, we see now that Iran is beginning to threaten Europe!

We report on the “Arab Spring” in Egypt, which is becoming a nightmare for Egypt’s women and the USA and Israel; and we speak of a shocking allegation that allegedly Interpol collaborated with Saudi Arabia in support of deadly Islamist radical fanaticism.

We also convey an interesting archaeological discovery regarding the legendary goldmines of the Queen of Sheba; comment on Whitney Houston’s death and the deadly interaction of alcohol and many illegal and even legal drugs, including prescription and non-prescription drugs; give an example of typical political hypocrisy; address the unbiblical teaching that all contraceptives are wrong; and conclude with a report on the terrible consequences of divorce on innocent children.

Chaos After U.S. Decline?

On February 11, 2012, The Wall Street Journal published a lengthy article, titled, “Why the World Needs America.” Even though we do not agree with everything written in the article and disagree quite strongly with certain statements, which we do not quote herein, the following excepts are interesting and worth repeating:

“The downfall of the Roman Empire brought an end not just to Roman rule but to Roman government and law and to an entire economic system stretching from Northern Europe to North Africa… Many of us take for granted how the world looks today. But it might look a lot different without America at the top… After the Napoleonic Wars of the early 19th century, British control of the seas and the balance of great powers on the European continent provided relative security and stability…

“With the outbreak of World War I, the age of settled peace and advancing liberalism… collapsed into an age of hyper-nationalism, despotism and economic calamity… The collapse of the British and European orders in the 20th century did not produce a new dark age—though if Nazi Germany and imperial Japan had prevailed, it might have—but the horrific conflict that it produced was, in its own way, just as devastating…

“Would the end of the present American-dominated order have less dire consequences?…The present world order was largely shaped by American power and reflects American interests and preferences. If the balance of power shifts in the direction of other nations, the world order will change to suit their interests and preferences… For several decades, the balance of power in the world has favored democratic governments. In a genuinely post-American world, the balance would shift toward the great-power autocracies. Both Beijing and Moscow already protect dictators like Syria’s Bashar al-Assad. If they gain greater relative influence in the future, we will see fewer democratic transitions and more autocrats hanging on to power…

“The ancient democracies of Greece and the republics of Rome and Venice all fell to more powerful forces or through their own failings… If and when American power declines, the institutions and norms that American power has supported will decline, too. Or more likely, if history is a guide, they may collapse altogether as we make a transition to another kind of world order, or to disorder. We may discover then that the U.S. was essential to keeping the present world order together and that the alternative to American power was not peace and harmony but chaos and catastrophe—which is what the world looked like right before the American order came into being…”

With the loss of US power, this world will indeed change dramatically. Power blocs in Europe and the Far East will develop, which will plunge this world into a terrible and unprecedented series of wars.

No Real Solution

The Los Angeles Times wrote on February 14:

“President Obama released a budget proposal for the coming fiscal year that offers no real solution to the United States’ long-term fiscal problems. This country is hardly Greece, but Washington’s current policies put it on a path to accumulate far too much debt…

“Congress makes the ultimate decisions about taxes and spending, so the annual budget proposal from the White House typically serves as the opening bid in a months-long debate. This president, however, has waited for Republicans and Congress to go first on the tougher fiscal issues. On Monday, Obama even called on Congress to reverse one of the more difficult decisions it had made, which was to impose $1.2 trillion in across-the-board spending cuts on discretionary programs over the next decade.

“…even if lawmakers were to adopt all of Obama’s deficit-cutting measures, they wouldn’t go far enough to set the budget on a path toward balance… All told, his proposal comes up about $2 trillion short of the savings his own deficit-reduction commission called for over 10 years… the government needs a better plan for putting its fiscal house in order than Obama offered Monday.”

And in spite of sweeping irrational promises from Republican candidates to balance the budget, the inescapable truth is that, no matter who runs this country, the economic situation of the USA is doomed.

EU-US Relationship

The EUObserver wrote on February 14:

“With pressure coming from every direction, the EU and the US now, more than ever, need an honest discussion about their partnership… The electoral year in the United States poses a challenge to Europeans… Regardless of who will sit in the Oval Office for the next four years, three issues will take precedence on the transatlantic agenda.

“First, amidst the budgetary cuts in the US, any future global police-type military operations will be carried out more selectively. But when the US national interest is under threat, shrewd accounting goes out the window. In any confrontation between Israel and Iran, the US will be forced to prove its ‘iron clad commitment to Israel’s security.’ Although Obama remains committed to the diplomatic path to stop Iran from getting its hands on nuclear [weapons], he has not taken any options off the table.

“His Republican competitors speak even more openly about military intervention, accusing Obama of failing to ‘show Iran that [the US] ha[s] the capacity to remove them militarily from their plans to have nuclear weapons.’ Any military confrontation in the region will have direct implications for Europe, including military involvement if Iran retaliates.

“Second, concerns about the growing importance of China – and an increasing fear of China – in the US will need to be addressed… To act as an economic bulwark to China’s regional dominance, Obama proposed an ambitious Trans-Pacific Partnership and intends to create a Trade Enforcement Unit to investigate unfair trade practices. But these plans have caused uneasiness among Europeans who are afraid that similar moves will be interpreted as a direct challenge to China, in turn launching new competition in the region.

“Even more worrying is the language of Republican contenders calling for a strong military capability in the Pacific and deepening cooperation with India and other regional allies.

“Finally, normalising relations with Arab countries and the Muslims will remain a huge challenge.

“Despite the many efforts of the Obama Administration, the US presence in Afghanistan and its clear position on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict still make Muslims sceptical of the US intentions… his Republican opponents underline Israel’s growing security problems and call for increasing the level of military assistance and co-ordination (Romney) while at the same time describing the Palestinians as ‘an invented people’ (Gingrich). Such statements cause consternation among Europeans…

“How Washington responds to these challenges will no doubt have serious implications for Europe. But instead of hoping for the best, Europeans should finally get their act together and focus on three major objectives: launching a comprehensive review of the European Security Strategy; adopting a credible and enforceable strategy for Asia; and consolidating policies towards the southern neighbourhood and Palestinian statehood. What we have instead is a catalogue of half-measures. The establishment of the European External Action Service was a messy exercise but it cannot be used indefinitely as an excuse for inaction and a lack of policies…”

The relationship between the USA and Europe is bound to deteriorate, and Europe will begin to unify even stronger in political and military matters. Please also note the next article.

EU—a Full-Fledged Political Union in the Future

The EUObserver wrote on February 14:

“European Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso has told the Chinese public that the EU will become a fully-fledged ‘political union’ after the financial crisis… ‘I want to make this very clear to Chinese public opinion… Is the European Union really going to progress? I say: “Yes. No doubt about it” … Precisely because of the problems in the euro area the conclusion has been to further integrate and to complete the monetary union with a fiscal union and, I believe, in the future toward a political union.’”

Italy—a Future Major EU Driver

The EUObserver reported on February 15:

“Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti charmed all major political parties in the European Parliament on Wednesday (15 February), pledging to defend EU institutions at a time when national governments are increasingly blaming Brussels for austerity… His speech… was aimed at restoring his country’s standing as one of the founding members of the EU and the euro after years of political penumbra under his controversial predecessor, Silvio Berlusconi.

“The new Italy – in the words of Monti, a former banker and economics professor – will be committed not only to austerity, but also to growth and will not just ‘passively transpose EU guidelines, but wants to be a major driver of these guidelines.’ It is in this ‘spirit’ that he invited German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy to Rome on Friday, for talks which will ‘focus on the community method and recognise the priority of EU institutions’…

“He also pointedly switched to English when criticising a ‘deeply superficial insular culture that naively might believe EU integration means a superstate’ after the UK vetoed crisis-related changes to the EU Treaty last December.”

The EU and Greece

Der Spiegel Online wrote on February 10:

“Many observers are losing faith in the idea that Greece can be saved even if the second bailout goes through. With unemployment at 20.9 percent and the economy in its fifth consecutive year of recession, it is unclear how Greece will ever be able to generate growth or begin to pay down its debt…

“The center-right Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung writes: ‘The Greek misery has no end… Greece presents a desolate picture, in terms of its economic structures, competitiveness, social cohesion and political system. In other parts of the world, it would be called a failed state. It is time that the Europeans admit that fact and take the necessary action. Whether the resulting conclusion is that Greece can no longer be saved from bankruptcy, or whether it should be persuaded — or forced — to leave the euro zone, is ultimately a question of math… No finance minister knows the answer, and no economist can calculate it reliably. This uncertainty is deadly, both for the markets and for countries. It must be ended quickly.’

“The center-left Süddeutsche Zeitung writes: ‘The EU partners and the Greek government have a baleful fear of the truth. Which is the following: Greece cannot actually be saved (with the current approach), not by slashing the minimum wages, and not with cuts in salaries, which are supposed to remain frozen until the country has lowered its unemployment rate from nearly 21 percent to 10 percent. But where will the new jobs come from?…’

“The Financial Times Deutschland writes: ‘Greece is currently trying to do something impossible: which is to reform the economy in the midst of a deep depression. That simply doesn’t work.’

“The conservative Die Welt writes: ‘The agreement reached in Athens between the Greek government and the international donors … has not prompted high hopes on either side. Greece promised what it had to, in order to get the new aid package. And the troika acted as if it — against its better judgment — actually believes that the Greek economy can be healed. But the pictures of the demonstrations and the burning German flags show that they didn’t reckon with the Greek population. Ultimately, the crucial thing is not the politicians’ willingness to carry out reforms … but the will of the people. And the Greeks seem unwilling and unable to accept, for the sake of the stability of the single currency, cuts that go far beyond what we in Germany have ever experienced in terms of austerity measures… From an economic perspective, the country needs to leave the euro zone, because it is economically too weak and its administrative structures are too underdeveloped to be able to keep up with the others…’

“The financial daily Handelsblatt writes: ‘During the poker game with their creditors, the Greeks have been acting as if they had a joker up their sleeve. That joker was the threat of declaring bankruptcy and triggering a panicked chain reaction among investors. … But that isn’t a trump card. The main victims of a disorderly bankruptcy would be the Greeks themselves. But the troika has also been deceiving the audience of the Greek drama with numerical trickery that is easy to see through… The question of how Greece is supposed to return to growth despite the harsh austerity measures remains the troika’s secret. Both sides are lying through their teeth. … The only way to ‘save’ Greece is through an orderly national default…’”

The Associated Press reported on February 14:

“Two steps forward, one step back. So goes the frenzied effort across Europe to bail out Greece and save it from a potentially devastating default on its debts. A meeting of the finance chiefs of the 17 euro countries to discuss Greece’s second multibillion bailout planned for Wednesday was called off after Athens failed to deliver on several demands made by its partners in the currency union… Tensions between Athens and other European capitals have hit new highs this week…

“Greece is still optimistic that it will eventually get the bailout… But after keeping Greece alive through bailout loans for almost two years — and seeing the country repeatedly miss its targets — some of the richer euro countries like the Netherlands or Germany are reluctant to commit new money without firm assurances…”

The Financial Times added on February 15:

“The battle of wills between Athens and its eurozone lenders intensified on Wednesday, with Greece’s finance minister accusing ‘forces in Europe’ of pushing his country out of the euro while his German counterpart suggested postponing Greek elections and installing a new government without political parties.”

As we have said from the outset, Greece might leave the Eurozone, but the euro won’t collapse.

Will Israeli Attack on Iran Be Unsuccessful?

y-Net News reported on February 12:

“Two weeks after US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta reportedly said Israel is likely to strike Iran in the spring, German Defense Minister Thomas de Maizière said an Israeli attack will be unsuccessful. According to the minister, ‘a success of an Israeli strike on Iran nuclear facilities is highly unlikely and (will cause) obvious political damage’…

“President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad met on Saturday with Hamas prime minister in Gaza Ismail Haniyeh, who is visiting Tehran. ‘The world will witness Iran’s major nuclear achievements soon’ said Ahmadinejad. Haniyeh met with supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei on Sunday. In the meeting Khamenei promised Iran’s support for the Palestinian resistance…”

In Any Event, It Would Be Terribly Complicated…

USA Today wrote on February 13:

“If Israel attacked Iran’s nuclear facilities, the strike would probably take the form of a complex air assault involving scores of planes that would have to penetrate Iranian air defenses and attack up to a couple of dozen targets simultaneously, analysts say. ‘This would be way more sophisticated than anything that’s ever been done before,’ said Charles Wald, a retired Air Force general who led the coalition air campaign in Afghanistan that helped topple the Taliban. By contrast, Israel’s strike on Iraq’s Osiraq nuclear reactor in 1981 and an attack in Syria in 2007 were simpler operations that required Israel to hit a single above-ground target. Neither country had sophisticated air defense capabilities…

“Iran’s nuclear facilities are dispersed throughout the country, some of which are being hardened to withstand bomb blasts, said Colin Kahl, a Georgetown professor and former Pentagon official overseeing Middle East policy. Pilots would face a network of radar and anti-aircraft missiles designed to protect Iran’s airspace… Wald said the Israelis would either have to use aerial refueling or land somewhere en route to refuel. It’s not known whether any country would provide permission or whether Israel could set up a covert refueling facility in the desert… Flying over Iraq is the most direct route for Israeli pilots. Since the U.S. withdrawal, Iraq is not capable of effectively protecting its airspace, which potentially would give Israel a way to reach Iran while maintaining an element of surprise…

“Israel has large bombs capable of penetrating bunkers, but some analysts say they need more sophisticated munitions to help knock out some of the well-protected facilities… Analysts say timing on a strike would be critical, since a lengthy operation would raise the likelihood of U.S. opposition and could trigger a wider conflict…

“The United States should be prepared for an Iranian counterstrike, Wald said. Iran has medium-range missiles that could reach Israel, Kahl said… Iran’s navy could interfere with commercial shipping in the narrow Strait of Hormuz, disrupting the world’s oil supplies. In 2009, about 17% of all oil traded worldwide went through the narrow strait… Iran would probably use its surrogates, Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, to attack Israel…”

USA: “We Will Stop Iran”

Newsmax reported on February 12:

“Iran has increased the number of small, fast patrol craft in the strategically important Strait of Hormuz, some of which have been outfitted with a large warhead for a suicide run at U.S. vessels, the U.S. Navy’s top Gulf commander said… The U.S. Navy would move to stop any Iranian attempt to lay mines in the Strait of Hormuz or Persian Gulf as an ‘act of war’ the international community wouldn’t tolerate…

“The U.S. has four Avenger-class mine-sweeping ships in the Gulf… The U.K.’s Royal Navy has another four vessels… U.S. officials… estimated in 2008 that Iran possessed as many as 5,000 mines… The inventory also includes as many as 600 advanced mines bought from Russia, such as the MDM-3, which can be dropped from an aircraft…”

However, an easy and swift victory of the US Navy over Iranian naval forces is not assured by any means. It is being admitted that Iran could make life difficult for the US Navy. Note the next article.

Reuters reported on February 12:

“Iran has built up its naval forces in the Gulf and prepared boats that could be used in suicide attacks… Iran now has 10 small submarines…

“Military experts say the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet patrolling the Gulf – which always has at least one giant supercarrier accompanied by scores of jets and a fleet of frigates and destroyers – is overwhelmingly more powerful than Iran’s navy. But ever since al Qaeda suicide bombers in a small boat killed 17 sailors on board the destroyer U.S.S. Cole in a port in Yemen in 1996, Washington has been wary of the vulnerability of its huge battleships to bomb attacks by small enemy craft.”

Has It Already Begun?

ABC News wrote on February 14:

“With Iran allegedly striking out at Israeli citizens and Jewish targets around the world, Israeli and American security officials in the U.S. are on high alert. Israeli officials told ABC News that the level of personal security on high-ranking Embassy officials as well as other, lower profile officials in the U.S. is at its highest in at least five years, a response to what they called ‘a coordinated series of attacks’…

“Federal officials… noted that in cities like New York and Washington, D.C., ‘the targets are much harder’ than in countries like India, Georgia and Thailand, where Iran has allegedly attacked or attempted to attack in the past two days. But they also added that Iran can be ‘belligerent.’

“Frank Cilluffo, director of the Homeland Security Policy Institute at George Washington University in D.C., agreed that the recent incidents in India, Georgia, Thailand and Azerbaijan have ‘all the hallmarks of a concerted campaign’ that could extend to U.S. soil. ‘The recent attack on a Saudi official in Washington shows a willingness to attack in the United States,’ said Cilluffo…”

Iran Threatens Europe!

The New York Times wrote on February 15:

“Besieged by international sanctions over the Iranian nuclear program including a planned oil embargo by Europe, Iran warned six European buyers on Wednesday that it might strike first by immediately cutting them off from Iranian oil. Iran’s official Islamic Republic News Agency said the threat was conveyed to the ambassadors of Italy, Spain, France, the Netherlands, Greece and Portugal in separate meetings at the Foreign Ministry in Tehran…

“‘Iran warns Europe it will find other customers for its oil,’ the Islamic Republic News Agency said. ‘European people should know that if Iran changes destinations of the oil it gives to them, the responsibility will rest with the European governments themselves.’… The European Union has been one of Iran’s biggest markets for oil, taking about 18 percent of total Iranian petroleum exports in 2011. Among the European Union members, the biggest buyers have been Italy, Spain and France…

“The Iranians also announced new advances in their nuclear program, including escalation of Iran’s enrichment practices, which if accurate could serve to further aggravate tensions… President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad presided over ceremonies to mark advances in Iran’s nuclear program, partly to project an image of Iranian defiance against the Western sanctions. The new advances include centrifuges that Iran said were capable of enriching uranium at a much faster rate, and the insertion of the first domestically produced nuclear fuel rod into a nuclear reactor in Tehran.”

No “Arab Spring” for Egypt’s Women

Deutsche Welle reported on February 12:

“Side-by-side with fellow male protesters, Egypt’s women stood on Tahrir Square demanding freedom and democracy. But due to the military regime and the rise of Islamic factions the situation of women is deteriorating… The military is brutal in their treatment of women… The military regime is also trying to keep women from taking political office…

“The new parliament is even considering revoking the so-called Personal Status Law that women had been fighting for for years. If successful, it would mean that women could no longer divorce – only men would have the right to do so. Women would also lose the right to bring up their children beyond the age of nine. Fathers could then take away their children aged nine, not 15 as the law states now…”

So much for freedom, liberty and equality in the new Egypt…

Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood Threatens USA and Israel

CNS News reported on February 13:

“A top Muslim Brotherhood official has warned that any cuts in U.S. aid to Egypt could affect Cairo’s peace treaty with Israel…

“Egyptian judges have referred 16 Americans and 27 others linked to NGOs [Non-Governmental Organizations] for trial, accusing them of using foreign funds to encourage disruptive protests… On Capitol Hill, the chorus of senior lawmakers calling for aid to Egypt to be suspended over the affair is growing, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has warned that the funds could be in jeopardy…

“‘This is only the beginning of the anti-American populism/nationalism/Islamism we are going to be seeing in Egypt from now on,’ Mideast expert Barry Rubin, director of the Global Research in International Affairs Center in Israel, wrote in a column Sunday. ‘What’s amazing is that nobody is pointing out that if an Egyptian government is willing to risk U.S. aid and have a confrontation on this small issue, what are they going to do regarding big issues?’ Rubin said. ‘What happens when the Egyptian government moves toward Islamism or helps Hamas fight Israel on some level?…’”

Reuters added on February 15:

“State-run newspapers splashed accusations of a U.S. plan to spread ‘anarchy’ in Egypt across their front pages on Tuesday… the headlines marked another low in the crisis between Washington and Cairo triggered by the investigation into U.S.-based non-governmental organisations that has led to criminal charges against Americans who have been prevented from leaving the country…The spat is one of the worst in more than 30 years of close U.S.-Egyptian ties…”

The Associated Press stated on February 15:

“Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood on Wednesday threw its weight behind the country’s military-backed government in an escalating dispute with the U.S. over the funding of pro-democracy groups… On Wednesday, the Brotherhood – whose political arm controls the largest bloc of seats in Egypt’s parliament – praised officials carrying out the crackdown and said it supported their ‘nationalist position.’ The Brotherhood said it ‘rejects all forms of pressure the U.S. is exerting,’ the statement published on the group’s website said.”

The USA and its allies supported strongly the “Arab Spring” movement. Since then, it has become obvious—which should have been clear from the outset—that the movement gave birth to the rise of radical Islamists, who are strongly opposed to the West and any style of Western democracy, and who are also very hostile towards Israel. Again, America’s foolish foreign policy has helped create a Frankenstein monster…

Shocking—Interpol Accused of Collaborating with Saudi Arabia over Islamist Radical Fanaticism

National Review reported on February 10:

“Interpol has been accused of abusing its powers after Saudi Arabia used the organisation’s red notice system to get a journalist arrested in Malaysia for insulting the Prophet Muhammad. Kashgari, a newspaper columnist, fled Saudi Arabia after posting a tweet on the prophet’s birthday that sparked more than 30,000 responses and several death threats. The posting, which was later deleted, read: ‘I have loved things about you and I have hated things about you and there is a lot I don’t understand about you … I will not pray for you.’

“More than 13,000 people joined a Facebook page titled ‘The Saudi People Demand the Execution of Hamza Kashgari’. Clerics in Saudi Arabia called for him to be charged with apostasy, a religious offence punishable by death…”

The Australian added on February 12:

“Malaysia has deported [to Saudi Arabia] a young Saudi journalist wanted in his home country over a Twitter post about the Prophet Mohammed, defying pleas from human rights group who said he faced execution… Kashgari’s detention sparked outrage from human rights groups, with Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch urging Malaysia not to send him back to face severe punishment and possibly a death sentence.”

When fundamentalists and fanaticism rule, such incredible and despicable conduct can be expected. When a “Christian” organization like Interpol lends a hand to such conduct, this is outrageous and speaks volumes of the indifference and blindness of our Western societies.

Enormous Ancient Goldmine of Queen of Sheba Found

The Guardian reported on February 11:

“Almost 3,000 years ago, the ruler of Sheba, which spanned modern-day Ethiopia and Yemen, arrived in Jerusalem with vast quantities of gold to give to King Solomon. Now an enormous ancient goldmine, together with the ruins of a temple and the site of a battlefield, have been discovered in her former territory… Sheba was a powerful incense-trading kingdom that prospered through trade with Jerusalem and the Roman empire.

“The queen is immortalised in Qur’an and the Bible, which describes her visit to Solomon ‘with a very great retinue, with camels bearing spices, and very much gold and precious stones … Then she gave the king 120 talents of gold, and a very great quantity of spices’… Her story is still told across Africa and Arabia, and the Ethiopian tales are immortalised in the holy book the Kebra Nagast. Hers is said to be one of the world’s oldest love stories. The Bible says she visited Solomon to test his wisdom by asking him several riddles. Legend has it that he wooed her, and that descendants of their child, Menelik – son of the wise – became the kings of Abyssinia.”

Please read our Q&A on Ethiopia and the Queen of Sheba.

Whitney Houston Played “Russian Roulette”—Meds and Alcohol Don’t Mix

Newsmax Health wrote on February 13:

“The death of Whitney Houston from an apparent drug and alcohol interaction was shocking to her fans, but Ozzie Delgado, the pharmacy director of Cleveland Clinic Florida, says it’s a tragedy he has seen played out many times. ‘The problem is that, when people drink, they think they have a tolerance level. But that tolerance level can vary on a given day, depending on what you’ve eaten, for example, so you really don’t know what your threshold is,’ Delgado tells Newsmax Health. Combining certain medications with drinking is ‘like playing Russian roulette,’ he warns.

“Houston was found dead in her Beverly Hills hotel room on Saturday. Although the results of the toxicology report on Houston could take weeks, reports say the singer was found dead in her bathtub after drinking while also taking Xanax. According to Delgado, Xanax (alprazolam), a common anti-anxiety drug, is particularly dangerous when combined with alcohol. ‘Xanax belongs to a class of drugs called benzodiazepines, all which have a side effect called temporary amnesia. So now you have temporary amnesia and you’re compounding it with alcohol,’ he notes. ‘As a result, you can lose track of the amount of alcohol you are drinking, and you lose consciousness. It’s a snowball effect… The drug slows your respiratory rate and, when you add alcohol, it slows your respiratory rate even more. You stop breathing at a normal rate, you stop oxygenating your body, and then your brain doesn’t get enough oxygen…’ Houston had struggled with drug addiction for years before her death.

“Xanax isn’t the only drug that can get you into trouble, says Keith Veltri, who is clinical pharmacy manager at Montefiore Medical Center in Bronx, N.Y. ‘There are a lot of medications that, specifically when mixed with alcohol, can depress the respiratory system and cause drowsiness…’ He says he believes such drugs are over-prescribed, especially anti-anxiety drugs like Xanax and Valium. ‘Generally, Valium or Xanax for insomnia should only be taken for three weeks, or anxiety for four months…’

“But it isn’t only the anti-anxiety drugs (which are also prescribed for epilepsy) that can be dangerous when used with alcohol. Similar problems can also arise with prescription antidepressants such as Celexa, Prozac, Zoloft, and Wellbutrin, which is also prescribed for smoking cessation. Drugs used to fight insomnia, whether prescription or over-the-counter, also can be deadly when combined with alcohol. In addition, anti-psychotics such as Amplify, Seroquel, Risperdal, Haldol, and Thorazine should never be taken with alcohol. Patients should avoid drinking while taking painkillers such as oxycontin, morphine, and codeine, he says.

“It isn’t only prescription drugs that can be dangerous. Delgado says that care should also be taken if you’re using a cough preparation that contains dextromethorphan, as many common over-the-counter cough syrups do. ‘People should be concerned with any of these medications that have “DM” in the name,’ says Delgado. ‘When it comes to a lethal interaction with alcohol, most people don’t realize that it can take only one drug to do this,’ he says. ‘This is a common problem and many people have died. It’s just magnified when it happens to a Hollywood star.’ Performers who have died after mixing drugs and alcohol include rock stars Jimi Hendrix and Brian Jones, actor Alan Ladd, and country singer Hank Williams…”

Whether or not Whitney Houston—a practicing Baptist–died because of drug and alcohol interaction, the combination of alcohol and drugs—whether illegal or even legal, as well as prescription and non-prescription drugs—can many times become deadly. It is a shame that a supposedly Christian nation like the USA and its citizens and Hollywood “icons” do not follow the Bible even in its most elementary injunctions and principles—that it is God who made our bodies which should become holy—rather than being abused.

Birth Control Fight—Hypocrisy Galore

The Los Angeles Times wrote on February 15:

“Since President Obama moved to require Catholic hospitals and universities to offer their employees contraceptive health benefits, Republicans have rushed to accuse the administration of an unprecedented attack on religious freedoms. None has been more forceful than former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who accused Obama of ‘a direct violation of the 1st Amendment.’ But years before the current partisan firestorm, GOP lawmakers and governors around the country, including Huckabee, backed similar mandates.

“Twenty-two states have laws or regulations that resemble, at least in part, the Obama administration’s original rule. More than a third had some Republican support, a review of state records shows. In six states, including Arkansas, those contraceptive mandates were signed by GOP governors.

“In Massachusetts in 2006, then-Gov. Mitt Romney signed a healthcare overhaul that kept in place a contraceptive mandate signed by his Republican predecessor. Now the GOP presidential candidate is calling the Obama rule an ‘assault on religion.’ At the federal level, President George W. Bush never challenged a similar federal mandate imposed in 2000…

“Congressional Republicans are pushing legislation to exempt all employers from providing contraceptive coverage if it goes against their beliefs. In 2000, when Iowa became one of the first states to enact a contraceptive mandate, the Republican Legislature overwhelmingly backed the bill, which has no exemption for religious employers of any kind…

“In Arizona, state Rep. Linda Binder, a pro-choice Republican, formed a bipartisan coalition to push her bill, which exempted churches but not other church-affiliated institutions, through the Republican-controlled Legislature. Then-Gov. Jane Hull, a Republican and a Catholic, signed the measure into law. In New York, a similar law also won GOP support in the Legislature. It was signed in 2001 by Gov. George E. Pataki, another Republican.

“Four years later, the Arkansas law easily cleared that state’s Legislature, with help from Republican lawmakers, including two GOP cosponsors. Huckabee signed it in April 2005. He defended the law in a statement. ‘Religious employers are not required to comply with this policy,’ he said. ‘My position is, and always has been, that religious entities shouldn’t be forced to pay for contraception.’ But like the original federal regulation proposed by Obama, the Arkansas law did not exempt church-affiliated hospitals and universities. It exempts only ‘religious employers’ that are nonprofit organizations whose primary mission is ‘the inculcation of religious values,’ and primarily employ people who share the same religion, a standard few Catholic hospitals meet.”

To top it all, arch-conservative Catholic Republican Presidential candidate (father of seven children) Rick Santorum stated in an interview in 2006 that any kind of contraceptives (including those preventing pregnancies) are “harmful to women” and “harmful to our society.”

ABC News printed his most recent “clarifications” on the matter in its article, dated February 15, 2012:

“And his personal position against contraception has solidified… he said he disagrees with others in the Christian faith who believe that contraception is OK. ‘It’s not OK because it’s a license to do things in the sexual realm that is counter to how things are supposed to be,’ he said. ‘They’re supposed to be within marriage, they are supposed to be for purposes that are, yes, conjugal, but also, but also procreative. That’s the perfect way that a sexual union should happen. We take any part of that out, we diminish the act. And if you can take one part out that’s not for purposes of procreation, that’s not one of the reasons, then you diminish this very special bond between men and women, so why can’t you take other parts of that out? And all of a sudden, it becomes deconstructed to the point where it’s simply pleasure. And that’s certainly a part of it—and it’s an important part of it, don’t get me wrong—but there’s a lot of things we do for pleasure, and this is special, and it needs to be seen as special.’”

To be very clear on this, this view point is opposed to the teachings of the Bible. To say that God prohibits birth control, preventing pregnancies, within the confines of marriage, and that the sexual act must always include the purpose of procreation and cannot be done for “mere pleasure” within marriage, is not only against biblical teaching; it is also an irresponsible position. But this concept finds, sadly, its origins in the biblical record about the Garden of Eden, when the first man and his wife became ashamed of their sexuality, considering it as evil, even though God declared that everything that He had made was good. It was  Satan—not God–who convinced Adam and Eve that sex was dirty and could only be viewed as somewhat “acceptable,” if it was to be used merely for procreation.

Divorce—The Terrible Suffering of Innocent Children

Zenit wrote on February 10:

“Each year in the United States over a million children are the innocent parties to the divorce of their parents. While divorce also hurts the parents it is the children who particularly suffer…  As would be expected, divorce affects the ability of parents to relate to their children. One study found that the stress caused by divorce damages the relationship between children and their mothers for as many as 40% of divorced mothers. This insufficiency is more marked by the time children are in high school and college…

“Another aspect… is the effect of divorce on religious practice among children. They found that following divorce, children are more likely to cease practicing their faith. This lessening of religious practice means that children suffer from a lack of the beneficial effects of religion, in areas as diverse as marital stability, education, income, and physical and mental health… At the level of elementary school there is an immediate decline in academic performance. At high school level children from intact families have significantly better test scores compared to children of divorced parents. One example in the study was that by the age of 13 there is an average difference of half a year in the reading ability between children of divorced parents and children from intact families.

“Other research cited included a study that found children from divorced families were 26% more likely to drop out of secondary school compared to children brought up in intact families… Divorce not only imposes costs on families but also on government and society. Children of divorced families are considerably more likely to engage in delinquent behavior, to be involved in fighting, robberies, and substance abuse…

“Higher levels of child abuse and neglect are further consequences of divorce… With the high level of divorce in recent times these debilitating consequences will continue to be played out in the years to come. Not a comforting thought as Western society continues to witness continued attacks on family life and attempts to re-define marriage.”

No wonder God thunders at us that “He hates divorce, for it covers one’s garment with violence… Therefore take heed to your spirit, That you do not deal treacherously” (Malachi 2:16).

In Acts 16:1, we meet up with Paul during his travels north and west of Jerusalem in modern day Turkey. While here, Paul meets an up-and-coming disciple we know as Timothy.  Timothy had a good reputation among the brethren in the area – in the cities of Lystra and Iconium in particular. Paul was impressed with him as well and invited Timothy to join him on his travels through the region. However, before they commence their travels together, Paul has Timothy circumcised (Acts 16:3). While this might not seem like a significant detail, it is important to examine in context because the implications are significant.

Reading Acts 16:1-3 in context, “Then he came to Derbe and Lystra. And behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a certain Jewish woman who believed, but his father was Greek. He was well spoken of by the brethren who were at Lystra and Iconium. Paul wanted to have him go on with him. And he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in that region, for they all knew that his father was Greek.”

What makes this a notable event is that circumcision was a serious point of contention at the time. Holding fast to the traditions of their forefathers, some converted Jews had previously insisted that circumcision was a necessary ritual to be performed on the membership of the Church, some Pharisees in particular (Acts 15:5). Clearly, the individuals insisting upon the ritual did not understand the salvation made available to the Gentiles, and all men, through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. In fact, many Jews had such strong feelings about the need for circumcision that they later sought to kill Paul because he had brought Greeks into the temple (Acts 21:28-31). Paul was intimately aware of the real conflict taking place over this issue.

Circumcision was such a divisive issue at the time, even in the church, that the “apostles and elders came together to consider this matter” at the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15:6). This meeting was largely held to clarify the reasons why circumcision was not necessary for salvation. In attendance at the meeting was Peter, who helped clarify the truth of the matter. “And when there had been much dispute, Peter rose up and said to them: ‘Men and brethren, you know that a good while ago God chose among us, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us, and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. Now therefore, why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved in the same manner as they’” (Acts 15:7-11). Among other decisions made at the meeting, the fact that circumcision was not necessary for salvation was firmly established and documented.

With the clear doctrine that “in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision, nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love” (Galatians 5:6), why did Paul still have Timothy circumcised? Paul certainly knew and believed that it was not necessary for his salvation—in fact, he taught strongly that it would be wrong to be circumcised if it was done with the concept that it was necessary for salvation. The reason is included in the same statement about the event, stating that it was “because of the Jews who were in that region, for they all knew that his father was a Greek.”

The Nelson Study Bible explains:

“Salvation was not the issue here. Instead Timothy became circumcised so that God could use him to reach all people—even the Jews—with the message of the gospel.”

The New Bible Commentary: Revised added:

“Paul circumcised him; so that he might be the more useful in the work of the gospel… He fought against any suggestion that Christians should be circumcised in order to complete their salvation; but circumcision in itself, he held, was religiously indifferent [1 Corinthians 7:19; Galatians 5:6; Galatians 6:15]. Timothy had been brought up by his Jewish mother and grandmother to be a Jew religiously in every point but circumcision. Moreover, as his mother was a Jewess, he ranked as a Jew in Jewish eyes…”

Timothy was circumcised because Paul wanted him to be used effectively for the preaching of the gospel. While it is not necessary for salvation, it is not wrong to perform.

As stated earlier, Paul knew all too well that the Jews he came in contact with had difficulty accepting the doctrine of not requiring circumcision. Since Timothy was a Jew, and since Paul wanted Timothy to help preach the Gospel to them, it was an advantage for Timothy to be circumcised. Paul knew that the Jews would give him more respect and accept him if he was. For the sake of building the Church and bringing more people to salvation, Paul acted wisely without compromising the laws of God. In 1 Corinthians 9:19-23 we read about the approach he took, “… and to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win the Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might win those who are under the law…” Paul chose to adapt to those he came in contact with, without compromising the truth, in order to help bring them to salvation. By circumcising Timothy, he became accepted as a Jew, and avoided unnecessary disputes.

Even though circumcision was not necessary for salvation, Paul did not want Timothy to become a stumbling block to the Jews. As Paul advises, “But beware, lest somehow this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to those who are weak.” (1 Corinthians 8:9) In this regard, Timothy was successful. The result of this was that “the churches were strengthened in the faith, and increased in number daily” (Acts 16:5). While adapting to the customs of the community was effective in this situation, blind conformity to the incomplete understanding of others for the sake of keeping the peace is not what Paul wanted to do. In fact, he came out very strongly against those who conformed to customs at the expense of the truth.

Paul had a strong contention with Peter who went too far in compromising the truth in order to not offend converted Jews. Peter had not totally overcome his prior habit of removing himself from meals with Gentiles when Jews arrived (compare Galatians 2:11-12). Among the faults with this behavior was the false impression it gave to the converted Gentiles, causing them to believe that they were inferior to converted Jews and rejected by them. Paul was upset with Peter and other converts, who “were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel” (Galatians 2:14). Peter was causing an incorrect doctrine of disassociation between Jews and Gentiles to perpetuate. Paul was very strong in his belief that the truth should not be misrepresented. In an effort to avoid offending others, the truth of the gospel must not be compromised.

The circumcision of Timothy was an action performed to prevent unnecessary conflict. In the same way, it did not cause conflict or confusion. Timothy was a Jew, and therefore it was not inappropriate for him to become circumcised. Paul and Timothy understood that the physical act of circumcision had nothing to do with any spiritual requirement for salvation. In a similar situation, when Paul was going into Jerusalem with Titus, a Greek, he did not have him circumcised, because it would have given the wrong impression – that Gentiles need to be circumcised in order to obtain salvation (Galatians 2:3). The point of discernment is in knowing when the truth is being compromised.

In practical terms today, we can extend the principle in our own lives by having a willingness to make further sacrifices that may help us build a proper relationship with people around us. If an action is in accordance with, and not in conflict with the laws of God, and it helps to present ourselves in a respectable light to others who are learning about the truth without giving a false impression, it is not wrong to do it. In fact, a practice is appropriate and good if it does not violate God’s laws and helps others come to true salvation.

Lead Writer: Eric Rank

Individual reservations for the Feast 2012 with the Hilton Garden Inn in Pismo Beach, California, can commence on Friday, February 24, 2012. The hotel has been provided with a list of our members who are planning to attend. Further information will be forthcoming in the next Update, and those who have committed to attending with us will be individually contacted.

A new StandingWatch program was posted on YouTube and on our Website www.standingwatch.org. It is titled, “Foolish Science.” God created man to cultivate and take care of the environment. But man disobeyed and rejected God, while deciding on his own how to live. Today, God-defying scientists create genetically modified mosquitoes, which pose a real threat to humans, and carnal minds manufacture the most deadly form of the bird flu, which is now able to jump from birds to humans. Thankfully, this crazy, Satan-inspired world will soon come to an end, and when man undergoes a total change of his thinking, he will experience soundness and peace after 6,000 years of sickness, hatred and war.

Two new radio programs (Numbers 11 and 12) were recorded this week, titled, “Paradise—Lost and Found” and “Return to the Promised Land.” They will be broadcast, respectively, beginning Sunday, March 11 and March 18, 2012. Our radio broadcasts are being posted on our Website, www.standingwatch.org.

A new German sermon was posted on YouTube, titled, “Der Kampf um Jerusalem” (The Battle for Jerusalem”).

by Laura Harris

In the book “The Unhealthy Truth: How Food is Making Us Sick and What We Can Do About It,” Robyn O’Brien discusses how companies have manipulated our food supply through genetic engineering and chemical additives.  These changes in our food system are linked to recent increases in allergies, cancer and other medical maladies, particularly in children.  In his sermon last year entitled “Signs of the Times,” Michael Bannen described the desecration of God’s perfect food source in the name of corporate greed. 

This revelation hit home when my family was diagnosed with food allergies, and we had to significantly modify our eating habits.  Instead of providing nourishment, the foods we ate were hurting us.  We have eliminated many common ingredients, such as wheat, dairy and eggs, from our daily consumption.  Although we are just beginning this dietary transformation, we are seeing some improvements in our health. 

To my chagrin, I have taken the food we eat for granted.  Often times I hear prayers that end with a blessing on the upcoming meal, yet I did not give it much thought or reflection.   Now more than ever, asking God to nourish and strengthen our bodies through the food He has provided has greater meaning for me.  I cannot take God’s blessings lightly, even the daily meal.