On January 28, 2012, Eric Rank will give the sermon, titled, “That you bear much fruit.”

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.

In 1918 a German-born Jew by the name of Fritz Haber won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for developing the Haber-Bosch process. His process of synthesizing ammonia from natural deposits was a milestone in industrial chemistry. His techniques were used to mass produce fertilizers–without which the diet of today’s humanity would not be possible. In the 1920’s researchers at Haber’s institute developed a cyanide gas formulation, Zyklon A, an insecticide used to keep grain stores safe from pests.

Haber’s own research into and involvement in deploying chemicals during WWI coined him as the “father of chemical warfare.” During WWII his research of Zyklon A was refined by the Nazis into Zyklon B and was used in their gas chambers to exterminate Jews.

Solomon said, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death” (Proverbs 16:25). 

Haber contributed greatly towards the benefit of mankind. “The annual world production of synthetic nitrogen fertilizer is currently more than 100 million tons. The food base of half of the current world population is based on the Haber-Bosch process.” (Wikipedia). The reason Haber’s process was needed in the first place was because of mankind’s rejection of God’s Laws.  Haber sought a way to nourish land that could not sustain continuous farming. God, several millennia previously, set up simple practices that would achieve the same results: “Six years you shall sow your land and gather in its produce, but the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie fallow, that the poor of your people may eat; and what they leave, the beasts of the field may eat. In like manner you shall do with your vineyard and your olive grove” (Exodus 23:10-11).

What seems sensible, cutting-edge or even forward thinking, has proven throughout human history to usually be focused away from God’s simple plan for mankind.  Men tried to reach out to God in their own way by building a tower into the sky, but failed to understand God. Today we glimpse millions of years into our past—to the far reaches of space–searching for a better understanding of our universe. But no matter how far we look, man still has little understanding of the magnificent Being whose mere word caused us to exist, “By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth” (Psalm 33:6).

Calling us lights in a world filled with darkness is not hyperbole! Mankind has truly failed to come to an understanding of God, blinded by their own disobedience. The precious opportunity we have been granted must be used! We cannot rely on our own wisdom, our own shortcuts—as mankind has done—to understand God. What was true in Solomon’s time is true today—man’s way leads to death. Let us all watch and pray that the way we are heading leads to life!

We begin with a sobering reminder of how the Holocaust became reality at a now infamous gathering at Wannsee, a villa in a suburb of Berlin, at which the plans of fifteen men altered the course of history. We report on the “monumental shift” in Egyptian politics as the Muslim Brotherhood gains decisive control. We follow with a report on the shocking violence of bomb attacks in Kano, Nigeria, by a self-proclaimed radical Islamist group called Boko Haram. We note the continuing emergence of Islamic influence in Egypt, Nigeria, Iraq and Syria. Iran’s cat and mouse game with the West remains a brooding story. We note the Croatian vote to join the EU, while German Chancellor Angela Merkel calls for greater power for the EU and end with reports from both Britain and Los Angeles–further marking the downfall of the British and American people.

WANNSEE Remembered

J-Wire published the following on January 21, 2012:

“On January 20, 1942, the Nazi leadership gathered in a villa on the outskirts of Berlin and adopted the ‘Final Solution to the Jewish Question.’ The Wannsee Conference, as this became known, from the suburb where the meeting was held, formalized the process that exterminated so much of European Jewry…writes Danny Ben-Moshe.

“As we mark the 70th anniversary of that 90-minute meeting in which 15 people condemned millions to death, there are many crucial lessons to learn from the Holocaust…”

The Jerusalem World News, on January 25, 2012, adds:
 
“Presiding over the conference was SS-Lieutenant General Reinhard Heydrich, chief of the Security Police and Security Service. In attendance were 14 high-ranking German military and government leaders, among them Adolf Eichmann. Imagine, over lunch 15 men in 90 minutes changed the world forever. January 20, 2012 marks the 70th anniversary of that fateful conference. We dare not let this dubious anniversary pass without marking how little time it takes to alter the course of history.

“As events of the 1930s led ominously toward a Second World War, the Nazis under Hitler searched for a ‘final solution’ for what they considered to be ‘the Jewish problem.’ As the meeting began that day, Heydrich was determined that none should doubt his superiority or his authority, which was not limited by geographical borders. He briefed those in the room on the measures that had already been taken against the Jews in an attempt to eradicate them from both the German culture and the German homeland.

“Initially, steps had been implemented to allow German Jews to immigrate to whatever countries would accept them, but the move proved to be too slow for the Fuhrer and the Reich. Now the men had gathered to implement Hitler’s new solution. Heydrich provided a list of Jews in each country, a total of 11 million Jews were to be involved. In his zeal, he determined, ‘In large, single-sex labor columns, Jews fit to work will work their way eastward constructing roads. Doubtless the large majority will be eliminated by natural causes. Any final remnant that survives will doubtless consist of the most resistant elements. They will have to be dealt with appropriately, because otherwise, by natural selection, they would form the germ cell of a new Jewish revival.’ Translation: All will die.

“According to the minutes of the meeting, Jews were to be purged beginning in Germany, Bohemia, and Moravia. From there they were to be expunged in Europe from east to west. Many questions arose as to how to identify those who were to be considered Jews. The issue was not resolved during the Wannsee meeting.

“Of course, this was not the beginning of the extermination of the Jewish people. Many of those in attendance had already participated in the murders since the summer of 1941. Even before the gathering at Wannsee, more than a half-million Jews had been murdered behind army lines. The question was how to attain the goal of mass extermination in areas outside the battle zone. A more efficient way needed to be found to eliminate larger numbers. No, the meeting was not called to determine how to begin the process, but rather to spell out how the ‘final solution’ would be achieved. By the following January, death camps equipped with gas chambers were under construction.

“The ordinary citizenry of Germany did not enter the war determined to annihilate six million of their neighbors. It began with a subversive program of anti-Semitism aimed at blaming the Jewish people for all the ills that had beset Germany following its losses in World War I. Even Hitler did not begin with total extermination in mind. That seed began to germinate only after Jews were denied entry into other countries.  It seemed to him that he had been given a green light to do whatever he wished with the Jewish population.

“The accusations resonate yet again today as Israel is routinely accused of crimes worthy of its being wiped off the map. Given the state of the economy—an integral factor in Hitler’s rise to power—anti-Semitism is being reborn at a sickening rate, even as Holocaust denial has reached alarming proportions. Iran’s Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has jumped on the bandwagon with others in the Arab world, as well as the likes of British author and Holocaust denier David Irving, an active anti-Semite and racist whose books are widely read.”

The fact that seventy years have passed is significant, because as time slips by, the bitter lessons of what occurred at this conference are fading into history. Already, rumblings of extreme nationalistic and far right outcries in some European nations are arousing a dark foreboding for what might be happening all over again!

As the articles cited correctly point out, it was astounding how quickly everything changed! Biblical prophecy warns of a time immediately ahead in which even greater atrocities will take place and, as before, will take place so abruptly that the vast majority will find themselves totally unprepared!

In Egypt, Islamists Win!

From The Guardian, January 21, 2012:

“The final results in Egypt’s first parliamentary elections since the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak have confirmed an overwhelming victory for Islamist parties.

“The Muslim Brotherhood, which was banned under Mubarak’s regime, won the biggest share of parliamentary seats (38%), according to the High Elections Committee. Its Freedom and Justice party (FJP) has named Saad al-Katatni, a leading Brotherhood official who sat in the old parliament as an independent, as speaker of the assembly.

“The hardline Islamist Al-Nour party came second with 29% of the seats. The liberal New Wafd and Egyptian Bloc coalition came third and fourth respectively.

“The result means that Islamists will wield major influence over a new constitution, which is set to be drafted by a the country’s first freely elected parliament.”

Reuters also reported on January 21, 2012:

“Having secured the biggest bloc, the FJP named Saad al-Katatni, a leading Brotherhood official who sat in the old parliament as an independent, as speaker of the assembly.

“While the strong Islamist performance has alarmed liberal Egyptians and Western governments who had close ties to Mubarak, it is unclear if rival Islamists will team up in the assembly.

“The FJP expressed its ‘confidence that Katatni will be at the same distance from all representatives, either those of the FJP or other parties.’

“This would ‘uphold the principle of democracy and consolidate the rules of political participation,’ the party said in a statement.

“The rise of the Islamists in Egypt’s first election since Mubarak’s overthrow in February last year marks a monumental shift from the past when parliament was a compliant body stuffed with members of his National Democratic Party and the Muslim Brotherhood was officially banned but tolerated.”

In Nigeria, Islamists Attack!

On January 21, 2012, BBC News wrote the following update concerning Nigerian violence:

“Co-ordinated attacks by Islamist militants in the northern Nigerian city of Kano on Friday killed about 150 people, witnesses and reports say.

“Hospitals are struggling to deal with the numbers of killed and injured.

“A series of explosions ripped apart police buildings, passport offices and immigration centres around the city, which is now under a 24-hour curfew.

“Boko Haram militants said they carried out the attacks, which would be their bloodiest assault to date.

“The group has said it wants to overthrow the national government and install an Islamic state.

“Its members have frequently attacked police stations and other symbols of state power, but the group has also bombed churches and killed hundreds of people – including many Muslim and Christian civilians…

“Boko Haram, which loosely translates from the local Hausa language as ‘Western education is forbidden’, has been behind a string of attacks in recent years.

“The group wants Islamic law across Nigeria, whose population is split between the largely Muslim north, and the south where Christianity and traditional beliefs predominate.”

Iraq Becoming A Police State

The washingtonpost.com wrote on January 22, 2012:

“Iraq ‘cracked down harshly’ on freedom of expression and assembly in 2011 by intimidating, beating and detaining activists and journalists, Human Rights Watch said Sunday in announcing its World Report 2012.

“‘Iraq is quickly slipping back into authoritarianism as its security forces abuse protesters, harass journalists and torture detainees,’ said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. ‘Despite U.S. government assurances that it helped create a stable democracy, the reality is that it left behind a budding police state.’

“Many of the problems reported by Human Rights Watch occurred before Dec. 18, when the final U.S. troops left the country. The group reported similar problems last year.

“But in its new report, the organization also highlights recent incidents.

“In the weeks leading up to the U.S. withdrawal, Iraqi security forces rounded up hundreds of Iraqis accused of being former Baath Party members, according to Human Rights Watch. Most of them ‘remain in detention without charge,’ the group said.

“This month, according to Human Rights Watch, Iraqi authorities were able to curtail anti-government demonstrations by flooding weekly protests with pro-government supporters and undercover security agents.

“’Dissenting activists and independent journalists for the most part said that they no longer felt safe attending the demonstrations,’ Human Rights Watch said.”

Despite all of the self-congratulatory claims by U.S. officials, Iraq is not an example for claiming victory; rather, the United States has left Iraq ripe for a dramatic move into Islamic extremism–just as we see now happening throughout Northern Africa and much of the Middle East.

U.S. Threatens to Close Embassy in Syria

Reported in the washingtonpost.com edtion on January 20, 2012:

“The Obama administration is preparing to evacuate American personnel and close the U.S. embassy in Damascus, Syria, by the end of this month unless the embattled government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad provides additional security for the facility, senior administration officials said.

“Officials said they have not reached a final decision and are engaged in talks with the Assad government, but there so far have been no tangible results in providing more protection for the embassy.

“’We have serious concerns about the deteriorating security situation in Damascus, including the recent spate of car bombs, and about the safety and security of embassy personnel,’ a State Department release Friday evening said. ‘We have requested that the government of Syria take additional security measures to protect our embassy, and the Syrian government is considering that request. We have also advised the Syrian government that unless concrete steps are taken in the coming days we may have no choice but to close the mission.’

“A drawdown of the staff at the embassy, which is located on a busy street in Damascus, began last week after three unexplained car bombings in recent weeks jarred the previously calm capital and left as many as 80 people dead.

“Government claims that al-Qaeda was responsible for the recent attacks were widely scorned by activists who accused the government itself of responsibility. Although the administration has not ruled out Syrian government involvement in the attacks, U.S. officials said signs point to Syrian and Iraqi militants that have been affiliated with al-Qaeda.

“‘It smells like a terrorist attack and looks like a terrorist attack, but none of us knows for sure,’ said a senior Obama administration official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity in discussing the sensitive situation.”

The article adds this very insightful report:

“If even a small number of Sunni extremists from Iraq have become involved in the Syrian conflict, it would add an alarming new dimension to what has been an overwhelmingly peaceful uprising that has been brutally attacked by the decades-old dictatorship.”

Unmistakably, the U.S. is facing a diminishing role throughout most Arab nations. In the face of the unrelenting insurgency by Islamist extremists, such as al-Qaeda, it appears that America and its allies are either backing down or relinquishing once dominant positions of infuence in this volatile part of the world.

More Sanctions Against Iran!

Voice of America wrote on January 23, 2012:

“The European Union has imposed an oil embargo on Iran, effective July 1 – taking away 20 percent of Iran’s current oil sales. The embargo is intended to increase pressure on Iran’s government to allow inspections to ensure its nuclear program is only for peaceful purposes, as Iran’s leaders say it is.

“The ban on importing oil from Iran was unanimously approved by the 27 European Union foreign ministers during a meeting in Brussels Monday. Its effective date was delayed to give some members time to implement existing contracts and to enable the ministers to review Iran’s reaction, and any change in its behavior, before putting the ban into force.  But EU members will not sign any more contracts for Iranian oil, effective immediately.

“The EU’s foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, said the embargo is aimed at convincing Iran to return to talks about its nuclear program.

“’I hope that Iran will respond positively to the letter that I sent, that it will respond positively to the messages we have sent, and come back to the negotiating table,’ she said.

“The EU also froze assets of the Iranian Central Bank that are deposited in the EU and banned trade with Iran in gold, diamonds and precious metals. And it tightened restrictions on selling Iran technology that has military applications.”

In a related report on January 24, 2012, The New York Times wrote:

“As the Obama administration and its European allies toughened economic sanctions against Iran on Monday — blocking its access to the world financial system and undermining its critical oil and gas industry — officials on both sides of the Atlantic acknowledge that their last-ditch effort has only a limited chance of persuading Tehran to abandon what the West fears is its pursuit of nuclear weapons.

“That leaves open this critical question: And then what?

“While the United States and Israel have not taken military options off the table, pursuing them is unpalatable, at least for now. Several American and European officials say privately that the most attainable outcome for the West could be for Iran to maintain the knowledge and technology necessary to build a nuclear weapon while stopping short of doing so. That would allow it to assert its sovereignty and save face after years of diplomatic tensions.

“While that might seem to be a big concession on the part of the United States, Iran would first have to make even bigger ones: demonstrate that it could be trusted and drop its veil of secrecy so that inspectors could verify that its nuclear work was peaceful, steps Iran has resisted.

“In other words, Iran would have to become a country like Japan, which has the capability to become an atomic power virtually overnight, if need be, but has rejected taking the final steps to possessing nuclear weapons. ‘If you’re asking whether we would be satisfied with Iran becoming Japan, then the answer is a qualified yes,’ a senior European diplomat said. ‘But it would have to be verifiable, and we are a long ways away from trusting the regime.’

“Today’s Iran is nothing like Japan, which has a deep aversion to nuclear weapons dating to the atomic bomb attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. And settling for an Iranian state that could quickly produce a nuclear weapon would be hard for the United States to embrace because of Israel’s deep antipathy toward Iran and Western and other nations’ fears of setting off a regional arms race.”

Of all the issues arising in the Middle East, the most explosive is that of the Iranian stand-off with Western powers! While sanctions and embargoes play out over time, the Iranians skillfully negotiate delaying tactics, giving them more and more time to achieve the technology needed to create nuclear weapons! The wild card in all of this is the grave potential that a random and unplanned “event” might just trigger an all out confrontation–especially involving Israel and the United States.

Croatia Wants In!

The New York Times wrote on January 22, 2012:

“Croats voted by a two-to-one margin on Sunday to join the European Union, signaling that the bloc retains its allure despite the debt crisis engulfing the euro currency that many of its members use.

“The state referendum commission said that with almost all the votes counted, about 66 percent in Croatia supported membership, while 33 percent were opposed and 1 percent of the ballots were invalid. The commission put the turnout at about 44 percent of eligible voters.

“Once seen as a sure route to prosperity, membership in the union has been tarnished lately by the bloc’s struggle to come to grips with debt crises in several of the 17 member nations that use the euro. Even so, nearly all leading politicians and members of the Croatian Parliament came out in support of a ‘yes’ vote in the referendum.

“If Croatia is admitted to the European Union as scheduled on July 1, 2013, it would be obliged to adopt the euro as well, though not immediately — that would not occur until the nation of 4.5 million people could meet the economic criteria for joining. The Croatian prime minister, Zoran Milanovic, has said that that would not happen before 2015 or 2016.

“Because of its legacy of nationalist politics, Croatia was not included in the last two waves of union expansion, in 2004 and 2007. Of the states that, with Croatia, formerly made up Yugoslavia, only Slovenia has been admitted so far, in 2004.”

Bloomberg Businessweek on January 24, 2012, adds:

“Two decades after the country won independence in the bloody breakup of Yugoslavia, the government expects EU entry to boost investment and economic growth and cement its break from communism. Enthusiasm for EU unity is waning among its eastern members, including Hungary and the Czech Republic, as the continent faces a return to a recession and politicians balk at efforts to merge fiscal policies.

“’Citizens have voted for a European Croatia,’ Foreign Minister Vesna Pusic said on state television yesterday. ‘This is also great news for Europe. It’s a message to Europe that its values are still supported and recognized.’

“Membership in the world’s largest trading bloc may provide the Adriatic nation with hundreds of millions of euros in regional development and infrastructure subsidies. Companies such as Germany’s Siemens AG and Deutsche Telekom AG and Sweden’s Ericsson AB expect to expand into the Balkans as western Europe’s growth stalls over the debt crisis…

“’The European Union gives us a ticket to the world in which we can be successful,’ Davor Majetic, head of the Croatian Association of Entrepreneurs, said by phone. ‘We want to work and have an opportunity to turn our ideas into profitable products that can reach that market of 500 million people.’”

More Power to the EU

The euobserver.com reported on January 26, 2012:

“German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said transferring more powers to EU institutions rather than increasing the size of the eurozone’s future bail-out fund is the way to overcome the euro crisis.

“‘We have said right from the start that we want to stand up for the euro, but what we don’t want is a situation where we are forced to promise something that we will not be able to fulfil,’ Merkel said Wednesday (25 January) in the opening speech of the World Economic Forum, an informal gathering of leaders and business magnates held every year in Davos, a Swiss mountain resort.

“Merkel resisted calls made by the International Monetary Fund and the Italian Prime Minister to increase contributions to the European Stability Mechanism, set to come into force in July with a firepower of €500 billion and aimed at lowering the borrowing costs of large euro-economies such as Italy and Spain.

“’Some say that it has to be double the size, then if that’s not big enough, others will say it has to be three times as big,’ she said.

“’If Germany, as the representative of all European countries, promises something that can’t be kept in the event of a harsh attack by the markets, then Europe would have a wide-open flank.’

“Instead, her solution is more ‘integration’, by transferring more powers from a national level to EU institutions such as the European Court of Justice, so that the continent is ‘turned into a Europe that works.’

“‘We have taken some steps closer to a fiscal union, but we can get faster, gain speed and become more decisive,’ she added, in reference to the inter-governmental treaty on fiscal discipline currently being negotiated among 26 member states, except Britain.”

Abortion Adverts in Britain

MailOnline reported on January 21, 2012:

“Private clinics that carry out abortions for profit are to get the  go-ahead to promote their services with TV and radio adverts.

“Advertising watchdogs will trigger a storm of controversy by announcing the decision on Monday after years of argument, the Mail can disclose.

“Pro-life campaigners reacted with fury, saying the move would trivialise human life by putting the choice to have a termination on a par with buying washing-up liquid or cereal…

“More than 35 private hospitals in England currently offer abortion services, though many are better known for their maternity and fertility services.

“Critics say the reforms risk leaving the UK with among the most liberal advertising rules in the world…”

The Guardian, on January 21, 2012, also reported:

“Clinics offering a range of ‘post-conception advice services’ (PCAS), including counselling and terminations, will be free to advertise in broadcast media because there is no justification to prevent it as long as they are not harmful, offensive or misleading, the Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice (BCAP) said.

“Not-for-profit pregnancy services are already allowed to advertise on television and radio and for-profit clinics can already advertise in all other media, including newspapers.

“Under new rules clinics will have to make it clear in all advertising if they do not offer referral for termination…

“Matt Wilson, a spokesman for BCAP, said: ‘There is not going to be some sort of free-for-all saying “come to us to get an abortion”. They are not there to promote abortion, they have to promote an array of services. It is about being responsible and commercial pro-life pregnancy services will now be able to advertise too.’

“But the Tory MP Nadine Dorries told the Daily Mail: ‘What this is actually going to do is desensitise what abortion is and the seriousness of it, and making it sounds like it’s as easy as having your lunch.

“‘It’s appalling.'”

Now It’s a Law!

Time.com wrote on January 25, 2012:

“Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa signed into law this week an ordinance requiring porn actors to wear condoms while performing.

“The law will take effect 41 days after it is posted by the city clerk, which could happen before the end of the week, the Associated Press reports.

“Porn producers say the regulation may prompt them to leave L.A., which is regarded as the porn capital of the nation. As many as 90% of all porn films produced in the U.S. are made in L.A., mostly in the city’s San Fernando Valley. But porn producers, who insist that films with performers wearing condoms don’t sell as well as those without them, are threatening to move their productions outside of city limits.

“The L.A.-based AIDS Healthcare Foundation helped write the new law and has advocated for the regulation for many years. The group says condom requirements are crucial for protecting the health of porn actors — a cause that was bolstered by a recent moratorium on production after an L.A. adult-film actor tested positive for HIV.”

With laws permitting and “regulating” such abominable activities as reported from both Britain and Los Angeles in these last two articles, is it any wonder that our nations are unable to find success in those things that should matter most–stable families with successful marriages; healthy people; the blessings of a robust economy; and a relationship with the God who has created us? Rather, we find ourselves spiraling into deepening problems with no solution seemingly available!

In previous Q&As, including the Q&A on “Matthew 24” and the Q&A on the “events which will occur after the Great Tribulation has begun”,we discussed that mankind will have to endure a time of unparalleled sorrows and suffering.

We also pointed out in the past, that just prior to Christ’s return, some in God’s Church will be protected from the Great Tribulation, while other Christians will have to go through that terrible time.

In one Q&A, we explained the Scripture in “Revelation 12:17,” and in another Q&A, we set forth the “biblical proofs for our teaching that members of the Church of God will be protected at a particular ‘place of safety,’ here on earth, during the Great Tribulation.”

In addition, we explained that following the beginning of the Great Tribulation, which is Satan’s wrath, God will pour out the plagues of His wrath during a time referred to as the Day of the Lord. We also showed that God will protect at that time many of those who will have experienced and survived the trials of the Great Tribulation. However, there is no indication that God will bring those survivors to the place of safety as well; rather, He will protect them wherever they will be at that time. We have addressed the protection of those servants of God in our Q&A on the “144,000” and the great multitude.

It appears that the 144,000 and the great multitude will consist mainly of people who will come to conversion during the trials of the Great Tribulation. Especially addressing the great multitude, for example, we read in Revelation 7:14: “These are the ones who COME OUT OF the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” We also read in Jeremiah 30:7 that later on, the modern descendants of the house of Jacob or Israel will be saved OUT OF the Day of the Lord.

In addition, it is possible that some who will be protected during the time of God’s great wrath will include converted members in God’s Church (commonly referred to as those belonging to the lukewarm “Laodicea” group in Revelation 3:14-22) who were not found worthy enough to be protected at the place of safety from the Great Tribulation, but who worked on their conversion with fear and trembling and who overcame their nature, Satan and society IN and DURING the Great Tribulation. They survived these terrible times and will be declared worthy to be protected from God’s wrath during the Day of the Lord.

But we must note an important point, lest we misunderstand what God is telling us. It is easy to assume and conclude that all those who will be at the place of safety will be those converted members who were worthy of protection, while none of those who won’t be at that place would be worthy. Both concepts are wrong, if carried to an extreme.

First, we are assured that young children and teenagers of those members who are counted worthy will be protected as well (Proverbs 14:26). Since children or teenagers would not be converted and would not have received the Holy Spirit, they would not be “worthy” per se, but God promises their protection because of the “worthiness” of their parents or parent. It is also not inconceivable that well-meaning adults could be protected, who are not yet converted, but who understand and accept God’s calling and promises… as God looks at the heart and does not judge as man judges. Remember that during the time of the Exodus, not only Israelites were departing from Egyptian slavery, but also a mixed multitude (Exodus 12:38; Numbers 11:4).

One might ask, why would God consider “unconverted” people worthy of protection at the place of safety, while He would not protect certain converted, but lukewarm members. The answer is, again, that God looks at the heart, and He expects more from converted members than from those who may not yet be converted. It is interesting to see how enthusiastic and zealous, as well as teachable, prospective members can be, who are being introduced to the truth, while at the same time, certain converted members in God’s Church who have been in the Church for many years, might have lost their original zeal and their first love and their humility, having allowed to slip and to become proud, ending up as being neither hot nor cold.

The flipside of the coin is also true. Not everyone who would “normally” be worthy of protection at the place of safety, will be there. This is self-evident for the two witnesses. They are prophets of God who stand before God, and who preach His Word for 3 ½ years during the Great Tribulation (Revelation 11:3-4). God will give them great powers during the time of their preaching (verses 5-6), but at the end, He will allow them to be killed and to be dead for 3 ½ days (verses 7-9).  Following that event, God will resurrect them to eternal life (verses 11-12), together with all the other saints who have died in Christ (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17). But as we can see, the two witnesses will not be at the place of safety. It is, again, not inconceivable that other converted members who would “normally” be worthy of protection at the place of safety, will assist and work with the two witnesses. Recall that many times, God’s prophets did not act alone, but they were accompanied and supported by other disciples or followers. This is true for Moses and Aaron (we might think of Joshua, as well as the elders of Israel or the Levites etc.); Elijah and Elisha and their disciples, John the Baptist, and even Jesus Christ, as well as, of course, the original apostles.

This will bring us to another important point. It would be a grave mistake to think that God’s followers will not have to suffer any persecution, before the Great Tribulation begins. Remember, the four horsemen of the Apocalypse will have already begun to ride, and the combination of religious deception and “holy” wars will cause much suffering. It is true, of course, that those whom God will protect during the Great Tribulation and the Day of His Wrath will have to be protected, physically, during the times preceding these events, but this does not mean that they won’t suffer any persecution. It does also not mean that every otherwise worthy disciple of Christ will escape violent death prior to the Great Tribulation—we are only told that those worthy disciples who will be alive at the time when the Great Tribulation begins, will be protected at a place of safety.

As we have seen, the fifth seal in the Book of Revelation describes the Great Tribulation (Revelation 6:9-11). It refers to a future martyrdom of the saints. It undoubtedly includes many (but not necessarily all) who are converted members, but who have allowed themselves to slip, become lukewarm and embrace the spirit of compromise, pride and self-sufficiency. But we are also told that future martyrdom will be a continuation of a prior deadly persecution (compare verse 11).  It appears that all of Christ’s original apostles—with the possible exception of John—endured a violent death. This is also true for subsequent apostles, such as Paul. Over the centuries, many true Christians were tortured and killed for their beliefs. They were not protected at that time at a physical place of safety.

In Matthew 24:9, Christ tells us that “they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake.” This will apparently occur—at least to an extent—before the Great Tribulation begins (compare the continuation of Christ’s warning in Matthew 24:15-28). The same conclusion can be reached, when reading the parallel passage in Luke 21:12-19, apparently referring to events prior to the Great Tribulation, and in Luke 21:20-24, apparently referring to events that begin with the Great Tribulation.

Compare also the parallel account in Mark 13:9-13, speaking first of persecution of God’s true servants in the end time, which will be followed by the Great Tribulation (compare Mark 13:14-23).

There are many more passages telling us about future persecution, apart from the general truism that everyone who wants to live godly will encounter and suffer persecution (2 Timothy 3:12). Jesus said in John 15:20: “If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you.” Matthew 10:16-26 tells us about future persecution, and Luke 11:47-52 speaks about past and future persecution of God’s prophets and saints in very vivid terms.

We should always remember that no trial will come upon us that will be too difficult for us to bear, and that God will show us the way of escape (1 Corinthians 10:13). If God has the confidence in us that we will be able to endure persecution, who are we to doubt Him? What all of this means is that we have to be willing to accept God’s Will for us, whatever that Will might be. Christ had to do this (Matthew 26:42), and so must we. Rather than concentrating on the thought that we have to be among those whom God will bring to the physical and temporary place of safety, we ought to concentrate on qualifying and doing everything we can to allow God to make us worthy to be able to enter the eternal and immortal Kingdom of God at Christ’s Coming (Matthew 25:34).

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

The StandingWatch Radio Program is now in its fourth week of play on ten radio stations. This weekly program can also be listened to on our website, www.standingwatch.org. The titles for these programs are: “The four Horsemen of the Apocalypse,” “Destruction and Hope,” “The Great Tribulation,” “The Seventh Seal,” “The Seventh Seal, Part 2,” and “The Seven Bowls.”

Our annual Church Conference will begin on Thursday, March 15, 2012, continuing through Tuesday, March 20th. Meetings will be held in the San Diego area.

This is it. The final year of the Mayan calendar has begun. Predictions abound that the end of the world is imminent – this year. However, most of those predictions rely on speculative theories, superstition and misapplication of science. We should all know better than to be influenced by such nonsense. The fact remains, as stated in Matthew 24:36 “… of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.” Human predictions, no matter how thoroughly researched, will fail.

What we do seem to know is that many of us will be able to see the end of these days coming if we watch closely for the events of prophecy to unfold. And certainly, based on the current events of the times, prophecy is unfolding before our eyes.  Yet even with the ability to see and understand how prophecy will be fulfilled, this knowledge only lets us know that the Kingdom of God is near (compare Luke 22:31). Dates and times of events will remain a secret kept by God the Father alone.

Does it make you uneasy to know that dates and times of the end of this age are hidden to us? Does it make you uncomfortable to know that you may be caught off guard by the return of Christ? Is it disconcerting to you that you cannot answer the question, “How much time is left?”

If the answer is “Yes” to any of the questions above, we need to take some time to meditate on whether we have our priorities in order. The time we have left may be short, but we are not to value this physical  life we live more than the eternal life waiting for us (John 12:25). If we want to know how much time we have left before Jesus Christ returns to establish the Kingdom of God, we need to ask ourselves why we want to know dates and times in the first place. Are there things we want to experience in this life before that time comes? Do we need this information so we know how much time we have to prepare ourselves? A deadline certainly helps plan, right? Make no mistake, we need to prepare spiritually so that we are fully converted, but this preparation should begin at the moment we commit our lives to God. Once we make that commitment, our hearts should be faithful to drop everything and follow the path of righteousness in front of us. And that is what it takes to be prepared for the coming of God’s Kingdom.

Every day we have the opportunity to practice how to handle the coming of the end of this age. Every day, we make choices between following the paths of Godly righteousness, or something less. When the day of the Lord is upon us, we will be faced with the very same kind of decisions. Choose right, or not. Choosing what is right and good is all we can ever do, both now and in the future. If we consistently choose what is right and are faithful to do it in the future we should be ready at any time, making the amount of time between now and the return of Christ irrelevant.

What will be the next crisis to strike the nations? We report on the simmering and ever-present rumors concerning the issue of Iran’s attempt to build a nuclear weapon–and its certain consequences. As Eastern Europe becomes more vocal about its unequal status, the EU flexes its control to bring Hungary into line. We note the election as president of the European Parliament, German socialist, Martin Schulz, known for his fiery personality and outspoken viewpoints. We report on the S&P cut of France’s triple A financial rating while Germany maintains its triple A status. Finally, we address the battle over freedom on the Internet, which has gained worldwide attention this week.

More Negotiations?

The New York Times wrote on January 18, 2012:

“Israel moved to calm the increasingly tense discourse over Iran’s nuclear program on Wednesday, with the Israeli defense minister asserting that any decision on a possible pre-emptive military strike on Iranian targets was ‘very far off.’

“The assertion by Defense Minister Ehud Barak was at least the third indication from the Israeli government in the past few days that it was not considering armed confrontation over the nuclear issue with Iran anytime soon, and it came amid signs that Iran and Western powers led by the United States might resume talks that have been stalled for a year.”

While reports of this sort paint a more promising picture for peace in the Middle East, there always lurks the dark reality that an inevitable confrontation is waiting to explode between Israel and Iran–which will pull many other nations into the clash. More insightful information on this critical issue can be found in a recent message given by Norbert Link, titled: “The Covenant With Levi.”

But is Time Running Out For Diplomacy?

As reported by the Jerusalem Post on January 19, 2012, General Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the United States Joint Chiefs of Staff, arrived in Israel this week to make the case for more negotiations with Iran along with enforcing sanctions. However, comments quoted in this same article from Israel’s IDF Chief of Staff, Lt-Gen. Benny Gantz, show that the nearness for conflict is growing ominous:

“Addressing a meeting of NATO military commanders at the western military alliance in Brussels, Gantz said that the world needed to ‘strengthen moderate elements and weaken the radicals.’

“’Only through joint work combining tough and soft power can we deter and in the long term overcome these radical elements,’ Gantz said.

“Earlier in the day, Gantz met with the Canadian and Italian chiefs of staff.

“Gantz said that NATO’s decision to establish a missile defense system throughout Europe was a demonstration of the severity non-conventional weapons pose to the world.

“’Ballistic missile defense systems need to be the last line of defense and the initiative needs to come earlier by exhausting all of the available means to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction,’ he said.

“On Tuesday, Gantz called on NATO military commanders to think up new strategies for dealing with the growing instability in the Middle East and the subsequent increase in threats.

“’We are today in a different and more dramatic reality that includes new threats and a period of instability requiring all of us to reassess,’ he said during a meeting with General Knud Bartels, the chairman of the NATO Military Committee.

“Gantz also met with Britain’s Chief of Staff General Sir David Richards and Russia military chief Nikolai Makarov, as well as the chiefs of staff of France, Spain, Australia, Greece and Poland.”

Eastern Europe: A Return to Populism and Nationalism!

Spiegel Online International wrote on January 18, 2012:

“A dangerous storm is brewing in the shadow of the euro crisis. The devastating consequences of the 2008 global financial crisis were never fully overcome in Eastern Europe, and more countries in the region are falling into financial and economic imbalance, battling sprawling debt, high budget deficits, recessions and unemployment.

“But it’s not just the fragile economies that are at risk. Many central and southern European societies also lack political and social stability. These regions have two decades of uninterrupted reforms and tough austerity policies behind them. Many people there are exhausted, and democracy fatigue, euroskepticism, and aversion towards the once deified West are on the rise.

“‘In many respects, it’s a process similar to the disillusionment in Eastern Europe with socialism in the 1970s and 1980s,’ says Hungarian economic scholar and publicist László Lengyel. ‘The danger of this is that entire social classes or regions like those in eastern Poland, Slovakia and Hungary fall victim to hopelessness and extremism…'”

“…The EU has long since lost its role as a force for order in Eastern Europe. From the Baltic States to Bulgaria, hardly an Eastern European country truly stands behind EU projects. In the Czech Republic, President Václav Klaus has always agitated against the EU and the euro and has thereby stirred political turmoil in the country. Most recently, the battle over the EU fiscal pact has led to a government crisis. In Estonia, resentment is growing against the cost of the euro bailout efforts. After elections in March the populist Robert Fico, who previously governed between 2006 and 2010, could take the helm again. And when in doubt, Romania’s populist President Traian Bsescu supports the United States rather than the EU. Meanwhile there have recently been major clashes in Bucharest against his government’s austerity measures…

“Polls reveal a climate of hate spawned by the right-wing nationalist and extremist discourse of the last few years. For example, nearly two-thirds of Hungarians believe that the influence of Jews is too great in their economy, and that the Roma have a genetic predisposition towards criminality.”

In spite of this unrest–particularly from the Hungary’s prime minister–the EU exerts powerful influence, and it seems more than willing to enforce its control, as the next article shows.

Hungary Gives Way

Reuters reported on January 18,2012:

“Hungary’s prime minister yielded on Wednesday in a dispute with the European Union that threatens aid for his country, saying he was willing to change contested laws tightening government control over institutions including the central bank.

“Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s conservative Fidesz party has been criticised by the international community for introducing measures that threaten the independence of the media, the judiciary and the central bank since sweeping to power in 2010.

“The Commission, the EU’s executive, said in a letter sent on Tuesday that new laws on the central bank, the retirement age of judges and the country’s data protection authority violated EU rules. They needed to be changed within one month if Hungary wanted to avoid a procedure that could end up at the European Court of Justice, the EU’s highest court.

“On Wednesday, Orban offered amendments and said he could accept some of the criticisms made by the Commission.”

EU Parliment Presidency Goes to Shultz

The euobserver.com reported on January 12, 2012:

“Martin Schulz has promised to live up to his reputation as something of a political bruiser in his new role as European Parliament president, with references to his “temper” and “strength of personality” featuring in post-election appraisal speeches by colleagues.

“The German Socialist MEP was elected to the largely ceremonial post after one round of voting Tuesday morning (17 January), gaining 387 of the 699 votes cast.

“Although the outcome was virtually pre-ordained given the agreement between the Socialist and the centre-right EPP to divide the 5-year presidency, Schulz was clearly emotional as he told the chamber that his family, his former primary school teacher and members of his youth football team were all present to witness the vote.

“Schulz, who differs enormously in style to his emollient predecessor – centre-right Pole Jerzy Buzek – promised that he was ‘not going to be an amenable president.'”

BNO News reported:

“The 56-year old German Member of the European Parliament (MEP) replaced the outgoing President Jerzy Buzek of Poland and will lead the parliament for two and half years until the beginning of the next legislature in July 2014.

“‘We must grasp the fact that people in Europe have little time for institutional debates because they are too busy worrying about their future, their jobs, their pensions,’ Schulz stated in Strasbourg following the vote. ‘This Chamber is the place where the interests of the people are defended.’

“Schulz received a total of 387 votes, more than the 336 votes needed to win an absolute majority under the Parliament’s Rules of Procedure.

“President Schulz also warned that ‘for the first time since it was founded, the failure of the European Union is a realistic possibility’, adding that ‘our interests can no longer be separated from those of our neighbors; on a shared understanding that the EU is not a zero-sum game, in which one person must lose so that another can win.’

“‘The reverse is true’, Schulz continued, ‘either we all lose – or we all win. The fundamental basis for this is the Community method. It is not a technocratic concept, but the principle at the heart of everything the European Union stands for.'”

The European Union is facing tremendous challenges on many fronts, but as biblical prophecy emphatically reveals–the EU will coalesce to emerge as the world’s most influential political and religious power. More incisive information on this can be found in our free booklets, “Germany In Prophecy” and “Europe In Prophecy–The Unfolding of End-Time Events.”

“Bombshell” For France!

The euobserver.com wrote on January 14, 2012:

“US-based ratings agency Standard & Poor’s (S&P) has cut France’s triple-A rating and trashed the EU’s new fiscal treaty.

“It said in a statement out Friday (13 January) the EU draft fiscal compact ‘does not supply sufficient additional resources or operational flexibility to bolster European rescue operations.’

“It noted that: ‘a reform process based on a pillar of fiscal austerity alone risks becoming self-defeating, as domestic demand falls in line with consumers’ rising concerns about job security and disposable incomes, eroding national tax revenues.’

“It added ‘there is a risk [of] reform fatigue’ in the worst-hit countries, creating ‘lower levels of predictability’ on the political front.

“The agency also downgraded Austria, Cyprus, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain, scalping another triple-A country (Austria) and moving Cyprus and Portugal into junk territory.

“On the positive side, it kept Germany’s triple-A status and praised the European Central Bank, saying it ‘has engaged in unprecedented repurchase operations for financial institutions, greatly relieving the near-term funding pressures for banks.’

“The blow comes two weeks before 26 EU countries aim to sign the new treaty at a summit in Brussels. It also comes 100-or-so days before French leader Nicolas Sarkozy tries to get re-elected.”

“Darkness” Falls on the Internet

Reported by the San Francisco Chronicle, January 18, 2012:

“In an unprecedented display of Internet force, thousands of websites went dark or censored themselves Wednesday to protest twin antipiracy measures pending in Congress.

“The blackout represented a culmination of months of intensifying outcry over the bills, echoed and amplified by social media, blogs and tech publications, that drew more and more popular sites into the official day of protest, including Google, Wikipedia, Craigslist, Wired, Reddit, Boing Boing, Reporters Without Borders, Pressthink, Greenpeace and McSweeney’s.

“Their actions and the frenzy of media coverage in the buildup raised mainstream awareness of what, until recent days, had been a wonky set of proposals only lightly covered outside tech circles. Congressional phone lines were reportedly flooded Wednesday in what could begin the final unraveling of the already troubled measures.

“The stated goal of the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and its Senate counterpart, the Protect IP Act (PIPA), is to confront the sale and distribution of pirated movies, drugs, music and consumer goods by rogue overseas sites. But in doing so, critics say the bills threaten crucial legal protections that foster online innovation while undermining due process and free speech.

“On Wednesday, many Republican backers of the bills agreed the approach was flawed, even if the goal was sound. Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida, John Cornyn of Texas and Orrin Hatch of Utah all withdrew support, following in the footsteps of several House colleagues in recent days. The Obama administration came out strongly against the proposals over the weekend.

“Some observers said the day of protest may come to represent a fundamental shift in the legislative landscape, a flexing of a newfound and untraditional source of political power in the Internet sector.”

While the freedom we experience to utilize the Internet is taken for granted, the legislative moves so far proposed may prove just a first step in restricting content on the Internet. More and more laws are passed, but what is truly missing is the kind of character and self-control that answers to God’s perfect and righteous way of living–something not often, if ever, considered in the governments of our day!

Let us notice this passage in context. We read, beginning with 1 Thessalonians 4:13:

“But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope… God will bring with Him [Jesus] those who sleep in Jesus… we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means PRECEDE those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up TOGETHER WITH THEM in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.”

Paul addresses the same topic in 2 Thessalonians 2:1, where he speaks of “the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him.” Particularly focusing on those who have fallen asleep in Christ, as well as those in Christ who will still be alive at the time of Christ’s return, he says in 1 Corinthians 15:51-52:

“Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall ALL be changed—in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”

From the foregoing, we see that those who died in Christ will be raised incorruptible. They will not be raised in a physical state and then be changed afterwards. Rather, their resurrection will be one to immortality. We also read that those true Christians who are alive when Christ returns will be changed instantly into immortality as well, and both—those who were resurrected to immortality, and those who were changed to immortality—will “be caught up” in the clouds to meet the returning Jesus Christ in the air. They will then together descend to the Mount of Olives, as other Scriptures show (Q&A).

We read that the change of those in Christ who are still alive will not PRECEDE the resurrection of Christians who died (In passing, this fact, all by itself, disproves the theory of the “secret” rapture.)  But do the Scriptures tell us that the resurrection of the Christians who fell asleep will PRECEDE the change of those Christians who are alive when Christ returns? If so, the time difference between the resurrection and the change would have to be extremely short, as we read in 1 Corinthians 15:52 that at the time of the last trumpet, ALL – the dead and those still alive—will be changed, and that in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. Lets’ read it again: “We shall not all sleep (some will still be alive when Christ returns), but we shall ALL be changed (that is, the dead will be resurrected incorruptible, and those alive in Christ will be changed to incorruptibility).” And when is all of this to occur? “… in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.”

Some commentaries propose the idea that those in Christ who died and who will be resurrected, will precede those in Christ who will be still alive when Christ returns.

For instance, Barnes’ Notes on the Bible says:

“Shall rise first – That is, before the living shall be changed. A doctrine similar to this was held by the Jews. ‘Resch Lachisch said, Those who die in the land of Israel shall rise first in the days of the Messiah.’.. It is implied in all this description, that the interval between their resurrection and the change which will occur to the living, will be brief, or that the one will rapidly succeed the other…”

Of course, that “Jewish doctrine” has no support in Scripture. All who have died in Christ will be resurrected at the same time—no matter where they died.

We also read in the People’s New Testament:

“The dead in Christ shall rise first. Before the living are gathered, all the saints who slept in Christ shall be gathered around him. In the final day, the first act is the gathering of the departed saints; the next, the gathering of the living saints.”

A similar explanation is given in Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary:

“The dead in Christ shall rise first (v. 16), before those who are found alive at Christ’s coming shall be changed; and so it appears that those who shall then be found alive shall not prevent those that are asleep…”

But is this really what the Scriptures want to tell us?

Vincent’s Word Studies prefers the concept that 1 Thessalonians 4 is “apparently not intended to include the specific details which follow. In that word the revelation was to the effect that all believers simultaneously should share the blessings of the advent. The following description of the Lord’s descent from heaven is intended to emphasize the fact that the reunion of dead and living believers will be accomplished by the Lord in person.”

Still, the Scripture says that those who died in Christ will rise FIRST.

Gill’s Exposition on the Entire the Bible states that those who died in Christ “will rise ‘first’, before the wicked, which is the first resurrection, Revelation 20:5, even a thousand years before them; the righteous will rise in the morning of the resurrection, and so will have the dominion in the morning, Psalm 49:14, even at the beginning of the thousand years, as soon as Christ will come; but the wicked will not rise till the evening of that day, or till the close of the thousand years: and this agrees with the notions of the Jews, who thought that some will rise before other…”

Of course, if by wicked, one means those who have committed the unpardonable sin, then they will not rise until after the Millennium or 1,000 years and after the Great White Throne Judgment (which may last about 100 years). That is, they will rise in a third resurrection (Q&A). But it is true that those who died in Christ will rise first, when Christ returns, and that all those who did not die in Christ, without having committed the unpardonable sin, will rise 1,000 years later, in the second resurrection of the Great White Throne Judgment period.

The Bible confirms that some will rise FIRST, and others will rise later. Notice Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 15:22-23: “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming. Then comes the end…”

Revelation 20:4-6 states:

“… then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God… And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the FIRST resurrection. Blessed and holy is he who has part in the FIRST resurrection. Over such the second death has no power…”

Even though some reject the idea that Paul makes reference to the first resurrection in 1 Thessalonians 4:16, when speaking about those who will be resurrected FIRST (compare Jamieson, Fausset and Brown), it appears that this may be what Paul was trying to convey–that only those who died in Christ as well as those in Christ who will be alive will be raised and changed to immortality, to be caught up together to meet Christ. In other words, Paul, who was wanting to give hope, told the brethren that they did not need to sorrow, because all of those who died in Christ and all of those in Christ still alive when Christ returns, will be united again in immortality.

Note how Phillips, The New Testament in Modern English, renders the phrase in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17: “Those who have died in Christ will be the first one to rise, and then we who are still living on the earth will be swept up with them into the clouds to meet the Lord in the air….”

If, on the other hand, Paul’s intention was to convey that the dead in Christ will rise before the living Christians will be changed, then the time difference between those two events would have to be extremely short; that is, less than the time it would take for an eye to twinkle.

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

A new StandingWatch program was posted on YouTube and on our Website www.standingwatch.org. It is titled, “Why Disasters and Catastrophes?” Disasters made 2011 the most expensive year ever. With the beginning of 2012, more birds die a mysterious death; devastating volcanic eruptions threaten Germany; and it is now 5 minutes to midnight on the Doomsday Clock, with midnight symbolizing humanity’s destruction. With all that bad news, it there any good news? Indeed, there is, but not in the way most people think.

The sermon titled, “Persecution,” by Norbert Link, is now posted on our website, www.eternalgod.org.

On January 14, 2012, Norbert Link will give the sermon, titled, “Persecution.”

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.

Do you turn to faith as your last resort—only when you are desperate and without any other resource at hand?

Is this when you begin to think about God?

You know, it is really odd, but faith is so often referred to as something someone has when everything else has been stripped away. But is that really what biblical faith is about?

Jesus Christ expressed stern disapproval of His disciples for their lack of faith on more than one occasion (compare Matthew 6:30; 8:26; 16:8). A poignant example is that of Peter, who, when bid by Jesus to come to Him on the turbulent sea, for a time was able to do so but was quickly overcome with fear. Jesus rebuked him, saying, “‘O you of little faith, why did you doubt?’” (Matthew 14:31).

Peter did not then have enough faith, and even the little that he did possess failed. Yet, as the Church of God began to flourish following its establishment on the Day of Pentecost, Peter—as well as the other disciples—boldly stepped forward as the ministers of Jesus Christ in the face of imprisonment, beatings and relentless persecution. They grew in faith!

During this time, seven men were chosen to serve as deacons. One of those individuals was Stephen, “a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit” (Acts 6:5). What follows is the account of Stephen’s testimony against false accusers and his martyrdom!

Stephen trusted God completely—even to the point of surrendering his own life! This is the same kind of faith we read about in the eleventh chapter of Hebrews, and it is certainly the unwavering faith exemplified by Jesus Christ. 

We are told that it is impossible to please God without faith (Hebrews 11:6)! The record of the Bible—from Genesis to Revelation—resonates with the examples of godly men and women who did please God, and they did so through great faith!

If we are to have seeing eyes and hearing ears, then now is the time for us to be strengthening our faith. And if we truly understand, then we know that the faith that we are to have is not even our own but that of Jesus Christ!

When our trials come—as they do—will we be full of faith, or are we going to have to rely on the little faith—the faith of last resort?

We begin with a “revealing” article on the position of the Obama Administration towards Iran, which reveals nothing… except, that the position seems to be hopelessly confused and inconsistent. We also report on ongoing tensions with Iran. We continue relating American attacks on and mischaracterizations of Europe—especially by Republicans—which will undoubtedly anger the Europeans. We also report on Mitt Romney’s success and a frightening development in the USA, reminiscent of Big Brother activities.

We quote an interesting article about the deteriorating relationship between Britain and continental Europe, as well as Jamaica’s desire to cut ties with the British monarchy. Events like these confirm biblical prophecies about the rise and decline of the once mighty and powerful British Empire, which ruled over the British Commonwealth nations. For more information, please read our free booklets, “The Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord,” and “The Fall and Rise of Britain and America.” 

We report on the ongoing scandal surrounding Germany’s President, Germany’s rising prosperity and German desire to get financially and politically involved in North Africa. We conclude with a report on the Doomsday Clock and a remarkable piece about the Catholic Church’s Christmas declarations, which shows that that church seems to publish teachings based on “historical facts,” which it knows or should know to be incorrect.

American Double-Talk

AFP wrote on January 8, 2012:

“The United States will respond if Iran tries to close the strategic Strait of Hormuz at the entrance to the Gulf, US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta… told CBS television… Panetta was seconded by Gen. Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who said Iran has the means to close the waterway, through which 20 percent of the world’s oil passes. ‘But we would take action and reopen the Straits,’ the general said on the same show, ‘Face the Nation.’

“Their comments follow Iranian threats to close the strait if the European Union slaps an embargo on Iranian oil, the latest step in a U.S.-led campaign to pressure Tehran to give up their nuclear program. Western powers suspect Iran is bent on gaining atomic weapons, which Tehran denies. The rising tensions have driven oil prices soaring over 100 dollars a barrel, hitting an eight-month high earlier this week, and sent jitters throughout the oil-rich Gulf amid growing fears of a spiral into conflict…

“Panetta said the United States does not believe Iran is actively developing a nuclear weapon, and reaffirmed Washington’s preference for diplomatic and economic pressure over military action as the way to deter Tehran. But he bluntly warned Tehran against going from developing a nuclear capability to developing an atomic weapon. ‘I think they need to know that if they take that step that they’re going to get stopped,’ he said.

“At another point, Panetta said, ‘Are they trying to develop a nuclear weapon? No…’ Dempsey sidestepped questions on the difficulty of taking out Iran’s nuclear capability, but said planning was underway for a military option… Asked whether the United States could take out Iran’s nuclear capability without resorting to the use of nuclear weapons itself, Dempsey said, ‘I absolutely want them to believe that that’s the case.’

“Panetta, meanwhile, suggested the United States would not welcome unilateral military action by Israel against Iran’s nuclear facilities. ‘If the Israelis made that decision, we would have to be prepared to protect our forces in that situation…’ he said.”

To analyze this hotchpotch of different and inconsistent answers: the USA does not believe that Iran is developing a nuclear weapon; the USA will stop them if they did, but not with nuclear weapons;  the USA is concerned that Israel might act militarily towards Iran; the USA will protect American forces under those circumstances; the USA is going to reopen the Strait of Hormuz if Iran is going to close it, without saying how the USA would do that… With this double talk, we leave it to the reader to try to make some sense out of this…

Iran Accuses Israel and USA of Assassination

Bloomberg reported on January 12:

“The Iranian government said in a letter to United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon that a civilian nuclear scientist who was killed by a bomb yesterday was the latest victim of a foreign terror campaign… Iranian officials have accused the U.S. and Israel of targeting Iranian nuclear scientists in an effort to halt Iran’s nuclear program… Mostafa Ahamdi Roshan, who was killed in a Tehran bomb blast, was the fourth prominent Iranian scientist to be targeted in similar attacks…

“Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor said by telephone that he had no comment on the reports… ‘I want to categorically deny any United States involvement in any kind of act of violence inside Iran’, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told reporters yesterday in Washington…

“Some Republican presidential candidates in the U.S. have supported efforts to halt Iran’s nuclear program by attacking its scientists. In a November debate, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich endorsed ‘taking out their scientists,’ and former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum called it ‘a wonderful thing’ when Iranian scientists are killed.

“Previous attacks against Iranian nuclear scientists involved the assassination of Massoud Ali-Mohammadi, killed by a bomb outside his Tehran home in January 2010, and an explosion in November of that year that took the life of Majid Shahriari and wounded Fereydoun Abbasi-Davani, who is now the head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization…

“The attacks on scientists may be the work of a foreign intelligence agency such as Israel’s Mossad, according to a U.S. official who agreed to speak on condition of anonymity because intelligence matters are classified. They also could have been carried out by an Iranian exile group such as the People’s Mujahadeen Organization of Iran working independently or in cooperation with a foreign intelligence agency, the official said in a telephone interview. Attributing the murder to the Mujahadeen is ‘absolutely false,’ the group said in an e-mailed statement…

“European Union foreign ministers plan to meet on Jan. 23 to discuss imposing an oil embargo on Iran. Iranian officials have threatened to shut the Strait of Hormuz, a transit route for a fifth of the world’s oil, if crude exports are sanctioned… Yesterday’s attack ‘comes in the middle of heightened tensions, and it helps Iran to play on a sense of threat that it is under a lot of pressure,’ Gala Riani, a Middle East analyst at London-based forecaster IHS Global Insight, said by telephone. ‘It can also be beneficial to more extremist elements in the government who are supporting further military drills in the Strait of Hormuz.’

“Iran conducted naval exercises near the Strait for 10 days that ended early this month. Iran also announced on Jan. 6 plans for ‘naval war games’ to be conducted by the Revolutionary Guard Corps next month.”

The Associated Press added on January 12:

“A hard-line Iranian newspaper called Thursday for retaliation against Israel, a day after the mysterious killing of a nuclear scientist in Tehran with a magnetic bomb attached to his car. Iran’s top leader blamed Israel and the U.S. Provocative hints from Israel reinforced the perception that the killing was part of an organized and clandestine campaign to set back Iran’s nuclear ambitions…”

America’s Attack on Europe

Der Spiegel Online wrote on September 9:

“Europe is socialist, bloated and a threat to the global economy. That appears to be the message from the ongoing presidential campaign in the US. Republicans in particular have discovered Europe as a convenient punching bag — and have even begun accusing each other of being too ‘European.’

“An apparition is stalking the United States. That, at least, is what the Republicans seem to believe in this election season. And the apparition has a name: Europe. US President Barack Obama, said leading Republican candidate Mitt Romney during the Republican debate on Saturday, wants to turn the US into a ‘European welfare state’…

“In an election year overshadowed by the threats posed by the European economy and concerns about the break-up of the European common currency, it is a message that Romney has been delivering every chance he gets. And he’s not alone. Europe bashing has become an important stump-speech cornerstone for the entire Republican field…

“Negative portrayals of Europe are, of course, by no means a novelty when it comes to American political campaigns… This time around, though, with Europe deep in crisis, the Continent has become an even more prominent element of Republicans’ stump speeches…

“‘You want to see America after the Obama administration is through,’ arch-conservative candidate Rick Santorum said on the campaign trail last week, ‘just read up on Greece’… The US president, in other words, is merely a European in disguise… Newt Gingrich, in particular, never tires of calling Obama a ‘socialist’… And Ron Paul, perhaps the most extreme of the Republican field full of extremists, advocates pulling US troops out of Europe, in part so that America is no longer in the position of subsidizing ‘socialist Germany.’

“Such attacks would, of course, be ridiculous were they not so effective at a time when the economic outlook in the US is far from rosy, particularly given the danger that the euro-zone debt crisis could put a quick stop to America’s fragile economic recovery… Indeed, even Obama himself has become a fan of Europe bashing… The Obama administration has… repeatedly demanded that European leaders — first and foremost German Chancellor Angela Merkel — take more decisive action. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner has traveled to Europe several times in recent months to lend urgency to the message…

“But for the Republicans, the focus on Europe has a different motivation. The war on Europe is not merely one guided by economic concerns. It is presented as a cultural confrontation. ‘American elites are guided by their desire to emulate the European elites,’ says Gingrich. ‘As a result, anti-religious values and principles are coming to dominate the academic, news media and judicial class in America.’ Secular Europe, in other words, has become a threat to Christian America…

“Santorum prefers to take a slightly more historical approach, comparing the European welfare state to the absolute rule of monarchies. The founders of America, he says, left Europe because they no longer wanted to be ruled by monarchs…

“It is [a] statement that sounds absurd from a European point of view — even more so given the current state of the US economy…”

Europeans are not happy with such accusations. They will retort in kind—and worse—as long as those statements continue… and we can expect that “Europe bashing” will get much worse during this election year. Note the next articles as well:

Mitt Romney Makes History

Fox News wrote on January 11:

“Mitt Romney improved his own 2008 New Hampshire primary showing by about 20,000 votes and is the first Republican non-incumbent ever to win both the Iowa caucuses and in New Hampshire… The Democrats aren’t expected to ever praise Romney for anything, but it is revealing for the GOP frontrunner that conservatives are so unwilling to credit him for anything. And it shows some of the difficulty of the task ahead for an increasingly inevitable-looking Romney…

“The conservatives, sensing the imminence of their defeat, have resorted to the best, most damaging line of attack on Romney: that he was unethical and greedy in his work as a private equity dude at Bain Capital… Voters are already tired of this ugly process. It seems unlikely that they will opt to prolong it by unhorsing Romney now.”

If this is true, then Mitt Romney’s victory speech in New Hampshire should be taken note of. It is full of charges and promises—but ate they believable or even realistic? We are bringing the following excerpts from his speech:

The National Journal wrote on January 11:

“Americans know that our future is brighter and better than these troubled times… President Obama… wants to turn America into a European-style entitlement society. We want to ensure that we remain a free and prosperous land of opportunity… This President puts his faith in government. We put our faith in the American people… I will cut, cap, and balance the budget… I believe a strong America must – and will – lead the future… I will insist on a military so powerful no one would think of challenging it… I want you to remember when our White House reflected the best of who we are, not the worst of what Europe has become.”

The Bible prophesies the exact opposite and warns us never to put our trust and faith in the people or in government. For more information, please read our free booklet, “The Fall and Rise of Britain and America.”

Big Brother?

Reuters reported on January 12:

“The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s command center routinely monitors dozens of popular websites, including Facebook, Twitter, Hulu, WikiLeaks and news and gossip sites including the Huffington Post and Drudge Report, according to a government document… the operations center ‘will retain information for no more than five years.’

“The monitoring scheme also features a five-page list, attached to the privacy review document, of websites the Department’s command center expected to be monitoring… blogs related to terrorism and security are also on the list. Some of the sites on the list are potentially controversial. WikiLeaks is listed for monitoring… Another blog on the list, Cryptome, also periodically posts leaked documents and was one of the first websites to post information related to the Homeland Security monitoring program… Also on the list are various video and photo-sharing sites, including… Youtube and Flickr.

“While a DHS official involved in the monitoring program confirmed the authenticity of the list, officials authorized to speak for the Department did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment.”

Will Britain Declare War on Europe?

The Express wrote on January 9:

“David Cameron has three weeks to decide whether to bless a new eurozone treaty or use Britain’s veto and place the country in a ‘very grave position’, a senior observer warned last night. Peter Ludlow, president of the European Strategy Forum think tank, said Germany and France are confident they will secure a deal to save the long term future of the euro by the end of this month. That would mean tougher financial rules for members of the eurozone and the use of existing EU institutions to enforce them, a move Mr Cameron has indicated is a step too far.

“However, veteran EU analyst Mr Ludlow said one ‘very senior member’ of the European Council had told him that if Britain were to try to block the deal it would be ‘tantamount to a declaration of war’. He said: ‘If Cameron is stupid enough to try and block the use of the institutions it would be a very, very dramatic development which could only have grave consequences in terms of ¬Britain’s own interests. It would be his nuclear weapon and that’s why all the messages I get from various people give the impression he will not do that.’

“German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy want a new ‘fiscal compact’ that commits countries to running a balanced budget. They want the rules enshrined in EU law so that sanctions can be levied on any member breaching them. That would mean a bigger role for the European Court of Justice and un-elected European Commission, which would also have a larger say on the ¬single market, not just matters relating to the euro.

“Mr Cameron said on Friday he would be against such a development but Mr Ludlow, who lectures around the world on EU affairs, told the Sunday Express: ‘The Germans and the French are absolutely serious. They are confident they can get the political agreement on this treaty by the end of this month and they will go ahead. I don’t think for a moment that Britain will join this scheme within 50 years, let alone five. However, I don’t think there is much that ¬Cameron can do. I don’t think there is any intention of the Germans or French or anyone else of pushing Britain out of the EU but there is nevertheless a realistic assessment that the ¬British may edge themselves out or at least redefine their position in such a basic way that they are to all intents and purposes in another category of membership.’

“Mr Ludlow also questioned the description of Mr Cameron’s ‘veto’ at talks in Brussels last month. He said: ‘He didn’t veto, the negotiations were terminated by his partners who could see he had no negotiating position.’”

Sooner rather than later, Britain will cease to be a full member of the EU.

Jamaica Wants to Cut Ties with British Monarchy

Al Jazeera wrote on January 7:

“Jamaica’s new prime minister has said that it is time for her country to cut ties with the British monarchy and declare itself an independent republic. Speaking at her inaugural address on Friday, Portia Simpson Miller said her government would ‘initiate the process of detachment from the monarchy’, establishing a republic with a president as head of state, and breaking off links with the former colonial power.

“Jamaica is a constitutional parliamentary democracy and also a Commonwealth realm… Currently under Jamaica’s constitution, Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II is the head of state, and the prime minister is formally appointed by the governor-general, who represents the queen. The announcement comes ahead of celebrations to mark 50 years of the country’s independence from the UK.”

Britain’s once dominating role in the world is certainly diminishing.

“Germany No Longer Has a President”

Der Spiegel wrote on January 9:

“German President Christian Wulff refuses to step down amid a scandal involving a threatening phone call to a major newspaper and dodgy business dealings. German commentators warn that his resignation could cause Angela Merkel’s government to collapse…

“The center-right Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung writes: ‘…The result of a new presidential election could persuade the humiliated FDP to try one last attempt to save themselves, namely by ending their coalition with the conservatives. That would mean the end of Merkel’s government.’

“The left-leaning Die Tageszeitung writes: ‘The opposition is right: Of course Wulff is Merkel’s president… The Wulff affair poses one big danger for Merkel’s party. Wulff’s behavior challenges Christian Democrats’ image of themselves. The president makes a mockery of values that the conservatives like to believe in, such as integrity, honesty and standing up for what you believe in.’

“… The left-leaning Berliner Zeitung writes: ‘Christian Wulff will lose this war, even if he doesn’t have an enemy. He himself is the enemy. He himself organized — or disorganized, if you will — his life in such a way that all of these questions must be asked of him. Three weeks after the affair began, he has created more confusion than clarity with his answers. He has misused his tool of the trade, the word. With that, he has done himself in. Germany no longer has a president.’”

Since Germany “no longer has a president,” the question must be asked who the next President will be… and will new presidential elections in fact destroy the Merkel government? The Local added on January 12 that “President Christian Wulff hosted what was reportedly a tense New Year’s reception on Thursday, as the first open calls for his resignation came from members of parliament in his own political party.”

Germany Benefits from “Euro Crisis”

Der Spiegel wrote on January 10:

“Its neighbors may be suffering, but the euro crisis has created conditions that actually benefit the German economy. Not only is the government enjoying the windfall of negative interest rates on bonds, but unemployment is down and exports are booming… the German government… borrowed €3.9 billion ($5 billion) for the next six months at the unbelievable interest rate of -0.01 percent. Even the German Finance Agency was stunned. ‘This has never happened before,’ a spokesperson said.
 
“The Finance Ministry should be pleased. In the last four years, they’ve had to shell out around 1.8 percent in interest for such bonds. But recently even interest rates on German bonds with longer maturities have decreased significantly. The federal government is saving a bundle. The reason for the windfall? Amid the ongoing euro crisis, Germany is one of the few borrowers that are still regarded as a safe haven. Many investors would rather lend the government money at bargain-basement rates than risk losses…

“It has become a rule of the euro crisis: While a number of euro-zone countries suffer, Germany profits… The German economy… is still expected to grow by 0.4 percent this year.

“The imbalance between Germany and many other euro-zone countries is most apparent on the job market, though. Euro-zone unemployment now averages 10.3 percent, but in Germany the figure sank to 7.1 percent for 2011… Indirectly, Germany also profits from a simple symptom of the crisis — the weak euro, which has fallen to about $1.27, its lowest value since Sept. 2010.

“For German companies, the sinking euro acts as a kind of crisis buffer. While it reduces demand for German products within the euro zone, these make up only around 40 percent of the country’s exports. But for the rest of the world, a weak euro means cheaper German products…Indeed, German exports grew by 2.5 percent month-on-month in November, reaching €94.9 billion. Compared to a year earlier, exports were up by an impressive 8.3 percent. The crisis notwithstanding, exports for 2011 as a whole surpassed the historic trillion-euro level,  a benchmark not even reached during the boom year of 2008.”

Interesting, isn’t it? Bible prophecies come true, predicting Germany’s powerful leadership role in Europe.

Germany Gets Involved in North Africa

The Local wrote on January 10:

“German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle has thrown strong support behind North Africa’s emerging democracies during an historic visit to Algeria, Libya and Tunisia, saying Germany wants to play a key role in helping them succeed. Westerwelle, who wrapped up his weekend trip with a visit to Tunisia’s capital Tunis on Monday, singled out the country for particular praise, calling it a potential ‘model,’ despite European concerns that Islamic parties are growing in strength there.

“‘I think the concerns have absolutely no justification,’ Westerwelle said. ‘Tunisia can become a model for transformation in the region if it succeeds in perpetuating the fledgling democratization process.’

“Germany has pledged €32 million in aid to Tunisia and is helping the country reschedule €60 million in debt, said Westerwelle, who also called for deepening economic ties between the two countries. Westerwelle’s travels have been portrayed as an important signal that Berlin is willing to invest key resources in the attempt to help democratic governments in North Africa.

“This comes after Germany took a largely hands-off approach in the ‘Arab Spring’ series of revolutions. Germany upset many allies by refusing to play a military role in NATO’s military campaign that eventually toppled Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi. Berlin has, though, offered significant material and financial support to new governments – including an offer of more than €100 million in humanitarian aid to Libya where German doctors are already working. In Tripoli, Westerwelle pledged continuing assistance on Sunday, saying ‘Germany stands beside this new Libya.’

“Amidst his democracy-building travels, the Foreign Minister has had strong words for Iranian authorities who have become isolated from the West because of their alleged pursuit of nuclear weapons. On Monday he called a death sentence… handed down to a man in Tehren suspected of spying for the CIA ‘in no way acceptable.’”

We see how Germany is getting actively involved in exerting influence in several North African countries. Of course, Guido Westerwelle’s assurance that there is no danger emanating from the power grip of Islamic parties in the region is highly naïve and unrealistic—and the Bible prophesies that Germany will finally recognize their error in judgment and in turn become very aggressive in their dealings with those countries.

Doomsday Clock–Five Minutes to Midnight

Fox News reported on January 10:

“In a sign of pessimism about humanity’s future, scientists today set the hands of the infamous ‘Doomsday Clock’ forward one minute from two years ago. ‘It is now five minutes to midnight,’ Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (BAS) director Kennette Benedict announced today (Jan. 10) at a press conference in Washington, D.C. That represents a symbolic step closer to doomsday, a change from the clock’s previous mark of six minutes to midnight, set in January 2010.

“The clock is a symbol of the threat of humanity’s imminent destruction from nuclear or biological weapons, climate change and other human-caused disasters. In making their deliberations about how to update the clock’s time, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists focused on the current state of nuclear arsenals around the globe, disastrous events such as the Fukushima nuclear meltdown, and biosecurity issues such as the creation of an airborne H5N1 flu strain.

“The Doomsday Clock came into being in 1947 as a way for atomic scientists to warn the world of the dangers of nuclear weapons. That year, the Bulletin set the time at seven minutes to midnight, with midnight symbolizing humanity’s destruction. By 1949, it was at three minutes to midnight as the relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union deteriorated. In 1953, after the first test of the hydrogen bomb, the doomsday clock ticked to two minutes until midnight.

“The Bulletin — and the clock ¬— were at their most optimistic in 1991, when the Cold War thawed and the United States and Russia began cutting their arsenals. That year, the Bulletin set the clock at 17 minutes to midnight. From then until 2010, however, it was a gradual creep back toward destruction, as hopes of total nuclear disarmament vanished and threats of nuclear terrorism and climate change reared their heads. In 2010, the Bulletin found some hope in arms reduction treaties and international climate talks and nudged the minute hand of the Doomsday Clock back to six minutes from midnight from its previous post at five to midnight.

“With today’s decision, the Bulletin repudiated that optimism… ‘The world still has approximately over 20,000 deployed nuclear weapons with enough power to destroy the world’s inhabitants many times over,’ said Lawrence Krauss, an Arizona State University professor and the co-chair of the BAS Board of Sponsors. ‘We also have the prospect of nuclear weapons being used by terrorist non-state actors’…”

Even though scientists have been wrong before with their prognostications, it should be rather obvious that we are getting closer to the time of the Great Tribulation, which would destroy ALL FLESH on this planet, if God were not to intervene and shorten these days.

Intentional Misrepresentations?

Zenit reported on December 25:

“Benedict XVI has restored the tradition of proclaiming the birth of Christ with the chanting of the ‘Kalenda.’ The chant culminated the prayer vigil in St. Peter’s Square on Christmas Eve, which was accompanied by the unveiling of the life-size Nativity Scene. Here is an English translation of the proclamation, provided by the U.S. bishops:

“THE PROCLAMATION OF THE BIRTH OF CHRIST

“Today, the twenty–fifth day of December, unknown ages from the time when God created the heavens and the earth and then formed man and woman in his own image.

“Several thousand years after the flood, when God made the rainbow shine forth as a sign of the covenant.

“Twenty–one centuries from the time of Abraham and Sarah; thirteen centuries after Moses led the people of Israel out of Egypt.

“Eleven hundred years from the time of Ruth and the Judges; one thousand years from the anointing of David as king; in the sixty–fifth week according to the prophecy of Daniel.

“In the one hundred and ninety–fourth Olympiad; the seven hundred and fifty–second year from the foundation of the city of Rome.

“The forty–second year of the reign of Octavian Augustus; the whole world being at peace, Jesus Christ, eternal God and Son of the eternal Father, desiring to sanctify the world by his most merciful coming, being conceived by the Holy Spirit, and nine months having passed since his conception, was born in Bethlehem of Judea of the Virgin Mary.

“Today is the nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ according to the flesh.”

By giving historical dates for all of the above-stated events (even though we are not saying that those dates are correct), and then culminating the proclamation with the sentence that “today” (December 25) is the nativity of Christ, it is clearly being postulated, as a historical fact, that Christ was born on December 25—not only, that orthodox Christianity celebrates Christ‘s birth on that day. Now, this is a false statement, and it could be construed as being made intentionally, since the Catholic Church knows that Christ was NOT born on December 25. Other religious leaders know this too, such as the Archbishop of Canterbury, who recently admitted that Christ could not have been born in December.

All of this means that the Pope and the Catholic Church appear to knowingly mislead the masses about the date of Christ’s birth, and it is no surprise that many ill-informed Catholics who are trusting in the veracity of their church’s teachings, are believing the lie. In addition, by changing or at least participating in the change of the European calendar in such a way that Sunday is being designated as the last day of the week—even though the Catholic Church knows (and even teaches) that Saturday is the last day of the week and the biblical Sabbath—further misrepresentations appear to be perpetrated with the goal of deceiving their followers in believing that Sunday is the biblical Sabbath.

In this context, make sure to read our Q&A in this week’s Update.

A “sect” may be defined as “a body of persons agreed upon religious doctrines usually different from those of an established or orthodox church from which they have separated; non-conformist or other church as described by opponents.”
 
The terms “cult” and “sect” are often used interchangeably; a sect is usually connected with religion and a cult may be – but many things outside the religious arena can also be classified as cultish. Certain television programmes may have a cult following – never a sect following.
 
Very often, using the term “sect” or “cult” is an epithet – a term of derision, a put down, an insult or a way of dismissing others. A former leader of the Worldwide Church of God, Joseph Tkach Sr., stated repeatedly that he did not like to be called the leader of a cult—hence his desire to change doctrines to bring them more in line with orthodox Christianity. To call an organization a sect or a cult is how some deride or undermine, in their own eyes, another group, which could include the Church of God. And what term or terms so easily fall off the tongue by those who want to accuse the Church of God of not being true to mainstream Christianity? Their description can be scathing, often using the term “sect” or “cult”.
 
It is interesting that those who criticise the Church of God for not being faithful to Scripture are the very ones who break Scripture so often!   So many in mainstream Christianity spawn homosexual priests or clergy – an act which God calls an abomination and which is mentioned, as such, in both the Old Testament and the New Testament. But they accept it in spite of this being contrary to Scriptural admonition. The Bible is quite clear that women are not to speak – in a teaching capacity – in church, but again so many in mainstream Christianity allow and promote women priests and vicars. There have been ministers who don’t believe in God. One high ranking bishop in the Church of England thought that the resurrection was a “conjuring trick with bones”. There are those who know that Christmas and Easter are of pagan origin and still keep these feasts. There have been vicars who have advocated stealing in certain circumstances, and most churches trample all over the seventh day Sabbath.
 
Some years ago, “The New Christian Herald”, a newspaper published in Sussex, England, (which ceased publication in 2006) ran an article about the Worldwide Church of God. The article was headed “Back to the Plain Truth?” The paper stated that “the writer [of the article] charts the progress of a rare phenomenon – a cult making its way back into mainstream Christianity. The Worldwide Church of God’s journey makes intriguing reading…”
 
This “expert” then went on to give nine distinguishing points that define a sect or cult. Of course, other “experts” might agree with this assessment or have a different perspective, but for the purpose of this answer we will stay with the considered opinion of this “expert”. These nine distinguishing points were as follows: World rejecting, not world embracing; Clear strong leadership [depending on the degree of leadership, a group might be called a sect or a cult]; A high degree of commitment needed; Active “lay” participation; A strong sense of mission and purpose; A strong sense of belonging; Definite entrance to membership by personal faith, not by birth; Beliefs shape lifestyle; and Members often belong to the working class and identify with the poor and disinherited.
 
Let Scripture and some brief comments answer these points, and we will see that the “expert” was clearly deficient in his Biblical knowledge.

1)  World rejecting, not world embracing. 

Are we to embrace the world?

James 4:4 states: “Adulterers and adulteresses!  Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God?   Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”
 
James 1:27 states: “Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble,and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.”
 
As is stated in our booklet, “The Book of Zechariah – Prophecies For Today”: 

“God’s true servants must be sober and of a sound mind, resisting the temptation of wanting to belong to and befriend the people of this world—this Babylonian system—in order to follow their bad example.”
 
2)   Clear strong leadership.
 
God has always had strong leaders. God used Abraham, Joshua, Moses, Gideon, Elijah, Elisha amongst many others in the Old Testament and Peter, Paul and the other apostles were strong leaders in the New Testament.
 
Hebrews 13: 17 says (this is a variation of a command in verse 7): “Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.”
 
Strong leaders and leadership in the church are a necessity!
 
3)   A high degree of commitment
 
A high degree of commitment is vital because for those whom God has called to salvation in this day and age, today is their only opportunity to qualify for eternal life. We have to be committed to the cause.
 
1 John 3: 16 points out:  “By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.”
 
James 1: 22-24 adds:  “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.”
 
4)   Active “lay” participation
 
We all have to play our part as God has put us in the Body of Christ, as He sees fit. We cannot just be passive bystanders.
 
1 Corinthians 16:1-2 refers to active member participation: “Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given orders to the churches of Galatia, so you must do also:  On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come.”
 
5)   A strong sense of mission and purpose.
 
Again, such a strong sense is absolutely necessary.
 
Matthew 28:18-20 states:  “And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’ Amen.”
 
Ezekiel 33:7-9 adds: “So you, son of man: I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore you shall hear a word from My mouth and warn them for Me.  When I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you shall surely die!’ and you do not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand.  Nevertheless if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul.”
 
6)   A strong sense of belonging
 
In Acts 2: 1-4 we see that the future members of the early New Testament Church, even before their conversion, were in the same place, of the same mind and had a sense of belonging:
 
“When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”
 
This attitude did not change after their conversion. We read in Acts 4:32: “Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common.”
 
7)   Definite entrance to membership by personal faith, not by birth.
 
However, John 6:44 says:  “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.”
 
John 6:65 adds:  “And He said, ‘Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.’”
 
Acts 2:38 reports:  “Then Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’”
 
8)   Beliefs shape lifestyle. 
 
We understand that our calling is a calling to a way of life. Our beliefs MUST shape our lifestyle – it can’t be any other way. Christianity is about the way that we behave, the way that we treat other people, esteeming others better than self and practicing the golden rule of doing unto others as we would have them do unto us. It is also about being service orientated, having a kindly attitude, displaying the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5 and behaving as Christ would do.
 
Acts 9:2 refers to true Christianity as “the Way.”
 
We also read in Acts 19:23:  “And about that time there arose a great commotion about the Way.”
 
9)   Members are often working class and identify with the poor and disinherited.
 
But note 1 Corinthians 1:26-28:  “For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are.”
 
1 Corinthians 4:10-12 adds:  “We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are distinguished, but we are dishonored! To the present hour we both hunger and thirst, and we are poorly clothed, and beaten, and homeless. And we labor, working with our own hands. Being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure…”
 
Perhaps a look at the ministry of Jesus Christ will show that He ministered to the poor and disinherited – and we are to follow His example.
 
And so, is the Church of God a sect or a cult? Based on these nine marks as this “expert” names them, and according to their definition, the answer that the world might give could be Yes. In this regard, Acts 24:5 is highly instructive: “For we have found this man a plague, a creator of dissension among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes.”
 
In Acts 28:22-24 we read another reference on this topic: “But we desire to hear from you what you think; for concerning this sect, we know that it is spoken against everywhere. So when they had appointed him a day, many came to him at his lodging, to whom he explained and solemnly testified of the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus from both the Law of Moses and the Prophets, from morning till evening. And some were persuaded by the things which were spoken, and some disbelieved.”
 
It appears that the original, apostolic church was called a sect. And when Christ was on earth, He was at odds with the establishment. They didn’t believe Him then, and the majority do not believe Him now. 
 
Of course, there will always be those who want to put a label on the true Church of God, and there will always be those who think that the Church should be lumped together with other non-conformist groups as they see it, simply because of non-conformity with mainstream Christianity. There will always be those who want to think the worst.
 
The apostolic church was called a sect. The true Church of God today is directly descended from the first century church. Therefore, we shouldn’t be surprised by the label that the world might attach to the Church today.
 
But there is an irony in all of this. As you will recall, a sect can be defined as “a body of persons agreed upon religious doctrines usually different from those of an established or orthodox church from which they have separated; non-conformist or other church as described by opponents.”
 
When we look at church history and the doctrines of the Bible, the Church of God is the true Church holding fast to the truth that is expounded in God’s Word, and all of those in mainstream Christianity have descended from the apostate church of the 1st and 2nd century. They have developed many traditions and an understanding that are simply not biblical!
 
In the final analysis, it doesn’t matter how the world refers to us, as long as we are doing the Work that God called us to do and that we, individually, are growing in grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18), as we progress towards the kingdom of God!
 
Lead Writer: Brian Gale (United Kingdom)

A new member letter was written and will be posted and sent out shortly. In the letter, Dave Harris discusses the role of true Christians in this evil word.

A new StandingWatch program was posted on YouTube and on our Website www.standingwatch.org. It is titled, “Martial Law in America?” President Obama signed the new NDAA bill with great reservations, assuring us that it will not be applied in an unconstitutional way. But how sure can we be of this? The Huffington Post is not impressed, and neither is Fox News. Ron Paul feels the bill begins the official establishment of martial law in the USA, and his son, Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, warns that under the new law, just about anyone could be viewed as a terrorist suspect. What does the Bible have to say about these frightening developments?

Three more radio programs have been recorded, titled, “The Seventh Seal,” “The Seventh Seal, Part 2,” and “The Seven Bowls.” They will be broadcast, respectively, beginning Sunday, January 22, January 29, and February 5, 2012. Our radio broadcasts are being posted on our Website, www.standingwatch.org.

A new German AufPostenStehen program  was posted on YouTube and on our German website, www.aufpostenstehen.de  titled, “Schandhafte US Anti-Terror Gesetze” (“Shameful US Anti-Terror Laws”). It has by now received in excess of 3,500 views.

A new German sermon was posted on YouTube, and on our German website, www.aufpostenstehen.de, titled, “Das Tier und der falsche Prophet” (“The Beast and the False Prophet”).

Our new German booklet, “Die Taufe—Voraussetzung fuer das Heil?” (“Baptism-A Requirement for Salvation?”) was posted on our German website.