On September 3, 2011, Michel Bannen and Eric Rank will give split sermons, titled, respectively, “Time” and “The Just Shall Live by Faith.”

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.

Most are familiar with Christ’s parable of the prodigal or lost son. It is recorded in Luke 15:11-32. The main point is very clear: The younger son repents of his wasteful lifestyle and returns to his father’s house, and his father receives him back with joy and celebration, while his older son is angry and refuses to greet his brother.

The father’s final words bring home the main lesson of this parable: “It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found” (verse 32).

But there is much more to this parable.

It begins with the younger son asking his father to give him his portion of the father’s goods which he would inherit upon his father’s death. The early Jews warned fathers against breaking up an estate too early, but here, the father grants his son’s request, giving him prematurely what he asked for. The son leaves and wastes all that he has received with prodigal living (verse 13). In doing so, he sins against God and men (verse 18), by devouring his father’s livelihood with harlots (verse 30).

Once the money is gone, so are his “friends” and “acquaintances.” All he can do now is to feed swine—an insulting and disgraceful job for a Jew—and he has sunk so low that he would be willing to eat swine’s food, but even that nobody is willing to give him. Perishing with hunger, he “comes to himself” (verse 17), realizing that he has been living in an illusionary dream world, which seemingly started out very promisingly, but ended up in a nightmare.

Recognizing his sins and anticipating that his father would reject him as his son, he is still willing to go back to his father’s house to become one of his servants.

The reaction of his father must have been surprising to him. Seeing him from afar off, the father shows compassion, runs towards him, embraces and kisses him and adorns him with sandals, a robe and a ring, showing his willingness to accept him as his son, who was dead, but has been found. He begins to celebrate—as God the Father and Jesus Christ and the holy angels rejoice when a sinner repents.

When the older son learns about the celebration for his brother, he is angry, as Jonah was angry when God accepted the repentance of the people of Nineveh and relented from doing them any harm that He had intended to bring upon them. The older son is even unwilling to recognize the younger son as his brother (compare verse 30). With self-righteous indignation, he claims that he has never transgressed or sinned against his father’s commandments (verse 29), but that his father never celebrated with him. He acts with envy, saying that his father’s conduct is unjust towards him. He behaves like the Pharisee who proudly compares himself with the sinner in the temple, saying that he is better than the sinner. Job had the same attitude of being proud about his self-righteousness, and he became angry when he had to suffer and did not receive at once the reward to which he thought he was entitled.

However, the father makes clear that a just reward will be given for just behavior. The younger son would not inherit anything, having wasted his share. He would not have any part in the remaining livelihood of his father which is reserved exclusively for the older son. The fact that the younger brother is given favors does not mean that there are no favors in store for the older son. Since all that the father has is the older son’s, he can always kill a fatted calf, whenever he pleases.  On the other hand, the wasteful life style of the younger son will have negative and lasting physical consequences for him for the rest of his life.

Still, the younger son has returned, and that was reason enough for celebration, and the older brother should have rejoiced too and joined in. We don’t know from the parable whether he finally did. It is hoped that he forsook his anger and overcame his self-righteousness, envy and pride, following his younger brother’s example who had repented of his sins, swallowed his pride and returned humbly to his father’s house.

We all can and should learn from this parable. If we have sinned against God and men (and there is no human being who does not sin)—we need to confess those sins to God and repent of them, and reconcile with our fellow man, while leaving the past behind. Some are too proud to do that; others are too timid and fearful. But without “coming to ourselves” and acting like the younger son did, we will not return to our father’s house.

Likewise, if someone has sinned against us and shows his regret, we must embrace him and receive him back. We must bury any grudges, forget the past, accept the repentant brother and reconcile with him. If we refuse to do this, we will stay outside like the older brother did, and we won’t go into our father’s house to join the celebration.

You might say, “I would never act like the younger son, leaving my father’s house and wasting my father’s possession.” Or, “I would never act like the older son, refusing to take back my brother.” But in saying this, you might very well be wrong and deceive yourself. Paul does not say without reason: “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall” (1 Corinthians 10:12) and, “Do not be haughty, but fear” (Romans 11:20).

We begin reporting about the devastation caused by the hurricane or tropical storm Irene. Even though the damage could have been much worse for the USA, it is still bad enough, including for America’s fragile economy. We also speak about the recent earthquake in Virginia and the discovery of a new fault line on Mount Hood.

We continue pointing out the ever-existing and growing threat of radical Iran towards Israel and Christianity, and speak of prominent Europeans advocating the invasion or “liberation” of Jerusalem through Muslim countries. We report about French perceptions that Europe is being attacked by the USA, and explain at the same time that hyped-up fears that the Eurozone will collapse and the euro will fail, are just unrealistic propagandistic and unbiblical attempts to support whatever position is being postulated.

We conclude with speaking of European desires to play a greater role in the Middle East and North Africa, and with the current nightmare scenarios for Libya.

US Devastation of Tropical Storm Irene

BBC News reported on August 29:

“The US east coast has begun clearing up after the devastation of tropical storm Irene, which killed at least 21 people… The small state of Vermont was reeling from the worst flooding in nearly a century, which washed away bridges [including the famous bridge featured in the movie, “Baby Boom,” with Diane Keaton] and swamped the town of Brattleboro…

“The brunt of Irene’s impact was felt by towns and suburbs from New Jersey to Vermont. Driving rains and flood tides damaged homes and cut power to more than three million people in New Jersey, Connecticut and New York alone…”

New York Economy Takes Huge Hit from Hurricane

Mail On Line wrote on Sunday, August 28, 2011:

“New York is deserted today on what should be one of its busiest weekends for tourism of the year, as businesses count the cost of a four-day city shutdown after Hurricane Irene forced people indoors. But it might have been worse for New York City, as a direct hit by the damage-wreaking hurricane could have cost it up to $35billion in damage and increased the chance of a double-dip recession…

“Governor Chris Christie said he expects damages from Hurricane Irene to run into billions of dollars along New Jersey’s Atlantic coast and from inland river flooding… Insurers are expecting to suffer huge losses due to the hurricane, airlines are reeling as thousands of flights have been cancelled and shops cannot open so they [are] losing sales… Big problems include lost hours at work, power outages and a shutdown in sea and air traffic… ‘This is a worst-case scenario,’ said C. Britt Beemer, chairman of America’s Research Group. ‘This was supposed to be a prime weekend for apparel retailers.’”

Even though it would have been much worse if the hurricane had hit New York directly and/or with greater strength, the inflicted damage is nevertheless quite enormous.

“Virginia Quake’s Motion May Have Exceeded Nuclear Plant’s Design”

The Los Angeles Times reported on August 29:

“More federal inspectors are en route to Virginia’s North Anna nuclear power station after early data indicated the plant may have experienced more shaking than it was designed to withstand during last week’s 5.8 earthquake… The plant remains offline. It cannot be restarted until its operator can show…  that it remains safe…

“So far… they have found no indication of significant damage, but there are signs of the quake: thermal insulation that shook off pipes within the nuclear containment units, cracks in ceramic insulators on the plant’s transformers and fallen ceiling tiles at a commercial office building just outside the fence that surrounds the power station.”

New Massive Fault Line Found on Mt. Hood

The Associated Press reported on August 30:

“Geologists think Mount Hood is sitting on [shaky] ground… scientists have discovered a previously undetected – and active fault zone on the mountain. Scientists said the faults could also prove dangerous.

“The fault zone stretches about 20 miles from the northern flank of Mt. Hood to the Columbia River. Hidden by trees and dense vegetation, it had gone unnoticed… Teams began preparing to dig a big trench in the next few weeks across the faults to try and determine when the last earthquake [occurred].”

Iran Launches Bible-Burning Campaign

Newsmax reported on August 26:

“Iranian authorities [in northwestern Iran] began to systematically seize and destroy [6,500] Bibles… according to the Iranian Christian news organization Mohabat News… The agency has reported several other recent incidents of Bibles and other Christian literature being seized and sometimes publicly burned.

“Mohabat reports that the government-connected cleric, Ayatollah Hadi Jahangosha, warned of ‘the spread of Christianity among our youth,’ pointing to burgeoning satellite programming, literature, and religious articles promoting the Western tradition. ‘Everyone in society should feel responsibility in this matter and play his or her role in [the] spreading of pure Islam and fight false and distorted cultures,’ the news agency quotes him as saying.”

Throughout the centuries, man, being cut off from the true God and following the lead of Satan the devil, has tried to destroy the Bible, but he could never succeed in eradicating God’s inspired Word, because God promises us that His Word will abide forever. All other religious books and “holy” writings, which are contrary to the inspired teachings of the Bible, will cease to exist in due course, but the words of the Bible will be accessible and remain for all eternity. In addition, Muslim countries such as Iran expect to gain converts in Western nations but any reciprocal approach by Christians in many of those Muslim nations is totally denied.  The same can be said, of course, for the nation of Israel as well, where proselytizing is prohibited.

Iran Determined to Eradicate Israel

Haaretz reported on August 25:

“Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that Iran was determined to eradicate Israel… ‘Iran believes that whoever is for humanity should also be for eradicating the Zionist regime (Israel) as symbol of suppression and discrimination,’ Ahmadinejad said in an interview with a Lebanese television network…

“‘Iran follows this issue (the eradication of Israel) with determination and decisiveness and will never ever withdraw from this standpoint and policy,’ the Iranian president added in the interview… The Iranian president provoked international condemnation in 2005 when he said that Israel should be eliminated from the map of the Middle East and transferred to Europe or North America.”

Tony Blair’s Sister-in-Law Incites Muslims to “Liberate” Jerusalem

Israel National News reported on August 29:

“Laura Booth, sister-in-law of Quartet envoy Tony Blair, has called on ‘Lebanon, Jordan and Egypt [to] liberate Al-Quds [Jerusalem].’ The former British prime minister’s family member has previously sailed illegally to Gaza on a flotilla boat. She joined an anti-Israel rally in London Trafalgar’s Square… Booth went on another rant against Israel. ‘We say here today to you, Israel, we see your crimes and we loathe your crimes. And to us your nation does not exist, because it is a criminal injustice against humanity. We want to see Lebanon, Jordan and Egypt go to the borders and stop this now. Liberate Al Quds! March to Al Quds!’

“Another speaker claimed, somewhat myopically as far as historical accuracy goes, that ‘the only time that land has seen peace between Muslim, Christian and Jew living side by side was when sincere Islamic rulers ruled with justice.’ During Ottoman Islamic rule, Jews were second-class citizens, called ‘Dhimmis’. The myth of their ‘peaceful lives’ has been debunked by historians, although they were not subject to pogroms as frequently as European Jews..

“In fact, Jordan, during its occupation of the Old City and other parts of Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria between 1949 and 1967, denied Christians and Jews all access to holy sites except for visiting dignitaries. Israel opened up the sites to all religions after it restored the areas under its sovereignty in the Six-Day War in 1967.”

Anti-Jewish sentiments are on the rise…

Europe under U.S. Attack!

The Local wrote on August 29:

“Laurence Parisot, the head of the influential bosses’ organization, Medef, has hit out at what she sees as deliberate attempts by the US to shift their own economic woes to Europe. In an interview published in Monday’s Le Figaro newspaper, Parisot said the problems started when China decided to ‘teach the US a lesson’ about the level of its debt over the summer. ‘The Americans then wanted to pass the buck to Europe,’ she said. ‘We saw a kind of psychological war and an attempt to destabilize the euro zone.’

“Parisot cites as an example the ‘unfounded’ rumours about French banks which were spread by the American media. ‘The front pages of the American media announced the death of such and such a bank and even the end of the eurozone,’ she said. ‘We went from attacks on Spain to attacks on Italy, then on France and as far as rumours that Germany would be downgraded last week!’…

“’When American publications, which are read by investors and analysts, lead with these false and dramatic announcements, there are questions to be asked,’ she said. She said that ultimately Europe was under attack ‘not because it is weak but because it is strong.’”

We have persistently made public the biblical prophecies about a future European military attack on the USA. The Bible does not reveal to us exactly the human reasoning as to why this attack will take place—but it emphasizes that God will inspire a future leader of Europe to launch such an attack, because God wants to punish the USA for its many sins. However, Europe will not attack the USA because it understands God’s plan, but it will strictly act with selfish and “self-preserving” motives. The article, quoted above, might give us a hint as to what rationale Europeans might partially embrace to justify their future “retaliatory” military action.

Europe in Danger of Collapse?

The EUObserver wrote on August 29:

“Polish finance minister Jacek Rostowski has said the EU could ‘collapse’ if leading countries such as Germany mishandle the financial crisis… the minister said: ‘European elites, including German elites, must decide if they want the euro to survive – even at a high price – or not. If not, we should prepare for a controlled dismantling of the currency zone.’

“He added: ‘We have a simple choice: Solidarity or the collapse of Europe.’ Rostowski criticised the German ‘elite’ after German President Christian Wulff last week said the European Central Bank (ECB) should not buy struggling Italian and Spanish bonds… The Polish minister said the long-term solution to the crisis is deeper integration. ‘The fundamental problem of the eurozone is not an economic but a political one,’ he explained. ‘The choice is: much deeper macroeconomic integration in the eurozone or its collapse. There is no third way.’ He attacked Finland for its ‘egoism’ in seeking collateral for a new loan to crisis-struck Greece…

“Rostowski said Poland will not join the euro until it is sure the currency is ‘earthquake proof’. But he added that wealthy northern countries as well as non-eurozone EU members will suffer if the euro falls. ‘It’s hard to imagine anything that would hit the Dutch, German or Finnish economy harder than the collapse of the banking system in any eurozone country,’ he said. ‘The collapse of the eurozone would [also] be catastrophic for Poland.’”

Even though Poland’s recent governmental officials have been known as being controversial and overly dramatic—and at times quite inconsistent—the above-quoted warning should be taken seriously. Europe is indeed called upon to save the euro—and it will do just that. Biblical prophecy simply does not allow for the euro to fall in these last days. We can also expect a “much deeper integration”—or let’s just say bluntly, an autocratic governmental system, under German leadership. In this context, it is interesting to note that the EUObserver reported on August 26 that Finland has abandoned its Greek collateral deal “under German pressure.”

We must also be very careful not to jump with approval on articles in euro-skeptical British papers such as The Telegraph, which are welcoming every opportunity to predict the fall of the euro. In its recent article, dated August 29, The Telegraph pronounces that “Euro bail-out [is] in doubt as ‘hysteria’ sweeps Germany.” It continues that “German Chancellor Angela Merkel no longer has enough coalition votes in the Bundestag to secure backing for Europe’s revamped rescue machinery, threatening a constitutional crisis in Germany and a fresh eruption of the euro debt saga.” It even concludes that Merkel “is facing ‘war on every front’. The next month will decide her future, Germany’s destiny, and the fate of [the] monetary union.”

These are overly dramatic statements, filled with unproven assumptions and exaggerations, and none of this constitutes fair, accurate and factual reporting. Merkel faced opposition before, but in the end, she got her way. In fact, as Reuters reported on August 31, “German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s cabinet approved [the] new powers for the euro zone’s bailout fund on Wednesday.”

But if The Telegraph’s predictions were correct, then the month of September would decide the survival of the monetary union and the establishment of Germany’s destiny as the leading nation in continental Europe.

In addition, the Daily Mail reported on August 30 that “A top German business leader [Hans-Olaf Henkel, the well-respected former head of the country’s main business federation] today called for his country to quit the euro and join richer northern neighbours in a currency block instead… He called on Germany, Austria, Finland and the Netherlands to quit the euro – ditching struggling economies such as Greece, Spain, Portugal and Italy – and set up a new currency of their own.”

The paper continued that “Such a move – perhaps the closest thing possible to the return of the Deutsche Mark – would be highly controversial as Germany is the area’s powerhouse economy and has so far insisted it will stand behind the euro…”

Henkel’s fanciful ideas will not materialize. Biblical prophecy indicates that countries such as Germany, as well as Catholic countries such as Italy, and most likely Spain and Portugal, will be a part of the final configuration of the unification of ten core European countries or groups of countries, while Protestant countries such as Finland, and perhaps even The Netherlands, might not be in that final constellation. Therefore, a united power bloc of Germany and Protestant Finland, even in the context of a common currency, with the exclusion of Italy and other European Catholic countries, is not to be expected at all.

Europe Will Play Greater Role in Middle East

The EUObserver reported on September 1:

“The EU will in future play a bigger role vis-a-vis the US in providing hard security in north Africa and the Middle East, French President Nicolas Sarkozy has said. Speaking to French ambassadors gathered in Paris on Wednesday (31 August), the French leader said the war in Libya is a ‘lesson’ for EU foreign policy: ‘Europeans have shown for the first time that they are capable of intervention in a decisive way, with their allies, in an open conflict on their doorstep.’

“He added that the Libya model – in which France and the UK took the lead with American support – marks a new division of labour between the EU and US: ‘The world is changing. [US] President Obama has presented a new vision of American military engagement which involves the Europeans assuming their responsibilities.’ Sarkozy noted the union should also play a bigger role in the Arab-Israeli conflict.

“‘The role of the US [in the Middle East peace process] is incontrovertible and irreplacable, but everyone can see it is not sufficient. It is necessary to enlarge the circle of negotiators … We must keep in mind that the European Union is the top economic partner of Israel and the top aid donor to the Palestinians’…

“In a reflection of Sarkozy’s new-model EU-US relations, the meeting will be dominated by France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK, which are sending their leaders. The US will be represented by secretary of state Hilary Clinton, while China and Russia are sending third- and fourth-tier diplomats…

“For its part, the People’s Daily, a Chinese government newspaper in a prickly op-ed published the same day said: ‘The West has never given up its scheme of dominating the development directions of west Asia and north Africa. The dominance is connected with economic interests, naturally. Though the smoke of gunpowder has not fully dispersed in Libya, Western oil companies’ fights for the oil have already started.’

“US nemesis Iran has also started talks with the TNC [Libya’s National Transitional Council] on future relations.  ‘If … arrogant powers and international Zionism, including the tyrannical US regime, succeed to ride the waves [of the Arab Spring] and take the lead, the Muslim world will be faced with big problems for tens of years,’ Iranian leader Ayatollah Khamenei said in a rare public statement ahead of the Paris summit.”

The Bible predicts that in the not-too-distant future, Europe will invade militarily in the Middle East, but it won’t do so in collaboration with the USA.

Nightmare Scenarios for Libya

Deutsche Welle reported on August 29:

“Libya faces a number of nightmare scenarios, from a new civil war between rival factions to the rise of al Qaeda-affiliated Islamists, should a power vacuum plunge the country into a new phase of lawlessness and chaos. There is a new smell of fear circulating under the sweet scent of victory; a fear that the National Transitional Council (NTC) is incapable of uniting and controlling the diverse elements within the rebellion and that the tribal rivals which are beginning to bicker over the spoils of war may soon start fighting each other over them.

“With the possibility of Libya becoming a nation governed by a NATO-backed, weak and undemocratic central administration led by a compliant president and besieged by Islamist militants, some commentators have likened the unfolding situation as one akin to Afghanistan…

“Just as in Iraq, Libya faces the prospect of elements that supported the ousted Gadhafi regime attempting to fight their newfound marginalization and preserve their power bases… Just like in Afghanistan, a Western-backed NTC government may have to face up to battling an Islamist insurgency fuelled by extremist groups, some of whom have close ties to al Qaeda…

“There have been rumors of an al Qaeda presence ever since the war began but the rebels have been quick to reject claims that they have any links from the outset. However, the leaders of the US, Britain and France have since admitted that they were aware of an Islamist element within the rebel forces before pledging their support…

“As the rebels have advanced through Tripoli, a better picture of which groups actually make up the alliance has materialized. While no hardcore al-Qaeda affiliates have been identified, a number of Islamist groups have set alarm bells ringing in NATO…

“The immediate chaos and lawlessness which follows in the wake of a deposed regime has also given rise to another element which could lead to widespread instability and violence in Libya: the country is now awash with guns… As seen in countries such as Somalia and Yemen, the continued chaos arising from a state of conflict can exacerbate the circulation of military hardware among a fractious tribal society. As a result, Libya’s stability has surely been undermined by the looting of Gadhafi’s stockpiles.

“A recent report in the Los Angeles Times described how only a few of the 523 arms bunkers discovered to date in Libya are being protected by NTC guards. These, according to the report, contain everything from small arms to shoulder-launched Soviet Sam-7 anti-aircraft missiles. There were even alleged to be supplies of napalm in some. Meanwhile, the Guardian reported last week that Gadhafi’s supplies of mustard gas, which were being monitored by NATO, have now disappeared…

“After arming the rebels against Gadhafi, there is a chance – should the situation deteriorate – that NATO may find itself dodging its own bullets.”

In the context of Iraq, USA Today reported on August 30: “Continuing his book tour, former vice president Dick Cheney defended the Iraq War today, saying, ‘I don’t think that it damaged our reputation around the world.’”

This is incredible. Some seem to never learn, or blind their eyes so that they cannot and will not see.

Specifically, in the book of John, Jesus instructed His disciples about prayer. In the hours before His death, He revealed that they would now have access to the Father—but that He, Jesus, was the means by which that would be possible.

Here are the relevant verses:

“‘And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it’” (John 14:13-14).

“‘You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you’” (John 15:16).

“‘And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full’” (John 16:23-24).

“‘In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I shall pray the Father for you; for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from God’” (John 16:26-27).

To understand more fully what this means for those who follow and obey Christ’s instructions, we will need to consider other applicable and compatible Scriptures.

First of all, praying in the name of Jesus Christ is not an incantation; that is, a formula that evokes an answer to anything we say as long as we incorporate doing so “in the name of Jesus Christ.”

Jesus warned:

“‘And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him’” (Matthew 6:7-8; compare 1 Kings 18:26).

In another example, some misused the name of Jesus, and the consequences were devastating:

“Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists took it upon themselves to call the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, ‘We exorcise you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches.’ Also there were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who did so. And the evil spirit answered and said, ‘Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are you?’ Then the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, over-powered them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded” (Acts 19:13-16).

These self-appointed exorcists were guilty of misappropriating the godly name, Jesus—they broke the commandment of God:

“‘You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain’” (Exodus 20:7).

Using the name of Jesus Christ must be done with the reverent awe that reflects His place in the Family of God:

“Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9-11).

Note that “every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.” There has arisen a demonically inspired teaching—one that threatens to “overthrow the faith of some.” Essentially, the idea behind this heresy is that one should only say the name of Jesus Christ in the Hebrew language. In answer to this fallacious concept, consider what happened on the Day of Pentecost—the time when the Church of God began amidst powerful and miraculous circumstances:

“And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven. And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language. Then they were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, ‘Look, are not all these who speak Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each in our own language in which we were born? Parthians and Medes and Elamites, those dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya adjoining Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs–we hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God.’ So they were all amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, ‘Whatever could this mean?’” (Acts 2:5-12).

The very first thing that occurred to the faithful disciples of Jesus Christ upon receiving the Holy Spirit was to speak under God’s inspiration—carefully note what they did:

“And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance” (Acts 2:4). They spoke at that time about Jesus Christ (Acts 2:30-36), but they did not speak only in the Hebrew language, but also in other tongues or languages.

This coincides with the work of the Church—that of being sent to preach the gospel of the Kingdom of God in all of the world and to all nations (compare Matthew 24:14; Mark 16:15-18; Acts 26:17-18).

Quite plainly and unmistakably, the name of Jesus Christ would be spoken—along with the rest of the message of the gospel—in one’s own language.

The warning for us is to “…be sound in the faith, not giving heed to Jewish fables and commandments of men who turn from the truth” (Titus 1:13-14).

What, then, should we ask for when we pray “in Jesus’ Name”? Here is the foundational approach for us in prayer:

“And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight” (1 John 3:22).

When we pray, using the name of Jesus Christ, we must have persevering faith:

“But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6).

In one of His parables, Jesus told of a proud Pharisee and of a humble and contrite tax collector who came before God in prayer (compare Luke 18:9-14). The key for us is that we must not exalt ourselves—rather, we are to seek God out of a submissive heart, willing to yield to God and obey His Will.

This is what Jesus did. In the record of Jesus praying to the Father in deeply fervent agony over the death He was about to face, He, nonetheless, humbled Himself, saying:

“‘…Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will’” (Mark 14:36).

This dramatic example brings home the lesson that we are to pray and make our requests within the framework of God’s Will. However, we must not draw back from God and use this as an excuse for lacking faith! Jesus made this a point in His teaching:

“So Jesus said to them, ‘Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, “Move from here to there,” and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you’” (Matthew 17:20).

“So Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, “Be removed and be cast into the sea,” it will be done’” (Matthew 21:21).

Jesus did what He did in the name of the Father (compare John 10:25). He did none of the miracles by His own authority—something that He carefully taught:

“Then Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner… I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me’” (John 5:19, 30).

His obedience is our example!

Peter understood that he needed to rely on Jesus Christ, and the lesson that is brought clearly home is His role in the healing of a lame man: “Then Peter said, ‘Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk’” (Acts 3:6).

Paul said, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).

In both of the cited examples, Peter and Paul speak of relying on Jesus Christ in ways that are all encompassing. In baptisms, in healings, in preaching—the ministers of Jesus Christ did what they did through the express authority of Jesus Christ!

This holds true for all Christians, and it is an absolute imperative for each one of us to recognize the supreme authority that Christ holds over the Church of God. While many professing Christians acknowledge that Christ existed, only the few believe that He is seated at the right hand of God as our living High Priest (compare Acts 5:31; Ephesians 1:20; Colossians 3:1; Hebrews 1:3, 13; 8:1; 10:12; 12:2; 1 Peter 3:22)—intervening on our behalf in order to complete what He has promised (compare Romans 8:34).

Furthermore, we must be close to God by following the example of Jesus Christ. That means we are to live as He lived—by living obediently to God. The way is open for us to have direct contact with God in prayer. However, it is only through Jesus Christ that this is possible:

“‘I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing’” (John 15:5).

When we speak to the Father in prayer, we do so by recognizing the authority of Jesus Christ—that is, in His Name. Christ also explains:

“‘…I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me’” (John 14:6).

There are additional meaningful and important aspects associated with praying in the name of Jesus Christ. Note the following excerpts from the chapter “In the Name of Christ,” in our free booklet, “Teach Us to Pray”: 

“When we do something in the name of Christ, we recognize His great power through which He works… When we pray to the Father in Christ’s name…  we are praying through Christ—expecting Christ to back us up, support us, and do something in regard to what we say…

“Since we belong to Christ, Christ allows us to do and say things in His glorious and all-powerful name. That is, we can do things through the power of His Holy Spirit in us. When we pray, write, or say something in the name of Christ, we are actually asking Christ to do those things for us. We speak to the Father through Christ. It is as if Christ speaks to the Father on our behalf—as if Christ communicates our prayers to the Father, helping us express to the Father what we think, how we feel, and what we are going through. Sometimes, we may not know exactly what to say, but Christ, through His Spirit in us, helps our weaknesses.

“When we end a prayer by using the words ‘in Christ’s name,’ we had better make sure that we CAN say this—that Christ IS actually speaking though us, or interceding for us. The warning here is that just saying ‘in the name of Christ’ after a prayer can easily become a vain repetition. To prevent this from happening, we must be well aware of its meaning, and when we use this expression, we must realize the accompanying great responsibility, and liability, for us.

“Every time we use the words ‘in Christ’s name,’ we are to be very conscious of the fact that Jesus Christ is acting, at that very moment, as our Mediator, Intercessor and Advocate, interceding on our behalf as our merciful High Priest, and that He is pleading our cause, expressing to the Father our most intimate feelings and temptations, as well as our personal struggle with ourselves and our own human nature.

“Christ promised that He would do for us what we ask when we pray to the Father in His name. The Father will answer our prayer through Christ. But we must ask the Father in the proper way, and with the correct understanding of what it means to pray ‘in Christ’s name.’”

Rather than becoming perfunctory and carelessly muttering the name of Jesus Christ at the close of our prayers, we need to very deliberately and in a deeply meaningful way mention the name of Jesus Christ with true esteem and in a spirit of worship.

For a more in-depth study on prayer, please read our free booklet, “Teach Us To Pray,” which is available on our website.

Lead Writer: Dave Harris

A new StandingWatch program was posted on our Web site (www.standingwatch.org) and on YouTube, titled, “Premature Euphoria of Libyan Rebels.” It would be a mistake to celebrate the apparent victory of the rebels in Libya. Western commentators compare the current situation with anarchy and chaos. They are fearful that Islamists will come to power in the deeply divided nation. The future of Libya looks uncertain and frightening. The Bible has much to say about Libya, but none of it is good news for Western democracies.

A new German sermon was posted on YouTube, titled, “Gibt es eine heimliche Entrueckung?, Teil 2” [“Is There a Secret Rapture?, Part 2”]

Please feel free to proceed with making reservations for the Feast of Tabernacles 2011 with the Hilton Garden Inn at 601 James Way, Pismo Beach, CA 93449. When you call under 1-805-773-6020, please make sure that you mention that you are attending the Feast convention of the Church of the Eternal God. Further information is available on our Web site (www.eternalgod.org), under “Feasts.”

On August 27, 2011, Norbert Link will give the sermon, titled, “What About the Secret Rapture?”

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.

You may all have seen the recent riots in London, Manchester, Birmingham and other major cities in the UK, where mindless gangs of feral youth attacked vehicles, setting some alight, and where innocent bystanders were hurt and looting took place. 
 
There were the inevitable comments from the usual suspects about young people not being engaged, systematic racism, lack of job prospects and other painful excuses for bad behaviour. One commentator observed that “there can be no excuse for this brutal behaviour. What we saw was not a political act but an outbreak of vicious nihilism.”   He went on to say that “Indeed this mentality is deeply immoral, for the biggest losers from the Tottenham riots are the decent, law abiding citizens who have lost their homes or businesses. Their determination to contribute to our society has ended up being punished by brutes who demand respect but give none to others.”

Another commentator said that “Years of liberal dogma have spawned a generation of amoral, uneducated, welfare dependent, brutalised youngsters.” He went on to say: “If you live a normal life of absolute futility, which we can assume most of this week’s rioters do, excitement of any kind is welcome. The people who wrecked swathes of property, burned vehicles and terrorised communities have no moral compass to make them susceptible to guilt or shame. Most have no jobs to go to or exams they might pass. They know no family role models, for most live in homes in which the father is unemployed, or from which he has decamped.”

This has been on the cards for many years. We have had a succession of governments who have dismantled the fabric of a decent society by undermining the importance of marriage, the bedrock of society, and redefined it. On top of that, co-habitation is now seen as the “norm” where feckless young men father children by different women. Many grow up in one parent families and jobs can be hard to find for those even when well qualified. Many youngsters have become dependent on welfare benefits and seem to feel that living off the state is their right. With time on their hands and little to do, this can be a potent mix where the disciplines of yesteryear are discarded. I heard, on the radio, a young girl looter telling a BBC reporter that “it showed the rich and the police that ‘we can do what we like.’”

And the “rent-a-mob” mentality takes hold.

A week later, and we had the Prime Minister and other leading politicians in the country talking about looking at ways to fix a broken society. And this was from a group of career politicians, many of whom had been caught with their fingers in the till over the expenses scandal. What sheer hypocrisy! Not once did I hear anything about God, the Bible or Christianity being mentioned in the plans of action to be discussed as these issues are investigated.  As the deputy Prime Minister is an atheist, he would be unlikely to look at any spiritual aspect of any proposed form of action.

Biblical values are consistently undermined by the teaching of evolution in schools, that all life styles are equal irrespective of true morality, and an aggressive atheistic lobby holds sway where a gullible public swallow their intellectual nonsense. Christianity is often sidelined and ridiculed, and the Bible is seen as being outdated and unnecessary.   The one place where there are sustainable answers is rarely, if ever, mentioned.

There is little esteeming others better than self and doing what is in the best interests of neighbours. A selfish society has developed where these riots take place, and the perpetrators feel that it is their right to act in such a way. And much handwringing takes place by those in charge.

With all of this potent mix present, just what did they think would happen?

We are reporting about the fluid situation in Libya and explain that it is far too early to celebrate; point out the emerging possibility of “foreign” military involvement in Syria; speak of the rocky relationship between US Christian fundamentalists and Israel; address the dangers of Egypt’s new-found “democracy”; speak of the failure of the U.S. legal system in the Strauss-Kahn matter; report on the unusual earthquake which hit the U.S. East Coast, and Hurricane Irene; discuss the perceived need to create a powerful European fiscal government; and show how much U.K.’s former Prime Minister is out of touch with reality.

Confusion and Chaos in Libya

The New York Times wrote on August 22:

“The struggle to… impose a new order on the capital presents a crucial test of the rebel leadership’s many pledges to replace Colonel Qaddafi’s bizarre autocracy with the democratic rule of law, and it could have consequences across the country and throughout the Arab world. Unlike the swift and largely peaceful revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt, the Libyan insurrection was the first revolt of the Arab Spring to devolve into a protracted armed struggle, and at times threatened to descend into a civil war of factions and tribes… an ugly outcome here might discourage strong foreign support for democracy movements elsewhere.

“For now, governments throughout the West and the Middle East welcomed the rebels’ victory and pledged to assist them in the transition. The European Union said Monday that it had begun planning for a post-Qaddafi era, and Turkey’s foreign minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, said he would… meet with the rebel leader, Mustafa Abdel-Jalil… Egypt formally recognized the rebel Libyan government on Monday…”

More Than 30 Countries Recognize Libya’s NTC

Haaretz wrote on August 23:

“More than 30 countries now recognize the rebel National Transitional Council (NTC) as the legitimate representative of Libya… [Five] countries moved to recognize the NTC on Tuesday alone – Iraq, Morocco, Bahrain, Oman and Nigeria – joining the United States and the major European Union countries…

“Of the other major powers, Russia has said it will not recognize the NTC as the sole legitimate representative of Libya, but it does recognize it as a party to the talks… China… has courted Libyan rebels by hosting their leaders and sending envoys for talks…

“Palestine President Mahmoud Abbas said on Monday that his government recognized the NTC, as did the Arab League… Turkey first recognized the National Council as a legitimate representative of the Libyan people in June, but officials said that did not mean it was the only representative of the Libyan people…”

Deutsche Welle reported on August 25 that “The Arab League effectively recognized the Libyan rebels’ National Transitional Council (NTC) as the country’s legitimate representatives on Thursday, saying the NTC should take up Libya’s permanent seat on the council starting at a meeting of Arab ministers on Saturday.”

What’s Next for Libya?

Der Spiegel Online wrote on August 23:

“… what happens next? One thing is clear: An entirely new state will have to be created. Forty-two years of despotic leadership have left Libya with little to build upon. There are no democratic structures and there is no rule of law. Oil reserves might make Libya a potentially rich nation, but the economy and infrastructure are in a ruinous state. Old rivalries between the country’s tribes are already flaring…

“The Libyan National Transition Council, which hopes to lead the restructuring, will hardly be in a position to transform the country into a stable member of the global community without help. It is already dependent on massive support from outside, largely from Europe and the United States. But to what extent can the West intervene? With money alone, or possibly even with United Nations peacekeepers?

“It is a difficult situation… Libya could dissolve into a powder keg…”

Der Tagesspiegel added on August 23:

“One can only hope that the rebels won’t take revenge and massacre those who were loyal to their dictator. It will be difficult enough as it is to create a working democracy… That will require the ability to compromise and to engage in consensus — characteristics that neither side has shown so far.”

Too Early to Celebrate

USA Today wrote on August 23:

“… justifiable joy over the crumbling of Gadhafi’s regime… is tempered by the knowledge that the fall of a dictator is not the end of the story… In Iraq, as Americans know all too well, the celebrations in Baghdad’s Firdos Square and premature triumphalism over Saddam Hussein’s ouster were followed by a bloody insurgency, sectarian strife, an emboldened Iran and the rise of an al-Qaeda affiliate where none had existed. So it’s far too early for cheers…

“What will the new Libya look like? It surely won’t be Western-style democracy, and in the end it might not even be one country, fracturing instead along historical tribal lines. And in a nation that is 97% Sunni Muslim, the government will undoubtedly have an Islamic flavor. Things could still turn out badly, particularly if Islamists gain too much power…”

On August 23, USA Today published the following additional viewpoints:

“David Pryce-Jones, National Review Online: ‘The sight of the pick-up vans pouring into Tripoli is more frightening than encouraging. Here are milling crowds with weapons but no training in how to handle them, and no discipline. Unlike the spokesmen, (these) wild and angry men are firing guns, shouting about what they are going to do to Moammar Gadhafi and how great the future will be. Circumstances like these have ended down the centuries in revenge and murder. It is pointless to speak of law and order. After 40 years of one-man rule, there are no institutions or personalities with the authority for even minimum control. Those milling crowds look like anarchy.’

“Andrew Solomon, The New Yorker: ‘Few citizens will cry if Gadhafi hangs, but many fear that the eastern tribes, long disadvantaged inside Libya, will be harsh to the western ones if they win power. The Transitional National Council, which speaks for the rebellion, has been surprisingly effective at keeping the fighting going for six months, but to suggest that it represents the views of all Gadhafi’s opponents would be naive. It doesn’t even represent the views of all members of the established resistance in the eastern part of Libya, and it will surely not represent the interests of the many sophisticated Tripolitans who despise the leader, but also dislike the rebels’ ragtag chaos. The TNC has tended to describe itself in whatever terms will most effectively secure it NATO’s continued allegiance. These are nothing more than campaign promises, irrelevant to postwar leadership and reconstruction.’

“Daniel Serwer, Foreign Policy: ‘Establishing transparent, accountable, and inclusive institutions of governance will be the responsibility of the Transitional National Council (TNC)… The TNC’s inclinations are clearly in the democratic direction, but it has been rent by factionalism and disorganization. The killing of the rebel military chief Abdel Fatah Younes by what appears to be a dissident faction within the rebel ranks is only the most visible example of this internal chaos…’

“Marc Ginsberg, The Huffington Post: ‘Libya may be unified in the short run, but underneath the euphoria that will accompany the rebels’ victory, Libya is a very divided nation… There is real danger that the temporary alliance that formed the backbone of the rebel leadership will fracture, perhaps on tribal lines or religious lines, as competing tribes try to cut their own deals to gain influence and assert control over Libya’s all-important petroleum resources in the growing power vacuum.’”

As all of these articles show, it is far too early to celebrate, as Libya’s future looks grim and very uncertain. For further information, please read our Q&A on Libya and view our StandingWatch programs on the issue, “Libya in Prophecy” and “The Future of Libya”.

Germany Must Never Abstain Again…

The conservative paper, Die Welt, (as well as other German papers) used the “victory” of the rebels to blast the German government for their refusal to intervene militarily in Libya. Die Welt wrote on August 23:

“… the triumph of the Libyan revolution has made a mockery of German foreign policy… The triumph of the Libyan revolution leaves Germany’s foreign policy disgraced to its core. Without the air war waged by NATO — which Germany boycotted in a fit of national-pacifist arrogance — the victory of the rebels would have been impossible.”

The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung added:

“Germany, which always professed to be a supporter of common European defense, withheld its solidarity from countries that are essential for this goal, using spurious arguments, and mainly motivated by domestic political considerations. This will do lasting damage to Berlin’s credibility on security policy. The foreign minister’s argument that Germany didn’t want to deploy ground troops was an excuse from the start — the British and French didn’t want to either, let alone the Americans; the pleasure being expressed now at the victory of the rebels seems all the more embarrassing.”

The business daily Financial Times Deutschland wrote:

“The rebels’ victory has many fathers, but none of them is German…”

Germany’s decision not to intervene militarily in Libya was the only sound and correct one, and it was supported by the overwhelming majority of the German people. The current celebrations of those who think that their military engagement was the right course of action will soon change their laughter into mourning and weeping. However, it is remarkable that portions of the German press, which was at first supportive of the German government’s decision not to intervene, is now suddenly attacking them for their inactivity, strongly implying that Germany should have intervened, and advocating the idea that they should do so in the future. As the media is far too often not reporting the news, but trying to “create” the news and influence and even change the opinions of the people, we will have to wait to see what such current mind games will accomplish. In this light, the following article is also very revealing.

Germany Unreliable?

The Local reported on August 24:

“Former Chancellor Helmut Kohl on Wednesday offered a blistering assessment of Germany’s current foreign policy, saying the country had become an erratic and unreliable partner to its closest allies… Germany’s longest-serving post-war leader slammed his successors Gerhard Schröder and Angela Merkel for ruining the country’s reputation overseas.

“’Germany’s hasn’t been a reliable power for several years – neither domestically nor abroad,’ said Kohl. ‘We have to be careful not to throw everything away. We desperately have to return to our former dependability.’ Kohl said recent events such as Germany’s decision not to support the efforts of its closest allies to oust Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi and the lacking German leadership during the eurozone debt crisis had left him dismayed…

“The former chancellor, who presided over Germany reunification in 1990, said the foreign policy of Merkel’s centre-right coalition under the direction of Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle appeared haphazard and without direction… Kohl also pointed to the decision last spring by US President Barack Obama to visit France and Poland yet skip over Germany as a sign just how much the current government had neglected transatlantic relations…

“The 81-year-old also warned about the dangers posed by the eurozone’s sovereign debt crisis. Bailing out heavily indebted euro members such as Greece was crucial to [the] future of the European Union, he said. ‘We have no choice if we don’t want Europe to break apart,’ Kohl said, adding he never would have allowed Greece to join the single currency had he still been chancellor at the time.”

Merkel and Westerwelle rejected Kohl’s criticism, while justifying their actions. In addition, as The Local reported on August 25, “Forbes magazine has named German Chancellor Angela Merkel the world’s most powerful woman, calling her the ‘undisputed’ leader of the European Union and head of its only ‘real global economy.’ Merkel, who has topped the list of the world’s 100 most powerful women in all but one of the years since she became chancellor in November 2005, beat out US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and, in 3rd place, Dilma Rousseff, who became Brazil’s first woman president on January 1 2011.”

The U.S. Costs of the Libyan War… So Far…

ABC News reported on August 22:

“The cost of U.S. military intervention in Libya has cost American taxpayers an estimated $896 million through July 31, the Pentagon said today. The price tag includes the amounts for daily military operations, munitions used in the operation and humanitarian assistance for the Libyan people. The U.S. has also promised $25 million in non-lethal aid to the Libyan Transitional National Council…

“While Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi appears on the way out, NATO says flight missions over Tripoli will continue… Over the past 12 days, U.S. planes have flown 391 sorties for a total of 5,316 since April 1…

“One significant offset to the cost of U.S. involvement in the flights worth noting is the sale of military equipment to allies also involved in the cause. Pentagon officials say the sale of ammunition, replacement parts, fuel, and technical assistance to allies since March has totaled $221.9 million…”

How much good could be done with those amounts of money which are currently wasted, to a large extent, for evil…

The Future of Libya’s Weapons of Mass Destruction

The Associated Press reported on August 23:

“No one can be sure who controls the Libyan government’s weapons stockpiles, a stew of deadly chemicals, raw nuclear material and some 30,000 shoulder-fired rockets that officials fear could fall into terrorists’ hands in the chaos of Moammar Gadhafi’s downfall or afterward. One immediate worry, U.S. intelligence and military officials say, is that Gadhafi might use the weapons to make a last stand.

“But officials also face the troubling prospect that the material, which was left under Gadhafi’s control by a U.S.-backed disarmament pact, could be obtained by al-Qaida or other militants even after a rebel victory is secured.”

Syria Next?

The Washington Post wrote on August 22:

“U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Monday accused Syrian President Bashar al-Assad of failing to live up to his pledge to halt all security operations against protesters, saying the Syrian leader ‘has not kept his word.’… The Syrian government’s ongoing military crackdown on civilians has deepened Assad’s isolation, prompting President Obama and key European leaders from Britain, France and Germany to call for him to step down.

“The U.N. Human Rights Council, meanwhile, met Monday to discuss a draft resolution [which was subsequently adopted] calling for the establishment of a commission to investigate allegations of Syrian abuses… [The adopted resolution] ‘strongly condemns’ the government’s ‘continued grave and systematic human rights violations’ and insists that those responsible for the violence be held accountable for their crimes…

“’The United States deplores Assad’s campaign of ever-increasing brutality and terror against unarmed innocents, which may amount to crimes against humanity,’ Eileen Chamberlain Donahoe, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Human Rights Council, told the Geneva-based council Monday. ‘The Assad regime has no intention of ceasing its violent attacks against the Syrian people.’”

Assad warned that any military intervention would have terrible repercussions. If a full-fledged war with foreign intervention breaks out in Syria, the devastating consequences would be indeed much more severe than in any of the rebelling Arab countries so far…

The Rocky Relationship between US Christian Fundamentalists and Israel

The Los Angeles Times wrote on August 23:

“[Glen Beck’s] rally in Jerusalem has triggered a debate over whether he should be embraced as a pro-Israel friend or condemned as a fanatic who has battled allegations of anti-Semitism. The visit is focusing renewed attention on the growing, and some say unlikely, alliance between right-wing Israelis and Christian fundamentalists in the U.S…

“Beck’s staunch support for Israeli control over Jerusalem and his criticism of Palestinians’ ambitions to create their own state have won him praise from many conservative Israeli leaders… But critics say Beck’s track record of controversial statements makes him an inappropriate ally. Last month he likened Norwegian youths gunned down at a political camp by an anti-Islamic extremist to ‘Hitler Youth.’

“Twice in the last year Beck has been denounced by the Anti-Defamation League for ‘bigoted’ and ‘horrific’ comments on his show, one likening Reform Judaism to ‘radicalized Islam’ and another in which he said Holocaust survivor and billionaire George Soros betrayed fellow Jews to Nazis. Under pressure from Jewish groups in the U.S., Beck apologized for the remark about Reform Judaism.

“He has several times had to fend off allegations of anti-Semitism. Last year he appeared to endorse the notion that Jews killed Jesus Christ; his list of the world’s nine most ‘dangerous’ people includes eight Jews…

“Beck’s visit reflects the partnership between conservative Israelis and some American Christian groups. So-called Christian Zionist groups and evangelical churches, such as Texas-based John Hagee Ministries, donate millions of dollars to help fund settlement construction in the West Bank and support Israel. The support comes, in part, from a belief among some Christian fundamentalists that Jews are God’s ‘chosen people’ and that a return of the Jewish people to the Holy Land and the rebuilding of the Jewish temple in Jerusalem are signs of the second coming. Beck, who converted to the Mormon faith in 1999, frequently discussed such end-of-the-world prophecies and biblical themes on his program.

“For conservative Israelis, the benefits of the alliance are more pragmatic. American evangelical groups have become a key source of tourist dollars and political and financial support, particularly as the divide has grown between American Jews, who remain predominantly liberal, and Israelis, who are shifting more toward the right.

“‘It’s a marriage of convenience,’ said Hebrew University political science professor David Ricci, an expert in U.S. relations. ‘Over the last 10 years, fewer liberals in the U.S. are willing to be clearly identified with the Israeli government.’ But Ricci and others see potential fault lines in the partnership. For starters, evangelicals are often active in missionary work, something Israelis do not tolerate…”

A Frightening Look at Egypt’s New Democracy

The Blaze wrote on August 22:

“While perhaps not shocking, it is profoundly disturbing that in the purportedly more ‘moderate’ Egypt of 2011, demonstrators took to the streets outside the Israeli embassy in Cairo with signs bearing swastikas and a message that read: ‘the gas chambers are ready.’

“It was feared by some that the fall of Mubarak would create a vacuum, thereby opening the door for an Israel-hostile regime to enter Egypt’s halls of power. If ‘democracy’ is what the Egyptian spring truly sought and cared about, then why the vitriolic calls for Jews to be sent to the gas chambers? And to whose gas chambers, exactly, are the protesters referring? Is this what Israel has to look forward to from its ever-changing neighbor?”

Powerful Earthquake Strikes US East Coast

The Associated Press reported on August 23:

“One of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded on the East Coast of the United States shook buildings and rattled nerves on Tuesday and forced the evacuations of parts of the Capitol, the White House, and the Pentagon… The quake registered magnitude 5.8 and was centered about 40 miles northwest of Richmond, Va., the U.S. Geological Survey said.

“Two nuclear reactors at the North Anna Power Station, in the same county as the epicenter, were automatically taken off line by safety systems… The earthquake came less than three weeks before the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, and it immediately triggered fears in both Washington and New York of something more sinister than a natural disaster…

“A magnitude of 5.8 would make the quake among the most powerful to strike the eastern United States. In 1897, a magnitude 5.9 quake was recorded at Giles County, Va., the largest on record in that state. East Coast earthquakes are far less common than in the West, but they tend to be felt over a broad area.”

Hurricane Irene

The Weather Channel reported on August 25 that “Our projected path map… continues to paint an ominous picture by pointing Hurricane Irene right in the direction of the East Coast this weekend. The latest computer model guidance confirms this threat and the first hurricane watches have been issued for the United States. The potential is real for the strongest hurricane hit on the Northeast in at least a couple decades this weekend!…

“Going back to 1851, there have been only 5 hurricanes whose centers of circulation have passed within 75 miles of New York City. The last hurricane within that distance from New York City was Hurricane Gloria 26 years ago… Similarly, only 10 hurricanes since 1851 have passed within 75 miles of Boston. The most recent was almost exactly 20 years ago: Hurricane Bob.”

BBC News added on August 25:

“The first hurricane of the Atlantic season is a category three storm, packing winds of 115mph (185km/h), and expected to get stronger… Irene, which is passing over the Bahamas, has already caused havoc throughout the Caribbean… The storm is growing larger and is expected to reach category four as it heads towards the US… The exact track of the hurricane is uncertain, but US emergency officials said the east coast from the Carolinas to New England was preparing for its impact.”

Strauss-Kahn Free, While US Justice System Failed Miserably

Der Spiegel wrote von August 23:

“Former IMF head Dominique Strauss-Kahn is free after attempted rape charges against him were dropped in New York on Tuesday…

“The conservative daily Die Welt writes: ‘We don’t know what happened. In light of the alleged rape victim’s mendacity, the New York public prosecutors didn’t dare to find out the truth’…

“The conservative daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung writes: ‘The fact remains that Strauss-Kahn’s public existence — as director of the IMF and promising French presidential candidate — is probably destroyed forever…’

“The Financial Times Deutschland writes: ‘This affair, staged like an entertainment spectacle, was a test for the US justice system. It failed miserably. Pre-judgment took place instead of presumed innocence, conjecture instead of clarification, public sensationalism instead of personal protection, and a pre-trial pillory took the place of an unbiased investigation…’

“The financial daily Handelsblatt writes: ‘If one lesson should be taken from the failed case against Dominique Strauss-Kahn it should be this: Have mercy on those who fall into the grasp of the US justice system. Even if the public prosecutors stopped a case that lacks foundation at the last minute, Strauss-Kahn’s case exposes the weaknesses of the American justice system … Those who don’t have the means to fight against this must fear injustice before the court. This goes to the question of why the statements of the alleged victim were sufficient, without previous examination, to set a martial trial in motion. A trial that appealed to the most base instincts of the public by staging the fall of one of the world’s most powerful men. If anything remains from the Strauss-Kahn case, hopefully it will be a lively debate over the American justice system.’”

Sadly, such a discussion won’t be forthcoming. In light of the miserable failure of the US “justice” system in the case at hand, platitudes like, “We see that our system works,” are just laughable, if they weren’t so tragic.

EU Must Become a Strong Fiscal Unity

The Local reported on August 21:

“The head of Germany’s Commerzbank Martin Blessing has called for a unified European economic policy organized by a finance minister to stabilize the single currency. The only alternative is to abandon the euro, he said. ‘We need a real European finance minister with the appropriate powers,’ Blessing wrote in a guest column in Sunday’s Welt am Sonntag newspaper…

“The top bank manager said there were only two ways out of the current debt crisis: a return to national currencies, or fiscal unity for the European Union. Blessing said the idea of a common economic government was the first step in the right direction, but that it was currently not being implemented forcefully enough…

“He said that only strong institutions with the power to intervene in the budget sovereignty of individual euro-states would help. He said only this would force national governments to stick to financial conditions. Blessing also suggested the EU should be allowed to impose taxes, and to construct a common debt agency to issue government bonds.”

If those two alternatives are correct, then we would have to conclude that such an autocratic unified European economic policy will be established for the reason alone that the core countries of the Eurozone will not replace the euro with national currencies.  In this context, Der Spiegel reported on August 24 that “the former head of the US Federal Reserve, Alan Greenspan, expects an end to the European common currency. ‘The euro is collapsing,’ Greenspan was quoted as saying at a Washington, D.C. symposium. Such an event would cause grave problems for European banks, whose security is already partially ‘questionable,’ he said.” Of course, Greenspan was fundamentally wrong before, and he is also wrong again in his remarks about the anticipated “collapse” of the euro.

Tony Blair Out Of Touch With Reality

Mail On Line reported on August 23:

“In a rare intervention in domestic politics, the former Prime Minister [Tony Blair] suggested Mr Cameron was wrong to blame the riots on a general ‘moral decline’ in Britain… He spoke out as it emerged that Scotland Yard believes up to 30,000 people were involved in looting, arson and criminal damage during the riots in London.

“Metropolitan Police figures show 3,296 crimes were committed during four days of rioting in the capital. Between five and ten people were linked with each crime, so police believe they may be looking at between 15,000 and 30,000 suspects… [Blair] said the main problem lay with alienated youths from dysfunctional families living ‘at odds with any canons of proper behaviour’… He went on: ‘The key is to understand that they aren’t symptomatic of society at large…’

“Mr Blair accepted that he made a mistake in 1993 when he suggested, as shadow home secretary, that the killing in Liverpool of two-year-old James Bulger had deeper causes in the breakdown of communities. He said at the time: ‘We cannot exist in a moral vacuum. If we do not learn and then teach the value of what is right and what is wrong, then the result is simply moral chaos which engulfs us all. I have no doubt that the breakdown of law and order is intimately linked to the break-up of a strong sense of community. And the break-up of community in turn is, to a crucial degree, consequent on the breakdown in family life.’

“The speech helped to undermine John Major’s Conservative government. Yesterday Mr Blair said: ‘I now believe that speech was good politics but bad policy.’”

Apart from the fact that Tony Blair’s present position makes little sense and is clearly unrealistic in the light of the established facts, he admits that he made earlier statements just for the sake of politics. Again, we observe the hypocritical and unrighteous character of political maneuverings, which establishes and reconfirms our dogmatic position that a true Christian must not have anything to do with such dirty endeavors, including voting in governmental elections for any of the political candidates.

As we pointed out in a previous Q&A, discussing opening and closing prayers, the Church of the Eternal God in the USA and its corporate affiliates, the Global Church of God in the UK, and the Church of God, a Christian Fellowship in Canada, trace their roots to the Worldwide Church of God under the late Herbert W. Armstrong (who died in 1986). During his lifetime, Mr. Armstrong established the way in which Church of God services should be conducted, and we have substantially adopted these procedures. As a consequence, our weekly and annual Sabbath services include opening and closing prayers, a song service, announcements, occasional special music presentations (especially during the Feast of Tabernacles), and a sermonette and a sermon (sometimes, we may have two split sermons instead of a sermonette and a sermon, and we may on rare occasions dispense with a sermonette in lieu of a longer announcement session).

As pointed out in our previous Q&A, only baptized men are to give sermonettes and sermons.

We are presenting the following guidelines, which the Church has developed over the years, in regard to the preparation and presentation of sermonettes. This is not a rigid outline or formula, but it is meant to give valuable principles.

The purpose of the sermonette is to prepare the audience for the sermon, but it is not just a “general” or “ordinary” message, but it is supposed to be an inspired message from God. Normally, a sermonette should not be longer than 15 minutes, unless the presiding Pastor has given special prior permission for a longer message.

To give a sermonette is a privilege, not a right. Sermonettes provide opportunities for baptized men to teach—not to preach or correct. A sermonette speaker won’t be able to “fix” or “save” someone in a short message, anyway. Correction is the responsibility of the Pastor. Sermonette topics should be carefully selected. Topics which are corrective or overly broad or are “new” or speculative would be inappropriate. A topic which challenges Church teaching is absolutely forbidden.

Appropriate topics could be broken down into the following categories:

1. an explanation of “difficult” or misapplied Scriptures in light of Church teaching (e.g., 1 Timothy 4:4 or Acts 10:12-13–do these passages justify eating unclean meats; or John 14:2–is heaven the reward of the saved?; or Luke 17:21–is the Kingdom of God in the hearts of men?);
2. an explanation of two Scriptures, which apparently contradict each other (e.g., Acts 9:7 vs. Acts 22:9–did or didn’t those with Paul on the road to Damascus hear the voice of Christ?);
3. a clarification of a particular Scriptural point (e.g., Mark 9:48–are there immortal worms?); and
4. an explanation of how to apply Scripture and Church teaching in practice (e.g., how to use our second tithe; or how to dress for Sabbath services; or what is right conversation after services; or how to participate during the song service; or how to teach our children to rejoice at the Feast of Tabernacles; or what does it mean that our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, as related to drugs, smoking, excessive drinking or tattoos). However, as mentioned, it should encourage the audience to do or not to do something; the purpose is NOT to correct the audience.

The sermonette speaker has to make sure, of course, that the explanations he is giving are the right ones! He is not to rely on what he might have heard someone say many years ago. He also has to make sure that the written source material he may be using is accurate and current. This is true for “worldly” commentaries and encyclopedias, but it can also include “old” Church articles which are by now outdated or which have been subsequently revised.

The Church of the Eternal God and its corporate affiliates have published a wealth of current information on biblical topics, including 33 booklets, over 500 weekly Updates (many of which include a Bible Study or Q&A and a Bible-oriented Editorial); over 100 member letters, as well as hundreds of posted sermons, split sermons and sermonettes. We have posted all of our literature and many of our audio and video-recorded messages on our websites (www.eternalgod.org; www.globalchurchofgod.co.uk; www.churchofgodacf.ca; www.standingwatch.org; www.aufpostenstehen.de). Many of our video-recorded messages can also be found on You Tube, and the Church of the Eternal God is now also featured on Facebook.

The sermonette speaker must be supportive and promote unity. The material he presents must be correct, and he must never publicly disagree with any Church teachings. If he has questions, he must check them out with the ministry. It is not wrong to have questions or a lack of understanding, but one must get them sorted out if one is to be a fully supportive member of the Church. If in doubt, it is always advisable to discuss the proposed sermonette with the local Pastor before giving it.

The sermonette speaker is not to use the sermonette time to air personal gripes or complaints about the Church, the organization, members of the local congregation, the ministry, or any other Church problem. He is not to take a personal problem of someone in the congregation and give a sermonette about it.

The sermonette speaker should pray about his sermonette and begin to prepare the message early—not just the night before or the very same day when he is to speak. When preparing and delivering the message, the sermonette speaker has to keep in mind proper and clear pronunciation and grammar; as well as vocal variety and quality. Inappropriate language is to be avoided. The pulpit is not the place to describe explicitly the sins of mankind. Paul and the other apostles do mention certain types of sin, but they do not describe them in detail. The same goes for slang bordering on bad language.

When giving his message, the sermonette speaker needs to maintain eye contact with the audience, which prohibits just reading from many notes or a transcript. As we pointed out in a previous Q&A, “This is not to say that we should not prepare our messages and reduce our thoughts to writing and that we should not have any notes when delivering a sermonette or a sermon, but it is to say that speakers must not be too ‘note-bound’ when they deliver their message. Rather, they should and must allow God to inspire them, while speaking.”

In addition, a sermonette speaker needs to be well groomed; and he needs to smile and be warm and friendly, without being overly jocular or just plain silly. Remember, we are appearing in front of GOD during the entire Sabbath service.

Each sermonette should follow the usual Outline of a powerful introduction, a clear and precise Specific Purpose Statement (SPS), a body or main contents of the message, and a gripping and memorable conclusion. (But before beginning with the introduction, it is important that the speaker recognizes and welcomes the audience. A warm short greeting with a smiling face will be much appreciated by the audience. Just jumping into the message without first addressing the audience would be inappropriate.)

The Introduction must grab the audience’s attention. It must give the audience a reason why they should listen; why it is important for them to know. It could present a challenge; give some startling facts; or ask a question. A sermonette speaker should not begin with, “Let’s turn with me to….”; or, “I would like to explain the apparent contradiction….” All of this is lifeless and somewhat boring. Instead, a powerful introduction could perhaps be, “How can you be sure that you don’t go to heaven when you die?” Or: “How would you explain to someone that we don’t vote in governmental elections?” It is of course necessary that the introduction relates to the rest of the sermonette. It must lead into the Specific Purpose Statement (SPS).

The Specific Purpose Statement (SPS) makes clear what the sermonette speaker is going to cover in the course of the sermonette. It tells the audience what he is seeking to achieve. It introduces the ONE point which the sermonette will discuss. The introduction and the SPS of the sermonette do not necessarily have to be presented distinctly and separately. The sermonette’s opening comments may be a combination of these two functions.

The Body or main contents of the sermonette must of course respond and relate to, and deliver what was stated in the introduction and the SPS. It must fulfill what was set out to achieve, without containing new or unrelated material. The points within the body should flow in logical sequence (chronologically, historically, etc.), but there should not be too many points. A sermonette is to have ONE main point; it can of course have a few sub-points which all relate to the main point.

A sermonette is not to have too many Scriptures, either. The Church has suggested at times that a sermonette should have no more than three or four Scriptures. This is a sound guideline, but not an iron-clad rule. Some sermonettes can be very effective, even though they may include more than four Scriptures, while other sermonettes with three Scriptures may not be that effective. But it is most certainly not good to load the message with Scripture after Scripture where most of the time is taken up reading them and little time is left to comment on them or give supporting material.

The Conclusion of the sermonette is vitally important. The last words will stay the longest with the audience. Common mistakes are to just stop speaking almost without warning at the end of the body of the speech; to give a conclusion which is not related to the rest of the sermonette; or to introduce new material. The conclusion must be memorized and should not be read, and the speaker should NOT end his message with, “Thank you.” Rather, the conclusion must be effective. It could emphasize the ONE point that was made in the sermonette. It might include some catchy phrase related to the sermonette, or leave the audience with a challenge to apply what has been said.

Since giving a sermonette is an opportunity for a non-ministerial speaker to receive training in leadership and effective public speaking, as well as in serving the congregation, he should expect and welcome constructive criticism and an evaluation of his sermonette from his minister. Being asked to give a sermonette is a wonderful opportunity and responsibility, which must not be taken lightly. A sermonette speaker should carefully and prayerfully review and apply these guidelines, so that he may deliver a God-pleasing and Godly inspired message, which will be helpful to the audience.

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

A new member letter has been posted on the Web site and was sent out last week, together with a copy of our new booklet, “Germany in Prophecy.”

Our new booklet, “Paul’s Letter to the Philippians,” has entered the final review cycle.

A new StandingWatch program was posted on our Web site (www.standingwatch.org) and on YouTube, titled, “Is the Fourth Reich Coming?”

The German version of the English program titled, “Kommt das Vierte Reich?” was posted on our German Web site (www.aufpostenstehen.de) and on YouTube.

A new German sermon was posted on the Web, titled, “Gibt es eine heimliche Entrueckung?” [“Is there a secret rapture?”]

Please feel free to proceed with making reservations for the Feast of Tabernacles 2011 with the Hilton Garden Inn at 601 James Way, Pismo Beach, CA 93449. When you call under 1-805-773-6020, please make sure that you mention that you are attending the Feast convention of the Church of the Eternal God. Further information is available on our Web site (www.eternalgod.org), under “Feasts.”