On February 12, 2011, Norbert Link will give the sermon, titled, “Paul’s Letter to the Philippians, Part 3.”

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.

Volumes of books have been written, sermon after sermon has been given, and debates have taken place in the pursuit of defending positions and answering in the affirmative that one’s organization is in fact the place that Christians should go to congregate. In reality, there is a quick and simple litmus test that will suffice: Is there love for one another there?

If we are genuinely a Christian we will have godly love for our brothers in Christ and they will in turn be displaying the same attitude towards us. The true church is then a collection of these type of individuals.

Because if love for one another exists, then we:

• will be following the example and command of Christ (John 15:12, 17)
• are treating others better than ourselves (Romans 12:10)
• are fulfilling the law (Romans 13:8)
• serve each other (Galatians 5:13)
• humbly bear others (Ephesians 4:2)
• stir up good works (Hebrews 10:24)
• are begotten of God (1 John 4:7)
• have God in us (1 John 4:12)
• keep God’s commandments (1 John 5:2)

It is no small thing that we have been admonished to do. We cannot take this lightly and be hearers only, but because this is an integral part of our calling, we need to be doers as well. So we are to continue to grow, “increase and abound in love to one another” as we have been taught by God (1 Thessalonians 3:12; 4:9).

This was once a new commandment (John 13:34): new at the time Christ gave it and new for us when we first came in the church. Now it is something that we should have been conscientiously living by for some time. And if we have been doing so, then it will be an identifier not only to us that we are His disciples (John 13:35), but more importantly for others that we are Christians in the true church of God.

We begin focusing on Great Britain’s fight with radical Islamists and terrorists, as well as militant atheists, followed by an article claiming that the US betrayed Britain by secretly divulging confidential information to Russia, and continue with a report, setting forth increasing persecution in Europe of Christian values. Staying in Europe, we concentrate on Germany’s leadership role within the EU, the beginning of greater integration of the Euro-Zone, Spain’s fight for its economic survival, and a proposed merger between German and the American institutions to become the world’s largest exchanges operator.

Turning to the Middle East, we are quoting several articles and interviews to shed light on the real origins and frightening goals of the Muslim Brotherhood, and caution those who want to rush “Egyptian democracy.” We conclude with articles on the situation in Jordan and Iran.

For more information on the developments in the Middle East, please make sure to view our StandingWatch programs,  “The Future of the Middle East,” and “Egypt in Prophecy.” You are also encouraged to watch Norbert Link’s recent video-taped 30-minutes lecture, “The Future of Egypt.”

England Too Tolerant Towards Islamists…

Mail On Line wrote on February 7:

“David Cameron today pledged to make Britain ‘a lot less’ tolerant towards Islamic extremists who whip up hatred against the West… the Prime Minister argued that Britain has been too ‘passive’ towards organisations and preachers who poison the minds of young Muslims. Mr Cameron said Britain needs to be… more judgmental when faced with ideologies that threaten the country’s basic values… he  suggested that to ‘belong’ in Britain, individuals must sign up to core values such as freedom of speech, the rule of law and democracy…

“The Prime Minister also hit out at… multiculturalism – calling it a failure. He [said] society has failed to provide a strong sense of what it means to be British, making it easier for extremists to prey on youngsters seeking something to identify with…

“Mr Cameron pledged to end the state funding of groups that help foster extremist views, even if they are not directly linked to terrorism. He warned that there is a ‘spectrum’ of dangerous groups, ranging from those advocating suicide bomb attacks to those who ‘may reject violence, but who accept various parts of the extremist world view, including real hostility towards western democracy and liberal values’… Mr Cameron warned fellow European leaders that they cannot tackle terrorism simply by tracking down extremists abroad in countries like Afghanistan and Pakistan and must ‘wake up to what is happening in our own countries.’”

A far-reaching confrontation between Europe and radical Islam appears inevitable.

…and Militant Atheists

The Telegraph wrote on February 7:

“The Church of England will this week vow to fight ‘new atheism’ in an attempt to combat the rise of secularism and defend Christianity in Britain. Clergy are to be urged to be more vocal in countering the arguments put forward by a more hard-line group of atheists such as Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens, who have campaigned for a less tolerant attitude towards religion… The rallying call comes amid fears that Christians are suffering from an increasing level of discrimination following a series of cases in which they have been punished for sharing their beliefs…

“[A] landmark report… says that religion in Britain is under threat from atheists, but admits that the Church faces many internal problems as well, from ageing congregations to rows over homosexuality. Drawing particular attention to the threat posed by a new movement of militant atheists, led by Dawkins and Hitchens, it says the Church must respond if it is not to be pushed from the public square… It says the Church of England can appear too vague on where it stands on issues and risks further divisions over the introduction of women bishops and future debates about sexuality.”

A strong stance against atheistic ideas is only possible if a Christian organization is strongly convicted and unified. Sadly, the Church of England is far too permissive and indecisive in regard to many Christian values.

Britain Safe Haven for Foreign Terrorists?

The Scotsman wrote on February 4:

“The United Kingdom has become a ‘safe haven’ for foreign terrorism suspects because European human rights legislation is making it difficult to deport dangerous people… The European Court of Human Rights has ruled that some foreign terror suspects cannot be sent home if there is a risk they may be mistreated or tortured…

“To circumvent the European law, Britain has asked countries to sign agreements pledging not to mistreat suspects deported there, including Algeria, Jordan and Ethiopia. A pact struck with Libya is currently on hold after it was challenged by Britain’s courts.”

Developments like these will make a permanent separation between Great Britain and Europe more and more likely.

US Betrayal of Britain’s Secrets to Russia

The Telegraph wrote on February 7:

“The US secretly agreed to give the Russians sensitive information on Britain’s nuclear deterrent to persuade them to sign a key treaty… The fact that the Americans used British nuclear secrets as a bargaining chip also sheds new light on the so-called ‘special relationship’, which is shown often to be a one-sided affair by US diplomatic communications…

“A series of classified messages sent to Washington by US negotiators show how information on Britain’s nuclear capability was crucial to securing Russia’s support for the ‘New START’ deal.

“Although the treaty was not supposed to have any impact on Britain, the leaked cables show that Russia used the talks to demand more information about the UK’s Trident missiles, which are manufactured and maintained in the US.

“Washington lobbied London in 2009 for permission to supply Moscow with detailed data about the performance of UK missiles. The UK refused, but the US agreed to hand over the serial numbers of Trident missiles it transfers to Britain.”

The Bible shows that the “special relationship” between the USA and Great Britain will come to an end.

And It Might Still Not Pay…

The Associated Press wrote on February 7:

“Russia sees the planned U.S. missile defense system as a potential threat to its nuclear forces and may review its participation in a landmark nuclear arms treaty, officials said Monday.

“The New START deal, the centerpiece of President Barack Obama’s efforts to reset ties with Russia and the most significant arms control pact in nearly two decades, took effect last week. It limits each country to 1,550 strategic warheads, down from the current ceiling of 2,200.

“The treaty doesn’t prevent the U.S. from building new missile defense systems, but Russia has warned that it reserves the right to withdraw from the treaty if the United States significantly boosts its missile shield. Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov reaffirmed Monday that a buildup in the U.S. missile defense capability would prompt Moscow [to] re-consider its obligations under the New START treaty.”

With America’s recent history, it is predictable that the USA will also give in to Russia on this matter …

Christian Values Under Attack in Europe

WorldNetDaily wrote on February 5:

“Christianity has been around what now is Europe since the first century, with some parts of the New Testament written to people in Greece and Rome. But a new report is warning that open hostility to Christianity across the continent is on the rise and intolerance is being paired with legislative power to attack and violate the religious rights of the faithful… European Christians are under attack for their freedom of expression, freedom of conscience and parental rights, are targeted by hate crimes… and they are subjected to negative stereotyping in the media…

“For example, last October, former British MP Christine McCafferty urged the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe to recommend limitations to conscientious objection when it comes to abortion… Then in Spain there was a judge who was suspended from his position for objecting to the adoption of a young girl by lesbians. And in the United Kingdom, a registrar was ordered to perform homosexual weddings despite the individual’s personal religious objections to the procedures…

“Spain’s government fined a Christian television network 100,000 euros for carrying advertising opposing the homosexual lifestyle, an anti-abortion campaigner was jailed for sending abortion photos to Queen Elizabeth Hospital and a street preacher in the United Kingdom was arrested after telling passersby that homosexuality is a sin. BHA (British Humanist Association) has called on the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums… to shut down [a particular] zoo. The secular group claims the zoo is misleading tens of thousands of visitors annually and ‘threatening public understanding’ by questioning the traditional view of evolution…

 “In the Netherlands, students are taught that ‘Christianity would be abolished in the end, all other religions would disappear and everybody will convert to Islam. After all,’ said the lesson, ‘only Muslims can be good people.’

“… in the UK, an Employment Appeal Tribunal ordered that Christians cannot act according to their consciences if their beliefs conflict with the promotion of homosexuality, and a foster care giver was suspended from her career for allowing a Muslim child in her care to convert to Christianity…

“In Austria the government enforced sex education guidelines that ‘practically prohibit the teaching of authentic Christian sexual values,’ and in Germany, a mother of eight was jailed for eight days after she refused to send her nine-year-old son to school for its sexual education program.

“…journalists and the media are contributing, with a situation in Germany where the German Daily ‘Die Zeit’ wrongly accused Christians of favoring a radical law in Uganda and a popular BBC soap, ‘Coronation Street,’ featured attacks on the Christian faith…”

Values of true Christianity have been under attack for 2,000 years, and the attackers were professing Christians and non-Christians alike. The developments, described above, might motivate Europe to enact laws to protect perceived Christian values, but if history is a guide for the future, these laws might also include provisions to attack and persecute those who won’t submit to such values, which might or might not reflect true Christianity.

Europe Becoming More German?

Der Spiegel wrote on February 4:

“German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy have presented their vision for saving the euro zone to EU leaders at a summit in Brussels. The bold plan foresees countries taking radical steps to sort out their finances and reduce debt — in short, to become more German…

“As of Friday at the latest, Merkel is officially a leader on saving the euro… Together with French President Nicolas Sarkozy, she presented her plan for saving the common currency at a meeting of European Union leaders in Brussels…

“Merkel is in a strong bargaining position because the other euro-zone countries rely on Germany, as Europe’s biggest economy, to help fund rescue packages. The chancellor seems determined to get her proposal for harmonizing national economies approved in return for Germany’s agreeing to proposed amendments to the EU’s euro rescue fund.

“Merkel’s proposal, which was presented to other EU leaders in a closed-door lunch session on Friday, is likely to split the bloc, however. On Thursday, Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero expressed his support for the pact after a meeting with Merkel in Madrid. But the European Commission is opposed to the move as it would mean the euro-zone members going it alone, rather than including all 27 EU states…

“The left-leaning Berliner Zeitung writes: ‘Europe supposedly needs to become more German. Until recently, Merkel’s suggestion would have caused a storm of protest in Madrid, Athens and Paris. But after a year of the euro crisis, anything seems possible…’

“The center-left Süddeutsche Zeitung writes: ‘For many governments, Merkel’s plans sounds like the Germans want to dictate (what other countries do). But why should the Europeans follow Berlin, of all governments? The answer is simple: Merkel wants to exploit the current situation. At the moment, Germany, as a prosperous country, has a chance to set the rules. Everyone knows that the monetary union would be finished without Germany…

“’Nevertheless, the chancellor is playing a dangerous game. She wants all or nothing. She wants to get the whole package approved, or nothing at all. According to Merkel’s plan, other European countries must adopt the German culture of stability. They must reform their labor markets, health systems, taxes and wages as well as reduce their debt levels. If they refuse, Merkel will refuse to provide German guarantees for bailout packages. To some leaders, that might seem to show a lack of solidarity. But, actually, (Merkel’s approach) is very clever. Berlin needs to exploit the pressure created by the crisis to push through the necessary reforms that will allow the monetary union to survive.’”

The Bible shows that Germany is predestined to play the leadership role in the final configuration of a united Europe.

Greater Integration of Eurozone?

The Local wrote on February 4:

“Merkel said they had asked EU president Herman Van Rompuy to consult with other states in order to fix a decision at the next 27-nation EU summit on March 24 and 25, meaning ‘we would have to reach agreement within the eurozone’ first. Sarkozy underlined that this would mean ‘a greater integration’ than ever before. A special eurozone summit is likely to be needed earlier next month…

“Belgian Prime Minister Yves Leterme said he was ‘absolutely not in agreement’… the head of the European Trades Union Confederation said Germany and France were out to trample over the little guys…

“Support did, however, come from one of the other star eurozone economic performer[s]. Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte characterised the goal as ‘not a race to the bottom, but a race to the top…’

“Diplomats warned, though, that southern eurozone nations, including Portugal, fear being rail-roaded down an even more painful path of reform.”

A greater integration of the Eurozone is quite telling. It is prophesied that in the end, ten European nations or groups of nations will rule Europe, and that these nations will transfer their authority to a charismatic political and military leader.

Spain and the Euro

Der Spiegel Online wrote on February 4:

“Spain’s economy has hit bottom, with unemployment soaring past 20 percent, as speculators bet the country will require an EU bailout. Prime Minister José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero is undertaking mass austerity measures, and he has been praised for his action by German Chancellor Angela Merkel. The stakes are high: If Spain goes bust, the euro could collapse…

“The scale of the crisis… is a danger to the entire European currency union… Greece and Ireland have already been forced to accept aid from other euro-zone countries. Portugal is continuing to reject the support, but it is considered to be the next candidate in line. And what happens then? Will things stop there, or will the euro-crisis contagion spread to Portugal’s neighbor…

“That scenario would be nothing less than a nightmare. Spain’s needs would surely surpass the €750 billion ($1.02 trillion) of the rescue fund that has already been set up; and the development could well send the euro crisis spinning entirely out of control. ‘Everything will stand and fall with Spain,’ says Christoph Rieger, an analyst with Commerzbank, Germany’s second largest private bank.

“Against that backdrop, German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s visit with Prime Minister Zapatero in Spain on Thursday was a special one… it was actually the introduction of the euro that laid the foundation for the very developments that are now threatening to bring down the entire common currency. Spain entered into the monetary union with a peseta that had been seriously undervalued. Interest rates, which from then on were linked to developments in the entire euro zone, were far too low for the country.

“The result was an unbridled construction boom. During the wild years that followed, 800,000 new apartments were built annually in Spain, more than the combined total in Germany, Italy and France. Even simple laborers were in a position to not only purchase their own homes, but even additional ones as gifts for each of their children — or simply as an investment. Depending on the location, real-estate prices rose by between 150 and 300 percent…

“Spain’s central bank currently forecasts the volume of bad loans at €180 billion… During the boom, many young Spaniards… preferred to earn quick money rather than go to college. The percentage of people who don’t complete a college-prep education is close to 35 percent, twice as high as the EU average. Youth unemployment is, at 43 percent, also double the EU average…

“Right now, the government has one primary task ahead of it: saving money… [It] cut the salaries of civil servants, froze annual pension payments and reduced welfare benefits for the long-term jobless… the government has also reformed the labor market. The retirement age is to be raised from 65 to 67… And hours before Merkel’s arrival, [the government]  reached a social pact with unions and employers’ associations that will make collective bargaining more flexible based on circumstances. Merkel praised the development, saying: ‘It is a great relief that there will be no social unrest’…

“And, on Thursday, the prime minister was able to present Merkel with the first fruits of his labor. The chances aren’t bad that Spain will be able to push its budget deficit for 2011 to below the forecasted 6 percent. The Spanish people also appear to be slowly recovering from the shock that accompanied the bursting of the real estate bubble. Domestic consumption, which is vital to the Spanish economy, has recovered slightly. ‘Spain has really done its homework,’ Merkel said. ‘The markets will appreciate that.’”

Spain lived beyond its means—as the United States did—resulting in financial harm. But we can safely say that the euro will survive—whatever the outcome of Spain’s economic troubles might be.

Proposed Exchange Mergers Between Deutsche Börse and NYSE Euronext

The Financial Times reported on February 9:

“The world’s bourses are being swept up in an accelerating wave of consolidation after Deutsche Börse revealed that it was in advanced talks with NYSE Euronext to create the world’s largest exchanges operator by revenues and profits. The proposed all-stock deal trumped the tie-up unveiled just hours earlier by the London Stock Exchange and Canada’s TMX Group and would create the world’s largest stock exchange by market value after Hong Kong Exchanges & Clearing. Deutsche Börse has a market value of $15.3bn while NYSE Euronext has a market value of $8.7bn….

“A deal between Deutsche Börse – Europe’s largest exchange group – and the owner of the New York Stock Exchange throws down the gauntlet to their arch rival CME Group because it promises to create a dominant player in European derivatives as a counterweight to the CME’s dominance in the US…

“But the German-US deal could face antitrust issues in Europe. And in the US some analysts feared political opposition in Washington, since the deal would leave Deutsche Börse shareholders holding 59-60 per cent in a new, Netherlands-based holding company, with NYSE Euronext shareholders holding the rest. In a statement only hours after the chief executives of the LSE and TMX unveiled plans to create the world’s largest exchange by number of listings, the US and German bourses said they aimed to create a group ‘that is both a world leader in derivatives and risk management and the premier global venue for capital raising’.

“The combined Deutsche-NYSE group would have dual headquarters in New York and Frankfurt. Duncan Niederauer, chief executive of NYSE Euronext, would become chief executive of the new company from New York. Reto Francioni, chief executive of Deutsche Börse, would become chairman of the new business and be based in Frankfurt. The executive committee would be drawn equally from both companies… A source said that the deal had ‘good support’ at the highest political level in Germany.”

The Local added on February 9:

“The announcement came hot on the heels of the London and Toronto stock exchanges unveiling a landmark merger, creating one of the world’s biggest trading platforms that will dominate the raw materials and energy sectors…

“It is not the first time that the German firm, which operates the Frankfurt stock exchange, has attempted to go down the aisle with Euronext. Its earlier advances were spurned, however, and in 2007 Euronext merged with the NYSE. Deutsche Boerse also tried and failed three times to buy the London Stock Exchange (LSE)… NYSE Euronext’s equities markets, which include the New York, Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam stock exchanges, represent one third of world equities trading, the most liquidity of any global exchange group.”

The Wall Street Journal added these comments on February 10:

“After 219 years as the citadel of American capitalism, the New York Stock Exchange was near an agreement to be acquired by Deutsche Börse AG in a deal that would create the world’s largest financial exchange… For New York, the move is symbolic of the city’s fading dominance on the world stage as other countries are drawing investors directly to their markets. The move also is a recognition that securities trading today goes on at all hours and in all time zones, making the actual bricks and mortar of Wall Street far less important than before…

“Antitrust experts cautioned that the proposed deal could face tough regulatory scrutiny in Europe, as the new behemoth would dominate share and derivatives trading in the European Union—and in Washington, where tempers may rise over a crown jewel of the economy falling into foreign hands.”

This proposed deal could be interesting in light of the biblical prophecies that Germany will rise and the USA will fall, and that ultimately, Europe, under German direction, will overtake the USA.

Muslim Brotherhood Against Violence?

The following articles will show the reader what the Muslim Brotherhood is all about. Far too many naïve and uninformed ideas are being circulated over the Internet, and it is time that we all realize what is happening. In fact, a confrontation between a “Christian” Europe and certain Middle Eastern Muslim countries is prophesied—as is the creation of an anti-Israeli confederation between Europe and certain Muslim countries.

The Jerusalem Post wrote on February 4:

“A spokesman for the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt on Thursday evening repeatedly refused to commit to maintaining the peace treaty with Israel, or even recognizing Israel, if the Brotherhood becomes a player in the future governance of Egypt… [Mohamed] Morsy also said the Muslim Brotherhood opposed violence. ‘We do not use violence against anyone,’ he said. But what was happening on ‘Palestinian land,’ however, he said, was not violence but ‘resistance. And resistance is acceptable by all mankind. And it is the right of people to resist imperialism,’ he said.”

On February 7, Der Spiegel Online published the following interview with the deputy leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, Rashad al-Bayoumi. Again, the Muslim Brotherhood is not forthcoming with their willingness to use violence:

“SPIEGEL: The Muslim Brotherhood is widely regarded as the largest opposition movement in Egypt. Why are you not present at the demonstrations?

“Bayoumi: That is ridiculous! Of course we are present. But we are keeping a low profile as an organization…

“SPIEGEL: In the West there is the fear that the Brotherhood is preparing to take power — that they want to transform Egypt into an Islamic state.

“Bayoumi: The West refuses to listen to us. We are not demons. We want peace, not violence. Our religion is not a diabolical religion. Our religion respects people of other faiths, these are our principles… The government says that there are over three million of us. All I know is that we are everywhere, in every city, every village, every neighborhood. We are an essential part of the people.”

What the Muslim Brotherhood REALLY Believes…

On February 6, IMRA (Independent Media Review Analysis) published the following statements about the Muslim Brotherhood:

“The Muslim Brotherhood has taken a greater role in organizing the protest against the Egyptian regime as it unfolds its independent political agenda. Rashad al-Bayumi, the Brotherhood’s second-in-command, announced in an interview with Japanese TV that the group would join a transitional government in order to cancel the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel, as it ‘offends the Arabs’ dignity and destroys the interests of Egypt and other Arab states.’ He further stressed that Egypt does not need American aid.

“Muslim Brotherhood Supreme Guide Muhammad Mahdi ‘Akef told the Egyptian daily Al-Karama in 2007 that only Islam was the expression of true democracy. ‘Islam and its values antedated the West by founding true democracy, exemplified by the Shura [the advisory council under the Caliphs].’

“The Brotherhood’s official website notes that jihad is Islam’s most important tool in effecting a gradual takeover, beginning with the Muslim countries, moving on to reestablishing the Caliphate over three continents in preparation for a conquest of the West, and finally instituting a global Islamic state…

“One of Akef’s examples of America’s ‘corrupt values’ is the attempt to stop female circumcision in Africa. On July 12, 2007, he wrote that ‘[the Americans] spend billions of dollars and endlessly plot to change the Muslim way of life, they wage war on Muslim leaders, the traditions of its faith and its ideas. They even wage war against female circumcision, a practice current in 36 countries, which has been prevalent since the time of the Pharaohs.’

“According to the Muslim Brotherhood, jihad, that is, holy war against the infidels, is one of the fundamental elements spread by the Muslim Brotherhood. The organization’s ideology, as it appears on its official website, regards ‘the Prophet Muhammad as its leader and ruler, and jihad as its path.’ Jihad has a global strategy beyond self-defense; it is the unceasing attack on every infidel rule, intended to widen the borders of the Islamic state until all mankind lives under the Islamic flag.

“Clicking the links ‘The Goals of the Muslim Brotherhood’ and ‘Muslim Brotherhood Measures’ leads to explanations of jihad based on the writings of Muslim Brotherhood founder Hassan al-Banna. Jihad, it is noted, is Islam’s most important tool in effecting a gradual takeover, beginning with the Muslim countries, moving on to re-establishing the Caliphate over three continents in preparation for a conquest of the West, and finally instituting a global Islamic state. The organization’s website states:

“‘We want a Muslim individual, a Muslim home, a Muslim people, a Muslim government and state that will lead the Islamic countries and bring into the fold the Muslim diaspora and the lands robbed from Islam and will then bear the standard of jihad and the call [da’wah] to Allah. [Then the] world will happily accept the precepts of Islam….The problems of conquering the world will only end when the flag of Islam waves and jihad has been proclaimed. The goal is to establish one Islamic state of united Islamic countries, one nation under one leadership whose mission will be to reinforce adherence to the law of Allah…and the strengthening of the Islamic presence in the world arena….The goal…is the establishment of a world Islamic state…’

“For the Muslim Brotherhood, jihad is at the center of the struggle against the United States, the West, Israel, and other infidel regimes. The supreme leader of the Muslim Brotherhood regards Islam as waging ‘a battle of values and identity’ against the forces of ‘imperialism’ and the ‘Anglo-Saxons’ attacking the Arab-Muslim world ‘on the pretext of spreading democracy, defending minority rights, and opposing what they call terrorism.’ He advises Muslims to adopt ‘the culture of resistance against the invasion,’ explaining that Allah gave ‘the occupied, oppressed nations jihad and resistance as a means of achieving freedom.’

“He added that ‘the culture of resistance to invasion and occupation have intellectual, military, and economic aspects. Experience in Palestine, Iraq, and Afghanistan have proved that resistance is not imaginary or fictitious or impossible, but rather it is possible when the [Islamic] nation presents a united front and uses its weapons and faith to face an imperialist, whether he comes with arms or inundates us with his ideas, values, or obsolete morality.’ Akef’s successor, Mohammad Badi’, maintains the same platform.”

“Egypt’s Political Shift with Historic Proportions”

Reuters reported on February 6:

“The Muslim Brotherhood is certainly hostile to Israel and the United States’s policy in the region. It has historic links with the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas and shares its belief in armed struggle against Israel… The [Egyptian] government’s willingness to talk to the Brotherhood is a political shift with historic proportions…

“Brotherhood ideology steadily seeped into schools, households, the media, bookshops and even clothing shops. Much of this Islamic resurgence stems from social dislocation, economic hardship and political frustration… Many Brotherhood leaders… are confident that Islam and sharia (Islamic law) will eventually rule and they are working to achieve that goal…”

Talks with Muslim Brotherhood Welcome…?

On February 6, AFP reported the following:

“US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton cautiously welcomed Sunday the Muslim Brotherhood’s involvement in political dialogue in Egypt… ‘Today we learned the Muslim Brotherhood decided to participate, which suggests they at least are now involved in the dialogue that we have encouraged,’ Clinton told National Public Radio (NPR) from Germany…

“Nathan Brown, an analyst with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, said the United States had ‘real concerns’ about Egypt’s future direction under the Brotherhood, particularly in relation to Israel. ‘They have supported violent resistance in Iraq, they support (Palestinian Islamist group) Hamas, they’ve made clear they don’t support the Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty,’ Brown told AFP.”

… Or a Mistake of Historic Proportions?

On February 6, Der SPIEGEL published the following interview with Republican senator and former presidential candidate John McCain:

“SPIEGEL: Many people are drawing comparisons between the situation in Cairo and the Iranian revolution of 1979, which led to the country’s takeover by religious leaders. If you look at elements like the Muslim Brotherhood, how likely is a similar outcome in Egypt?

“McCain: I am deeply, deeply concerned that this whole movement could be hijacked by radical Islamic extremists.

“SPIEGEL: What is your assessment of the Muslim Brotherhood?

“McCain: I think they are a radical group that first of all supports Sharia law; that in itself is anti-democratic — at least as far as women are concerned. They have been involved with other terrorist organizations and I believe that they should be specifically excluded from any transition government…

“SPIEGEL: A certain role of the Muslim Brotherhood in the transition process in Egypt seems acceptable to the Obama White House. Does that concern you?

“McCain: It concerns me so much that I am unalterably opposed to it. I think it would be a mistake of historic proportions.”

Brotherhood Not Really Different from Al-Qaida

The Jerusalem Post wrote on February 9:

“Banned but tolerated for decades by successive Egyptian regimes, the Islamist movement is now emerging as a central player in the country’s resurgent opposition… Pundits have portrayed the Brotherhood as uncompromising zealots or beneficent providers of social services that long-deprived Egyptians desperately need. But a translation released Tuesday of a 1995 book by the movement’s fifth official leader sheds light on just how Egypt’s Brotherhood views itself and its mission…

“The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday saw excerpts of the text, compiled by Palestinian Media Watch founder Itamar Marcus and analyst Nan Jacques Zilberdik. Marcus spoke to the Post about what he views as the danger of downplaying the Brotherhood’s ideology, or expecting it to moderate its objectives after being allowed into the political process. The movement differs from international terror groups like Al-Qaida, he said, only in tactics, not in its goals.”

Top Egyptian Leaders Resign…but Hosni Mubarak Stays…

USA Today reported on February 5, 2011:

“The top leadership body of Egypt’s ruling party resigned Saturday, including the president’s son, but the regime appeared to be digging in its heels, calculating that it can ride out street demonstrations and keep President Hosni Mubarak in office. The ruling party leaders who resigned included the country’s most powerful political figures — and its most unpopular among many Egyptians. The move may have been aimed at convincing protesters in the streets that the regime is sincere in implementing democratic changes they demand… The Obama administration welcomed word that Mubarak’s son, Gamal Mubarak, left his role in Egypt’s ruling party.”

Conflicting reports about Mubarak’s pending resignation have been circulated all week, especially by CNN. Now, on February 10, NBC, the Wall Street Journal, BBC News and Haaretz announced that Mubarak would or might resign “tonight.” However, in his speech, he indicated that he will stay as President until September, while announcing the possibility of revoking certain restrictive provisions of the Egyptian Constitution and the transfer of some of his powers to the Vice President. This move will not satisfy Egyptian protestors, and more turmoil can be expected.

Saudi Arabia Supports Mubarak

Haaretz reported on February 10:

“Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah told U.S. President Barack Obama that his country would prop up Egypt’s President Hosni Mubarak if the United States withdrew its aid program… Abdullah told Obama not to humiliate Mubarak, who is under pressure from protesters to quit immediately… Obama’s administration has wavered between support for Egypt in Washington’s conflict with militant Islam and backing for Egyptians who have been protesting for weeks to demand Mubarak and his government quit.”

Don’t Rush Egyptian Democracy

Der Spiegel Online wrote on February 7:

“In Germany, top Western officials at the annual Munich Security Conference warned at the weekend that a transition to democracy must not be rushed, otherwise the crisis could worsen and the Middle East could become more destabilized. Meanwhile Egyptian opposition figure Mohammed Elbaradei criticized the talks on Egypt’s future, saying the negotiations were being managed by the same people who had ruled the country for 30 years…

“The center-right Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung writes: 

“‘…In a country like Egypt that has never experienced democracy, it’s not enough to hold elections to make everything right. The political decision-making process must be organized and channelled. And even that wouldn’t guarantee that the acclaimed “Festival of Freedom” doesn’t produce a different, and possibly even worse autocratic regime.

“’There are plenty of radical forces in Egypt that would wish for such an outcome. The hesitancy over the removal of Mubarak and his system shouldn’t immediately be seen just as a sign of European or German indecisiveness or cowardice. The Americans and the Europeans… want to do everything in their — in this case not especially considerable — power to prevent the most populous and politically most important Arab country from descending into civil war or into a dictatorship of Islamists.’”

The EUObserver added on February 7:

“EU and US leaders have warned of the ‘chaos’ that could result if President Hosni Mubarak steps down immediately, with a top US diplomat describing the role of the hardman as ‘utterly critical’ and praising his ‘legacy.’

“’Early elections at the beginning of the democratisation process is probably the wrong approach,’ German Chancellor Angela Merkel [said…] at a high-level conference in Munich…”

Jordan Next?

CNN reported on February 6:

“In unprecedented criticism of Jordan’s royal family, three dozen prominent Jordanian tribal figures issued an urgent call for reform Sunday and warned that the country may follow Tunisia and Egypt into turmoil without it. The statement from 36 members of the country’s major tribes attacked what they called the interference of Queen Rania in running the country. The queen, ‘her sycophants and the power centers that surround her’ are dividing Jordanians and ‘stealing from the country and the people,’ the letter states…

“Jordan’s tribes make up about 40% of the country’s population and are seen as the bedrock of support for the Hashemite monarchy that has ruled the country for nearly a century. Though it was not clear whether all the signers were speaking for their tribes, such criticism of the monarchy is rare in Jordan — recent street protests that criticized the government stopped short of calling for King Abdullah II to step down… He dismissed his Cabinet last week, acknowledging that corruption needed to be tackled and political reforms urgently pursued…

“The tribal leaders said Sunday that allegations of corruption by Layla Trabelsi — the wife of longtime Tunisian strongman Zine El Abedine Ben Ali, who was forced into exile by a popular revolt in January — and by Egyptian first lady Suzanne Mubarak have been ‘the catalyst of populist movements’ in those countries. What has happened in Jordan is even worse, the statement said.

“’We refuse the squandering of public money and aid to polish her [Queen Rania’s] own personal image at the expense of the nation,’ the statement said… Resentment of Rania, who is Palestinian, is not new among Jordan’s Bedouin tribes, but has risen sharply. In recent days, tribal sources have expressed to CNN their resentment about what they perceive as her lavish lifestyle and her interference in politics.”

Whatever the future of Jordan may be, it is unlikely, based on biblical prophecy, that it will become hostile to and an enemy of Europe.

“Iran Proclaims ‘Complete Domination’ Over Entrance to Persian Gulf”

Haaretz reported on February 7:

“As part of Iran’s annual revolution celebrations, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad unveiled locally-made satellites while a senior commander showed off mass produced missiles.

“Although Iran is not engaged in any military conflict, it is on constant alert against possible attacks from the United States and Israel, which have not ruled out possible pre-emptive strikes to stop Tehran getting nuclear weapons… In 2009, Iran launched a domestically-made satellite into orbit for the first time, a step that increased the West’s fear that the Islamic Republic is seeking to build a nuclear bomb and missile delivery systems.

“The chief commander of the Revolutionary Guards… said the new mass-produced missile would be able to target enemies at sea. ‘Its speed is three times greater than the speed of sound and it cannot be traced and deactivated by enemies,’ [he said].

“Another Guards commander… reiterated Iran’s threat to close the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow channel through which 40 percent of the world’s seaborne oil trade passes. ‘The Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz are under the complete domination of the Revolutionary Guards … and it would be blocked in case of a threat,’ he said…”

The Netherlands Recalls Ambassador to Iran

Deutsche Welle reported on February 7:

“Dutch officials say the Netherlands is recalling its ambassador to Iran in protest of a Dutch-Iranian woman’s execution last week… after Iranian officials reportedly buried Zahra Bahrami’s body far from the Iranian capital of Tehran… so the family could not attend the funeral.

“The Netherlands had already frozen diplomatic relations with Iran after an Iranian public prosecutor announced Bahrami was hanged on January 29 for smuggling cocaine. However, Iranian blogs and news websites have reported that Bahrami actually died during torture by Iranian officials. Her family says Iranian authorities fabricated the drug charges after arresting her for participating in anti-government protests last December while visiting relatives. During her detention, Iranian authorities denied Bahrami access to Dutch consular services, arguing Iran does not recognize dual citizenship.”

Iran Develops Nuclear Fusion Reactor

The Iranian news agency, Press TV, reported the following on February 10:

“Iranian scientists at the Atomic Energy Organization or Iran (AEOI) have designed and built a nuclear fusion device… The device uses Inertial Electrostatic Confinement method and can produce isotopes and radioisotopes used in diagnosing and curing cancer. The US, Japan, South Korea, Australia and France are the only countries which boast fusion technology.

“Fusion — which extracts energy from nuclear reactions with a process akin to how light and heat are produced by the sun — has been studied for decades, but it has yet to be developed into a viable energy alternative.

“The US and its allies accuse Iran of developing a military nuclear program. In June 2009, the UN Security Council imposed a fourth round of sanctions against Iran’s financial and military sectors under Western pressure. Iranian officials have repeatedly refuted the charges, arguing that as a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Tehran has the right to use peaceful nuclear technology.”

Iran remains a threat for Europe and the USA, and the relationship between Europe and Iran is bound to deteriorate. We can also expect the development of an ever closer alliance between Iran and Russia.

The importance of this question, and its answer, can be found in the Word of God—in writings that very specifically address what has, what is and what will happen to the people of God in this, our generation!

The Worldwide Church of God was the culmination of the calling and life’s work of Herbert W. Armstrong in re-establishing the Truth of God as it was revealed and practiced in the early New Testament Church. Following his death in 1986, an insidious change infiltrated the Worldwide Church of God through the introduction of another “gospel”—one taught by most of the prevailing churches which claim to be Christian but which neither know God nor obey the gospel of Jesus Christ (compare 2 Thessalonians 1:8; Matthew 7:21-23 and Galatians 1:6-9).

The apostle Paul very accurately describes what has now happened to the Church of God:

“But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!” (2 Timothy 3:1-5).

Of this time, Paul also notes that those “having a form of godliness” (verse 5) are “always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth” (verse 7).

We see, then, that a separation exists between those who keep the Truth and those who believe the deceptive lies that lead to disobeying God!

Paul adds:

“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables” (2 Timothy 4:3-4).

Because these things are happening now to many of those who once knew and understood the Truth (which foundational Truth was restored through the Worldwide Church of God), another prophesied event is finding its fulfillment:

“Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition…” (2 Thessalonians 2:1-3).

Deception is at work right now! It is the struggle of our time, and Jesus spoke of its danger when He answered His disciples’ question about what would signal the end of the age:

“And Jesus answered and said to them: ‘Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, “I am the Christ,” and will deceive many’” (Matthew 24:4-5).

This destructive work has flourished within the Church of God, but it is by no means over—even greater deception lies ahead:

“‘All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold’” (Matthew 24:8-12).

In spite of all of this, Jesus also gives us vital keys for making certain that we don’t yield to deceptive falsehoods. He shows that some will hold onto the Truth of God and that the true Gospel will continue to be preached—an absolute proof of those who have continued to faithfully follow and practice the true doctrines of God:

“‘But he who endures to the end shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come’” (Matthew 24:13-14).

Note the way this commission is relayed to Timothy—an obligation that falls to all true ministers of God:

“I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching… But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry” (2 Timothy 4:1-2, 5).

Because the ministry is held accountable for leadership within the Church of God (compare Hebrews 13:17 and James 3:1), Paul also reminds Timothy that he is answerable to God, saying:

“Remind them of these things, charging them before the Lord not to strive about words to no profit, to the ruin of the hearers. Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. But shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness. And their message will spread like cancer. Hymenaeus and Philetus are of this sort, who have strayed concerning the truth, saying that the resurrection is already past; and they overthrow the faith of some” (2 Timothy 2:14-18).

We need to understand that even in that first generation of the Church of God, false teachers were deceiving some brethren—that has continued to happen and will until the return of Jesus Christ.

Paul expressly dealt with a potentially divisive spirit that was arising in the Church of God that was in Corinth:

“Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe’s household, that there are contentions among you. Now I say this, that each of you says, ‘I am of Paul,’ or ‘I am of Apollos,’ or ‘I am of Cephas,’ or ‘I am of Christ.’ Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?…for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? For when one says, ‘I am of Paul,’ and another, ‘I am of Apollos,’ are you not carnal? Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? (1 Corinthians 1:10-13; 3:1-5);

Here is Paul’s resolve—his answer to this partitioning of God’s church:

“For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:11).

Added to this, division was occurring in the keeping of the Passover among those in Corinth (compare 1 Corinthians 11:17-22). The basis for settling these wrong practices was to go to the source and to show the correct manner in which this observance was instituted by Jesus Christ (compare verses 23-26).

There were also some in Corinth who held Paul in disdain, and he addresses this source of contention as well:

“‘For his letters,’ they say, ‘are weighty and powerful, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible’” (2 Corinthians 10:10).

Once again, we see that Paul’s response to those who disagreed with his teaching and ministry was to remind the Corinthian church that Jesus Christ held the ultimate authority in these matters:

“For not he who commends himself is approved, but whom the Lord commends” (2 Corinthians 10:18).

By this time the Church of God had existed several years, and the New Testament writings record this history. People had not only grown up in the church, but some had grown old and that generation was giving way to another. The church in Ephesus served as an archetype of the prevailing attitude and actions of the Christians of that first era. Jesus conveyed this in His message to the seven churches in the Book of Revelation. Along with noting the very positive accomplishments of His people in Ephesus, He rebuked and warned them:

“‘Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent’” (Revelation 2:4-5).

Departure from the Truth became a subject that the ministry of that time had to guard against, and to even identify some who were causing dissension. Paul very specifically warned the leadership in Ephesus:

“Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears” (Acts 20:28-31).

This happened in many quarters within the Church of God, and we have John’s account of just such a person who placed himself ahead of even one of the faithful apostles directly chosen by Jesus Christ:

“I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to have the preeminence among them, does not receive us. Therefore, if I come, I will call to mind his deeds which he does, prating against us with malicious words. And not content with that, he himself does not receive the brethren, and forbids those who wish to, putting them out of the church. Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. He who does good is of God, but he who does evil has not seen God. Demetrius has a good testimony from all, and from the truth itself. And we also bear witness, and you know that our testimony is true” (3 John 1:9-12).

So we can see that the Church of God was being split apart, and the divisions were occurring because of exactly what Paul warned—that selfish, greedy men were appropriating offices and titles to themselves in order to build their own following! Even as John’s letter describes, the church had both those who walked in the Truth and others who were proving to be worldly-minded—covetous mercenaries!

The apostle Peter urgently warned the brethren to “be even more diligent to make your call and election sure…” (2 Peter 1:10). His appeal was made in light of what was then happening throughout the church. He continues in his letter:

“But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber… They have forsaken the right way and gone astray…” (2 Peter 2:1-3, 15).

He adds in verses 18 – 22:

“For when they speak great swelling words of emptiness, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through lewdness, the ones who have actually escaped from those who live in error. While they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage. For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them. But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: ‘A dog returns to his own vomit,’ and, ‘a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire.’”

Jude also wrote of the apostasy that was overtaking the church in the later part of that first century AD. In just a few decades, deceitful persons had entered the church—overturning and betraying the revealed Truth of God. Jude’s letter addresses these heretical teachings:

“Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ” (verses 3-4).

“These are grumblers, complainers, walking according to their own lusts; and they mouth great swelling words, flattering people to gain advantage. But you, beloved, remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ: how they told you that there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts. These are sensual persons, who cause divisions, not having the Spirit” (verses 16-19).

Beyond the biblical history so far referenced, secular sources confirm that great upheavals occurred as the vibrant, faithful people of God were over-run and displaced by a religious entity that was far different than the Church of God first established by Jesus Christ through His chosen apostles.

Church historian and biblical scholar Jesse Hurlbut comments:

“For fifty years after Paul’s life, a curtain hangs over the Church, through which we vainly strive to look; and when at last it rises, about 129 A.D. with the writings of the earliest Church Fathers, we find a Church in many ways very different from that in the days of Peter and Paul” (Hurlbut, Story of the Christian Church, p. 41).

Historian Edward Gibbon states:

“The scanty and suspicious materials of ecclesiastical history seldom enable us to dispel the dark cloud that hangs over the first age of the Church” (Edward Gibbon, The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Random House, N.Y., ch.15, p. 382).

In subsequent centuries the true followers of Christ were oftentimes persecuted and scattered—forced to live independently or in small groups; and, in some circumstances, killed for their uncompromising obedience to God. Meager records have been left of these people, and only occasionally do we find accounts in the pages of history about the Church of God and of those who kept the same faith as was observed in the first century AD—at least, not until more recent times.

However, an outline of the Church of God’s history is contained in the prophetic messages preserved in the Book of Revelation—especially, chapters two and three.

These accounts summarize the vital elements characterizing each of seven distinct eras that would exist during a period of approximately two thousand years. With words of strong admonition as well as reassurance, Jesus charged His followers to overcome, to endure and to look to the future—that of being counted worthy to have part in the “better resurrection” (Hebrews 11:35; compare John 5:24).

For a more detailed discussion on the seven ERAS of God’s Church, please read our Q&As, “What does the Church teach about Church Eras?” and, “Can You Identify the Seven Church Eras, as described in the book of Revelation?”.

While persecution from outside the church has existed throughout the centuries, issues of false doctrines along with false brethren and false ministers have also continued to challenge those faithful to God—and so they do, today!

Two of the messages, the ones sent to Philadelphia and Laodicea, specifically address the closing generation of the church age.

The church in Philadelphia is encouraged in that its “little strength” is not a limiting factor. Jesus points out that this church has “kept My word” (compare Luke 8:15; 11:28; John 14:15; 15:10; 17:6), and that the brethren “have not denied My name” (compare Matthew 10:33; Mark 8:38). In Revelation 3:9, Jesus reveals that there were others claiming that they were the true believers and standing in opposition to those of Philadelphia, but He calls them “a synagogue of Satan.”

In these last days, the vast majority of true Christians will belong to the final era of the church of God—the church of Laodicea or the “church of the Laodiceans” (Revelation 3:14)—but God promises that remnants of the church of Philadelphia would remain to exist when Christ returns.

A great promise resounds to that small, uncompromising group of God’s servants: “‘Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth’” (Revelation 3:10).

This tenth verse establishes the incontrovertible time setting in which the remnant of the church of Philadelphia would exist—the period leading up to the “great tribulation” (Matthew 24:21).

We also find this additional reference to these people of God who are granted protection:

“But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent” (Revelation 12:14).

However, as mentioned, the Church of God typified as “Philadelphia” is not the only body of believers who are part of God’s church and who exist in this final generation ushering in the return of Jesus Christ! In fact, faint remnants of even earlier eras also still remain (in addition to Philadelphia, it is possible that remnants of Thyatira and Sardis still exist today), but it is the seventh, the final church of Laodicea, that faces very strong warnings and impending correction from Jesus Christ (compare Revelation 3:14-22).

That group finds mention in Revelation 12, as well:

“And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ” (verse 17).

Satan’s unleashed wrath will fall upon these Christians for the three and one-half years, while those of Philadelphia are protected!

In His assessment of those in Laodicea, Jesus describes a church that is “lukewarm” (Revelation 3:16)—halfhearted, lacking zeal and obviously content in their own self-absorbed opinions. They, like Job did, think of themselves as righteous, but of their condition, Jesus states they “do not know” how wrong they are! (Revelation 3:17).

As a consequence, this is what Jesus says:

“‘I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent’” (Revelation 3:18-19).

Laodicea is—emphatically—a part of God’s church; they are people who have been given the Spirit of God! However, the genuineness of their faith will have to be tested and proven (compare 1 Peter 1:7). In order to attain their calling to be among the firstfruits of God, they must become fervent in their works (compare Revelation 19:7-9).

Laodicean Christians have the opportunity to repent now (compare Revelation 3:20-21; Luke 21:34-36). But for those who stubbornly refuse, a time of severe correction will come upon them:

“Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, ‘Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from?’ And I said to him, ‘Sir, you know.’ So he said to me, ‘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’” (Revelation 7:13-14).

To each and every era, Jesus says: “‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches’” (Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22).

While two distinct groups comprising the Church of God are prevalent leading up to the time of great tribulation for the entire world, we are, nonetheless, told to consider everything Christ told His church—throughout its history.

We—of this time—find ourselves still reeling from the terrible persecution brought upon the Church of God by Satan, which has divided and scattered the people of God.

Regardless, in whatever circumstance we find ourselves, we must never give up or begin to compromise. Rather, we must take up our calling with fervent zeal—knowing that Jesus Christ watches over His Church and being reminded of what Paul told the Ephesians:

“I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all” (Ephesians 4:1-6).

The Church of the Eternal God in the USA; the Church of God, a Christian Fellowship in Canada; the Global Church of God in the UK; and the Kirche des Ewigen Gottes in German-speaking areas all hold to a common statement of beliefs and endeavor to fulfill the instructions given by Paul, as quoted above.

We believe that we are part of the Church of God—the body of Christ—which is a spiritual organism. We do NOT believe that we are the ONLY group comprising the Church of God. At the same time, we would like to encourage you to study our literature in order to determine whether we belong to the remnant of the Philadelphia era, or whether we are part of the church of the Laodiceans. You may want to review our statement of beliefs at: www.eternalgod.org; www.churchofgodacf.ca; www.globalchurchofgod.co.uk; and www.aufpostenstehen.de.

Lead Writer: Dave Harris

Our ongoing Internet advertising campaign in the USA, offering our free booklet, “Do We Have an Immortal Soul,” has so far resulted in 270 requests.

Norbert Link’s video-taped messages, “Paul’s Letter to the Philippians, Part 2”, and  “The Future of Egypt”, were posted on the Web. In his message on Egypt, it is pointed out that much misinformation is being circulated, as to what is in store for Egypt. But what does the Bible say about the future of Egypt, other countries in the Middle East, modern Assyria and the modern houses of Israel and Judah? Norbert Link quotes Scriptures which are often times (conveniently or inadvertently) overlooked by those who have created a speculative prophetic scenario which does not include or allow for some of the mentioned biblical passages.

A new StandingWatch program, “Egypt in Prophecy”, was posted on the Web. The present turmoil in the Middle East and Egypt is not coincidental, but paves the way for monumental end-time events that have been prophesied in the Bible thousands of years ago. While the USA is losing all influence in the Middle East, Egypt’s future hostile relationship with the state of Israel is also clearly described in Scripture.

A German program on the future of the Middle East, titled, “Die Zukunft des Nahen Ostens,” was posted on YouTube and on our German website (www.aufpostenstehen.de).

On February 5, 2011, Norbert Link will discuss the events in the Middle East and give the sermon, titled, “Paul’s Letter to the Philippians, Part 2.”

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.

This is not only the title of one of our booklets, but it was a genuine request by the apostles to Christ, which can be found in Luke 11:1. It expressed a sincere desire on their part to learn how to pray. In Matthew 6:7-14, we can find the outline as to how and for what to pray. This outline is not something we are to repeat routinely, word for word, but rather, it is a guide as to what to pray about, while we are to fill in the gaps, as it were.

I was once asked if I was embarrassed or ashamed to pray in public. The individual told me Christ prayed in public. He thus felt justified to pray publicly anytime and everywhere he wanted.

On the surface this might seem quite plausible until we peel back some of the layers and have a good look at it from a deeper perspective.

It has been a long-time practice of the Church of God not to generally pray in public, and we should look at the reasons why. It is true that Christ prayed at times in public, but one must look at the circumstances surrounding these events. Here is one example, in Mark 6:40-41:

“So they sat down in ranks, in hundreds and in fifties. And when He had taken the five loaves and the two fish, He looked up to heaven, blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to His disciples to set before them; and the two fish He divided among them all.”

Here is another example, in Mark 8:6:

“So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground. And He took the seven loaves and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples to set before them; and they set them before the multitude.”

The people were there to listen to the message of Christ. This was similar to a public lecture or to a wedding, where people are there by invitation and a prayer is given to open the session or to ask God’s blessing on the food. Christ also prayed publicly just before He resurrected Lazarus from the dead. He did so to prove to those who were present and mourned over Lazarus’ death that God was hearing Him (John 11:41-44). He also uttered “public” prayers when He was being crucified  (compare Matthew 27:46). He was mostly concerned about speaking to God during the final minutes of His life, and He did not care too much as to who might have been present at that time to overhear His prayers.

However, those who insist on praying in public everywhere and anytime they please, especially with a desire to show those who may happen to be there how “righteous” and “religious” they are, are ignoring the clear and explicit instructions of Christ whom they supposedly worship. He tells us in Matthew 6:5-6:

“And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.”

Nothing could be clearer. Those who do not comply with this simple instruction are in disobedience, and they have their reward, being seen by men. The Pharisees loved to put on a big show, but it was all in vain. That is the reason why we do not generally pray in public. Our focus is not on a reward or temporary recognition which we might now receive from man, but we look to a future enduring reward that shall not perish.

We begin reporting on the situation in Egypt and the entire Middle East. All kinds of facts emerge, opinions are uttered, scenarios are being designed and described, but one thing is certain: Egyptian wrath turns on the USA, which is showing itself to be utterly helpless—if not dubious in its dealings—while Europe’s duplicity and the threat of radical Islamist leadership in quite a few Middle Eastern countries will lead to wide-ranging military developments. At the same time, anti-government demonstrations are spreading to countries like Jordan; and Israel is very concerned and in need of new allies. Please make sure to view our new StandingWatch program, “The Future of the Middle East.” 

Turning to Europe, we can clearly see that the euro will survive and that slowly, but surely, a core Europe is developing WITHIN the broader European community… but that countries like Britain and Sweden might not be part of it.

We are reporting about two interesting personalities and their challenges and visions—German Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg and multi-billionaire Donald Trump—speak of Obamacare, the curse of war, weather conditions in Australia and the USA, scientific endeavors to clone a mammoth, and conclude with an inspiring article proving that the human brain requires the existence of a Designer.

The Fall of the USA

We begin with a series of articles on America’s role in the Middle East. The articles show the helplessness and diminishing influence of the USA in that part of the world, as well as the disappointment and anger building up against the USA. At the core of the problem is America’s desire to buy allies for itself—and sadly in far too many cases, no matter what the costs. Our free booklet, “The Fall and Rise of Britain and America,” shows you what is in store for the USA, and why we are observing more and more the demise and fall of two countries which were at one time the greatest powers in the world.

America’s Losing Presidents

The Jewish paper, Haaretz, wrote on January 31:

“Jimmy Carter will go down in American history as ‘the president who lost Iran,’ which during his term went from being a major strategic ally of the United States to being the revolutionary Islamic Republic. Barack Obama will be remembered as the president who ‘lost’ Turkey, Lebanon and Egypt, and during whose tenure America’s alliances in the Middle East crumbled.

“The superficial circumstances are similar. In both cases, a United States in financial crisis and after failed wars loses global influence under a leftist president whose good intentions are interpreted abroad as expressions of weakness. The results are reflected in the fall of regimes that were dependent on their relationship with Washington for survival, or in a change in their orientation, as with Ankara.

“America’s general weakness clearly affects its friends. But unlike Carter, who preached human rights even when it hurt allies, Obama sat on the fence and exercised caution. He neither embraced despised leaders nor evangelized for political freedom, for fear of undermining stability.

“Obama began his presidency with trips to Turkey, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, and in speeches in Ankara and Cairo tried to forge new ties between the United States and the Muslim world. His message to Muslims was ‘I am one of you,’ and he backed it by quoting from the Koran… Obama apparently believed the main problem of the Middle East was the Israeli occupation, and focused his policy on demanding the suspension of construction in the settlements and on the abortive attempt to renew the peace talks. That failure led him to back off from the peace process in favor of concentrating on heading off an Israeli-Iranian war…”

Obama Failed in the Middle East

On January 31, the German magazine Der Spiegel published a guest editorial by David J. Kramer, who served under George W. Bush as assistant secretary of state for democracy, human rights and labor. Today he is executive director of Freedom House in Washington. The organization’s research director, Arch Puddington, also contributed to this article:

“Of the people living in the region [of the Middle East] , 88 percent live in countries that lack honest elections, a free press and rule of law. A few months into his presidency, Barack Obama delivered what still ranks as the most ambitious foreign policy address of his administration. Presented at Cairo University, the speech set forth the outlines of a ‘new beginning’ between the United States and the Muslim world… He said the United States would support ‘elected, peaceful governments’ and endorsed democratic values like free expression, honest government and ‘freedom to live as you choose’…

“By his words, the president demonstrated that he, like President George W. Bush before him, understood that the Middle East’s ‘democracy deficit’ contributes in important ways to the strategic problems that feed regional instability and pose threats to the rest of the world… Unfortunately, President Obama’s subsequent actions have failed to fulfill the promise of his Cairo vision, especially when it comes to confronting concerns over repression when committed by autocracies of the Middle East, to say nothing of China or Russia.

“This pattern was established during the protests over the 2009 Iranian elections when the administration mustered little more than a pro forma objection to the suppression of the opposition movement. It continued with the administration’s non-response to last November’s sham elections in Egypt, in which the ruling party orchestrated results comparable to those in such obvious dictatorships as Syria and, until recently, Tunisia. And we witnessed it in the initial reactions to the latest developments in Tunisia and Egypt…”

Egyptian Wrath Turns on USA

The Jerusalem Post wrote on January 31:

“The protests [in Egypt] have lacked a clear leader to unite them and provide an alternative to Mubarak, and demonstrators are beginning to focus their wrath not just on Mubarak and the country’s widespread corruption, but also on the United States and, to a lesser extent, Israel. They blame Israel and the US for supporting a government because it is convenient for them, not because it is good for the Egyptian people.”

ElBaradei Attacks USA

The French news agency, AFP, reported on January 30:

“The United States is ‘losing credibility by the day’ in calling for democracy in Egypt while continuing to support President Hosni Mubarak, leading dissident Mohamed ElBaradei said Sunday.”

USA Dubious and Helpless?

The Jewish news agency, A-7 News, reported on January 30:

“The United States in the past last three years supported ‘democracy activists’ who planned to overthrow the Mubarak regime, according to leaked cables quoted by the London Telegraph…

“‘The harsh reality of events in the Middle East have all decisively proven that the assumptions that underpinned President Obama’s Middle East policy initiatives were wrong,’ wrote Foreign Policy.com’s Peter Feaver Saturday. ‘The foreign policy team seems to be quite uncertain how to proceed and with good reason: our ability to predict what will happen is probably even less than our ability to shape what will happen.’”

USA Can’t Do Much…

Deutsche Welle reported on January 29:

“After the fall of the regime in Tunisia and with mass protests sweeping across many other Middle Eastern countries, most notably Egypt, the US has been conspicuously tight-lipped… The US has to tread carefully in a region where Washington while calling for democratic reforms and respect for human fights for decades, has supported and stabilized some of the same authoritarian regimes that are now being challenged. Egypt, for instance is the second-biggest recipient of military aid from Washington after Israel.

“The US has been supporting its staunch ally with $1.3 billion (0.9 billion euros) in military assistance per year for decades, strengthening not only its military’s capabilities as a potential fighting force in the region, but also its role inside the regime… even if it wanted to, the US has little it can do to influence the outcome in Egypt or elsewhere in the region where it is viewed negatively by many…

“Whatever the ultimate outcome of the events in the Middle East, the one thing Washington definitely doesn’t want to happen to the region is its descent into chaos. A prolonged phase of instability and tumult could threaten US economic and political interests…”

Egyptians Want “Freedom”—But What Kind?

The following articles discuss the uncertain future of Egypt and the Middle East, and the incredible blindness of some liberal and conservative U.S. politicians and commentators, when trying to “analyze” the current situation, the chances for democracy in Egypt, and the nature of radical Islam and the Muslim Brotherhood.

Der Spiegel Online wrote on January 31:

“The demonstrators have dismissed Mubarak’s appointment of a new cabinet and prime minister. His promises of economic reform to address rising prices and unemployment appear to be too little too late… The hope for change has been coupled with fear of anarchy and chaos. The population was largely left to protect itself over the weekend as the police force, which had been involved in clashes with protestors during the week, disappeared. Neighborhood vigilante groups formed over the weekend, setting up checkpoints and patrolling the streets to defend their homes as thugs roamed the streets. Gangs have looted supermarkets and stores as well as homes, and there were breakouts from at least four prisons in Cairo in recent days, adding to safety concerns… The unrest is having an impact on the economy… with shops and businesses closing and tourists fleeing the country in droves. Tourism is vital to the Egyptian economy…

“Center-left Süddeutsche Zeitung writes: ‘… The pharaoh in the Führerbunker: If he has to go down, he’ll take his country and his people down with him…’

“The center-right Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung writes: ‘… An “Iranian solution” in Cairo would disqualify Egypt as a partner in the West…’

“Conservative Die Welt writes: ‘Chaos and anarchy are mounting… There are signs that the chaos wasn’t just caused by gangs of criminals and plunderers from the slums, but also by parts of the security forces. That happened in Tunisia too. That is what the regime is banking on: the worse the situation becomes, the more people will wish for the return of the strong arm of the law… The regime is waiting for the demonstrations to lose momentum and for the situation to calm down. But the more damage is done in the cities, the less the military will be able to remain passive.’

“The left-wing Die Tageszeitung writes: ‘… Washington lacks what Mubarak’s repressive policy has been fighting for years: a direct link to a democratic opposition — to people who could emerge from the democracy movement as an alternative to the dictator. In this atmosphere, which is marked by fears of a deja-vu of the Iranian revolution of 1979 and concern about the future neighbourhood of Israel, there’s a fierce dispute going on in Washington between the advocates of stability and those who are banking on democratic reform… it’s clear that the days of the Mubarak regime are numbered. And that the other authoritarian rulers and kings face turbulent days. The domino that fell in Tunisia has long since touched all the others.’

“Mass-circulation Bild writes: ‘We have reason to be worried. Hundreds of thousands of Egyptians or more want a different kind of freedom from the freedom we mean. They want to be free to turn their country into a fundamentalist theocracy. They want the freedom to declare Israel as an enemy again after decades of peace. They want the freedom to tear down the solid bridges to America. That cannot be in our interest. We need Egypt as an ally in this chronically warlike corner of the world. We can only hope that the people in Egypt will take the right decisions in the coming weeks. For themselves and for peace in the region.’”

Will Radical Islam Overtake Egypt?

Haaretz reported on January 31:

“What happened in Iran could happen in Egypt, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday after meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel… Netanyahu said he feared that a radical Islamic regime like the one in Iran could also come to power in Egypt…

“Senior officials in Merkel’s office have said recently during closed door briefings that the chancellor will be very tough with Netanyahu and will use the meeting as a chance to tell him that it is his responsibility to renew the peace negotiations with the Palestinians.”

Is the Muslim Brotherhood a Peace-Loving, Harmless Organization?

WorldNetDaily wrote on January 31:

“Islamists, in particular the anti-Western Muslim Brotherhood, seem poised to take power throughout the Middle East as a result of riots that have already toppled one Arab regime and are threatening others, in what some are calling only the latest wave of an Islamic ‘tsunami’ sweeping the globe…

“In fact, some Muslim clerics are already calling the riots in Egypt simply an extension of 1979’s Islamist conquests… The leader of Jordan’s Muslim Brotherhood, Hammam Saeed, warned that the unrest in Egypt will spread across the Mideast until Arabs succeed at toppling leaders allied with the United States… Salafi cleric Abu Mundhir Al-Shinqiti issued a fatwa… encouraging the protests in Egypt, claiming Islamist jihadis are now on the verge of a historic moment in the history of the Islamic nation, an ‘earthquake’ he likened to the Sept. 11 attacks in New York City.

“As clerics are accurately noting, Egypt is only one of many recent cases where Islamic unrest has surged in the Middle East and North Africa. In Tunisia, President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali was toppled following rioting and street protests and widespread looting. In Yemen, last week witnessed the largest protests in years against Yemen’s leader, Ali Abullah Saleh, who is considered a crucial ally in the U.S. fight against al-Qaida in his country and in the Middle East. The protests further escalated yesterday…

“Egyptian officials speaking to WND… warned the Muslim Brotherhood has the most to gain from any political reform… Hamas and al-Qaida are violent Brotherhood offshoots. An Egyptian security official noted the Muslim Brotherhood was directly involved in protest organization. Similarly, it is Islamists allied with the Muslim Brotherhood who stand to gain in Pakistan, Jordan, Tunisia and Yemen. Already, the Shiite fundamentalist Hezbollah organization is poised to exert enormous influence over Lebanon…

“A senior Egyptian diplomat told WND the regime of Mubarak suspects the U.S. has been aiding protest planning by Mohamed ElBaradei, who is seen as one of the main opposition leaders in Cairo. ElBaradei, former International Atomic Energy Agency chief, has reinvented himself as a campaigner for ‘reform’ in Egypt. He is a candidate for this year’s scheduled presidential elections. Last week, ElBaradei gave an interview to Der Spiegel defending the Brotherhood… the Muslim Brotherhood said it was in talks with other anti-government figures, including ElBaradai, to form a national unity government without Mubarak.

“David Rubin, former mayor of the Israeli town of Shiloh and author of the book ‘The Islamic Tsunami,’ however, warns that the Obama administration cannot continue to ignore the Muslim Brotherhood’s and other Islamist groups’ greater goals. ‘There is a plan to take over Western civilization,’ Rubin told The Washington Times…

“Multiple prominent U.S. commentators have… been claiming the Muslim Brotherhood is a moderate organization and denying any Islamist plot to seize power. On Friday, President George W. Bush’s former press spokeswoman, Dana Perino, told Fox News, ‘Don’t be afraid of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. This has nothing to do with religion.’ Bruce Reidel, a former CIA analyst and advisor to President Obama, penned a Daily Beast article in which he claimed, ‘The Egyptian Brotherhood renounced violence years ago’… Reidel’s assertion the Brotherhood renounced violence, however, is contradicted by the Brotherhood’s own statements in recent months, including a call to arms against the West…”

Choice Between Pro-Western and Anti-Western Dictatorship in Egypt

Der Spiegel wrote on January 28:

“Israel is watching developments in Egypt with concern. The government is standing by autocratic Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, out of fear that the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood could take power and start supplying arms to Hamas…

“Egypt was the first Arab state to sign a peace treaty with Israel, in 1979, but the relationship between the neighboring countries remains delicate. Good relations are limited to government circles… Even 30 years after the peace agreement, annual trade between the neighboring countries only amounts to a value of $150 million (€110 million). (For comparison, Israel’s trade with the European Union was worth around €20 billion in 2009.)

“A recent incident involving the vice governor of the Sinai Peninsula reveals how many Egyptians think about Israel. After a shark attack off the coast, the official said that it could not be ruled out that the deadly fish had been released by Israeli intelligence to harm Egypt’s tourism industry. After the bloody attack on a church in Alexandria on Jan. 1, a spokesman for Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood speculated that Israel could be responsible for the attack, with the intention of sowing discord between Christians and Muslims.

“Indeed, the Muslim Brotherhood is one of the main reasons why official Israel seems to support Mubarak so keenly. It is considered the most popular political movement in Egypt, and its position regarding the peace treaty with Israel is clear: They want it revoked immediately…

“For Israel, more is at stake than the current so-called ‘cold’ peace with Egypt and a few tens of millions of dollars in trade… Much of the Arab world, and especially Mubarak, sees Shiite Iran and its allies, such as Hamas in the Gaza Strip and Hezbollah in Lebanon, as an existential threat, just as Israel does…

“The Israeli government has noted with concern the fact that, even after 30 years of peace, Egypt’s army is still equipped and trained mainly with a possible war against Israel in mind. A cancellation of the peace treaty would open up a new front with the 11th largest army in the world, which is equipped with modern American weapons. But what Israel fears more than [an] armed conflict with Egypt is an alliance between an Islamist regime in Cairo and Hamas, which considers itself an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood. An Egyptian regime that opened the border with Gaza for arms deliveries would pose a serious danger to Israel.

“[Some commentators consider] the West’s demands for more openness and democracy in Egypt to be a fatal mistake… It is an illusion to believe that the dictator Mubarak could be replaced by a democracy… The Muslim Brotherhood is the only real alternative… which would have devastating consequences for the West… Ultimately the choice is between a pro- or an anti-Western dictatorship…”

Egypt Becomes More Violent

Der Spiegel Online wrote on February 3:

“The crisis in Egypt took a sharp turn for the worse Wednesday almost immediately after 82-year-old President Hosnai Mubarak rejected calls for him to give up power and leave the country. Violent clashes on Wednesday and Thursday between opponents and supporters of his rule have left at least five dead… Although the army has struggled to maintain a neutral stance since the protests began 10 days ago, most observers still believe it will ultimately decide the country’s fate.

“On Wednesday, soldiers stood back and watched as things turned very ugly with pro-regime supporters attacking anti-Mubarak demonstrators. While some threw rocks from rooftops, others charged the crowds on horses and camels. The clashes continued into the early hours of Thursday, with automatic weapons fire pounding the anti-government protesters in the square. Egypt’s health minister said on state-run Nile TV that the number of injuries at Tahrir Square had reached 836 — including 200 within a single hour on Thursday morning. Later Thursday, Al-Jazeera reported that army tanks had created a buffer zone between the two sides to protect the pro-democracy camp from the carloads of regime loyalists seen heading toward the square…

“In Thursday’s newspapers, German commentators criticized the escalating violence and examined how events in Egypt have left the West in a conundrum.

“The center-left Süddeutsche Zeitung writes: ‘Mubarak is inciting the political camps against each other and looks on as Egyptians attack Egyptians… How are the Americans and Europeans supposed to continue working with their long-time partner in Cairo?’

“The center-right Die Welt writes: ‘The fighting makes clear that the transition to a new era will be anything but smooth. And that the regime has not given up yet… Those on camels and horses who suddenly attacked the regime opponents were almost certainly not normal citizens who had spontaneously decided to launch a counter-demonstration. … It seems that many were members of the security forces. They were thugs mustered and paid by the regime to help foster the widespread impression that there is a civil war… After Mubarak’s offer not to contest the presidential elections in September, the military had made it clear that the demonstrations should end. The opposition doesn’t want to accept that…’

“The business daily Handelsblatt writes: ‘The political powder keg of the Middle East is facing a very dangerous period of instability. Given these circumstances, it is all the more important to avoid chaos and anarchy… The Europeans and Americans have done little in these days of fury to present themselves as partners in a time of need. They were not prepared for the transformation, backed the wrong forces and underestimated the rage of the people. Neither the US nor the EU has the power or means to have any far-reaching influence on the developments in these states. The transformation has to be carried out by the states themselves. However, the Europeans could back the democratic forces, help economic development through investment projects and enter into a closer political partnership with North Africa and the Middle East. In the process, Turkey could serve as a valuable mediator.’

“‘The US has to work hard to prevent the peace process from being buried in the ruins of the old power structures, and active involvement on the part of Israel is essential. The Netanyahu government is stuck in a bunker mentality. It has obviously not understood that nothing will be as it was before in the Middle East. Neither peace nor democracy nor a civil society can be achieved overnight. But if the region is to be freed of dictators and not fall into the hands of anti-Western Islamists, the right signals have to be sent. The EU has an opportunity to do just that right now.’

“The Financial Times Deutschland writes: ‘At the moment, Washington, Jerusalem and Berlin are primarily concerned with the issue of Islamists, and correctly so. It’s clear that Mubarak has to go. But, at the same time, the West must do everything it can to prevent the Muslim Brotherhood from taking a leadership role in the freedom movement and then later taking power through free elections… The threat of anarchy is dangerous for the entire region. Yet just as dangerous is the prospect of allowing Egypt to stagger uncontrolled toward freedom after three decades of autocracy. The most radical solution — immediate free elections — is not the best one. The transition to a functioning democracy has to be mediated in a measured way.’

“The center-right Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung writes: ‘(Egypt) has played and still plays a key role in the efforts to prevent a region that is becoming more radicalized, that is riddled with seemingly unsolvable conflicts and that the world depends on for its oil from descending into chaos and war. The fact that Israel has stuck with Mubarak speaks volumes… However, the examples of Iraq, Afghanistan and the Palestinian territories do not exactly increase the hope that everything will turn out well…’”

Israel in Strategic Distress… in Search of New Allies

Haaretz wrote on January 29:

“The fading power of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak’s government leaves Israel in a state of strategic distress. Without Mubarak, Israel is left with almost no friends in the Middle East; last year, Israel saw its alliance with Turkey collapse… Israel’s increasing isolation in the region, coupled with a weakening United States, will force the government to court new potential allies…

“After Israel’s war against Egypt in 1956, David Ben-Gurion attempted to establish alliances with non-Arab countries in the region, including Iran, Turkey and Ethiopia. The Shah of Iran became a significant ally of Israel, supplying the country with oil and money from weapons purchases…

“Israel’s next alliances were forged with Jordan’s King Hussein and Morocco’s King Hassan. These ties were operated in secret, as well as ties with leaders in Lebanon’s Christian community. The late 1970s saw the fall of the Shah of Iran, with an anti-Israel Islamic republic created in his stead. Around the same time, Egypt and Israel broke their cycle of conflict by signing a peace agreement. Egypt positioned itself on the side of Saudi Arabia, as head of the pro-American camp. Mubarak inherited the peace agreement after President Anwar Sadat’s assassination… Egyptian public opinion was openly hostile towards Israel and anti-Semitic terminology was common.

“Despite all of this, the ‘cold peace’ with Egypt was the most important strategic alliance Israel had in the Middle East… The friendship between Mubarak and Netanyahu is based on a mutual fear over Iran’s strengthening and the rising power of Islamists, as well as over the weakening and distancing of the U.S. government with Barack Obama at its head.

“Now, with Mubarak struggling over the survival of his government, Israel is left with two strategic allies in the region: Jordan and the Palestinian Authority… But Israel’s relationship with these two allies is complicated… Jordan’s King Abdullah refuses to meet Netanyahu, and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is waging a diplomatic struggle against Israel’s right-wing government…”

Demonstrations in Jordan…

The apparently not-so-peace-loving Muslim Brotherhood is also trying to gain power and influence in Jordan:

AlJazeera wrote on January 29:

“Thousands of people in Jordan have taken to the streets in protests, demanding the country’s prime minister step down, and the government curb rising prices, inflation and unemployment… In the third consecutive Friday of protests, about 3,500 opposition activists from Jordan’s main Islamist opposition group, trade unions and leftist organisations gathered in the capital… Another 2,500 people also took to the streets in six other cities across the country after the noon prayers…

“Members of the Islamic Action Front, the political wing of the Muslim Brotherhood and Jordan’s largest opposition party, swelled the ranks of the demonstrators, massing outside the al-Husseini mosque in Amman and filling the downtown streets with their prayer lines.”

Jordan’s Government Dismissed

The Associated Press wrote on February 1:

“Jordan’s King Abdullah II fired his government Tuesday in the wake of street protests and asked an ex-prime minister to form a new Cabinet, ordering him to launch immediate political reforms…

“When he ascended to the throne in 1999, King Abdullah vowed to press ahead with political reforms initiated by his late father, King Hussein… But little has been done since. Although laws were enacted to ensure greater press freedom, journalists are still prosecuted for expressing their opinion or for comments considered slanderous of the king and the royal family. Some gains been made in women’s rights, but many say they have not gone far enough.

“Abdullah has pressed for stiffer penalties for perpetrators of ‘honor killings,’ but courts often hand down lenient sentences. Still, Jordan’s human rights record is generally considered a notch above that of Tunisia and Egypt. Although some critics of the king are prosecuted, they frequently are pardoned and some are even rewarded with government posts.”

It was pointed out in the press that the dangers are enormous for Israel, as Jordan is the only Arab country—besides Egypt—which has signed a peace treaty with Israel. It was also reported that massive demonstrations are planned this weekend in Syria and Algeria.

EU and USA Divided on How to Proceed in Egypt

The Associated Press reported on February 2:

“EU leaders urged Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on Wednesday to respond quickly to pro-democracy protests but stopped short of calling for him to resign before elections scheduled for September.

“President Barack Obama said he had told Mubarak the transition must begin at once and must include opposition parties. On Tuesday, the 82-year-old Mubarak rejected protesters’ demands that he step down immediately, ending nearly 30 years in office, but said he would not seek re-election in the fall…

“The European Union has had close relations with Egypt as part of its partnerships with other Mediterranean nations and tens of thousands of EU citizens flock to Egyptian beaches in wintertime. In recent days, the EU has been criticized for being too timid in supporting pro-democracy demonstrations and for trailing behind the U.S. in distancing itself from Mubarak’s regime.

“Unlike the United States and a number of other countries, the EU has not called on its citizens to leave Egypt. But a number of European tour operators have started carrying out plans to evacuate their clients. About 50,000 Europeans — mostly tourists — are believed to still be in Egypt.

“In Paris, French President Nicolas Sarkozy…has been criticized for failing to strongly back the Egyptian protesters and for appearing to support the regime of former Tunisian dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, who was toppled by mass protests last month.

“German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle called Mubarak’s announcement that he would not run for a new term ‘a step that clears the way for a new political beginning…’ He did not, however, call for Mubarak to resign, saying only: ‘Who leads Egypt in future will be decided in Egypt by the Egyptian people.’”

Europe’s Dubious Role

The EUObserver wrote on January 29:

“Tony Blair, former UK prime minister and envoy of the Quartet on the Middle East – comprising the EU, the US, Russia and the United Nations – warned of the danger of ‘extremists’ taking advantage of the situation. ‘The danger is that when you open up a vacuum, anything can happen,’ he told the BBC…

“The EU is… a major donor to Egypt, with €449 million in the Egypt kitty for the next two years… Some of the weapons and vehicles such as helicopters, tanks and anti-riot trucks that may be used against the Egyptian people are sourced from the US and EU. US weapon sales to the country include Black Hawk helicopters, Abrams tanks and Humvees, while Egyptian anti-riot vans are supplied by Italy’s Iveco SpA… 18 EU member states sold a total of €75.7 million worth of arms to Egypt in 2009.”

Europe has deep-rooted interests in Egypt, and it will not sit idly by when it sees the threat and danger that those vested interests may disappear…

Will Europe Intervene?

The EUObserver wrote on January 28:

“Italy has said the EU should send a crisis mission to north Africa… Italian foreign minister Franco Frattini said the EU should send a high-level ‘political support team’ to calm tensions in Algeria, Egypt, Tunisia and other countries in the region hit by deadly civil unrest in recent days.

“’The European mission … [should make] contact with the highest levels… I do not think this can be dealt with by sporadic initiatives of this or that country in Europe, but only by a European initiative.’”

The Euro’s Survival… WITHIN a Core Europe

The following articles are quite remarkable. They do not only totally debunk the short-sighted and ill-conceived notion that the euro will fail, but they also show how the fight for the euro will contribute to the creation of a Europe of two speeds or a core Europe WITHIN the EU. This is exactly in line with biblical prophecy, and all other concocted scenarios show a terrible misunderstanding or ignorance of Scripture. For more information, please read our free booklets, “Europe in Prophecy,” and “The Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord.”

Der Spiegel Online wrote on January 31:

“According to the plan [of German Chancellor Angela Merkel], the euro-zone countries would coordinate their economic policies far more closely in the future, thus playing a leadership role within the entire EU. What Merkel has in mind is essentially nothing other than the ‘two-speed Europe’ that her finance minister, Wolfgang Schäuble, similarly proposed many years ago… Merkel has made a political U-turn that is virtually as dramatic as the change in course made by her predecessor in office, Gerhard Schröder, when he introduced his radical — and hugely unpopular – ‘Agenda 2010’ reforms of the labor market and welfare system… Merkel has discarded a number of her fundamental convictions about Europe.

“Until recently, the chancellor had strictly opposed any closer cooperation among the 17 countries in the euro zone. She wanted to include all 27 EU member states. Her concern was that this would otherwise lead to a union within the Union. Her fear was that countries that are not members of the euro club, such as Poland, could be sidelined… Now it’s a different story altogether. Now Merkel wants to make the center of the current crisis, the euro zone, into the focus of efforts to combat the common currency’s woes. That notwithstanding, the pact is intended to be open to all EU countries, not just the members of the euro zone…

“Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy will present the rough outlines of the plan at the EU summit in Brussels this Friday. The proposal is not on the official agenda. The 27 heads of state and government will confidentially and informally discuss the issue over lunch. Then it will primarily be up to Germany and France to hammer out the details of the plan. But other governments will also participate in the process. The plan is to be discussed in detail at the next regularly scheduled EU summit in late March. The chancellor, however, is also considering calling a special summit before then. Sarkozy is Merkel’s most important partner on this issue.

“The French president has long advocated intensifying cooperation among euro countries… If the chancellor manages to push through her plan, it would send a strong signal that the Europeans are really prepared to pursue a common approach, each in their own area of responsibility… The Chancellery estimates that 23 EU countries will go along with it. Denmark and Sweden are said to be on the fence, while the UK and the Czech Republic are reportedly reluctant…

“To foil France’s ambitions, Merkel long opposed a special role for the euro zone within the broader European Union. But since the onset of the financial crisis, Germany’s resistance has been crumbling. At first, Berlin was generally opposed to special summits for the euro-zone countries. Later, the German government agreed to meetings of national leaders in the event of particularly sensitive issues. Now such summits will be held on a regular basis. Just how often this will occur is something that Merkel and Sarkozy will have to agree to over the coming months. The French president would prefer to have the euro-zone leaders reach agreements ahead of each EU summit. Then the 27 members of the broader EU would, in principle, merely rubber stamp what the 17 euro-zone members had already decided… EU member states like Poland, the UK and Sweden… would be excluded, as they don’t have the euro…

“Merkel has been pushing for every EU member to be allowed to attend the euro summits. She also wants to prevent these events from being held too often. Ideally, she would like the euro meetings to take place after the regular EU summits. Then the euro-zone countries could not make any pre-arrangements that would affect the entire Union…

“But Merkel is not about to let such objections put the brakes on her plan. At the World Economic Forum in Davos last Friday, she made a plug for her plan in front of top business and political leaders from around the world. In order to protect the euro, new approaches must be adopted, she said. Merkel added that nothing less than Europe’s position in the world is at stake. The often hesitant chancellor appeared highly determined. She said the euro was ‘the embodiment of Europe today’… ‘We will defend the euro,’ she said. ‘There can be no doubt about it.’”

The Euro Will Never Fail

BBC News reported on January 27:

“French President Nicolas Sarkozy has said France and Germany will never let the euro fail… ‘Whether it be [German] Chancellor Merkel or myself, never will we turn our backs on the euro. Never will we abandon the euro,’ he said. He added that those who bet against the euro should watch out for their money.

“‘The euro spells Europe. The euro is Europe and Europe has spelled 60 years of peace on our continent, therefore we will never let the euro go or be destroyed,’ he insisted.”

Guttenberg Under Attack

The Local wrote on January 29:

“Defence Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg this week angrily dismissed criticism of his handling of several military scandals, but newspapers in The Local’s media roundup wrote he risks losing control of his ministry.

“The popular and aristocratic Guttenberg relieved the commander of the Gorch Fock navy training ship from his duties over the weekend, as embarrassing details about conditions leading up to and after the death of a woman cadet in November continued to emerge. The minister is also under fire for two other military scandals, including the accidental shooting death of a soldier in Afghanistan and the unexplained opening of soldiers’ mail from the Afghan front.

“Opposition leaders have accused the minister of scapegoating the Gorch Fock commander Norbert Schatz to distract from his own failure to shed light on the circumstances surrounding the sailor’s death, while also allowing misinformation about the shooting death in Afghanistan to spread. Guttenberg responded angrily on Monday, calling his critics ‘clueless.’ But on Tuesday some commentators warned that such disdain would create enemies, while others said they saw signs that the slick Guttenberg may be acting out of self-preservation as he loses control of his ministry… Guttenberg… could be accused of… ignorance for not first summoning Gorch Fock commander Norbert Schatz to Berlin to hear his side of the story before relieving him of duty…

“Right-wing daily Die Welt said that while the recent scandals in the military reveal communication failures within the Defence Ministry, Guttenberg risks losing his authority if he admits this… It was also clear that he was not in control of his ministry, it added…

“Meanwhile financial daily Handelsblatt criticised Guttenberg for doing little to quell rumours about the different scandals within the German military as anger grows in parliament… ‘Guttenberg was either falsely briefed or didn’t concern himself with the bad news.’ Guttenberg has also kept officials on staff who have shown themselves to be untrustworthy in the past, the paper said… ‘his indifference over the frightful conditions behind the false messages will soon catch up with him. Because on his hardest front, the parliament, resentment over his behaviour is growing immensely.’

“… Guttenberg runs the risk of relying too heavily on his popularity to get through the current scandals… The centre-left Süddeutsche Zeitung wrote that… Guttenberg showed signs that he was interested only in protecting himself…

“The left-wing taz concluded that a particularly troubling revelation from the affair was Guttenberg’s closeness to the tabloid Bild, to whose Sunday edition he gave the story that he had dismissed the captain and ordered a review into military behaviour… Guttenberg decided to fire him on Friday night and immediately called the paper, it said. ‘Two days later the tabloid praised the minister’s decisiveness and denounced critics from the (pro-business coalition partners) Free Democratic Party and the socialist Left party as small-minded grumblers,’ taz wrote. ‘The question is not only what Guttenberg knew when, but also, to whom is the minister beholden: the parliament or Bild?’”

This article shows that we must be careful not to concentrate too quickly on one particular individual. There have been speculations being circulated over the Internet to the effect that Mr. Guttenberg is the “beast,” mentioned in the book of Revelation. Some even have proclaimed this quite dogmatically. Such premature pronouncements by self-appointed “prophets” are just plain foolish. God tells us to watch the news events and in His due time, He will reveal to His true servants what must be revealed and announced (compare Amos 3:7).

Watch Donald Trump!

Newsmax wrote on January 30:

“Donald Trump [says:] ‘We have a very weak policy. Whether it’s China, or the horrible agreement just signed with South Korea, or any of the other horrible deals that we make, we don’t have the ability to make good deals with other countries. We’re like a whipping post for other countries. We are standing there and being beaten by South Korea, by Mexico, by China, by India. If you have a problem with a credit card and you call somebody up, that person is based in India. And then they wonder why we’re not going to have jobs for another five or six years…

“‘All our jobs are going to China. We’re rebuilding China and other places… If we ever taxed Chinese products coming into this country, we would pay off the debt so fast. More importantly, we would start creating jobs in our country. They cheated at the Olympics with their gymnasts, they’re cheating us with their manipulation of the currency. They’re not our friends. I know them very well. I do business with them. I’m not angry at them. I just can’t believe that they can get away with it. My friends from China said to me just recently… we cannot believe how stupid your politicians are to allow us to get away with what we’re getting away with…’

“Trump says [about President Obama’s State of the Union Address:] ‘He didn’t talk about the deficit, he didn’t talk about how to pay off all the debt that we have. Instead he’s telling everybody what a great country China is, that China has the fastest computer in the world… Unless we get tough, and smart, and unless we stop having dinners for people that are destroying us… we’re going to have big problems.’

“Trump has a surprising response to speculation that the turmoil in Egypt and other countries in the Middle East could push oil prices to as high as $200 a barrel. ‘…the Middle East is a tinderbox. It’s going to explode. OPEC will probably be destroyed if it explodes… and that could have a positive impact on oil prices…’

“Trump has especially harsh words for OPEC and its grip on oil prices… ‘I think it’s unfair. I think it’s illegal… Here you have 12 men, in this case all men, they sit around a table and they set the price of oil. We have so much oil. There’s so much oil out at sea… We have more natural gas than anybody. Why we not using it is an amazing thing. Abu Dhabi, which has plenty of oil, just went to all natural gas for transportation because they want to sell us the oil at exorbitant prices… We have to do something about OPEC because that’s the life blood of the country. Right now, until we get on natural gas and other things, they really have us, and they’re sitting around inflating the price… I give a lot of the credit for the almost collapse of this country to the price of oil. It’s going to be up there again very soon and you’re going to have another catastrophic problem…

“Turning to Afghanistan and the timeline President Obama has proposed for withdrawal of American troops, Trump [says:] ‘We should be out of there as soon as possible. At the same time, when Obama announced that he’s going to be out at a certain date, these militants are just sitting back saying, “He gave us a specific date. This is fantastic. We’ll just sit back and then we’ll take it over the minute they leave.” So for him to give a date was a very dangerous, stupid, and foolish thing to do.’”

Donald Trump also announced that he is seriously considering running for the office of President in 2012. If he does and if he should be elected, his political stance and actions, based on his comments, would in all likelihood be quite different from those of some of the former U.S. presidents.

Florida Federal Judge Rules Obamacare Unconstitutional

Newsmax reported on January 31:

“A federal judge ruled Monday that the Obama administration’s health care overhaul is unconstitutional, siding with 26 states that sued to block it. U.S. District Judge Roger Vinson accepted without trial the states’ argument that the new law violates people’s rights by forcing them to buy health insurance by 2014 or face penalties… The next stop is likely the U.S. Supreme Court. Two other federal judges have upheld the insurance requirement, but a federal judge in Virginia also ruled the insurance provision violates the Constitution. In his ruling, Vinson went further than the Virginia judge and declared the entire health care law unconstitutional…

“At issue was whether the government is reaching beyond its constitutional power to regulate interstate commerce by requiring citizens to purchase health insurance or face tax penalties. Attorneys for President Barack Obama’s administration had argued that the health care system was part of the interstate commerce system. They said the government can levy a tax penalty on Americans who decide not to purchase health insurance because all Americans are consumers of medical care…

“Other states that joined the suit [in Florida] are: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Indiana, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.”

The Washington Post added on January 31:

“In ruling against President Obama‘s health care law, federal Judge Roger Vinson used Mr. Obama‘s own position from the 2008 campaign against him, when the then-Illinois senator argued there were other ways to achieve reform short of requiring every American to purchase insurance. ‘I note that in 2008, then-Senator Obama supported a health care reform proposal that did not include an individual mandate because he was at that time strongly opposed to the idea, stating that, “If a mandate was the solution, we can try that to solve homelessness by mandating everybody to buy a house,”’ Judge Vinson wrote in a footnote toward the end of his 78-page ruling Monday…

“The footnote was attached to the most critical part of Judge Vinson‘s ruling, in which he said the ‘principal dispute’ in the case was not whether Congress has the power to tackle health care, but rather whether it has the power to compel individual citizens to purchase insurance.”

The Curse of War

Good Culture reported on January 27:

“For the second year in a row, more American soldiers—both enlisted men and women and veterans—committed suicide than were killed in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Excluding accidents and illness, 462 soldiers died in combat, while 468 committed suicide. A difference of six isn’t vast by any means, but the symbolism is significant and troubling. In 2009, there were 381 suicides by military personnel, a number that also exceeded the number of combat deaths.

“Earlier this month, military authorities announced that suicides amongst active-duty soldiers had slowed in 2010, while suicides amongst reservists and people in the National Guard had increased. It was proof, they said, that the frequent psychological screenings active-duty personnel receive were working… This new data, that American soldiers are now more dangerous to themselves than the insurgents, flies right in the face of any suggestion that things are ‘working.’…

“One of the problems hindering the military’s attempt to address soldier suicides is that there’s no real rhyme or reason to what kind of soldier is killing himself. While many suicide victims are indeed afflicted with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder after facing heavy combat in the Middle East, many more have never even been deployed. Of the 112 guardsmen who committed suicide last year, more than half had never even left American soil.”

The above-described cases of suicide are apparently linked to fighting in war or to the prospect of having to fight in war. Our eye-opening free booklet, “Should YOU Fight in War?,” shows you why God calls war a curse, and not a blessing.

Australian Cyclone Yasi Hits

The Associated Press wrote on February 3:

“Residents and officials were amazed and relieved that no one was reported killed by the monstrous Cyclone Yasi, which roared across northern Queensland with winds up to 170 mph (280 kph). Tidal surges sent waves crashing ashore two blocks into seaside communities, several small towns directly under Yasi’s eye were devastated and hundreds of millions of dollars of banana and sugarcane crops were shredded.

“Officials said lives were spared because, after days of increasingly dire warnings, people followed instructions to flee to evacuation centers or bunker themselves at home in dozens of cities and towns in Yasi’s path…

“Yasi crossed the coast around midnight at the most-destructive Category 5 rating and then immediately began to weaken. Still, it was strong enough to hold a Category 1 cyclone rating about 500 miles (800 kilometers) inland, where it was threatening to cause flooding late Thursday in the Outback town of Mount Isa. It was a terrifying night for thousands who waited out the storm in their darkened houses…

“The disaster zone was north of Australia’s worst flooding in decades, which swamped an area in Queensland state the size [of] Germany and France combined and killed 35 people during weeks of high water until last month. But the storm added to the state’s woes, and was sure to add substantially to the estimated $5.6 billion in damage since late November. The government has already announced a special tax nationwide to help pay for the earlier flooding…

“Emergency Services Minister Neil Roberts said initial assessments were that more than 280 houses were damaged in the three hardest-hit towns, and crews were unable to reach at least four others, so the tally would certainly rise. Australia’s huge, sparsely populated tropical north is battered annually by about six cyclones — called typhoons throughout much of Asia and hurricanes in the Western hemisphere. Building codes have been strengthened since Cyclone Tracy devastated the city of Darwin in 1974, killing 71 in one of Australia’s deadliest natural disasters. ‘This was the worst cyclone this country has experienced, potentially, for 100 years, and I think that due to very good planning, a very good response … we’ve been able to keep people safe,’ Roberts said.

“Still, signs of devastation were everywhere. The main coastal highway was a slalom course of downed trees and power lines, fields of sugar cane and banana were shredded and flattened, and lush hillside forests were stripped of every leaf.”

Hard to Believe—Global Warming Causing Snowfalls?

On February 1, 2011, Al Gore posted the following comments on his blog:

“As it turns out, the scientific community [says] that increased heavy snowfalls are completely consistent with what they have been predicting as a consequence of man-made global warming:

“In fact, scientists have been warning for at least two decades that global warming could make snowstorms more severe. Snow has two simple ingredients: cold and moisture. Warmer air collects moisture like a sponge until it hits a patch of cold air. When temperatures dip below freezing, a lot of moisture creates a lot of snow.

“A rise in global temperature can create all sorts of havoc, ranging from hotter dry spells to colder winters, along with increasingly violent storms, flooding, forest fires and loss of endangered species.”

Cloning a Mammoth

CNN reported on January 17:

“A team of scientists from Japan, Russia and the United States hopes to clone a mammoth, a symbol of Earth’s ice age that ended 12,000 years ago… The researchers say they hope to produce a baby mammoth within six years. The scientists say they will extract DNA from a mammoth carcass that has been preserved in a Russian laboratory and insert it into the egg cells of an African elephant in hopes of producing a mammoth embryo.

“The team is being led by Akira Iritani, a professor emeritus at Kyoto University in Japan… who successfully cloned a mouse from cells that had been frozen for 16 years… The U.S. researchers are in vitro fertilization experts.

“’If a cloned embryo can be created, we need to discuss, before transplanting it into the womb, how to breed [the mammoth] and whether to display it to the public,’ Iritani [said…] After the mammoth is born, we’ll examine its ecology and genes to study why the species became extinct and other factors.’”

What will be next? Will scientists, in their idle and vain endeavor to play God, attempt to clone flesh-eating predatory dinosaurs and other vicious animals?  Will Jurassic Park become a frightening reality? We should be able to see more and more clearly WHY God has to intervene soon to put an end to man’s madness (compare Matthew 24:22).

The Designed Human Brain

Pravda wrote on January 18:

“The brain has for a long time been compared to man-made computers in its astounding ability to process, store, and route information. But a new imaging technique has revealed that just one brain’s connections and capacities far outnumber and outpace those of all the world’s computers. And this makes the question of the origin of brains that much more difficult for naturalistic explanations… New computer software processed all the data to produce stunning three-dimensional images of never-before-seen brain cell connections…

“‘[The researchers] found that the brain’s complexity is beyond anything they’d imagined,’ according to an article appearing in the Health Tech section of the online news source CNET. For instance, they found that the total number of synapses in a brain roughly equaled the number of stars in 1,500 Milky Way galaxies! And memory patterns and tiny on/off switches, which were long thought to reside in the larger neuron cell bodies, were instead found to be smaller than the tiny synapse connections. Each of the neurons imaged in the study serves thousands of synapses.

“Stanford University professor and senior study author Stephen Smith said that ‘one synapse may contain on the order of 1,000 molecular-scale switches. A single human brain has more switches than all the computers and routers and Internet connections on Earth.’ This research multiplies the brain’s overall computing power far beyond what was previously known.

“The more complicated a system is, the stronger it argues for having been intentionally designed. And brains certainly qualify, despite assertions that random-acting natural processes somehow assembled them. In these cases, the burden of proof lies heavily on those who insist that such systems are not in fact what they plainly appear to be: the products of intentional ingenious design.

“The God of the Bible stands as the most tenable source of the specified complexity of interconnected neurons upon which human and much animal life depends. Until a naturalistic alternative can explain how a self-healing, adaptive, cosmic-sized internet of connectivity has been shrunk down to the size of a brain, then it is best to identify this hyper-tech design as being the product of a real Designer. And until an objective body of evidence can legitimately debunk the Bible’s historicity and proven accuracy, then it is best to identify this Designer as the Creator and Sustainer revealed in Scripture.”

Why can’t we just accept godly-inspired truth, as written down in the Bible? If you want to learn more about the reality and veracity of God’s Word, please read our free booklet, “The Authority of the Bible.” Also, if you want to learn the scientific and biblical proofs for man’s creation, please read our free booklet, “The Theory of Evolution—a Fairy Tale for Adults?”

First, let us explain that the Feast of Purim is not one of God’s commanded Holy Days. It is celebrated by the Jews, and observing the Purim Feast by them is, per se, not against Scripture. As a Jew, Jesus would have kept the Feast of Purim, although there is no specific reference in the New Testament that He did. But as it is pointed out in the Question, many times the way in which it is celebrated is clearly against God’s commandments.

The date for Purim in 2010 was February 28th and this year will be on March 20th.

Wikipedia makes the following comments about this festival:

“Purim is a festival that commemorates the deliverance of the Jewish people of the ancient Persian Empire from Haman’s plot to annihilate them, as recorded in the Biblical Book of Esther. According to the story, Haman cast lots to determine the day upon which to exterminate the Jews.

“Purim is celebrated annually according to the Hebrew calendar on the 14th day of the Hebrew month of Adar (Adar II in leap years), the day following the victory of the Jews over their enemies; as with all Jewish holidays, Purim begins at sundown on the previous secular day. In cities that were protected by a surrounding wall at the time of Joshua, including Shushan and Jerusalem, Purim is celebrated on the 15th of the month, known as Shushan Purim. Purim is characterized by public recitation of the Book of Esther, giving mutual gifts of food and drink, giving charity to the poor, and a celebratory meal. Other customs include drinking wine, wearing of masks and costumes, and public celebration.”

Many of these activities are praiseworthy. Giving charity to the poor is a trait that we must all practice (Deuteronomy 15:7, 11; Proverbs 22:9 and 28:27; Matthew 19:21; Luke 12:33 and 14:13; Acts 10:4; and Galatians 2:10, among many other references in the Bible). Giving mutual gifts of food and wine to others shows good hospitality (Romans 12:13; 1 Timothy 3:2; Titus 1:7-8; 1 Peter 4:9). Dancing and celebration in themselves are not wrong (Exodus 15:20; 2 Samuel 6:16; Psalm 30:11; Luke 15:25), but when this leads to excess and wrong behaviour, then it is not in accordance with biblical instruction on how to live our lives.

In a programme broadcast on British television in February 2010, it showed what happened at the Feast of Purim in Jerusalem last year. The presenter said that this was the one day of the year that the Mea She’arim (the ultra-orthodox Jews who will stone your car if you drive into their area on the Sabbath) were allowed to get so drunk that they wouldn’t even remember it. They interviewed young religious men saying to the camera that they were going to get really drunk and seemed to revel in the idea.

In her book “This is Israel”, Sylvia Mann wrote the following in 1980: “…Mea She’arim is still looking as it did a century ago. The whole community is Ashkenazi – Jews of Eastern or Central European origin – and is fanatically orthodox. Only Yiddish is spoken, for Hebrew is observed as the language of prayer.”

Of course, the Mea She’arim are just one group of Jews who observe the feast of Purim.

One report about Purim in 2009 said: “A group of ultra-Orthodox men, black silk coats shining, fur shtreimels on their heads, stood yesterday on the corner of one of Tel Aviv’s bastions of secular life – Ahad Ha’am and Sheinkin streets – formed a circle and broke out in Hassidic dance. They pulled a secular man into the circle with them, singing at the top of their lungs, perhaps a bit tipsy. I had not seen such true joy in a long time. My eldest son was just then on his way back to Tel Aviv from a trance party at Hamat Gader in the north, which had begun at dawn and ended with last light. Six thousand young people, 28 arrests for possession of narcotics, and on the phone my son said it had been great. And yet the ultra-Orthodox dancing was more memorable for me. The day before I was thrown out with threats from Jerusalem’s Mea She’arim quarter.”

Another report said: “One is supposed to imbibe enough strong drink to blur the distinction between Mordechai and Haman, there was no sign on the streets of anyone being overtly drunk. Passing the large Yakiray Yisrael Yeshiva, however, we could see bottles being passed around amongst the men in the large study hall that had been converted into a makeshift all-male dance hall.”

We can see from all this information that this group conducts itself as being ultra conservative throughout the year, but on the Feast of Purim, drinking, smoking by the very young and drug taking is all permitted.

There are indeed a number of issues that we need to address and lessons that we can learn.

First of all, the modest and sensible use of alcohol is permitted. Psalm 104:15 talks about “wine that makes glad the heart of man.” The apostle Paul encourages Timothy to “use a little wine for your stomach’s sake and your frequent infirmities” (1 Timothy 5:23), and Jesus instituted the New Testament Passover with the bread and wine (Matthew 26:27-29; Mark 14:23-25; Luke 22:20). However, the excess of alcohol is condemned (compare Proverbs 20:1; 23:29-32; Ephesians 5:18; 1 Timothy 3:3, 8; Titus 1:7; 1 Peter 4:3). Drunkenness is one of the works of the flesh “and those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God” (Galatians 5:21; compare also 1 Corinthians 6:9-11).

Drug use can lead to or is intoxication. Illegal drugs are clearly prohibited in Scripture, but even the use of “legal” drugs can be dangerous, and the same Scriptural principles can apply as they do to alcohol. One report said that “The short term effects of any intoxication can be slurred speech, staggering, and poor judgment and reflexes. Large doses can cause unconsciousness or death. The user may become so confused he takes more drugs without realizing the consequences. Long term effects can be addiction. Users think they must have the drug to function. Obtaining drugs can then become the main function of life. Tolerance requires greater amounts to get the same effect. Stopping can cause extreme withdrawal, anxiety, convulsions and even death.”

With respect to cigarette smoking, God says that our bodies are the temple of God. “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who [better: which] is in you, whom [which] you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

The Bible never directly states that smoking is wrong. But many biblical principles prohibit smoking. 1 Corinthians 6:12 tells us: “All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.” Paul is not saying that it is lawful for him to commit murder. But even in regard to things which are “neutral” or permitted, he still refuses to come under their power or mastery. How much more it is true that we must not engage in things which are harmful.

Smoking is undeniably strongly addictive, and it is clearly very bad for our health, causing damage to the lungs and the heart. Smoking is in no way “helpful” or “expedient” (1 Corinthians 6:12, Authorized Version). We are not glorifying God with our body, when we smoke (1 Corinthians 6:20; 10:31). Smoking does not reflect any love and care for ourselves and our health.

In addition, smoking is also not just merely unpleasant for passive by-standers, but medical research has shown that it is very dangerous for their health as well. It can even become, to an extent, more dangerous than for the smoker. Smoking does not show love for our fellow man; it is totally selfish and self-oriented.

It is important to note that the Bible teaches that true Christianity is a way of life. In Acts 9:2 we read: “…[Saul] asked letters from [the high priest] to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem..” Acts 19:23 further enforces this understanding: “And about that time there arose a great commotion about the Way.”

True Christianity is a full-time commitment – a complete way of life, every second of every day – without taking any time off. If we let down our defences Satan will exploit any weaknesses that we have and any carelessness that we show if we are not close to God and stay that way. Unlike those who have not been called at this time and who do stray from their normal religious behaviour even if for only one day a year, we must take our calling very seriously at all times. We must remember that “The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9).

1 Peter 5:6-10 tells us exactly what we must do: “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.”

Lead Writer: Brian Gale

Michael and Noelle Link are happy to announce the birth of their son, Mason Brody. He was born on February 1, 2011, at 7:25 pm, after 9 hours of labor. His weight was seven pounds, and he was 19 inches long. Everything went perfectly and everybody is doing fine.

A new StandingWatch program, titled, “The Future of the Middle East,” was posted on the Web. The program asks: What is the meaning of the tumultuous developments in Tunisia, Lebanon and Egypt? Where is it all heading? What will Europe and the USA attempt to do to solve the fragile situation in that part of the world? Does the Bible give us answers as to what the future holds? 

Norbert Link’s sermon, “Paul’s Letter to the Philippians, Part 1,” was posted on the Web.

A new German sermon was recorded this week. It deals with the life of Jacob and Esau (and Israel and Edom today and in the near future) and is titled, “Die Geschichte von zwei Bruedern” (“A Tale of Two Brothers.”)