We often come under criticism for what we believe and do as Christians. When people learn that the ways that we follow are so drastically different from their own, their tendency is to condemn and put down, especially what they do not understand.

But, if those that would ridicule our path, would only judge the Word of God on its merit, they would find a way of life that works. Can you imagine what the world would be like if everyone kept only one of God’s laws?  How much better off would humanity be if there was simply no stealing?

There would be no need to have locks to keep burglars out of our homes and thieves from taking our cars. The price of food and goods would decrease as it would no longer be necessary to cover the cost of stolen items. Company productivity would increase as employees became more honest about their time… and the list goes on. 

Then, what if we added to no stealing: no lying, no killing, etc.  Do the math! Can we see the direction this would take mankind and the ultimate benefit for all involved? The point being, the way of life that we have been shown and now keep to the best of our ability, IS A WAY OF LIFE THAT WORKS! Regardless of what anyone thinks, how much better would we all be if everyone lived a God-designed life?

We must never be put off by what others will say and do, but rather remain resolute in our convictions. By doing so, we will continue in the good work that God has begun in us as well as being a part of the good work that He will eventually do in the rest of mankind… even the naysayers of today.

Earthquakes this week, including those in Mexico on April 4 (7.2) and in Indonesia on April 6 (7.8), were again a sobering reminder of Christ’s words about “the beginning of sorrows.”

Adding to this President Obama’s announcement of a major shift in America’s defense policies, which will potentially weaken the US military substantially; the incredible confusion surrounding President Obama’s “one and only” supposed accomplishment so far–the new health care legislation; ongoing violence in Iraq and Afghanistan; the increasing desire to build a third temple in Jerusalem; deteriorating relationships between Israel and Turkey; Britain’s unfounded hope for a brighter future as the result of their upcoming general election in May; the celebration of the pagan Easter festival; and the ongoing discussion of the sex scandal within the Roman Catholic Church; and it should not be too difficult to decipher the “signs of the times.” We can expect further tumultuous events to occur in the near future, culminating in the RETURN of Jesus Christ.

Especially the apparent present crisis of the Catholic church is noteworthy. The Vatican and bishops and Catholic newspapers and agencies have begun to deny any culpability of the church or the pope and have instead gone on the attack against those who report the criminal activities and the cover-ups within the organization. This strategy may prove to be “successful”: Many believing Catholics may indeed be caught unawares. As the old saying goes: If one tells a lie or denies the truth long enough, many will believe it.

Major Mexican Earthquake

Trading Markets reported on April 4:

“A nuclear power plant in Southern California remained intact after a 7.2-magnitude earthquake shook the region on Sunday, authorities said. The temblor did not result in the shutdown of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station in the region… The nuclear plant is built to withstand a 7.0 earthquake 5 miles (8 km) away, according to San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E)…

“The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) measured the quake at 7.2 magnitude, correcting its previous measurement of 6.9 magnitude. The quake struck in Baja California, Mexico, southeast of Mexicali, at 5:40 p.m… The shaker rocked all of Southern California, and sent high rise buildings in Los Angeles and San Diego rocking back and forth.

“Nearly 2,400 customers lost power in Dana Point… near Los Angeles… In San Diego County, more than 600 customers lost power in Borrego Springs when the earthquake struck… Three strong jolts including a magnitude-5.1 aftershock were felt in the Imperial County desert east of San Diego in the hour after the magnitude-7.2 quake struck. Magnitude-4.5 and magnitude-4.3 aftershocks came before and after… The earthquake was also felt in Phoenix and Las Vegas…

“The epicenter for the quakes was under a small volcanic caldera that last erupted about 10,000 years ago, located about 20 miles ( 32 kilometers) southeast of the border crossing between Calexico, California, and Mexicali, Mexico. The caldera, which is home to a large geothermal power plant, has been delivering small-to-moderate quakes for the past several months.”

More and stronger earthquakes will occur soon, including in the United States. Christ referred to earthquakes, which will increase in strength, as one of the signs indicating His return.

Use of Nuclear Arms–Major Shift in Policy

BBC News reported on April 6:

“President Barack Obama’s administration has unveiled a defence policy to significantly narrow the circumstances in which the US would use nuclear arms. But its Nuclear Posture Review warned that countries breaking the rules would remain potential targets. The US strategy document also raised concerns about a ‘lack of transparency’ in China’s nuclear programme. The review comes two days before Mr Obama and his Russian counterpart sign a landmark nuclear arms reduction pact.

“The deal, agreed last month, commits Russia and America to big cuts in nuclear warheads and is to replace the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (Start), which expired last December… The document is carefully worded – it limits the use of nuclear weapons but carves out exceptions to use them against countries that break the rules – in other words countries like North Korea and Iran…

“President Obama though is likely to be criticised by both sides- the left will say he should impose a blanket ban on the use of American nuclear warheads. The right will say he’s undermining the credibility of America’s nuclear deterrent by limiting the circumstances in which it can be used…

“For the first time, the US is ruling out a nuclear response to attacks on America involving biological, chemical or conventional weapons. But this comes with a big caveat: countries will only be spared a US nuclear response if they comply with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty – this does not include Iran and North Korea…

“The new nuclear pact – which Mr Obama is due to sign on Thursday in Prague with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev – commits the former Cold War rivals to significant cuts in their weapons’ stockpiles. The treaty would restrict both Moscow and Washington to a maximum of 1,550 warheads each, about 30% less than currently allowed, the US says. But Russia drew some lines in the sand on Tuesday, warning it could pull out if it decided a US missile defence shield, proposed for Europe, threatened its security.”

While America is willing to sign this Treaty with Russia unconditionally, in its attempts to “buy” allies, Russia reserves the right to withdraw. The Bible prophesied that America’s and Britain’s allies will finally turn against them.

The New York Times added on April 5:

“… the new strategy renounces the development of any new nuclear weapons, overruling the initial position of his own defense secretary. Mr. Obama’s strategy is a sharp shift from those of his predecessors… For the first time, the United States is explicitly committing not to use nuclear weapons against nonnuclear states that are in compliance with the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, even if they attacked the United States with biological or chemical weapons or launched a crippling cyberattack… White House officials said the new strategy would include the option of reconsidering the use of nuclear retaliation against a biological attack, if the development of such weapons reached a level that made the United States vulnerable to a devastating strike.

“Mr. Obama’s new strategy is bound to be controversial, both among conservatives who have warned against diluting the United States’ most potent deterrent and among liberals who were hoping for a blanket statement that the country would never be the first to use nuclear weapons…

“The most immediate test of the new strategy is likely to be in dealing with Iran, which has defied the international community by developing a nuclear program… Mr. Obama said he was now convinced that ‘the current course they’re on would provide them with nuclear weapons capabilities,’ though he gave no timeline…

“There are five declared nuclear states — the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China. Three states with nuclear weapons have refused to sign — India, Pakistan and Israel — and North Korea renounced the treaty in 2003. Iran remains a signatory, but the United Nations Security Council has repeatedly found it in violation of its obligations, because it has hidden nuclear plants and refused to answer questions about evidence it was working on a warhead.”

It should be clear that this announcement will weaken the USA militarily. The Bible prophesied that in these last days, America will lose the pride of its power and will become increasingly unwilling to defend itself, even in times of war.

The New Arms Reduction Agreement–Experts Skeptical

Deutsche Welle wrote on April 8:

“The presidents of the United States and Russia have signed a new arms reduction agreement in Prague signalling a willingness to rid the world of nuclear weapons. But experts on the whole are largely disappointed…

“The Prague signing this week is being sold by Washington spin doctors as further evidence of Obama’s courageous commitment to reducing nuclear weapons and his desire to ‘reset’ relations with Russia but experts are skeptical of how historic the agreement will turn out to be and whether Obama’s vision is anything other than a utopian pipe dream…

“Nick Witney, a transatlantic and defence expert at the European Centre for Foreign Relations… believes that… the agreement suggests the US focus is moving away from Europe and that this could have repercussions for European defense. ‘The US is no longer worried about defending Europe from those land invasion scenarios of the Cold War…’, he said. ‘… What will happen is that the Europeans will be forced to look more at their own defense strategies and spending…’

“… some eastern European nations are nervous at the growing détente between the US and Russia for other reasons, particularly the possibility of President Obama acquiescing should Moscow demand an end to plans for a US missile shield in Europe in return for full disarmament cooperation in future agreements.”

This development highlights the ongoing discussion in Europe about the need for coordinated European defense strategies and the establishment of a European army.

New U.S. Health Care — Nothing But Confusion…

The “McClatchy Newspapers” wrote on April 6:

“Two weeks after President Barack Obama signed the big health care overhaul into law, Americans are struggling to understand how — and when — the sweeping measure will affect them. Questions reflecting confusion have flooded insurance companies, doctors’ offices, human resources departments and business groups.

“… the call center had been inundated by uninsured consumers who were hoping that the overhaul would translate into instant, affordable coverage. That widespread misconception may have originated in part from distorted rhetoric about the legislation bubbling up from the hyper-partisan debate about it in Washington and some media outlets, such as when opponents denounced it as socialism…

“Adults with pre-existing conditions are frustrated to learn that insurers won’t have to cover them until 2014 (though those under 18 will be protected in late September); then they become both hopeful and confused upon learning that a federal high-risk pool for them will be established in the next few months…

“The Obama administration is embarking on a years-long public education campaign about the overhaul, including a Web component. However, much of the guidance will depend on Department of Health and Human Services regulations that are still being developed.

“Parents of young adults, including those who are preparing to graduate from college this spring, have heard that the overhaul will let them keep their children on their insurance plans until they reach age 26. That starts in September, however; they have to determine how to cover them until then. A new wave of inquiries could come next month as federal COBRA subsidies for laid-off workers dry up…

“Americans who already have good coverage aren’t so worried about the immediate implications, but some admit that they’re plenty confused… Many small business owners are nervous about requirements being phased in… Suntan businesses face a new excise tax starting in July as part of the overhaul. Other business owners are trying to understand new Internal Revenue Service reporting requirements related to business-to-business transactions that will kick in as a result of the new law. Others are looking ahead to coverage mandates for 2014 and calculating how many part-time versus full-time employees they should have to best contain costs.

“While Obama has been touting a tax credit for small businesses that offer employees health coverage… many small businesses wouldn’t be able to participate… The president has begun traveling the country to talk about the new law to ordinary Americans… However, Obama’s remarks were laced with enough political rhetoric to dilute his policy message…”

Violence in Iraq

The Associated Press reported on April 4:

“Suicide attackers detonated three car bombs near embassies in Baghdad on Sunday, killing at least 42 people and wounding more than 200 in back-to-back bombings. Authorities said they foiled two other attacks aimed at diplomatic targets. The bombings came two days after a chilling execution-style attack by gunmen who raided homes south of Baghdad, killing 24 people, many of them believed to be anti-al-Qaida fighters. The rise in bloodshed after a relative lull deepened fears that insurgents are seizing on the political uncertainty after last month’s close parliamentary elections to sow further instability.

“Sunday’s blasts went off within minutes of each other – one near the Iranian Embassy and two others in an area that houses several embassies, including the Egyptian Consulate, and the German and Spanish embassies… The force of the blasts shook buildings and rattled windows miles away. AP Television News footage showed civilians outside the Iranian Embassy loading casualties into police vehicles and ambulances. Stunned victims in bloody clothes fled the scene as smoke rose…

“While overall violence has dropped considerably in Iraq since 2006 and 2007, the ability of insurgents to carry out large well-planned attacks against prominent targets in the heart of Baghdad shows that significant security lapses remain.”

To believe that there will ever be rest and peace in Iraq prior to Christ’s return would reflect hopeless naivety. In addition, Europe is outraged about revelations of prior misconduct of American troops in Iraq, as the next article shows.

Europe Outraged Over American Misconduct in Iraq

Deutsche Welle wrote on April 8:

“In the latest high-profile leak of sensitive material onto the Internet, the Web site WikiLeaks has published a video showing an attack on civilians by US soldiers in Baghdad three years ago that killed a dozen people. It has been authenticated by a senior US military official. The video was recorded by cameras in US Apache helicopters and records a deadly attack on a group of civilians from the air. It was later discovered that the group included two employees of the Reuters news agency…

“The Berliner Zeitung says it is hard to support the US military view that the 2007 attack was a fight between insurgents and soldiers. ‘The leaked WikiLeaks material shows bloodthirsty soldiers coldly pursuing their business’…

“‘There is only one word to describe what happened that day: murder,’ writes the Sueddeutsche Zeitung. The newspaper criticized the soldiers ‘casual’ use of ‘excessive force’. ‘Nothing in the images suggests the victims were terrorists or insurgents,’ it writes. ‘The pilots were not fired on, there were no comrades on the ground, it was broad daylight and visibility was good — all the usual excuses which the military usually uses for civilian deaths. Instead, it shows trigger-happy American soldiers, talking into the camera, calmly killing a dozen people.’

“The Polish daily newspaper Rzeczpospolita says the video undoes some of the good work that American troops are doing abroad. ‘So you win a war. Build hospitals in Iraq, roads in Afghanistan, train the local police and organize free elections. But all of America’s good intentions are overshadowed with one compromising video recording,’ it writes.

“Writing on the Guardian’s ‘comment is free’ site, Douglas Haddow highlights the similarity between reality and warfare computer games. ‘It demonstrates how similar the logic of the Apache pilots is to that of the average gamer,’ Haddow writes. He adds that the video forces the viewer ‘to simultaneously confront both the deplorable unreality of American aggression and the grim fate of those caught within its scope’…

“The video shows the ‘omnipotent war machine’ according to German daily newspaper Der Tagespiegel. It writes that watching the video is like being involved in a vile and cynical reality television show…”

Violence and Unrest in Afghanistan

Der Spiegel Online wrote on April 6:

“On Friday, Taliban fighters ambushed and killed three German soldiers in Afghanistan, leaving eight wounded, four severely. In a separate incident, German Bundeswehr troops killed six Afghan soldiers in the northern Afghan region of Kunduz. The incidents have added new fodder to a public debate over Germany’s role in Afghanistan that has intensified following the killing of civilians in a bombing strike against the Taliban in September.

“Over the weekend, German Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg offered an assertive response to the tragic developments. Speaking to the press on Sunday, the defense minister addressed the incidents, rejecting criticism at home that German troops had been underequipped and ill-prepared for responding to the Taliban ambush, and apologizing for the accidental killing of six Afghan soldiers in the ‘friendly fire’ incident…

“The incidents come on the heels of an increasingly tense situation between Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Afghanistan’s Western allies. On Thursday, the Afghan leader accused the United Nations and the international community of helping to perpetrate [a] ‘vast fraud’ during last year’s presidential elections…

“Even though Karzai didn’t mention the United States by name, the American government described the speech as ‘genuinely troubling.’ Karzai attempted to control the damage by calling Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, but then he turned around and expressed repeated anti-NATO sentiments at a private meeting of around 70 Afghan politicians on Saturday… He also accused the US of interfering in Afghan affairs and said the Taliban insurgency would become a legitimate resistance movement if the meddling doesn’t stop…

“German commentators express their concern over the recent turn of events in Afghanistan…

“The left-leaning daily Die Tageszeitung writes: ‘Karzai is clearly determined to become his own man… What this means for democracy and human rights — let alone women’s rights — is unthinkable. But it is not as if the international community has been particularly interested in this issue over the past year — even though that was the justification for war in the Hindu Kush in the first place…’

“The Financial Times Deutschland writes: ‘… For the Americans and their allies, Karzai’s unconcealed verbal attacks have caused political discomfort. For it was they who put Karzai in office and, despite obvious vote rigging, it was them supporting him over the past year. Karzai himself is no innocent lamb… Now that it lacks any real means to pressure Karzai, the West must be prepared for more nasty surprises. It is not unforeseeable that he will enter into a relationship with some part of the Taliban in the near future…’

“The center-left Süddeutsche Zeitung writes: ‘The road to reality is paved with death. It wasn’t so long ago that one German defense minister, Franz Josef Jung, insisted that Afghanistan was a “stabilization mission” for the German armed forces. Then, in September 2009, dozens of people were killed in a bombing on a river in Kunduz ordered by a German colonel. This led new Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg to come up with the phrase: “Conditions similar to war.” Three dead Germans and six dead Afghans, killed by German armed forces, later and Guttenberg is saying one can speak colloquially, at least, of “war.”

“Reductions in the number of foreign troops stationed in Afghanistan will begin in 2011. This promise matches reality about as well as trying to put a beer bottle cap on a coffee cup. And Guttenberg’s words of “war” only make this disparity more marked. If the German Bundeswehr is at war, then the debate should be not only about pulling out, but also about what the military is allowed to do until then. Should the military be limited to defending itself — or should it allowed to attack? How many victims are we willing to accept — from among German soldiers, from among Afghan soldiers and in extreme cases, from among the civilian population? Or will the majority in the German parliament and in the German public no longer support war under these circumstances?’

“The conservative newspaper Die Welt writes: ‘… On Good Friday, the US Air Force declined to attack entrenched Taliban fighters — even though, in this case, German soldiers were truly in danger. Under no circumstances should any civilians get killed as they were in the Sept. 4 air attack in Kunduz, the thinking went. But the Taliban can also tell when their enemies are hesitating — and Karzai can sense it too.'”

As is the case with Iraq, we will not see any peace in Afghanistan, either, prior to Christ’s return. It is interesting that Germany is realizing that they are at WAR, and demands become louder that German soldiers must be allowed to ATTACK, not just to defend themselves. At the same time, the German government, including Defense Minister Guttenberg, are becoming more and more unpopular while trying to justify the unexplainable–why German soldiers should continue to fight in Afghanistan. This is especially true in light of the report that the US Air Force refused to come to the defense of German soldiers.

Coming–The Third Temple?

The Jerusalem Post reported on March 29:

“While tensions continue to simmer around the Temple Mount after riots in and around the capital’s Old City earlier this month, a new campaign calling for the construction of the Third Temple atop the holy site has made its way to the sides of 200 Egged buses in the city, which now sport posters featuring a picture of a rebuilt temple on the Mount…

“The posters… were sponsored by the Our Land of Israel group, which is led by Rabbi Shalom Dov Volpo and activist Baruch Marzel… The campaign’s organizers chose to plaster the posters on buses whose routes take them through predominately Arab neighborhoods of east Jerusalem.

“With regards to the campaign, Volpo said Israel is waiting breathlessly for the coming of the messiah and the rebuilding of the temple. ‘The Arabs and President Obama know that the Temple will be built on the Temple Mount,’ he said. ‘Instead of the temporary buildings that are there today.’”

The Bible strongly suggests that a third temple will be built in Jerusalem PRIOR to Christ’s return. This development, in conjunction with the beginning of sacrifices, will catapult the region into incredible unrest, turmoil and war.

Turkey Accuses Israel

AFP reported on April 7:

“The prime minister of Turkey, Israel’s only ally in the Muslim world, on Wednesday branded the Jewish state the ‘principal threat to peace’ in the Middle East. [His] remarks… marked a new low in rapidly deteriorating relations between Israel and Turkey, which once had close military and political ties. ‘If a country uses disproportionate force in Palestine, in Gaza — uses phosphorous shells — we’re not going to say “bravo”,’ he declared, referring to Israel’s January 2009 offensive against Hamas-controlled Gaza.”

The Bible foretells that in the end, Turkey will turn against Israel.

UK General Election on May 6

BBC News reported on April 6:

“Political leaders have headed off on the campaign trail after Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced the UK general election would be held on 6 May. He said he would seek a ‘clear’ mandate to continue the ‘road to recovery’, as Labour bids for a fourth term. David Cameron, whose Conservative Party has been ahead in the polls, said they offered ‘hope’ and a ‘fresh start’. Nick Clegg, leader of the UK’s third biggest party the Liberal Democrats, said only they offered ‘real change’….

“Mr Brown said: ‘We will say to the British people: “Our cause is your cause”‘… But Mr Cameron said he offered a ‘modern Conservative alternative’ and his party offered ‘hope, optimism and change’ and a ‘fresh start’. ‘It’s the most important general election for a generation. It comes down to this. You don’t have to put up with another five years of Gordon Brown.'”

These slogans sound all too familiar. But real change, hope and optimism will ONLY come, when Jesus Christ returns.

The Pagan Easter Festival

The Frederick News Post wrote on April 4:

“While most people can explain what Easter represents, they are at a loss for words when asked about the origins of the Easter Bunny and the egg hunt tradition… Many websites… trace the nonreligious celebration of Easter to pagan practices. Most accounts suggest the modern Easter Bunny sprang from pre-Christian fertility lore. The rabbit was the most fertile animal known, and it came to represent new life as spring emerged.

“The ancient Saxons celebrated the return of spring with a festival honoring Eastre, their goddess of fertility… What we know as the Easter Bunny was first mentioned in Germany during the 15th century… The rabbit was known as Osterhase… in Germany… It is thought that Germans who settled in Pennsylvania brought their homeland’s Easter tradition to the U.S. Tradition held that the bunny would lay brightly colored eggs for good children who made special nests in their caps or bonnets the night before Easter.”

The celebration of Easter is based on pagan worship. Even though some professing Christians seem to realize the true origins of Easter, they don’t really seem to care. However, our free booklet, “Is That in the Bible?–Man’s Holidays or God’s Holy Days,” explains WHY it is wrong to celebrate Easter.

The Roman Catholic Scandal

The following articles show that the sex scandal is not going away any time soon. The strategy of the Vatican and the Roman Church, not to admit guilt and instead to attack the “accusers,” may pay off. More and more faithful Catholics will ultimately become tired of the accusations and they will come to the defense of their organization.

Even though some bishops in Europe openly disagree at this time with the Vatican’s strategy, the overwhelming majority, especially in Latin America, welcomes and endorses it.

In the light of biblical prophecy predicting a total alienation between Catholics and Jews, it is also interesting to note that the Catholic rhetoric has angered Jews and again strained the relationship between that church and the Jewish communities.

Vatican on the Attack

The New York Times wrote on April 4:

“A prominent cardinal, in a marked departure from Easter Mass tradition at the Holy See, stood before Pope Benedict XVI on Sunday and delivered a very public show of support in the face of growing anger over the Catholic Church’s sex abuse scandal — a topic that the pope stayed resolutely aloof from in his Easter appearances.

“The remarks by the prelate, Angelo Sodano, a former secretary of state and the dean of the college of cardinals, came among a chorus of denunciations by church officials of what they have framed as a campaign of denigration of the church and its pontiff.

“Shortly before the Mass started, with thousands of pilgrims filling a rain-swept St. Peter’s Square, Cardinal Sodano offered special greetings to the pope, wished him a happy Easter and said the bishops and 400,000 priests around the world stood by him. ‘Holy Father, the people of God are with you, and do not let themselves be impressed by the gossip of the moment, by the challenges that sometimes strike at the community of believers,’ Cardinal Sodano said…

“Benedict rose to greet Cardinal Sodano with an embrace, clasping his shoulders warmly and shaking his hand. Vatican observers said they could not recall such an appearance in past Easter celebrations in St. Peter’s…

“The church hierarchy, from local bishops to the cardinals who run the church to Vatican officials, have grown increasingly aggressive in lashing back at sweeping criticism of the church, and more pointedly, at charges that Benedict failed to act strongly enough — both as a bishop in his native Germany and as leader of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith before coming pope — against pedophile priests. The congregation had overall responsibility for such cases starting in 2001, and selectively before that. Benedict became pope in 2005.

“The divide between the church and its critics, who include victims’ rights advocates and lawyers, editorial voices and even the archbishop of Canterbury, has widened in the past two weeks, in the week of continuing disclosures about a history of molestation of children by priests in parishes in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the Netherlands and France.

“Leading the charge has been the Vatican’s official newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano, which on Sunday published a summary of comments over Easter weekend in support of Benedict from bishops around the world. The headlines said Benedict was the target of ‘crude propaganda’ and a ‘base defamatory operation.’

“Cardinal Norberto Rivera Carrera, the archbishop of Mexico City, said Benedict was facing ‘defamation and attacks of lies and vileness because of a few dishonest and criminal priests.’ Lima’s archbishop, Cardinal Juan Luis Cipriani, said the church’s enemies have mistreated the pope with ‘an unusual lack of respect for the truth and an incredible show of cynicism.’ Cardinal André Vingt-Trois, the archbishop of Paris, cited an ‘offensive that aims at destabilizing the pope, and through him, the church.’ Carding Vingt-Trois said such an offensive ‘should not hide our failings and our eventual errors.’

“The closing of ranks notably included a sermon delivered before the pope on Good Friday by the Rev. Raniero Cantalamessa, who equated the criticism of the church over the priest sex abuse scandal with anti-Semitism, antagonizing both victims’ groups and Jewish leaders. That appeared to go too far. The Vatican’s official spokesman disassociated the Holy See and the pope from the sentiment, and Father Cantalamessa backtracked in an interview published Sunday in the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera…”

Vatican Angers Jews

Regarding Cantalamessa’s comments, quoted above, Deutsche Welle reported on April 3:

“Stephan Kramer, Secretary General of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, said the comments were ‘impertinent and an insult to the victims of sexual abuse as well as victims of the Holocaust.’ Kramer added that the Vatican ‘is falling back upon the regular methods it has used over the decades to suppress and hide any affairs which compromise’ the Catholic Church…

“The Vatican quickly tried to distance itself from the comments, saying they ‘should not be interpreted as an official position.’ But, some Jewish groups are insisting on a personal apology from the pope for the words delivered by the priest. ‘These hurtful remarks were made in the presence of the pope and the pope himself should take responsibility and apologize for them,’ said Rabbi Marvin Hier of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, the international Jewish human rights group. Rome’s chief rabbi, Riccardo di Segni, also condemned the sermon by the pope’s personal preacher…”

The Local added on April 3:

“Kramer said he finds it highly unlikely the pope’s preacher would make such a statement without Vatican approval. ‘It was a step taken at a high level to relativise anti-Semitism and the Holocaust,’ he said, adding that such remarks make religious dialogue between Jews and Catholics impossible. The Central Council of Jews in Germany has also criticised a German bishop for comparing the criticism by the press of the Church over the predator priest scandal to Nazi methods.”

Vatican Strongly Condemned by European Bishops

Deutsche Welle added on April 4:

“The celebrations leading up to Easter Sunday have been overshadowed by European bishops condemning the church’s role in child abuse cases…

“The leader of Germany’s Roman Catholic bishops, Archbishop Robert Zollitsch said the Catholic Church must examine its ‘dark aspects as well as our own shadowy sides’… Belgian Archbishop Andre-Joseph Leonard of Mechelen-Brussel also denounced what he called the ‘guilty silence’ of the Church, criticising officials for often caring more about the reputation of priests rather than the abused children.”

Fresh Scandal in America

Deutsche Welle reported on April 4:

“In the United States, a fierce defender of Pope Benedict XVI during this ongoing scandal has now come under personal scrutiny. Court documents show Cardinal William Levada reassigned a priest and alleged child molester in the 1990s without warning parishioners… He was asked if he had warned parishioners about the Oregon priest’s past – inappropriate sexual behaviour with teenagers in the 1970s. He said no. Levada now heads the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) and was chosen for the post by his predecessor and then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger…”

Latin American Catholic Church to the Defense

The Los Angeles Times wrote on April 2:

“In Latin America, home to nearly half the world’s Catholics, church leaders are reacting cautiously, if at all, to the sex abuse scandal rocking the Vatican. Few of the region’s top clerics have spoken out since allegations of pedophilia and other crimes committed by priests in Europe and the United States began stacking up at the doorstep of Pope Benedict XVI. Many, not surprisingly, have leaped to the pope’s defense…

“Roman Catholicism is planted deeply in Latin American culture. Most Latin Americans grew up in the church, and the hierarchy is generally quite conservative, thanks in part to efforts by the Vatican under the late Pope John Paul II to displace leftist priests… The Latin American Bishops Conference, in a statement published Friday, expressed solidarity with the pope and lashed out at the ‘baseless’ and ‘calumnious’ news reports — mostly in the U.S. — that suggest Benedict was an accomplice in covering up rape and other crimes by priests.

“Some experts on the Vatican are predicting that the sex abuse scandal will spread through Latin America. The region has already seen a number of cases… In Brazil, the world’s most populous Catholic country, three priests are under police investigation, suspected of having had sex with altar boys and other children and teens for years.”

Vatican Under Attack

On March 31, 2010, The Economist  printed the following telling cartoon:

The passage in question refers to the time of the Millennium, after Christ’s return, when the Kingdom of God will be established here on earth.

Zechariah 13:2-3 reads:

“‘(Verse 2) It shall be in that day,’ says the LORD of hosts, ‘that I will cut off the names of the idols from the land, and they shall no longer be remembered. I will also cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to depart from the land. (Verse 3) It shall come to pass that if anyone still prophesies, then his father and mother who begot him will say to him,”‘You shall not live, because you have spoken lies in the name of the LORD.” And his father and mother who begot him shall thrust him through when he prophesies…'”

This passage is adopted from and reverts back to laws which God gave Old Testament Israel, to be found in Deuteronomy 13:1-11 (compare also Deuteronomy 18:20).

In explaining the passage in Zechariah 13:3, the Jamieson, Fausset and Brown Commentary points out:

“The substantial truth expressed is that false prophecy shall be utterly abolished. If it were possible for it again to start up, the very parents of the false prophet would not let parental affection interfere, but would be the first to thrust him through. Love to Christ must be paramount to the tenderest of natural ties… Much as the godly love their children, they love God and His honor more.”

The New Bible Commentary: Revised, adds the following:

“This parental correction would hold in check the foremost cause of the adulteration of true religion. Such discredit would be cast on the false prophet by his own kin that he would be ashamed to wear the tokens of which he had formerly boasted (verse 4). His garb and his dream would be discredited.”

We see from this passage that God will not permit idolatrous and demonic doctrines, as well as sorcery and witchcraft, to be taught or practiced in the Millennium. At the same time, the passage above refers to a rebellious, wicked and incorrigible person who refuses to be submissive and obedient to God, even though he has been repeatedly warned (compare Isaiah 30:20). During the Millennium, the death penalty will be “on the books” and will even be enforced, either directly by God or human beings, in case of flagrant presumptuous violations (compare an early incident at the beginning of the Millennium, in Ezekiel 38:18-23; 39:6; also compare a similar incident at the end of the Millennium, in Revelation 20:7-9).

We should also note, however, that the death penalty will be administered rightly and justly. For more information on this highly misunderstood matter, please read our Q&A, explaining “our” position on the “death penalty.” In that Q&A, we wrote:

“Even in Old Testament times, judicial safeguards were built into God’s law to provide for the rights of the accused in order to prevent injustices, i.e. guilt had to be firmly established; circumstantial evidence was not sufficient, and at least two witnesses were required to establish guilt. False witnesses were themselves subject to death. Difficult cases could be sent, on appeal, for judicial review. Once rightly convicted, however–and since the nation of Israel was at that time a theocracy, God would see to it that no innocent person would be wrongly convicted—the death penalty was mandatory, and it was swift and sure… Eventually, following Christ’s Return, the administration of justice, including capital punishment, will be rendered by God’s saints as Kings, Priests and Judges. It will be meted out fairly and equitably.”

At the same time, we should clearly understand that members of the Church of God–true Christians–are not to be involved in any way today, directly or indirectly, with the administration of the death penalty or the execution of a convicted criminal. We wrote in the Q&A, mentioned above:

“In the meantime, God’s Church is to have no part in administering man’s ‘justice’ and the death penalty, and Church members are not to serve as judges or jurors.., ‘if the State is not fulfilling its obligations, it is not up to the individual to take to himself the State’s authority which was conferred by God Himself. It is not for the individual to “execute wrath on him who practices evil.” For Christians this is even more so as we are not to be the ruling executives, legislators or judges of the civil government. Paul explained this in 2 Corinthians 3. Though the administration of “the letter” which kills (verse 6) is from God—and a civil authority that administers it is even “God’s minister” of this particular function (Romans 13:4)—true Christians are to administer only “life” through the administration of the Spirit.'”

We are also to understand that at the time of Moses, God gave Israel certain temporary, civil, sacrificial and administrative laws, and because of their sins, He added certain penalties to His spiritual timeless Law. We wrote the following in our booklet, “And Lawlessness Will Abound,” on page 52:

“From a general standpoint, the laws in the Old Testament are divided into several categories. They may deal with temporary national or ritual circumstances, or they may address lasting principles to be incorporated in our personal lives. For instance, Deuteronomy 20 contains laws and regulations about national warfare. These laws are clearly not binding for Christians today, as a Christian is not to participate in war (Matthew 5:44; 26:52; Romans 12:20; 2 Corinthians 10:3–4; James 4:1–2; 1 John 3:15).

“In addition, God gave Israel certain national laws, for instance in Deuteronomy 16 and 17, dealing with the punishment and, in certain cases, the execution of criminals. Converted Christians are servants of the New Covenant, which gives life (2 Corinthians 3:6). They are not to judge or condemn another person. Christ said that he who is without sin may cast the first stone (John 8:7). At the same time, we are told that nobody can claim to be without sin (1 John 1:8). Therefore, Christians are not to participate, for instance as jurors, in the judicial systems of this world. In addition, the Church today is not to carry out the death penalty, either. Rather, the ministry is to preach today reconciliation and eternal life (2 Corinthians 5:18–21).”

Even when considering conditions during the Millennium, we need to understand that the nations will be “gradually” led to the truth. Foreigners will hear about God’s true and righteous rule in Jerusalem, and they will want to go there to learn more about it (Isaiah 2:1-3). We also read that God will introduce certain sacrifices in Jerusalem, at a New Temple, although we are clearly taught that because of Christ’s death, sacrifices are no longer necessary. Still, sacrifices will be given, at least temporarily, for the possible reason of leading people to Christ and making them understand the tremendous significance of Christ’s Sacrifice. (For more information, please read our free booklet, “The Sacrificial System and the Tabernacle in the wilderness,” pages 5-6.) The same concept might apply to certain other Old Testament laws, which God gave Israel at the time of Moses. Even though not applicable to or enforceable by God’s Church today, they might be reintroduced, perhaps on a temporary basis, for civil and criminal administration of the nations at the time of the Millennium.

When discussing the future role of true Christians–that of being kings and priests in the Millennium–we wrote the following in our free booklet, “The Meaning of God’s Fall Holy Days,” on pages 34-36:

“Some people will respond quickly to Godly teaching and guidance. Micah 4:1–3 explains that they will want to learn to do what is right. They will not want to learn the way of war any more; but rather, they will be willing to replace their weapons with useful tools. God’s rule will start in Jerusalem and will spread out from there, to include countries that had never heard, learned or understood the truth before (Isaiah 66:19, 23)… But not everyone will readily follow your guidance nor respond to your oral teaching when they hear your voice behind them telling them to go the straight and narrow way. Some will need to be dealt with in more drastic ways, such as the temporary withholding of physical blessings (compare Zechariah 14:16–19)…

“Total rebellion will be dealt with quickly and thoroughly. Those who refuse to obey God will be destroyed. This will also serve as a lesson to others, so that they will not feel motivated to rebel also (compare Ezekiel 38:8–12, 15–23; 39:3–10)…

“Many Old Testament laws will be applied in the Millennium, including the commandments regarding the Sabbath, the Holy Days, clean and unclean meats, and the sacrifices. When someone steals, he will have to make restitution. He will have to pay ‘an eye for an eye,’ that is, he will have to restore the value of the eye (compare Exodus 21:24–25, 18–19, 22)… The Old Testament ‘an eye for an eye’ principle was never meant to be applied literally by actually maiming an offender. It was meant to outlaw the personal vindictive ‘self-help’ approach and to allow, instead, a magistrate or a judge to consider the case and render righteous judgment by ordering the offender to pay just compensation to the victim…

“You might not allow it to go so far as an individual actually losing an eye, so that the offender would have to restore its value, but the law, and the penalty for breaking the law, will be taught. Even if you did allow such an offense to happen, you could immediately heal the person who lost an eye. Christ allowed Peter to strike the servant and cut off his ear, but then He healed the servant right away (Matthew 26:51; John 18:10; Luke 22:50–51).”

In conclusion, God will not allow rebellion, idolatry, witchcraft or false teachings and prophecies to be practiced during the Millennium. He will do everything which is necessary to prevent those evil practices from occurring.

Let us also note and be reminded that the children of Israel, at the beginning of their deliverance from Egypt, oftentimes sought to return to their idolatrous lives (compare Psalm 106). They even began to worship idols–although God had revealed Himself to this people! In the future, some may also look back at this present age of darkness, as did some of ancient Israel; however, when Jesus Christ rules the earth, wrong practices, such as those mentioned in Zechariah 13:2-3, will be quickly stopped.

Today, the Church of God has the duty to teach mankind God’s way of life and to proclaim the soon-coming Kingdom of God when righteousness will dwell in the land. But the Church and its members are not to participate today in the administration of man’s political, legal, religious or military systems, knowing that this is not God’s world.

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

A new StandingWatch program was posted on the Web, titled, German Core Europe in the Making… In the program, Norbert Link pointed out that important events are taking place in Europe and the Middle East. The EU struck a deal saving Greece, but it was done on German terms. The other EU member states “fell like dominos,” and a “more German Europe” emerged. The Catholic Church has begun to attack those who report about its abominable sex scandals, and the Arabs are trying to unite against Israel, asking for European help. What does all of this mean in light of biblical prophecy?

Norbert Link’s video-recorded sermon, titled, “As the Sin of Witchcraft”, was posted on the Web.

A new German sermon was posted on the Web, titled, “Krankheit und Heilung, Teil 2” (“Sickness and Healing, Part 2”).

 

On Monday, April 5, 2010, is the Last Day of Unleavened Bread. Dave Harris will be giving the sermon in the morning from Colorado, titled, “The Good Fight,” and Norbert Link will give the sermon in the afternoon from California, titled, “Why the Days of Unleavened Bread?”

The services can be heard at www.cognetservices.org at 10:00 am and 2:00 pm Pacific Time, respectively (which is 11:00 am Mountain Time; 12:00 pm Central Time; 1:00 pm Eastern Time for the morning service; and 3:00 pm Mountain Time; 4:00 pm Central Time; 5:00 pm Eastern Time for the afternoon service). Just click on Connect to Live Stream.

Although this Editorial was written prior to Passover, by the time it is published, Passover will be over. Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread are a time to examine ourselves and to make an effort to put sin out of our lives. In the Bible, leaven is many times compared with sinful, hypocritical and proud conduct. During the Seven Days of Unleavened Bread, we are reminded of the physical and spiritual applications of sin and righteousness. The physical removal and avoidance of leavening, which we must not neglect, points to the spiritual and symbolical meaning, which is even more important not to neglect.

Passover is a time to re-commit ourselves to our calling from God, and to stay engaged in the efforts that fulfill the purpose of our calling–to preach and publish as a witness the gospel of the Kingdom of God to this sick and dying world, prior to the return of Jesus Christ.

Our efforts to put sin out of our lives are important, since this process helps us to draw closer to God. Sin acts as a barrier in our relationship with God, and especially at this time of year, we are reminded that we must be distancing ourselves from sin. Isaiah 59:2 says: “But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear.”

Since separation from God is the effect of sin, then the benefit of removing and abstaining from sin is that we can draw closer to God, and that He hears us as a result. Sin is our enemy, and we must recognize this and deal with it. We cannot ignore sin or attempt to sweep it under the rug, as it were; otherwise, sin will overpower us and the results will be devastating.

To remove sin from our lives is of course not just a “once-a-year” exercise, but it must be done on a continual basis, in order to maintain the positive effect of God hearing and answering us. We understand that it is through the Sacrifice of Christ that we obtain forgiveness of our sins. We also need God’s help to overcome and conquer sin. We cannot do it on our own. And so, God gives us His Spirit to overcome sin–but we must use His Spirit to do so.

It is important for us to carry forward into the balance of the year the vital lessons that these Spring Feast Days picture. They remind us of our responsibilities toward God to stay committed to His Work and purpose for us, and to maintain a state of  continual removal of sin. When we remain close to God, He will respond to our prayers and requests throughout the whole year, and He will help us to fulfill the purpose of our calling. As we read in 1 Corinthians 15:57-58:

“But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”

Current Events

This week, we focus on the EU deal pertaining to Greece, showing Germany’s dominant influence in Europe. The BBC wrote it was a deal “on German terms,” and MSNBC commented that it was “a clear victory for German Chancellor Angela Merkel.” The mass tabloid Bild wrote: “By taking on our chancellor, Europe has bit off more than it can chew.” And Der Spiegel Online said that all EU member states fell in line “like dominos.” Reuters concluded that “the masks have fallen” and that we have now reached a “more German Europe,” with the possibility that for those “outside the euro zone or the EU, the outcome could be a two-class Europe in which an inner core, under strong German influence, increasingly calls the shots.” Times on Line warns of a future clash between Germany and Britain.

In other news, the number of deaths or injuries of American troops is sky-rocketing, while America refuses to sell any major weapons to Israel, but it is more than anxious to sell advanced weapons to Egypt and the Arab League states, including Kuwait, Jordan, Morocco, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. At the same time, Arab nations are uniting against Israel, asking Europeans to help them in their endeavor.

Insurance companies are already beginning to circumvent the mandates of the new U.S. Health Care law, and its constitutionality is being challenged in court. Suicide Chechen bombers killed innocent civilians in Russia, allegedly in “retaliation” of the brutal treatment of Chechen civilians by Russian soldiers, showing that violence only breeds more violence.

The widening worldwide Catholic sex scandal has been described by CNN as the worst crisis the Catholic Church has ever faced. However, the Vatican and the Pope remain defiant, and while denying many of the allegations, they become more and more aggressive toward those who criticize them. Irresponsible claims by an irate leading Catholic publisher were made this week on CNN’s Larry King show, shouting that there was “no shred of evidence” for any culpability of the pope or the Vatican. Other Catholic leaders even went so far as to blame the “attacks” on the pope on the devil. Lack of trust by Germans–Catholics and non-Catholics alike–in the pope or the Catholic Church has reached unparalleled low levels, as more and more scandals are being revealed almost on a daily basis and the roles of the current and former popes in these scandals are being scrutinized.

Der Spiegel Online asked in an editorial why the pope does not simply resign, concluding that this is unlikely, due to his [false] claim that he is the spiritual successor of the Apostle Peter. The magazine also warned about the dangerous course of conduct Ratzinger has been taking since becoming pope: “… he has done more damage to his church than good. He has strained relations with Jews several times, he played with fire in relations between Christians and Muslims with his Regensburg address, he angered the indigenous people during his Latin America trip, he has alienated Protestants and he has shown himself to be conciliatory to Holocaust deniers. Even loyal Catholics have been stunned by the course of action he has taken.”

While the Catholic Church is confronted with its abominable sex scandal, Germany’s openly homosexual Vice Chancellor and Foreign Minister, Guido Westerwelle, announced that he will be the official patron of the eighth annual Gay Games in Cologne this summer, and scientists spend over 10 billion dollars in their vain and futile attempts to learn more about the beginning of the universe.

This is the crazy world we are living in!

German Deal on Greece….

BBC News reported on March 26:

“All 16 eurozone countries have backed a financing plan to help debt-laden Greece, which will include IMF money… The plan was worked out at a summit in Brussels. Greek PM George Papandreou called it ‘a very satisfactory’ move. The president of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy, said the deal was significant ‘not just for Greece, but for the stability of the eurozone’…

“It was, as is so often the case, German approval that swung it, and it is a deal done on German terms. Early on in this crisis the idea that the IMF would be involved in bailing out Greece was regarded as a humiliation for Europe; but Germany insisted that the IMF would play a role, and so it will, alongside loans from individual members of the eurozone.

“There’s more in the deal that Germany wanted – a call for strengthened surveillance of economic and budgetary risks and a task force to look at what further measures are needed.”

MSNBC and the Associated Press wrote on March 25:

“The deal at a summit meeting Thursday night in Brussels was a clear victory for German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who had taken a tough line on any bailout. She demanded that a rescue for Greece only come when the country runs out of other options and said it must include the IMF… Germany sees itself as a fierce defender of prudent budget spending and is unwilling to use its taxpayer money to help Greece, which overspent and faked budget figures for years…”

Der Spiegel Online wrote on March 26:

“German Chancellor Angela Merkel managed to convince the rest of the euro zone to back her concept for a Greek bailout…

“In the end, it was like dominoes. French President Nicolas Sarkozy indicated his agreement early in the week; the rest of the euro zone leaders followed just prior to the beginning of the European Union summit in Brussels on Thursday evening. Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, Luxembourg’s leader Jean-Claude Juncker, European Central Bank boss Jean-Claude Trichet — one European torch-bearer after the next gave up their opposition to German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

“… Merkel was able to bask in a brief ray of domestic popularity as a result. Even the tabloid Bild found room for a bit of Merkel-related triumphalism. ‘By taking on our chancellor, Europe has bit off more than it can chew,’ read the paper’s Thursday headline…

“Merkel sees the new German toughness as providing a way forward for the euro zone. Someone has to stand up for the currency’s stability, seems to be her position. Indeed, she even appeared prepared to abandon her famous pragmatism in her defense of the euro…”

A More German Europe

Reuters wrote on March 26:

“The masks have fallen. From now on, we will all be living in a more German Europe, with economic policy driven by Berlin’s hair-shirt export-or-die model. That is the lesson of a deal among euro zone leaders on a financial safety net for debt-stricken Greece, adopted largely on German conditions on Thursday after months of wrangling that battered confidence in the single European currency.

“‘The politics of the EU are undergoing a fundamental change at present, with Germany becoming increasingly willing to cast off the shackles of the past and make its voice heard,’ said RBS analyst Timothy Ash in a research note… ‘This will ultimately lead to German political and financial hegemony without sublimation,’ said Ulrike Guerot of the European Council on Foreign Relations…

“In the tradition of EU leadership, it was euro co-founders France and Germany who negotiated the compromise on Greece that was then ratified by the other 14 euro zone members, and eventually by the whole 27-nation EU… France made most of the concessions to convince Merkel not even to open her chequebook but at least to agree to show it… Merkel’s domestic weakness may have made her more assertive in Brussels and others more willing to accommodate her…

“Britain and Poland were irritated that decisions affecting the continent’s future, including on EU budget discipline, were being taken by the 16 euro zone leaders while they were in the dark, waiting outside the room. Even those inside the meeting had little option but to accept Germany’s conditions for a fallback mechanism to protect the euro zone against a possible sovereign default. ‘Next time we might as well just phone to find out what’s been agreed by France and Germany,’ one EU diplomat said…

“For those outside the euro zone or the EU, the outcome could be a two-class Europe in which an inner core, under strong German influence, increasingly calls the shots.”

The Bible prophesies that Europe will unite and that Germany will play a leading role. Ultimately, we will witness the emergence of ten European nations or groups of nations–a “core” Europe–being led by a charismatic political and military leader of German or Austrian descent.

Coming Clash Between Germany and Britain?

Times On Line wrote on March 27:

“David Cameron was facing the unwelcome prospect last night of a referendum on Europe after Germany called for a new EU treaty to strength the rules of the eurozone. The demand from Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, left the Tory leader — or Gordon Brown if he is re-elected — on course for an early clash with Germany over plans that would be seen as heading towards a European economic government.

“Both Labour and the Conservatives are committed to a referendum on future treaty changes but none had been on the agenda until the Mrs Merkel’s intervention yesterday. The move is particularly unhelpful to Mr Cameron, who would want to develop a good working relationship with the EU after years of hostility, and particularly with its Centre Right leaders. Tories fear that any referendum in Britain could turn into a wider debate on whether Britain should stay in the EU…

“Mr Cameron could argue that Mrs Merkel’s demands would not directly affect Britain and need not trigger a referendum. She will also have difficulty convincing France, Sweden and others that a new EU treaty is needed after the drawn-out process of passing the Lisbon Treaty.”

It is very likely that Britain will ultimately exit the EU.

Number of U.S. Troops’ Deaths and Injuries on the Rise

The Associated Press reported on March 27:

“The number of U.S. troops killed in Afghanistan has roughly doubled in the first three months of 2010 compared to the same period last year as Washington has added tens of thousands of additional soldiers to reverse the Taliban’s momentum. Those deaths have been accompanied by a dramatic spike in the number of wounded, with injuries more than tripling in the first two months of the year and trending in the same direction based on the latest available data for March…

“After a summer marked by the highest monthly death rates of the war, President Barack Obama faced serious domestic opposition over his decision in December to increase troops in Afghanistan, with only about half the American people supporting the move. But support for his handling of the war has actually improved since then, despite the increased casualties…

“A rise in the number of wounded – a figure that draws less attention than deaths – shows that the Taliban remain a formidable opponent. The number of U.S. troops wounded in Afghanistan and three smaller theaters where there isn’t much battlefield activity rose from 85 in the first two months of 2009 to 381 this year, an increase of almost 350 percent. A total of 50 U.S. troops were wounded last March, an average of 1.6 per day. In comparison, 44 were injured during just the first six days of March this year, an average of 7.3 per day.”

America’s attempts to play a decisive role in foreign affairs are doomed. God announced thousands of years ago that because of America’s unwillingness to obey Him, He will withhold His blessings from the nation.

No More American Weapons for Israel?

A7 News reported on March 25:

“The Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs (JINSA) revealed in a January report that was updated recently that… over the last year, the Obama administration has refused to approve any major Israeli weapons requests. Government sources asserted that the refusal represents a new White House policy to link arms sales to the Jewish state with the Netanyahu government’s willingness to submit on Washington’s demands that Israel surrender Judea, Samaria and most of Jerusalem to the American-backed Palestinian Authority…

“[There are] American plans to sell F-16s, Harpoon Block 2 anti-ship missiles, Hellfire air-to-ground missiles, fast attack craft and helicopters to the Egyptians. In addition to the advanced weapons sold to Egypt, Washington has also approved more than $10 billion worth of arms sales to Arab League states, including Kuwait, Jordan, Morocco, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates…

“According to the report, the failure to sponsor Israel’s qualitative edge, which violates a pledge given more than 40 years ago to maintain Israel’s military superiority over its neighbors, began not with Obama but under the previous administration of President George W. Bush… A major U.S. policy shift came in 2004, when the Bush Administration needed Gulf Arab help for the American-led invasion of Iraq – particularly after Turkey denied Bush entrance into Iraq from the north – and wanted to bolster Washington’s influence and ability to deal with regional problems…

“According to the report, the U.S. aid to Arab states has hampered Israeli military cooperation with Washington…”

America is trying to buy allies in the Arab world, but this attempt is not sanctioned by God and doomed to fail.

Arabs vs. Israel

AFP wrote on March 27:

“Arab leaders open their annual summit on Saturday determined to send a clear message to Israel that any plan to ‘Judaise’ Jerusalem would spell doom for the Middle East peace process. The summit is the first to be hosted by Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi, the longest-serving Arab head of state who considers Israel the ‘enemy’ and has frequently lambasted Arab countries who seek peace with the Jewish state.

“It comes amid a spiral of violence that an Israeli general said killed two soldiers and four Palestinians on Friday as Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to stay the course with his east Jerusalem settlement policy… Pro-Western and radical Arab leaders have also been angered by the opening of a restored 17th century synagogue near the Al-Aqsa mosque compound — home to Islam’s third holiest site…

“Libya, which wants the summit to be one of unity, has also invited UN chief Ban Ki-moon, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to address Saturday’s opening session. Ban arrived Friday and met with Arab officials, including Abbas, to brief them on last week’s meeting of the Middle East Quartet — the United States, European Union, Russia and the United Nations — which called on Israel to halt settlements.”

The Bible prophesies that many Arab nations will unite against Israel, and that Germany will ultimately be part of that anti-Israel confederation. Are we beginning to see the fulfillment of this prophecy?

The New Health Care Law…

The New York Times wrote on March 28:

“Just days after President Obama signed the new health care law, insurance companies are already arguing that, at least for now, they do not have to provide one of the benefits that the president calls a centerpiece of the law: coverage for certain children with pre-existing conditions. Mr. Obama, speaking at a health care rally in northern Virginia on March 19, said, ‘Starting this year, insurance companies will be banned forever from denying coverage to children with pre-existing conditions.’

“The authors of the law say they meant to ban all forms of discrimination against children with pre-existing conditions like asthma, diabetes, birth defects, orthopedic problems, leukemia, cystic fibrosis and sickle cell disease. The goal, they say, was to provide those youngsters with access to insurance and to a full range of benefits once they are in a health plan.

“To insurance companies, the language of the law is not so clear. Insurers agree that if they provide insurance for a child, they must cover pre-existing conditions. But, they say, the law does not require them to write insurance for the child and it does not guarantee the ‘availability of coverage’ for all until 2014.

“William G. Schiffbauer, a lawyer whose clients include employers and insurance companies, said: ‘The fine print differs from the larger political message. If a company sells insurance, it will have to cover pre-existing conditions for children covered by the policy. But it does not have to sell to somebody with a pre-existing condition. And the insurer could increase premiums to cover the additional cost.'”

“Congressional Democrats were furious when they learned that some insurers disagreed with their interpretation of the law…”

… Will It Survive?

The Washington Times wrote on March 29:

“The same Supreme Court justices whom President Obama blasted during his State of the Union address this year may ultimately decide the fate of his crowning achievement as more than a dozen states have called on the courts to strike down the health insurance mandate of Democrats’ health care overhaul – a move that would threaten the entire law.

“Two major constitutional challenges have been levied against the new law, one by the state of Virginia, which enacted a law exempting its citizens from the federal health insurance mandate, and another by Florida and 12 other states. Legal scholars are divided on the merits of the cases, and even Congress.. has said it’s an open question whether the provision could pass constitutional muster.

“At issue is the scope of the federal government’s power over states and individuals. Critics of the law say the requirement that all Americans buy insurance or pay a fine, if allowed, would mean that Congress has virtually boundless authority to compel actions. Proponents argue that legal precedents support an expansive reading of the legislative branch’s license to regulate such activity… The mandate, which doesn’t take effect until 2014, is central to Democrats’ goal of insuring about 32 million more Americans.”

After all the time, money, political maneuverings and efforts spent and waisted on the new health care laws, it might have been all for nothing… As the Bible says: When the Lord does not build the house, the laborers toil in vain.

Suicide Bombings in Russia

Deutsche Welle reported on March 31:

“The Islamist group ‘Emirate of the Caucasus’ has claimed responsibility for this week’s Moscow metro bombings, a Chechen Internet site said on Wednesday. In a video statement recorded on Monday, the leader of the group, Doku Umarov, said the purpose of the attack had been to avenge ‘the massacre by Russian invaders of the poorest residents of Chechnya and Ingushetia, who were picking wild garlic in the Arshty village on February 11, 2010, to feed their families.’

“In the video… Umarov warned of fresh strikes against Russia, saying soldiers stabbed their victims to death and then ‘mocked’ their corpses. He told Russians that ‘war will come to your streets, and you will feel it with your own lives and skins.’

“The video – the authenticity of which couldn’t be independently confirmed – was the first claim of responsibility for Monday’s metro bombings in Moscow that killed 39 people. In response, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin ordered security forces to apprehend the masterminds, saying they would be caught even if police had to ‘scrape them from the sewers.'”

Even though these kinds of suicide bombings must be condemned, it is true that the Russians have dealt with utmost brutality in their “fight” against Chechen civilians. As Christ said: “When you take the sword, you will perish by the sword.”

Vatican Under Attack

The New York Times wrote on March 24:

“Top Vatican officials — including the future Pope Benedict XVI — did not defrock a priest who molested as many as 200 deaf boys, even though several American bishops repeatedly warned them that failure to act on the matter could embarrass the church, according to church files newly unearthed as part of a lawsuit. The internal correspondence from bishops in Wisconsin directly to Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the future pope, shows that while church officials tussled over whether the priest should be dismissed, their highest priority was protecting the church from scandal.

“The documents emerge as Pope Benedict is facing other accusations that he and direct subordinates often did not alert civilian authorities or discipline priests involved in sexual abuse when he served as an archbishop in Germany and as the Vatican’s chief doctrinal enforcer. The Wisconsin case involved an American priest, the Rev. Lawrence C. Murphy, who worked at a renowned school for deaf children from 1950 to 1974…

“Father Murphy not only was never tried or disciplined by the church’s own justice system, but also got a pass from the police and prosecutors who ignored reports from his victims, according to the documents and interviews with victims. Three successive archbishops in Wisconsin were told that Father Murphy was sexually abusing children, the documents show, but never reported it to criminal or civil authorities.

“Instead of being disciplined, Father Murphy was quietly moved by Archbishop William E. Cousins of Milwaukee to the Diocese of Superior in northern Wisconsin in 1974, where he spent his last 24 years working freely with children in parishes, schools and, as one lawsuit charges, a juvenile detention center. He died in 1998, still a priest…

“The Vatican’s inaction is not unusual. Only 20 percent of the 3,000 accused priests whose cases went to the church’s doctrinal office between 2001 and 2010 were given full church trials, and only some of those were defrocked… To many, Father Murphy appeared to be a saint…”

In a related article, the New York Times wrote on March 24:

“The fallout from the sexual abuse scandal in the Roman Catholic Church settled across Europe on Wednesday, as prosecutors said they were weighing criminal charges against a priest suspected of molesting children in Germany, and Pope Benedict XVI accepted the resignation of a bishop accused of mishandling allegations of abuse in Ireland.

“… church officials in Munich said the priest, the Rev. Peter Hullermann — whose transfer in 1980 to an archdiocese led at the time by Benedict, then Archbishop Joseph Ratzinger, has drawn the pope himself into the nation’s child abuse controversy — had been accused of molesting a minor as recently as 1998.

“The latest revelation comes as church officials in northern Germany say they have “credible evidence” of at least two other cases of sexual abuse committed by Father Hullermann in the 1970s, adding to a trail of accusations that suggest a pattern of abuse over two decades. During that time, church officials repeatedly transferred Father Hullermann to new parishes and allowed him to work with children, even after a 1986 conviction for sexually abusing boys.”

On March 25, The New York Times published the following editorial:

“Pope Benedict XVI’s latest apology for the emerging global scandal of child abuse by predatory priests — an issue that the Roman Catholic Church should have engaged years ago — is strong on forgiveness but far short of the full accountability that Catholics need for repairing their damaged church.

“With the scandal spreading across Europe, Benedict apologized to Irish Catholics last week for the “sinful and criminal” sexual abuse of thousands of children across decades. But he made no mention of the need to discipline diocesan leaders most responsible for shielding hundreds of priests from criminal penalties by moving them from parish to parish to continue their crimes.

“The pope’s apology fell short not only for Catholics in Ireland, but for those in Germany, Austria and the Netherlands, where hundreds of new allegations are emerging to be investigated by a Vatican office that has but 10 workers to do the job…

“It was hard to see how Vatican officials did not draw the lessons of the grueling scandal in the United States, where more than 700 priests were dismissed over a three-year period. But then we read Laurie Goodstein’s disturbing report in The Times on Thursday about how the pope, while he was still a cardinal, was personally warned about a priest who had molested as many as 200 deaf boys. But church leaders chose to protect the church instead of the children. The report illuminated the kind of behavior the church was willing to excuse to avoid scandal.

“… what is most urgently needed was well described by the German chancellor, Angela Merkel — ‘truth and clarity about everything that took place.’”

… And Now Also in Italy…

MSNBC wrote on March 25:

“Revelations that the Vatican halted the investigation of a Wisconsin priest accused of molesting some 200 deaf boys have eerie echoes in Italy, where 67 deaf men and women accused two dozen priests of raping and molesting children for years… The two cases are the latest in a burgeoning abuse scandal on both sides of the Atlantic that now threatens to tarnish the papacy itself…”

What Did Pope John Paul II Know?

The Associated Press wrote on March 26:

“The Vatican is facing one of its gravest crises of modern times as sex abuse scandals move ever closer to Pope Benedict XVI – threatening not only his own legacy but also that of his revered predecessor… as attention focuses on Benedict, a perhaps thornier question looms over how much John Paul II, beloved worldwide for his inspirational charisma and courageous stand against communism, knew about sex abuse cases and whether he was too tolerant of pedophile priests.

“John Paul presided over the church when the sex abuse scandal exploded in the United States in 2002 and the Vatican was swamped with complaints and lawsuits under his leadership. Yet during most of his 26-year papacy, individual dioceses and not the Vatican took sole responsibility for investigating misbehavior.”

Should the Pope Resign?–Ratzinger a Dangerous Pope!

Der Spiegel Online published the following editorial on March 25:

“Allegations that Pope Benedict XVI may have had detailed knowledge about instances of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church continue to mount… With his authority eroded, why does he even remain in office?

“When is it time for a pope to resign? Margaret Kässmann, the former head of the Protestant Church in Germany, stepped down in February upon deciding that she no longer had the necessary moral authority for her office after being caught driving drunk. But how much authority does Pope Benedict XVI still enjoy?

“These days, what is left is disappearing almost daily. Each new detail about the role he played in his church’s handling of instances of sexual abuse erodes it further. But a pope doesn’t just resign. He is not the CEO of a company, not the head of a political party — he is the direct spiritual descendent of the Apostle Peter.

“It is, in theory, possible according to church law. Canon 332, Paragraph Two, provides for a papal resignation, allowing the pope to step down whenever he wishes and without asking anyone for permission. But in the long history of the Catholic Church, it is extremely uncommon. Pope Celestine V was the most recent church leader to resign — 700 years ago.

“And even if numerous abuse victims have long been calling for Benedict to stand down, it is simply not papal to turn one’s back on the papacy. Instead, the Vatican prefers to reject any accusations that have been made as being fully unfounded… The Church’s motto has long seemed to be ‘the perpetrators first.’ They were taken good care of — the victims, however, were left to their own devices.

“Since 1982, Ratzinger had been responsible for that part of the Vatican which deals with cases of sexual abuse. Who, other than he, was responsible for the Church’s path? You can rename Ratzinger ‘Benedict,’ SPIEGEL wrote in the face of the euphoria over the German pope that spread here after his election to the papacy in 2004, but you can’t take Ratzinger out of the pope. Since then, as pope, he has done more damage to his church than good. He has strained relations with Jews several times, he played with fire in relations between Christians and Muslims with his Regensburg address, he angered the indigenous people during his Latin America trip, he has alienated Protestants and he has shown himself to be conciliatory to Holocaust deniers.

“Even loyal Catholics have been stunned by the course of action he has taken. And now, on top of all that — one area where he has been consistent over the decades has been in his negligence in dealing with pedophiles within his own institution… What happened behind the facades of the Church is still far from being an open book… Evil has been perpetrated inside one of the highest moral authorities, one whose men have preached from the pulpit in the finest detail about what is right and what is wrong…”

Vatican’s Denials and Attacks

BBC News reported on March 25:

“The Vatican has condemned claims that Pope Benedict XVI did nothing about a US priest who is suspected of molesting up to 200 deaf boys decades ago. A Vatican newspaper editorial said the claims were an ‘ignoble’ attack on the Pope and that there was no ‘cover-up’… One victim told the BBC that the Pope had known ‘for many years’… But the Vatican’s rather lame excuse for lack of any action is that canon law, as Church law is called, ‘does not envision automatic penalties’…

“Meanwhile, one of the Pope’s top aides, Cardinal Jose Saraiva Martins, told reporters there was ‘a conspiracy’ against the Church, without specifying who was responsible.”

Times On Line wrote on March 28:

“Pope Benedict XVI has opened Holy Week indicating that he will ‘not be intimidated’ by accusations against the Vatican over the clerical sex abuse crisis. In his Palm Sunday address the Pope said that Jesus Christ ‘leads us towards courage which does not allow us to be intimidated by the chatter of dominant opinions, towards patience which supports and sustains others’…

“Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini, former archbishop of Milan and at one time a contender for the papacy, told an Austrian paper that priestly celibacy should be ‘reviewed’ as a possible cause of abuse by clergy. The Vatican has rejected suggestions that celibacy causes abuse, and Pope Benedict this month reaffirmed it as ‘a gift to God.'”

If All Fails–Blame It on the Devil…

The Catholic News Agency (CNA) wrote on March 31:

“Noted Italian exorcist Father Gabriele Amorth, commented this week that the recent defamatory reporting on Pope Benedict XVI, especially by the New York Times, was ‘prompted by the devil.’… ‘There is no doubt about it.  Because he is a marvelous Pope and worthy successor to John Paul II, it is clear that the devil wants to “grab hold” of him.’ Father Amorth added that in instances of sexual abuse committed by some members of the clergy, the devil ‘uses’ priests in order to cast blame upon the entire Church: ‘The devil wants the death of the Church because she is the mother of all the saints.'”

Pope Can’t Testify–Enjoying Immunity as Head of State

Reuters reported on April 1:

“Pope Benedict, accused by victims’ lawyers of being ultimately responsible for a cover-up of sexual abuse of children by priests, cannot be called to testify at any trial because he has immunity as a head of state, a top Vatican legal official said on Thursday… the pope is protected by diplomatic immunity because more than 170 countries, including the United States, have diplomatic relations with the Vatican. They recognize it as a sovereign state and the pope as its sovereign head…

“The Vatican has taken off the gloves in its response to media reports alleging the pope mishandled a series of abuse cases before he was elected. It launched a frontal attack on the New York Times on Wednesday night by posting a long statement on its website… by Cardinal William J. Levada, who succeeded the pope… as head of the Vatican’s doctrinal department.”

The Catholic Church is a religious STATE, patterned after other STATES–a fact which has clearly been prophesied in the Bible. See Revelation 13:11-15.

Germans–Little Trust in Catholic Church or the Pope

The Local wrote on March 24:

“Trust in the Catholic Church has taken a heavy blow… with barely one in six Germans saying they had confidence in the Church in the wake of the child sex abuse scandal. German-born Pope Benedict XVI has also suffered a crippling blow to his authority, with fewer than one in four people saying they trusted him personally, the poll published by Stern news magazine found.

“Just 17 percent said they trusted the Church and 24 percent the Pope. That compares with 29 percent and 38 percent respectively in a similar poll taken at the end of January. The poll taken by the Forsa surveying firm found that, even among Catholics, only a minority trusted either the Church or the Pope. Just 39 percent had confidence in the Pope, down from 62 percent at the end of January, while 34 percent trusted the Church, down from 56 percent.

“Among non-denominational Germans, just 5 percent said they trusted the Church. By comparison, the Protestant Church’s standing has barely been affected by the recent resignation of its leader Margot Käßmann, who was caught driving drunk. Some 42 percent of Germans said they had faith in [the] Church compared with 44 percent at the end of January. Among Protestants, trust was at 65 percent, actually a slight rise on the 64 percent registered six weeks ago.”

As has happened in history on numerous occasions, when the pope or the leadership of the Catholic church were criticized, they responded by launching out–sometimes with violent means–against those who dared to question them. The current reaction of the Vatican or leading Catholics was to be expected. Many Catholics begin to see what their leadership is all about, but they are too much “Catholic” in their heart than to think of leaving the organization. However, God tells us: “Come out of her [modern Babylon], my people, least you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues. For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities” (Revelation 18:4-5).

Germany’s Foreign Minister Patrons Gay Games…

The Local reported on March 25:

“German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle has agreed to be the official patron of the eighth annual Gay Games in Cologne this summer… On July 31, Germany’s first openly gay minister and vice chancellor, who is in a long-term relationship with entrepreneur Michael Mronz, will kick off the quadrennial games at the Rhein Energie Stadium.

“Westerwelle’s participation was a ‘clear signal for more tolerance and acceptance of homosexual people in our society,’ Gay Games Cologne 2010 director Annette Wachter said, adding that organisers hope this will enhance how the athletes are received in their daily lives. More than 12,000 athletes from around the world are expected at the games, which run from July 31 to August 7 in the city.

“The first Gay Games event took place in 1982 in the California city of San Francisco with the aim of fighting discrimination against lesbians, gays and bisexuals.”

In spite of modern “enlightenment,” God calls homosexuality a sin and does not endorse the practice.

The Atom Smasher…

The Associated Press reported on March 30:

“The world’s largest atom smasher threw together minuscule particles racing at unheard of speeds in conditions simulating those just after the Big Bang — a success that kick-started a mega-billion dollar experiment that could one day explain how the universe began. Scientists cheered Tuesday’s historic crash of two proton beams, producing three times more force than researchers had created before and marking a milestone for the $10 billion Large Hadron Collider.”

If scientists would only believe the Bible, all that money could be saved and used for proper purposes.

God tells us: “In the beginning GOD created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). And: “All things were made through Him [the Word, Jesus Christ], and without Him nothing was made that was made” (John 1:3). And: “God… has in these last days spoken to us by His Son… through whom also He made the worlds…” (Hebrews 1:2). And finally: “By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible” (Hebrews 11:3).

For more information, please read our free booklet, “The Theory of Evolution–a Fairy Tale for Adults?”

In Matthew 24, containing the famous “Olivet prophecy,” Jesus Christ explained the “sign of His coming and the end of the age” (verse 3). After discussing the “beginning of sorrows” (verse 8), He pointed at the worldwide preaching of the gospel (verse 14), followed by the Great Tribulation (beginning with verse 15). In that context, Jesus said, in verses 19-22:

“(19) But woe to those who are pregnant and to those with nursing babies IN THOSE DAYS. (20) And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. (21) For THEN there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until THIS TIME, no, nor ever shall be. (22) And unless THOSE DAYS were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake THOSE DAYS will be shortened… (29) Immediately after the tribulation of THOSE days the sun will be darkened… (30) THEN the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and THEN all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.”

Even though some commentaries state that Jesus’ sayings were restricted to the time of 69 A.D. and 70 A.D., when true Christians fled to the city of Pella before the Romans invaded and destroyed Jerusalem, it is clear from the context that those events, even though constituting a forerunner, did not describe the final fulfillment of the prophesied events. There was no “Great Tribulation” at the time of 70 A.D.–worse than it ever had been or will be–nor did those events precede “the end of the age”–this present civilization–and “the coming of Christ.”

It is true that Christ specifically addressed first “THOSE who are in Judea,” telling them to “flee to the mountains” (verse 16). But then, His statement is all-encompassing, stating in verse 20: “And pray that YOUR flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath.”

Regarding His statement that the flight should not be in winter, John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible remarks about the winter season:

“When days are short, and unfit for long journeys, and roads are bad, and sometimes not passable, through large snows, or floods of water; and when to dwell in desert places, and lodge in mountains, must be very uncomfortable: wherefore Christ directs to pray to God, who has the disposal of all events, and of the timing of them, that he would so order things in the course of his providence, that their flight might not be in such a season of the year, when traveling would be very difficult and troublesome.”

Christ was clearly saying in verse 20 that the Sabbath (as well as “winter”) would still be in existence “in those days,” just prior to His return. Notice this: The Sabbath will still be in force and effect just prior to Christ’s Second Coming! The notion that Christ came to abolish the law of the Ten Commandments (including the commandment to keep holy the Seventh-Day Sabbath), is utterly false. Paul said in Hebrews 4:9: “It is therefore the duty of the people of God to keep the sabbath” (Lamsa translation). The New King James Bible translates, “There remains therefore a rest for the people of God,” but in the Greek, the word for “rest” is “sabbatismos” and means, literally, “keeping of the Sabbath” or “Sabbath-rest.” The time of the Sabbath rest referred to here begins Friday evening, at sunset, and lasts to Saturday evening, at sunset, according to the Hebrew calendar.

At the same time, the Bible makes it clear that it is not a sin to “flee” on the Sabbath. The Bible says that the ancient people of Israel left Egypt on the First Day of Unleavened Bread (an annual Sabbath or Holy Day), and, according to tradition, they crossed the Red Sea during their flight from the Egyptians on the Last Day of Unleavened Bread (another annual Holy Day). Also, according to tradition, the Israelites invaded and conquered Jericho on the Last Day of Unleavened Bread.

Again, what Jesus says is to pray that our flight not occur during either of these times. Implicit in His instructions is the fact that should the flight fall during these periods, then real difficultly would follow. Also, His warnings do act as a preparation for us–watching and being ready to escape from the horrific events that will follow is something we must pay attention to. Examples from the Word of God do show that God warned righteous people in advance, and that He also saw to their safety and deliverance.

However, it would most certainly not be easy “in those days” to have to flee “in winter or on the Sabbath.” Remember, Christ said in Matthew 24:19: “But woe to those who are pregnant and to those with nursing babies in THOSE days.” A flight under those conditions might be very burdensome, and Christ was encouraging His end-time disciples who would be aware of the signs of the time, to pray that their flight would NOT be in winter or on the Sabbath.

Christ focused specifically on the Sabbath for several reasons:

At the time of the end, the Satan-induced governments of this world will have begun a thorough persecution of all those who keep the Sabbath. We read of a worldwide martyrdom of God’s disciples, who will keep the Sabbath. These martyrs will include those who will have rejected the “mark of the beast.” This “mark of the beast” includes those who keep Sunday, instead of the Sabbath, and man-made holidays, such as Christmas and Easter, instead of God’s annual Sabbaths or Holy Days.

As happened before in history, the followers of “orthodox Christianity” will persecute all those who don’t keep holy their “weekly day of worship”–Sunday, the day of a pagan sun-god, as well as their annual “holidays” such as Christmas or Easter–days originally dedicated to pagan sun-gods–and who instead insist on keeping holy God’s weekly Sabbath and His annual Holy Days.

The “mark of the beast”–designating those working or not working on certain days–will identify all those who belong to the universal “Christian” church in existence “in those days.” By extension, it will also single out those who do NOT belong to that universal church. For more information on the “mark of the beast,” please read our free booklets, “Europe in Prophecy” and “Is That in the Bible–The Mysteries of the Book of Revelation.”

We read that Satan will influence the governments of this world to persecute those who will be fleeing to a place of safety here on earth (compare Revelation 12:14-16). Those who keep the Sabbath and have probably already been under surveillance by the governments, will be in danger of additional persecution, and the governments might step in to prevent their flight. If that were to happen on the Sabbath, one can easily see how difficult, even mentally and spiritually, the conditions would be for the continuation of the flight.

Christ also prophesied that some outside the Church of God would keep the Sabbath. For instance, the Sabbath is being kept even today–more or less–in the state of Israel. Since it is possible that the place of safety will be located in the Middle East, it would be difficult to flee there, if it somehow involved a route through the state of Israel. According to prophecy, the Jews in Israel will have begun, by that time, to become more zealous in their religion; to build the Third Temple; and to re-institute the daily sacrifices. It stands to reason that true Christians would have to encounter resistance even from certain Jews if they had to flee on the Sabbath. (Since most Jews reject the New Testament, they would not take Christ’s warning seriously to flee to a place of safety to escape the Great Tribulation).

If most of the Jews in the state of Israel were to re-institute their (unbiblical) traditions regarding the Sabbath, which is highly likely, it would be very difficult to pass through their region on the Sabbath day. Note what the commentary of Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible has to say about the ancient traditions of the Jews:

“Long journeys were prohibited… The law of Moses did not mention the distance to which persons might go on the Sabbath, but most of the Jews maintained that it should not be more than 2000 cubits. Some supposed that it was 7 furlongs, or nearly a mile. This distance was allowed in order that they might go to their places of worship. Most of them held that it was not lawful to go further, under any circumstances of war or affliction. Jesus teaches his disciples to pray that their flight might not be on the Sabbath, because, if they should not go farther than a Sabbath-day’s journey, they would not be beyond the reach of danger, and if they did, they would be exposed to the charge of violating the law [as interpreted by the Jews–not taught by the Bible]. It should be added that it was almost impracticable to travel in Judea on that day, as the gates of the cities were usually closed.”

John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible gives a similar explanation, which, even though referring to the time of Jesus’ First Coming, might be applicable to a renewed, but misguided zeal of the Jews in the future:

“And the reason why our Lord put them on praying, that their flight might not be on the Sabbath day, was, because he knew not only that the Jews, who believed not in him, would not suffer them to travel on a sabbath day more than two thousand cubits; which, according to their traditions…, was a sabbath day’s journey; and which would not be sufficient for their flight to put them out of danger… And though the Jews did allow, that the sabbath might be violated where life was in danger, and that it was lawful to defend themselves against an enemy on the sabbath day; yet this did not universally obtain; and it was made a question of, after the time of Christ, whether it was lawful to flee from danger on the sabbath day.”

We read that Christ’s true disciples will be hated by all nations in those days (Matthew 24:9). This would include professing Christians, because true Christians won’t accept the pagan concepts and worship which have become part of orthodox Christianity. This would also include the Jews, because true Christians won’t accept Jewish traditions and they will confess Jesus Christ as the ONLY Savior of the world, which concept the Jews (as well as the Arabs and other non-Christian religions) universally reject. True disciples will become the target of worldwide persecution from every corner, and fleeing on the Sabbath would contribute to additional hostilities.

Christ’s statement also shows that the specific day of the flight is not yet fixed, but that it is within the Father’s authority to decide when exactly the day of the flight will occur. So let us pray then, that our flight will not occur in winter or on the Sabbath day.

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

A new StandingWatch program was posted on the Web, titled, ” Is Obama the Antichrist? ” In the program, it was pointed out that according to a new survey, nearly a quarter of Republicans believe President “Obama may be the Antichrist.” What does the Bible say about the concept of “antichrist”? Did you know that Scripture does NOT teach that “THE” Antichrist will come in the future, just prior to Christ’s return? This program explains the TRUTH about “antichrist,” and what IS REALLY prophesied to happen.

Our new Internet ad campaign has begun in the USA, advertising our free booklet, “Do We Have an Immortal Soul?”

A new German sermon was posted on the Web, titled, “Krankheit und Heilung, Teil 1” (“Sickness and Healing, Part 1”).

by Louise Amorelli

Several months ago, my husband and I experienced some very severe health trials, involving two of our family members. One of those health trials needed our immediate attention and caused us to leave our home promptly and travel a good distance, to serve those needs. We had to pack, make arrangements for the care of our home, cat, bills, and square away our work commitments, within one day! Needless to say, that was quite a harrowing and stressful occasion. We left all behind, not knowing when we would return. We put all things in God’s hands and hoped and prayed for the best, not only for our family members, but also for all we were leaving behind.

When we arrived at our destination, we didn’t know where we would stay, where we would be eating, and exactly how to handle the challenges ahead. We went to different relatives’ homes, sleeping on couches, trying to grab whatever we could eat and get some rest, while trying to get as much information from health care professionals as possible, and to make sound family health decisions.

Through all of this, I thought of how Jesus and His apostles left all to preach the Gospel. They left their homes behind, not knowing where they would eat or where they would sleep to get this Gospel out. They went on the faith that God gave them, through the Holy Spirit. Although on a much smaller scale, now I can understand better what they went through.

When we finally arrived home, a month later, we really did appreciate our home… ahhh… home sweet home!! But it made me realize even more, how temporary this life really is, and how one day, I will need to leave ALL behind to (hopefully) go to the place of safety, without my possessions of this world, even leaving my physical home. My REAL home is not in this life, but a spiritual one, being one of rulership with Jesus Christ! Jesus is preparing a place for me… a home that will last forever, one that I can really call… Home Sweet Home!!