The phrase “Moving On” is an interesting one that can have different interpretations behind just those two simple words. And we, as Christians, have to make sure that we don’t fall into the trap that others often do when using this phrase.

It can mean wanting to avoid further questioning or interrogation–it’s time to move on. This is a favorite approach of politicians who want to squirm out of problems that won’t seem to go away. Instead of saying “sorry, I was wrong”–an admission of wrongdoing, errors of judgment or just plain poor decision making–they shy away from what we, as Christians must do. This is not for us. If we’re wrong, we have to admit it and repent, not say that we are moving on to avoid any further embarrassment or questioning.

A second way that this phrase is used is that it is now 2009 and it’s time to move on! This can often be used in connection with biblical truth, thinking that the Bible is outdated. But the date has nothing to do with right and wrong. Living in the year 2009 does not give us the liberty to change immutable truths and instructions from our great Creator. Moving on, to so many people today, means getting rid of previous standards and replacing them with their own ideas. When the original information is from the Creator of the universe, then to think that that doesn’t apply and is old fashioned today is stupidity of the highest order. 

And a third way of using this phrase is where someone abandons the truth that they once understood because they have “moved on.” This is the most serious of them all–and we have to ensure that we take our calling very seriously at all times, never treating it lightly and putting ourselves into great danger, so that we could miss out on being a member of God’s family for eternity.

Moving on? Not in the three areas mentioned herein–but with our calling, yes, we have to move on by growing in grace and knowledge (2 Peter 3:18). That is the “moving on” that we should all be involved with!

Is America steering towards its irrevocable descent into economic calamity and chaos? Our lead article on FDIC’s Insurance Fund and the ever-increasing number of failing banks paints a grim picture, and in doing the math, the picture is even more apocalyptic. And you just know that the country is in trouble when one of America’s foremost prestigious institutions–Reader’s Digest–is forced to file for “prearranged” bankruptcy.

While President Obama is losing his “messianic status” over health care (and actor Chuck Norris has some strong and appropriate warning about “hidden little secrets” in the House Bill), Mr. Obama’s repeated pledge to homosexuals, bi-sexuals and transgender couples to repeal a “discriminatory” federal law on marriage does not help to restore confidence in the willingness to uphold American standards and principles, defining a marriage as a union between a man and a woman. The fact that school administrators in Florida are facing jail time for praying over lunch, allegedly violating a court-approved “consent decree” prohibiting them to promote religion on school grounds, speaks volumes about the God-defying culture in our country.

Britain does not fare much better, if concerns are correct that Scotland released a “terminally-ill” convicted Libyan mass murderer and terrorist because of a political deal between Britain and Libya, involving Libya’s oil.

President Obama’s repeated pledge to continue America’s war in Afghanistan is interesting in light of a revealing interview with former German Defense Minister Volker Rühe, as well as a report about the despicable situation in Afghanistan and the means by which politicians come to or stay in power.

As Der Spiegel wrote on August 20: “Afghans went to the polls Thursday to elect a new president. Although the Taliban did not manage to stop the election from taking place, their attacks and threats kept turnout low in many regions. After the polls closed on Thursday afternoon, the Afghan government made its first assessment of the situation — and it wasn’t exactly flattering. President Hamid Karzai’s authorities reported 73 direct attacks against polling stations in 15 provinces… Afghans will only discover the outcome of the election in the coming days. The first preliminary results will probably be made public this weekend, and the final result of the first round of voting will only be announced on Sept. 17.”

Iran’s Ayatollah Khamenei made again very clear what Iran’s real intentions are–in preparing for the coming of the Mahdi, all Muslim nations should unite militarily to fight against the USA and Israel.

The British paper, The Mail, laments the government’s plan to launch mass immunizations in October to “fight” the swine flu, because of concerns that the vaccines might cause a brain disorder called Guillain-Barre Syndrome. And an article by the New York Times shows that our justice system’s blind reliance on DNA evidence is highly misplaced.

Ongoing earthquakes in and close to Japan are causes for alarm–with experts fearing that the “Big One” might not be far off; and continuing violence and terrorist attacks in the Caucasus, coupled with Russia’s meddling in South Caucasus areas, “stoke fears that [the southern Russian Republic of] Ingushetia [is] replacing Chechnya as the next battleground in southern Russia,” as Deutsche Welle put it.

Finally, the European press published documentation showing that both the USA and Great Britain knew about Hitler’s plan to exterminate the Jews as early as 1942, but did nothing to prevent it. The Vatican tries to capitalize on this widely-known fact, by wrongly suggesting that Pope Pius XII tried to save as many Jews as possible. However, the collaboration between Hitler’s and Mussolini’s fascist regime and the Roman Catholic Church under Pope Pius XII is beyond historical doubt and reproof.

All of these developments identify the prophesied “signs of the times,” in which we live. For more information, please read our free booklets, “The Fall and Rise of Britain and America,” “Europe in Prophecy,” and “The Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord.”

FDIC Insurance Fund Facing Disaster of Apocalyptical Proportions

The Associated Press wrote on August 15:

“Regulators on Friday shut down Colonial BancGroup Inc., a big lender in real estate development that marked the biggest U.S. bank failure this year, and a small bank in Pennsylvania [Dwelling House]. The closures boosted to 74 the number of federally insured banks that have failed in 2009… The FDIC estimates that the cost to the deposit insurance fund from the failure of Dwelling House will be $6.8 million. The failure of Colonial is expected to cost the deposit insurance fund an estimated $2.8 billion. The 74 bank failures nationwide this year compare with 25 last year and three in 2007.

“As the economy has soured – with unemployment rising, home prices tumbling and loan defaults soaring – bank failures have cascaded and sapped billions out of the deposit insurance fund. It now stands at its lowest level since 1993, $13 billion as of the first quarter…

“The number of banks on the FDIC’s list of problem institutions leaped to 305 in the first quarter – the highest number since 1994 during the savings and loan crisis – from 252 in the fourth quarter. The FDIC expects U.S. bank failures to cost the insurance fund around $70 billion through 2013.

“The May closing of struggling Florida thrift BankUnited FSB is expected to cost the insurance fund $4.9 billion, the second-largest hit since the financial crisis began.”

If you do the math, these figures are staggering, alarming and nightmarish and absolutely apocalyptical:

If the FDIC had only $13 billion in its insurance fund in its first quarter (January-March 2009), but if the bail-out of Florida’s BankUnited in May will cost $4.9 billion; the bail-out of Pennsylvania’s Dwelling House $6.8 million; and of Colonial Bank $2.8 billion, then the fund would be at a level of approximately just about $6.4 billion.

Reader’s Digest Plans to File For Pre-Arranged Bankruptcy

Reuters reported on August 17:

“Reader’s Digest Association Inc, whose namesake magazine has been a staple of dentists’ offices for generations, said on Monday it planned to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy for its U.S. businesses as part of a prearranged plan with lenders to cut debt by 75 percent…

“The bankruptcy would take the form of a prearranged filing, which comes after a company has already reached deals with lenders to reduce debt. The deal, if approved by a bankruptcy court, would allow Reader’s Digest to slash its debt load to $550 million, from the current $2.2 billion. The arrangement would also allow the company to reduce its annual interest payments on remaining debt to less than $80 million from about $145 million…”

The Dollar Will Weaken Even More

Bloomberg wrote on August 19:

“Pacific Investment Management Co., the world’s biggest manager of bond funds, said the dollar will weaken as the U.S. pumps ‘massive’ amounts of money into the economy. The dollar will drop the most against emerging-market counterparts… The greenback is losing its status as the world’s reserve currency…  There is no viable immediate alternative to the U.S. dollar for now as the euro region lacks a political union…”

But what will happen when Europe HAS achieved its political union?

President Obama Loses “Messianic Status Over Health Care”

Der Spiegel Online wrote on August 18:

“US President Barack Obama has lost his messianic status in the row over health care reform, say German media commentators… [He] has made a key concession on his planned health-care reform… He has signalled retreat on a proposed provision under which consumers could choose from health insurance sold by the federal government as well as those marketed by private companies.

“‘The public option, whether we have it or we don’t have it, is not the entirety of health care reform,’ the president told a town hall-style audience in Grand Junction, Colorado, on Saturday. ‘This is just one sliver of it, one aspect of it.’ Obama’s team is now suggesting a non-profit cooperative insurance system, in a bid to overcome the innate aversions many Americans have towards government involvement…

“The center-left Süddeutsche Zeitung writes:

“‘The 44th president, once revered as a messiah, is shrinking back to human proportions. This normalization… has been caused by the row over how to improve America’s health-care system. Obama has given up core elements of his most important reform plan in the face of sometimes aggressive, even fired-up protests… Many of Obama’s most glowing supporters are sensing betrayal. The president himself is interpreting his concession as realpolitik. Given the resistance, even from conservative members of his own party, he prefers a modest reform to none at all… But he must take care that his greatest election promise isn’t hacked to little pieces by a revolt by America’s right wing, or through a salami tactic where he himself is wielding the knife’…

“The center-left Berlin daily Der Tagesspiegel writes:

“‘America’s mistrust of government is refreshing in some areas, but not when it comes to health care. Health cover[age] for the average citizen in the US against illness and its consequences is worse than in Germany, and they have to pay significantly more for it… Obama is realizing what his nation will and won’t accept. There’s likely to be a health reform in the end. But the overhaul that gets majority backing in the end won’t resemble what he promised in the election campaign.'”

Chuck Norris–“Whom Are We Kidding?”

In a truly thought-provoking editorial, dated August 11, which was published by Human Events.com, actor Chuck Norris wrote the following:

“I decided to research the reasons so many are opposed to Obamacare to separate the facts from the fantasy. What I discovered is that there are indeed dirty little secrets buried deep within the 1,000-plus page health care bill.

“Dirty secret No. 1 in Obamacare is about the government’s coming into homes and usurping parental rights over child care and development. It’s outlined in sections 440 and 1904 of the House bill (Page 838), under the heading ‘home visitation programs for families with young children and families expecting children.’ The programs (provided via grants to states) would educate parents on child behavior and parenting skills.

“The bill says that the government agents, ‘well-trained and competent staff,’ would ‘provide parents with knowledge of age-appropriate child development in cognitive, language, social, emotional, and motor domains … modeling, consulting, and coaching on parenting practices,’ and ‘skills to interact with their child to enhance age-appropriate development.’

“Are you kidding me?! With whose parental principles and values? Their own? Certain experts’? From what field and theory of childhood development?… Do we really believe they would contextualize and personalize every form of parenting in their education, or would they merely universally indoctrinate with their own?

“Are we to assume the state’s mediators would understand every parent’s social or religious core values on parenting? Or would they teach some secular-progressive and religiously neutered version of parental values and wisdom? And if they were to consult and coach those who expect babies, would they ever decide circumstances to be not beneficial for the children and encourage abortions?

“One government rebuttal is that this program would be ‘voluntary.’ Is that right? Does that imply that this agency would just sit back passively until some parent needing parenting skills said, ‘I don’t think I’ll call my parents, priest or friends or read a plethora of books, but I’ll go down to the local government offices’? To the contrary, the bill points to specific targeted groups and problems, on Page 840: The state ‘shall identify and prioritize serving communities that are in high need of such services, especially communities with a high proportion of low-income families.’

“Are we further to conclude by those words that low-income families know less about parenting? Are middle- and upper-class parents really better parents? Less neglectful of their children? Less needful of parental help and training? Is this ‘prioritized’ training not a biased, discriminatory and even prejudicial stereotype and generalization that has no place in federal government, law or practice?

“Bottom line: Is all this what you want or expect in a universal health care bill being rushed through Congress? Do you want government agents coming into your home and telling you how to parent your children? When did government health care turn into government child care?

“Government needs less of a role in running our children’s lives and more of a role in supporting parents’ decisions for their children. Children belong to their parents, not the government. And the parents ought to have the right — and government support — to parent them without the fed’s mandates, education or intervention in our homes…

“Government’s real motives and rationale are quite simple, though rarely, if ever, stated. If one wants to control the future ebbs and flows of a country, one must have command over future generations. That is done by seizing parental and educational power, legislating preferred educational methods and materials, and limiting private educational options. It is so simple that any socialist can understand it. As Josef Stalin once stated, ‘Education is a weapon whose effects depend on who holds it in his hands and at whom it is aimed.'”

And as the late journalist Robert Novak, who died on August 18, said so accurately: “Always love your country — but never trust your government!”

Health Care Bill — No Matter What?

The Associated Press wrote on August 20:

“Publicly, President Barack Obama is still calling for a bipartisan bill to overhaul the nation’s health care system. Privately, Democrats are preparing a one-party push, which they feel is all but inevitable. Obama urged religious leaders Wednesday to back his proposals, and he prepared for a pep talk to a much larger audience of liberal activists, whose enthusiasm is in question. Polls continued to show slippage in support for the president’s approach, although Americans expressed even less confidence in Republicans’handling of health care.”

President Obama Wants to Repeal Federal Marriage Law

USA Today wrote on August 17:

“President Obama insisted Monday he still wants to scrap what he calls a discriminatory federal marriage law, even as his administration angered gay rights activists by defending it in court… Justice Department lawyers filed new papers Monday seeking to throw out a lawsuit brought by a gay couple challenging the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA. Gay rights groups say that by doing so, the administration is failing to follow through on campaign promises made by Obama last year to work to repeal the law… The Clinton-era law denies federal recognition of gay marriage and gives states the right to refuse to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states.

“Obama said he plans to work with Congress to repeal the law, and said his administration ‘will continue to examine and implement measures that will help extend rights and benefits’ to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender couples under existing law. The government says in its court filing that it will defend the statute in this case because a reasonable argument can be made that the law is constitutional… Justice lawyers have argued that the act is constitutional and contend that awarding federal marriage benefits to gays would infringe on the rights of taxpayers in the 30 states that specifically prohibit same-sex marriages.”

According to some news reports, while the Justice Department filed papers asking to enforce the marriage law, President Obama filed a separate document pointing out that he considers the law to be discriminatory.

Scotland Angers the USA

AFP wrote on August 20:

“The terminally-ill Libyan convicted over the 1988 Lockerbie bombing was released on compassionate grounds from jail in Scotland Thursday, sparking joy in Tripoli but fury from the United States…

“Abdelbaset Ali Mohmet al-Megrahi, the only person convicted for downing a US passenger jet that killed 270 people, left Greenock Prison in a convoy headed for nearby Glasgow airport, where a Libyan plane [in fact, one of Moammar Gadhafi’s private planes] was waiting. His release came barely an hour after Scotland’s justice minister announced that he was being freed because he was suffering from terminal prostate cancer and has less than three months to live…

“But the gesture was immediately condemned by the US government. ‘The United States deeply regrets the decision by the Scottish Executive to release Abdelbaset Ali Mohmet al-Megrahi,’ a White House statement said… US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, US lawmakers and relatives of the American dead had also fiercely opposed the move.

“The bombing of Pan Am flight 103 which blew up over the Scottish town of Lockerbie on December 21, 1988, was the worst terrorist attack committed in Britain… Seven US senators wrote to the Scottish government demanding that Megrahi — convicted in 2001 after a trial held under Scots law at a special court in the Netherlands — serve out his sentence in Britain.

“Following the release, Megrahi was expected to be back with his family in time for the Islamic holy month of Ramadan which starts Friday. The decision comes amid thawing relations between Libya and Britain, which were arch-enemies in the 1980s and 1990s. Libya has the largest proven oil reserves of any country in Africa, much of it still untapped, and British firms including BP and Shell have signed major exploration deals in the country in recent years. Saad Djebbar, a lawyer who has worked with the Libyan government on the case, told BBC radio that freeing Megrahi would be a huge boost to relations between Britain and the whole Arab world.”

Deutsche Welle added on August 20:

“In the background of all the legal proceedings there has been the combination of money, oil and politics. Without a doubt, oil is a very big part of the Libyan economy… Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair was among the first politicians to become involved in helping British Petroleum (BP) and Shell win exploration acreage in Libya. Also, the release of al-Megrahi eases the tensions between Britain and Libya so that business may pick up. It should come as no surprise then that some of the relatives of the victims of the Lockerbie bombings have intimated that a deal had been struck.”

Outrageous Criminal Prosecution of Florida School Administrators for Praying

CNN reported on August 17:

“Two Florida school administrators face contempt charges and possible prison time for saying a prayer at a school luncheon. Pace High School enacted a decree in January banning officials from promoting religion at school events. Frank Lay, principal of Pace High School, and Athletic Director Robert Freeman are accused of violating a consent decree banning employees of Santa Rosa County schools from endorsing religion. They face a non-jury trial September 17 before U.S. District Judge Casey Rodgers. The statute under which they are charged carries a maximum penalty of up to six months in prison, subject to sentencing guidelines…
 
“On January 28, ‘Lay asked Freeman to offer a prayer of blessing during a school-day luncheon for the dedication of a new fieldhouse at Pace High School,’ according to court documents. ‘Freeman complied with the request and offered the prayer at the event. It appears this was a school-sponsored event attended by students, faculty and community members.’

“Attorneys from Liberty Counsel, a conservative legal group helping defend Lay and Freeman, said in a written statement that attendees included booster club members and other adults who helped the field house project, all ‘consenting adults’…

“‘It is a sad day in America when school officials are criminally prosecuted for a prayer over a meal,’ said Mathew Staver, founder of Liberty Counsel and dean of the law school at Liberty University, founded by the late Rev. Jerry Falwell. ‘It is outrageous and an offense to the First Amendment to punish a school official for a simple prayer.’ Liberty Counsel said it is challenging the consent decree, maintaining that it ‘unconstitutionally infringes on the rights of teachers, administrators and students’…”

Afghanistan–The Long and Winding Road…

USA Today wrote on August 17:

“Obama [said] on Monday that the United States didn’t choose to fight in Afghanistan but was forced to invade that country to stop future Sept. 11-type attacks at home… Obama warned Americans that the battle there will be neither quick nor easy.”

The Los Angeles Times added on August 17:

“President Obama today renewed his commitment to dismantling Al Qaeda in Afghanistan — a struggle he said was ‘fundamental to the defense of our people’… ‘This is not a war of choice. This is a war of necessity,’ Obama told the annual Veterans of Foreign Wars conference… ‘Those who attacked America on 9/11 are plotting to do so again. If left unchecked, the Taliban insurgency will mean an even larger safe haven from which Al Qaeda would plot to kill more Americans.'”

“Afghanistan Is a Disaster”

Der Spiegel Online wrote on August 17:

“In a SPIEGEL interview, former German Defense Minister Volker Rühe [member of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s CDU party] speaks in bold terms about how politicians in Berlin have failed [in Afghanistan] and why Germany needs to use all of its military might in the country.”

We are quoting the following excerpts from Mr. Rühe’s comments:

“This mission [in Afghanistan] is a disaster — for NATO, for Germany and for the soldiers dying in the Hindu Kush. If Defense Minister Jung and Peter Struck, the parliamentary leader of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), are really hoping that we will stay in Afghanistan for 10 more years, then we are really in for a nightmare…

“Over the next two years, we should engage ourselves with all our might, and then we should initiate a withdrawal. The Americans will do exactly the same thing because Obama wants to get re-elected. But in Germany there has not been a serious debate about this once during the election campaign… The parties should finally express their opinions about Afghanistan in precise terms — but they all lack the courage to do so… If we say that we are going to stay for another 10 years, the Afghans are not going to be in any particular rush to stand up on their own two feet…

“In the Balkans, the real issue is democracy in Europe. But that kind of nation-building is not going to work in Afghanistan. If you walk up to someone in the Hindu Kush and explain to them that you are trying to introduce democracy in Afghanistan, they will laugh themselves silly… It is not in the interest of Germany or NATO to get themselves tied down there for another 10 years. The alliance needs to once again focus itself on tasks in the European field of activity, such as the Middle East…

“[For the next two years, Germany] should think about improving our equipment. For example, we shouldn’t abstain from using certain weapons just because they might look too war-like. But, more than anything, we need to assume more responsibility. Whenever the French or the British fall into danger, we need to be the ones to help them out, even if it’s in the hard-fought southern part of the country. Loyalty to the alliance demands it… remember, we are involved in a military conflict. Our soldiers are not armed development workers…”

The Real Afghanistan

Deutsche Welle wrote on August 18:

“Afghanistan’s election campaign has been marked by violence and corruption…

“The Taliban, who have promised to disrupt elections with a campaign of terror, have shown they can strike wherever they want… since the US-led invasion in 2001 and the toppling of the Taliban regime, the insurgents are again on the rise and have a presence in 70 percent of the country…

“From flying to campaign rallies in government helicopters to brokering power deals with warlords, and pardoning drug traffickers, Karzai is pulling out all the stops to secure his re-election… In the past few days Karzai has also passed a law which is effectively selling out women’s rights in the hope of winning the conservative vote.”

As NBC’s Today Show reported on August 18, women can be criminally prosecuted and jailed when they run away from their abusive and violent husbands. Many women are in jail right now for “adultery,” even though they were raped. When the NBC reporter asked the prison jailer how he can in good conscience continue to “guard” these innocent women, he answered, “This is a Muslim country.” According to NBC’s report, the new law endorsed by Karzai allows husbands to beat their wives–even with chains–without any fear of penalty.

Iran’s True Intentions

WorldNetDaily wrote on August 17:

“Iran’s Ayatollah Khamenei yesterday called on Muslim nations around the world to unite militarily in response to the imminent coming of Islam’s messianic savior – the Mahdi. Khamenei, through his spokesman Ali Saeedi, specifically beckoned the nations of Turkey, Iraq, Lebanon, Pakistan and Afghanistan to join together with Iran in preparation for the Mahdi’s soon coming.

“The purpose of uniting now, a report in Al Arabiya explained, is to fight Israel and the U.S. – seen as the two greatest obstacles to the coming of the Mahdi and the age of Islamic ‘justice’ that would ensue. ‘We have to train honest forces that can stop the obstacles that may hinder the coming of the Mahdi like the United States and Israel,’ Saeedi stated. Saeedi also emphasized that the Iranian revolutionary guard possessed a special religious authority to prepare the way for the Mahdi…

“With news arriving this past week that Iran now has the capability to develop nuclear weapons, the Mahdist conference and this call for Islamic unity under the banner of the Mahdi takes on an added dimension of interest… While some Muslims have emphasized the peaceful nature of the Mahdi’s reign, many in Iran obviously disagree… In [his] work Imam al-Mahdi, the Just Leader of Humanity, Ayatollah Ibrahim al Amini, professor at the Religious Learning Center at Qom… states, ‘The Mahdi will offer the religion of Islam to the Jews and Christians; if they accept it they will be spared, otherwise they will be killed.'”

Hidden Complications of Swine Flu Vaccines?

The British paper, Mail-On-Line, wrote on August 15:

“A warning that the new swine flu jab is linked to a deadly nerve disease has been sent by the Government to senior neurologists in a confidential letter… It tells the neurologists that they must be alert for an increase in a brain disorder called Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS), which could be triggered by the vaccine. GBS attacks the lining of the nerves, causing paralysis and inability to breathe, and can be fatal…

“Concerns have already been raised that the new vaccine has not been sufficiently tested and that the effects, especially on children, are unknown. It is being developed by pharmaceutical companies and will be given to about 13million people during the first wave of immunisation, expected to start in October…

“There are concerns that there could be a repeat of what became known as the ‘1976 debacle’ in the US, where a swine flu vaccine killed 25 people – more than the virus itself. A mass vaccination was given the go-ahead by President Gerald Ford because scientists believed that the swine flu strain was similar to the one responsible for the 1918-19 pandemic, which killed half a million Americans and 20million people worldwide.

“Within days, symptoms of GBS were reported among those who had been immunised and 25 people died from respiratory failure after severe paralysis. One in 80,000 people came down with the condition. In contrast, just one person died of swine flu. More than 40million Americans had received the vaccine by the time the programme was stopped after ten weeks. The US Government paid out millions of dollars in compensation to those affected.

“The swine flu virus in the new vaccine is a slightly different strain from the 1976 virus, but the possibility of an increased incidence of GBS remains a concern.”

DNA Credibility Undermined

The New York Times wrote on August 18:

“Scientists in Israel have demonstrated that it is possible to fabricate DNA evidence, undermining the credibility of what has been considered the gold standard of proof in criminal cases. The scientists fabricated blood and saliva samples containing DNA from a person other than the donor of the blood and saliva. They also showed that if they had access to a DNA profile in a database, they could construct a sample of DNA to match that profile without obtaining any tissue from that person…

“Tania Simoncelli, science adviser to the American Civil Liberties Union, said the findings were worrisome. ‘DNA is a lot easier to plant at a crime scene than fingerprints,’ she said. ‘We’re creating a criminal justice system that is increasingly relying on this technology’…

“From a pooled sample of many people’s DNA, the scientists cloned tiny DNA snippets representing the common variants at each spot, creating a library of such snippets. To prepare a DNA sample matching any profile, they just mixed the proper snippets together. They said that a library of 425 different DNA snippets would be enough to cover every conceivable profile.”

Earthquakes in Japan–Is the Big One Coming?

Bloomberg wrote on August 14:

“The three earthquakes that rattled Tokyo this week increased concerns among residents that the first major temblor in 86 years, the so-called Big One, may soon strike the world’s biggest city… The last major earthquake to strike Tokyo and its environs was in 1923, when as many as 142,000 people were killed… some seismologists have long forecast the city may be devastated again by a temblor…

“The city of about 27 million sits adjacent to three major fault lines, situated on the boundary of two tectonic plates, the Philippine and the Eurasian. Japan experiences a fifth of the world’s quakes annually. Of those fault lines, the Nankai Trough has been the source of most concern among seismologists since 1979 because they believe the area of the trough closest to Tokyo is most likely to generate a quake of magnitude-8 in the near future.

“That zone produces a major quake every 118.8 years on average and the last one, which was magnitude 8.4, was in 1854… A magnitude-8 earthquake would be 178 times more powerful than the 6.5 temblor three days ago… A 7.8-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido in July 1993 produced a tsunami with waves as high as 30 meters.”

The Wall Street Journal added on August 17 that another 6.8 earthquake hit off Japan’s southern coast on Monday, which resulted in a Tsunami warning.”

Terror Attacks in Russia

Deutsche Welle reported on August 17:

“A deadly suicide bombing in the southern Russian republic of Ingushetia has been condemned by the European Union… Russian President Dmitry Medvedev responded swiftly to what he described as an ‘act of terror that could have been averted,’ and fired Ingushetia’s interior minister…

“As the gray smoke settled over the twisted rubble, burned cars and blast crater, the attack stoked fears that Ingushetia was replacing Chechnya as the next battleground in southern Russia. Ingushetia, along with the rest of the Caucasus region, has seen a spike in violence in recent months, with Islamic separatists launching regular attacks on politicians and police officers.

“Last Wednesday Ingushetia’s construction minister was brazenly shot to death in his own office. And Monday’s bombing comes just four days after the Kremlin announced that Ingushetia’s President Yunus-Bek Yevkurkov would be returning to work while still recovering from injuries sustained in a bomb attack against him in June.

“Yevkurov blamed Islamic militants for the attack. ‘The militants have carried out this terrorist attack with the aim of destabilizing the situation in the region,’ he said through his spokesman.”

The Wall Street Journal added on August 17:

“The attack poses a serious challenge to the Kremlin and its policies in the largely Muslim North Caucasus, which is home to scores of different ethnic groups that have at various times battled Russian forces or fought among themselves… Rights groups and Caucasus experts have warned that arbitrary arrests, torture and killings by security forces are fueling resentment and turning the sympathies of some of the civilian population to rebel fighters.”

Russia Meddles in Abkhazia

The EUObserver wrote on August 14:

“The EU has said that Russia is contributing to instability in South Caucasus by treating Georgian separatists in Abkhazia as if they were a real country. ‘Vladimir Putin has paid a visit to the Georgian region of Abkhazia without prior consent of the Georgian authorities. The EU does not consider this visit compatible with the principle of territorial integrity nor helpful for international efforts to stabilise the region,’ the Swedish EU presidency said in a statement on Thursday (13 August)…

“Regional tension was highlighted the same day when two people died in a bomb explosion in the Abkhazian town of Gagra… The EU last month issued a similarly critical statement after Russian president Dmitry Medvedev went to South Ossetia…

“Russian troop numbers have… climbed to over 3,600 in Abkhazia over the past 12 months, with Mr Putin on Wednesday announcing he would spend a further €350 million on expanding military and border installations in the territory… Some analysts see Russian strategy in Georgia as designed to repel US military encroachment into its old sphere of influence…”

USA and Britain Knew About Hitler’s Plan to Exterminate the Jews

United Press International reported on August 17:

“The Vatican’s newspaper says the United States and Britain knew about Adolf Hitler’s plans to exterminate the Jews, but did nothing to stop him. L’Osservatore Romano, quoting from the diary of then-U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Morgenthau Jr., said the British and American governments ignored, downplayed or suppressed intelligence reports about the extermination plans, The Times of London reported Monday.

“In contrast, Pope Pius XII tried to save as many Jews as he could through clandestine means, the L’Osservatore article said. The dispatch is Vatican’s latest effort to restore the reputation of Pope Pius, whose unwillingness to denounce the Nazis publicly resulted in accusations of anti-Semitism and earned him the moniker ‘Hitler’s Pope.’

“The article quoted Morgenthau as saying that as early as August 1942, the U.S. government ‘knew that the Nazis were planning to exterminate all the Jews of Europe,’ The Times said. In his diary, Morgenthau wrote of a telegram, dated Aug. 24, 1942, and passed on to the U.S. State Department, that relayed a report of Hitler’s plan to kill between 3.5 million and 4 million Jews.

“The article also cited a British Foreign Office message that warned of ‘the difficulties of disposing of any considerable number of Jews should they be rescued from enemy occupied territory,’ advising against allocating money for the project.”

We have discussed the issue of physical healing in several of our Q&As, http://eternalgod.org/qa/4963, http://eternalgod.org/qa/3221, http://eternalgod.org/qa/3749, http://eternalgod.org/qa/2842 , and also at length in our free booklet, “Sickness and Healing–What the Bible Tells Us.”

The following issues will be discussed in this Q&A:

–OUR BELIEF ON PHYSICAL HEALING
–WHAT TO DO WHEN WE ARE SICK
–WHY ANOINT WITH OIL?
–THE USE OF AN ANOINTED CLOTH
–DOES GOD HEAL ONLY BAPTIZED MEMBERS OF HIS CHURCH?
–WHEN DOES GOD BEGIN TO HEAL A PERSON WHO IS ASKING FOR AN ANOINTED CLOTH?
–WHEN SHOULD WE ASK FOR ANOINTING?
–CAN OR SHOULD WE ASK FOR ANOINTING MORE THAN ONCE FOR THE SAME SICKNESS?
–WHEN SHOULD WE ASK THE MINISTRY TO ANNOUNCE A SICKNESS TO THE CHURCH AND ASK FOR PRAYERS?
–SHOULD WE SEEK OUT A PARTICULAR MINISTER FOR ANOINTING BECAUSE HE MAY HAVE THE “GIFT OF HEALING”?

In this Q&A, we are setting forth briefly our belief and practice, as well as administrative procedures. For a more comprehensive discussion, please consult and review our additional literature, as quoted above.

OUR BELIEF ON PHYSICAL HEALING

God tells us in Exodus 15:26 that He is our LORD who heals us. We are healed by the stripes of Jesus Christ who gave His life for us, and who was tortured and beaten so that we can obtain forgiveness of our sins and healing from our sicknesses and diseases (Psalm 103:1-3; Matthew 8:16-17; 1 Peter 2:21-25; Isaiah 53:5).

WHAT TO DO WHEN WE ARE SICK

We ought to pray to God in private for healing. IN ADDITION, based on the severity of the sickness, we are to call for the elders of the Church of God to pray for us, to anoint us with oil, and to lay hands on us, so that we can be healed (James 5:14-15; Mark 16:18).

WHY ANOINT WITH OIL?

We read in Mark 6:13 that Christ had His disciples anoint sick people with oil, and they were healed. We know that Christ healed the sick with the power of the Holy Spirit (Luke 8:43-46 — the Authorized Version has here, “virtue,” but the literal meaning is, “power,” compare New King James Bible. Compare, too, Mark 5:30; Luke 6:19).

Christ said that His ministers would heal the sick by the power of the Holy Spirit (Mark 16:18), which presence is symbolized by the anointing of the sick person with oil (James 5:14). Oil can symbolize a consecration, or a special setting apart for a holy purpose–the divine purpose of physical healing, for example. Oil can refer to the Holy Spirit abiding in a person, or it can also refer to God’s presence, through His Spirit, to motivate, guide or lead, as well as heal a person, although the Holy Spirit might not reside in that person.

THE USE OF AN ANOINTED CLOTH

Many times, a ministerial visit may not be possible, as the sick person might live in a remote area. If this is the case, then elders are permitted to pray over a cloth, anointing it with a drop of oil as the symbol of the Holy Spirit, and asking God to heal the sick person who will receive this cloth.

It is up to the ELDER to decide whether to personally visit the sick person for anointing, or whether to send him or her an anointed cloth. Even if the sick person asks for a cloth, the ELDER may decide to visit the person; conversely, if the person asks for a visit, the elder may decide to send the person a cloth.

The use of a cloth is based on numerous passages in the Bible, showing us that people were healed when they touched the garments of Christ (Mark 6:56) or the aprons or handkerchiefs from Paul’s body (Acts 19:12).

There is no magical importance attached to an anointed cloth. It cannot and will not heal anyone. As mentioned, it is through the stripes of Christ that we are healed.

When a person who is sick receives the anointed cloth, he is to place it on his head and pray to God (as the minister did when anointing the cloth) that God would heal the sick person from the sickness. Since our faith must be in God, and not in any man or in the anointed cloth, the cloth should be destroyed immediately after it has been used.

DOES GOD HEAL ONLY BAPTIZED MEMBERS OF HIS CHURCH?

The sick person does not have to be a baptized member of the Church of the Eternal God or one of its corporate affiliates, the Global Church of God in UK or the Church of God, a Christian Fellowship in Canada, or even the spiritual body of Christ (of which the Church of the Eternal God and its corporate affiliates are a part). It is necessary, however, that the sick person has faith in the sacrifice of Christ, believing that he or she will be healed by God because of what Christ did for us. Unique examples of healing do occur based on the actions of faithful ministers of Jesus Christ (compare Acts 3:1-10); however, a sick person’s faith in Jesus Christ and His sacrifice remains the basis for healing–and this is vitally important for those who have been called to a knowledge of the truth of God.

When Christ was here on earth in the flesh, He healed many people, and none of those were converted, as the Holy Spirit was only given at Pentecost in 31 A.D. Even after the New Testament Church was established, God continued to use the apostles and elders to heal people who were not members of the body of Christ. Today, children of parents in the Church, as well as unconverted mates, may experience healing, sometimes in unusual ways, so that their faith in God the Father and Jesus Christ may be strengthened.

If a sick person asks one of our ministers for anointing or an anointed cloth, believing that God will heal them, the minister, based on his judgment and discretion, will anoint such a person. God gave command to His servants to preach the gospel of the Kingdom of God and to “heal the sick” (Matthew 10:8; Luke 9:2; 10:9).

WHEN DOES GOD BEGIN TO HEAL A PERSON WHO IS ASKING FOR AN ANOINTED CLOTH?

God may begin to heal a sick person when he or she places the cloth on his or her head and prays to God for healing. On the other hand, we have seen over the years that God may heal a sick person, or begin to heal him or her, prior to the receipt of the cloth, or, for that matter, prior to the arrival of the elder to anoint the sick person with oil and pray over him or her.

Our faith in God must not be restricted to actually receiving an anointed cloth; rather, we should have faith that God can and will heal us whenever it pleases Him. But, we are still to follow through with His command to ask for anointing. Having shown God that we are willing to obey Him in everything, we can and should have the faith that God will heal us, whenever He chooses. To repeat, there is nothing magical about the anointed cloth. IT does not heal anyone. We must be careful that we don’t place our faith and trust in the cloth–or in the anointing minister–rather than in God.

Even though a sick person who has asked for anointing already feels better, or has been completely healed, by the time of the arrival of the elder or the cloth, the procedure of anointing and praying over the sick person, or of applying the cloth, should still be carried out and followed through, thereby showing God our diligence and our gratitude for His ongoing intervention. (Peter still baptized Cornelius, even though he had already received God’s Holy Spirit in this unique and extraordinary circumstance).

WHEN SHOULD WE ASK FOR ANOINTING?

Basically, if we are too sick to go to school or to work or to attend Church services, we are “sick enough” to ask for anointing. Of course, if we are suffering from a continuing serious sickness which is not contagious and which would not prevent us from attending Church services, we should still be anointed (sometimes more than once, see below) in order to be healed. Remember, God COMMANDS us to ask for anointing when we are sick. Far too many prefer to consult with medical doctors and expect healing from them, rather than taking advantage of the means by which God promises us physical healing.

CAN OR SHOULD WE ASK FOR ANOINTING MORE THAN ONCE FOR THE SAME SICKNESS?

This is most certainly permitted in a more serious sickness. On the other hand, as stated, we must never place our faith in elders who anoint us, or in an anointed cloth. Our faith must always be in God, our Healer. Therefore, if a repeated request for an anointed cloth for the same sickness would become tantamount to a misplaced faith in the cloth, then such a request would be inappropriate.

WHEN SHOULD WE ASK THE MINISTRY TO ANNOUNCE A SICKNESS TO THE CHURCH AND ASK FOR PRAYERS?

Should we ask the Church to make an official prayer announcement via email or during services (being broadcast on the Internet), before asking a minister to anoint us or send us a cloth?

The answer is, generally not. The first step for a sick person is to fulfill HIS or HER responsibility–that is, to ask God in private prayer for healing and then to ask the ministry for anointing. In more serious cases, it is appropriate to ALSO ask for a prayer announcement to the brethren–either subsequently or even simultaneously (depending on the severity of the sickness or injury).

Please note carefully the order in James 5:14-16: “(Verse 14:) Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. (Verse 15) And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up… (Verse 16:) … pray for one another, that you may be healed.”

Verse 14 says that first should come the prayer and anointing of the ministry, together with the prayer of the anointed and others who might be present during the anointing; and then, according to verse 16, a more encompassing prayer by the brethren for others could follow.

Normally, barring extraordinarily circumstances, and based on the judgment of the ministry, we are sending out or announcing prayer requests for our members or prospective members/attendees, on their own behalf or on behalf of close family members. (When Church members ask for prayers for their unconverted sick close relatives, no requirement of prior anointing would normally be made, as the sick persons might not even know about the possibility of anointing.) These prayer requests are normally only sent to our members and selective others who have specifically asked to receive our prayer announcements.

The reason for this somewhat limited procedure is the weight and obligation that our prayer requests carry for our members. Once a prayer request is sent out, the recipients are expected and obligated, before God, to actually pray for the injured or sick person and his or her immediate family. It is therefore important that the sick person [or a converted family member] does not make such a request lightly; that the ministry weighs the request carefully; and that the members receiving the request come before God in prayer to ask for healing of the sick person.

SHOULD WE SEEK OUT A PARTICULAR MINISTER FOR ANOINTING BECAUSE HE MAY HAVE THE “GIFT OF HEALING”?

The short answer is: Absolutely not. Some may erroneously believe that they must seek out a particular minister to be anointed, thinking perhaps that God will only heal through that minister–or that they may have a “better chance” of being healed, as that minister is perceived as having the “gift of healing.” However, God commands us to ask the “elders” of His Church to anoint us with oil, when we are sick, and the PRAYER of FAITH shall lift us up. It is GOD who heals us. In looking at a particular man for such anointing is tantamount to placing our trust in man, rather than in God.

We need to remember that God warns us that some will arise to perform miracles and signs–while perhaps even claiming to be true ministers within the body of Christ–but they will DECEIVE many (Matthew 24:11, 24). If a “minister” claims–or allows such a claim to be made about him, without rejecting it–that he has a special gift of healing and that members must come to HIM to be anointed and be healed, then such claim would dishonor God and be deceitful.

We read in 1 Corinthians 12 about all kinds of spiritual gifts, such as gifts of healing, working of miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, and different kinds of tongues or languages (verses 1, 9-10). Paul says that not everyone in the Church has the same identical gifts (verse 4), but all gifts are given “to each one for the profit of all”–the entire Church (verse 7). It is not for the purpose of placing our trust in a man or looking at a man (the Samaritans looked at Simon Magus as the great power of God who bewitched them with his sorcery and magic tricks), but to give all glory to God. And God is most certainly not limited to perform miracles by having to use fragile, weak and feeble men who might be viewed as having “the gift of healing.”

Rather, we read that GOD will heal us and raise us up when we ask for the “elders” of His Church to pray over us and anoint us. Christ’s great commission to the Church in Mark 16:15-18 includes the promise that His ministers “will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover” (verse 18), without any requirement that a particular minister must have a “special gift of healing” so that God could heal the sick, while other true ministers without such a gift would not be used by God to heal.

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

A new StandingWatch program was posted on StandingWatch and YouTube. It is titled, “Is the Recession Really Over?” Norbert Link points out that even though some overly optimistic economic “experts” have pronounced the end of the recession in the USA, reality portrays quite a different picture. “Retail sales disappointed in July, and the number of newly laid-off workers filing claims for unemployment benefits rose UNEXPECTEDLY last week” (A.P., August 13, 2009). At the same time, our federal deficit is climbing into historic heights, and Mr. Obama’s approval rates for his job performance has dropped to historic lows. WHY is God NOT blessing this country?

Norbert Link’s new sermon–the first installment on the book of Galatians–was posted on the Web.

A new StandingWatch program in the German language was posted on the Web and on our Web site (www.aufpostenstehen.de), titled, “Wirtschaftskrise–‘Das Schlimmste Kommt Erst Noch.'” (“Recession–‘the Worst Is Still to Come.'”).

Norbert Link’s new German sermon, titled “Die Verwandten Jesu Christi, Teil 2” (“Jesus Christ’s Relatives, Part 2”) was posted on the Web.

On August 15, 2009, Norbert Link will give the sermon, titled, “To the Galatians.”

The services can be heard at www.cognetservices.org (12:30 pm Pacific Time; 1:30 pm Mountain Time; 2:30 pm Central Time; 3:30 pm Eastern Time). Just click on Connect to Live Stream.

God created us with the ability to develop an immune system. Beginning at birth, a child is not fully equipped to fight off the onslaught of germs, though the mother is able to immediately aid in this by nursing. As we grow older, we grow stronger and more resistant to the common infectious agents that attack us.

When God calls us into a new way of life, He implements an additional system, as it were. As babes in the church, He infuses us with a small amount of His Holy Spirit. Initially and to a large extent, we are nurtured (1 Peter 2:2) by the mother of us all, which is the church (Galatians 4:26). This enables us to fight the spiritual diseases that bombard our system and seek to destroy us (1 Peter 5:8). As we grow along the Way (2 Peter 3:18), our spiritual immunity becomes robust and resilient. The ills that used to plague us, no longer do, because we have matured and overcome them.

To ensure that we continue to stay in good spiritual health, we should make every effort to maintain the best spiritual immune system possible. We can facilitate this by eating right (John 6:48), exercising (1 Timothy 4:7) and getting plenty of rest (Hebrews 4:9; Matthew 11:28-29).

Even though some overly optimistic voices in the US and overseas have pronounced that the recession might be coming to an end or is already over, based on highly questionable statistics, this is only wishful and unrealistic thinking. The same “experts” who make such pronouncements tried to keep the public in the dark for a long time, denying for over a year that the US was in a recession. A biting commentary in Der Stern, dated August 13, pointed out that the positive figures are “deceitful” and that “the worst is still to come.” The EUObserver wrote on August 13 that “Europe’s industrial production fell in June after a mild improvement in May, making economists wonder if the long-awaited recovery is actually that close.” The Associated Press added on August 13 that “Retail sales [in the US] disappointed in July and the number of newly laid-off workers filing claims for unemployment benefits rose UNEXPECTEDLY last week.”

In the midst of an ONGOING recession, US House lawmakers are prepared to spend $550 million for eight unnecessary passenger jets for use of governmental officials. But frankly, this would only be a drop in the bucket of US “handling” or better “mishandling” of its economic situation. Irresponsible overseas US spending is also highlighted in an article by the Washington Post, discussing Mr. Obama’s ambitions to continue the unsuccessful but highly expensive war in Afghanistan–which could cost the country even more than Mr. Bush’s unsuccessful war in Iraq. The Associated Press reported on August 12 that “The federal deficit climbed higher into record territory in July, hitting $1.27 trillion with two months remaining in the budget year… The Obama administration is projecting that when the current budget year ends on Sept. 30, the imbalance will total $1.84 trillion, more than four times last year’s record-high.”

And so, it is not surprising that, according to the Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll, the approval rate for President Obama’s performance has reached an all-time low. According to the Rasmussen Reports, dated August 13, “47% of voters say they at least somewhat approve of the President’s performance. That’s the lowest level of total approval yet recorded. The President’s ratings first fell below 50% just a few weeks ago on July 25. Fifty-two percent (52%) now disapprove.”

While the United States and Arab countries try to pressure Israel to freeze West Bank settlements, Germany’s Defense Minister will be proposing a constitutional amendment to allow German armed forces to play a more active role in domestic and foreign affairs. This is highly remarkable, also in light of Europe’s united stance against Iran’s provocations and the realization that somehow the Muslim influx in Europe needs to be dealt with, as–according to biblical prophecy–European military, under German leadership, will invade the Middle East in the near future. For more information, please read our free booklet, “Europe in Prophecy.”

In other news, even though the Internet is playing an important role in Europe, almost one-third of Europeans don’t use it at all. And while some bizarre measures are proposed, which are being developed by RIVAL (!) US and British scientists, to fight global warming–such as the use of “cloud ships” to change the climate–the war of words between pro- and con- global warming proponents is ongoing. An interesting poll suggests that an increasing number of Americans believe now that the media exaggerated global warming, and that no effects of global warming have started to occur.

A British research report warns against giving antiviral drugs to children for swine flu, which have little or no effect, but which are causing dangerous side effects. For more information on healing and health, please read our free booklet, “Sickness and Healing–What the Bible Tells Us”.

And finally, did you think that there is no compulsory service in the United States? Think again and consider jury duty. But while religious convictions against compulsory service in the military have been recognized even during the time of the draft, our court systems are systemically trying to undermine, violate and ignore our constitutional rights of being exempted from compulsory service of jury duty because of sincere religious convictions.

Incredible–$550 Million for Additional Government Passenger Jets!

The Wall Street Journal wrote on August 10:

“Bipartisan opposition is emerging in the Senate to a plan by House lawmakers to spend $550 million for [eight] additional passenger jets for senior government officials… The plan to upgrade the fleet of government jets… has also sparked criticism from the Pentagon, which has said it doesn’t need half of the new jets.

“‘The whole thing kind of makes me sick to my stomach,’ said Sen. Claire McCaskill (D., Mo.) in an interview Sunday. ‘It is evidence that some of the cynicism about Washington is well placed — that people get out of touch and they spend money like it’s Monopoly money.’ Several other senators said they share the concerns and will work to oppose the funding for the jets when the legislation is taken up by the Senate in September…

“The tension over the jets is erupting just as lawmakers embark on the high season for government travel. Traditionally, August is the busiest travel period of the year, since Congress usually recesses for a month. Since 1995, House lawmakers have disclosed a total of $6.2 million in travel expenses for all the months of August…”

The Ongoing Expensive Afghan War

The Washington Post wrote on August 9:

“As the Obama administration expands U.S. involvement in Afghanistan, military experts are warning that the United States is taking on security and political commitments that will last at least a decade and a cost that will probably eclipse that of the Iraq war. Since the invasion of Afghanistan eight years ago, the United States has spent $223 billion on war-related funding for that country… The costs are almost certain to keep growing…

“‘We will need a large combat presence for many years to come, and we will probably need a large financial commitment longer than that,’ said Stephen Biddle, a senior fellow for defense policy at the Council on Foreign Relations… The expansion of the Afghan security force that the general will recommend to secure the country ‘will inevitably cost much more than any imaginable Afghan government is going to be able to afford on its own,’ Biddle added…

“The task that the United States has taken on in Afghanistan is in many ways more difficult than the one it has encountered in Iraq, where the U.S. government has spent $684 billion in war-related funding… Unlike in Iraq, where Obama has established a timeline for U.S. involvement, the president has not said when he would like to see troops withdrawn from Afghanistan.”

USA and Arabs vs. Israel

Reuters reported on August 6:

“The United States has asked Israel to freeze West Bank settlement for a year to prod Arab countries to take steps towards normalising relations with the Jewish state… The issue has opened the widest rift in US-Israeli relations in a decade and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has said peace negotiations with Israel, suspended since December, cannot resume until settlement activity ceases.

“Kuwait and Jordan said last week in Washington that Israel should fulfil its obligations before peace talks can resume. Saudi Arabia accused the Jewish state of not being serious about peace with the Palestinians…”

The Effect of Europe’s Moslems on Europe’s Policy

Israel National News wrote on August 10:

“A high birth rate among Muslim immigrants to Europe will make followers of the religion a majority of the population in many European Union countries in less than 40 years… Previous forecasts of population changes already have proven to be too low, and the baby boom already is changing the face of European society…

“Europe’s Muslim population has more than doubled since 1980 and will double again in less than six years… The high population numbers are the result of Europe’s open immigration policies that have attracted Muslims from poorer countries and whose birth rate is far higher than those of European non-Muslims… The number of Muslims in Europe today is far above 15 million and may be as many as 25 million…

“Long-term effects of the growing Muslim population may be felt in foreign relations, particularly with the United States, but immediate changes have been implemented in areas concerning Islamic law, known as Sharia. Last year, the British government quietly allowed Muslim religion courts to rule on Muslim civil cases concerning divorces, financial disputes and domestic violence, creating fears that Muslims will establish a legal system parallel and with equal authority as the British legal system. Muslim clerics responded that Jewish courts also are allowed to operate.”

More Powers for the German Army?

Deutsche Welle wrote on August 9:

“[German Defense Minister] Franz Josef Jung has called for a constitutional amendment giving the German armed forces an enhanced role in operations to release hostages. Under existing law, German police are responsible for hostage situations…

“The minister cited the recent episode involving German container ship the Hansa Stavanger, which was hijacked with 24 crew on board, including five Germans, off the coast of Somalia four months ago. He said that in the time it took a German police team to deploy to the Horn of Africa the situation had worsened. Only five pirates had boarded the ship initially, but their numbers eventually swelled to around 35, he noted…

“Jung said the amendment should not only apply to international operations but also to certain domestic cases in which the German armed forces were better suited to handle a situation. The Hansa Stavanger was eventually released four months after being captured when the Hamburg-based shipping company that owns the ship paid a 1.9-million-euro ransom.”

Europe Condemns Iran’s Show Trials

The EUObserver wrote on August 10:

“Sweden’s EU presidency has criticised Iran for putting on trial British and French embassy staff… Relations between the EU and Tehran have deteriorated following the protests, with the Iranian government accusing European diplomats of secretly helping opposition activists.

“In reaction to Saturday’s events, Stockholm expressed ‘concern over the ongoing trial in Tehran in the aftermath of the elections, including against two EU Member State embassy employees and one EU citizen. Actions against one EU country – citizen or embassy staff – is considered an action against all of EU, and will be treated accordingly. The EU will closely follow the trial and demand that the persons will be released promptly,’ it said.

“London and Paris also spoke out against the trial. British foreign minister David Miliband criticised the ‘unjustified charges’ against a member of embassy staff… [He] said the trial in Tehran was the ‘latest Iranian provocation’ which ‘only brings further discredit on the Iranian regime’… The trial on Saturday was the second judiciary proceeding against the protesters. Last week, more than 100 people, including leading reformers, appeared in court in Tehran on charges including conspiracy…”

Internet of Low Interest for Many Elderly or Unemployed Europeans

The EUObserver wrote on August 5:

“Almost half of Europeans [43 %] use the internet every day but one third – mainly the elderly, the unemployed or people in rural areas – have never used the web… seventy five percent use it… at least once a week…

“With 114 million subscribers, the EU is the largest world market for fixed broadband access. Half of European households and more than 80 percent of European businesses have a fixed broadband connection… But while broadband is technically available to 90 percent of EU households only 50 percent use it in practice, with mainly low-income families opting out. Low usage rates are also seen among the 65 to 74 age group, economically inactive people and people with low levels of education.”

From a Science Fiction Novel–Cloud Ships to Change Climate???

On August 7, The Telegraph wrote the following:

“The ‘cloud ships’ are favoured among a series of schemes aimed at altering the climate… The project, which is being worked on by rival US and UK scientists, would see 1,900 wind-powered ships ply the oceans sucking up seawater and spraying minuscule droplets of it out through tall funnels to create large white clouds. These clouds, it is predicted, would reflect around one or two per cent of the sunlight that would otherwise warm the ocean, thereby cancelling out the greenhouse effect caused by Carbon Dioxide emissions. The unmanned ships would be directed by satellite to areas with the best conditions for increasing cloud cover, mainly in the Pacific and far enough away from land so as not to affect normal rainfall patterns…

“The Royal Society is expected to announce that the decade-old cloud ship plan is one of the most promising. The Copenhagen Consensus Centre… examined the various plans and found the cloud ships to be the most cost-effective. They would cost $9 billion (£5.3 billion) to test and launch within 25 years, compared to the $250 billion that the world’s leading nations are considering spending each year to cut CO2 emissions, and the $395 trillion it would cost to launch mirrors into space. At present, British and American teams are seeking funding to launch sea trials…

“Another scheme considered by the Copenhagen Consensus Centre is one to mimic the effects of volcanic eruptions in shielding the sun’s rays with a chemical haze and creating a global cooling effect that can last for over a year… However, the scheme would cost $230 billion and could not be reversed, unlike the cloud ships scheme.”

Global Warming–Con…

The Las Vegas Review Journal wrote August 9:

“… as leaders including former President Bill Clinton, former Vice President Al Gore and California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger encourage investments in alternative energy, their policy prescriptions could face serious headwinds from changing public opinions. Recent surveys show Americans cooling to global warming, and they’re even less keen on environmental policies they believe might raise power bills or imperil jobs…

“The number of Americans who say the media have exaggerated global warming jumped to a record 41 percent in 2009, up from 35 percent a year ago. The most marked increase came among political independents, whose ranks of doubters swelled from 33 percent to 44 percent. Republican doubters grew from 59 percent to 66 percent, while Democratic skeptics stayed at around 20 percent.

“What’s more, fewer Americans believe the effects of global warming have started to occur: 53 percent see signs of a hotter planet, down from 61 percent in 2008. Global warming placed last among eight environmental concerns Gallup asked respondents to rank, with water pollution landing the top spot.”

… and Pro…

Deutsche Welle wrote on August 10:

“Delegations from 192 countries are meeting in Bonn to continue negotiations towards a global climate deal, which is to be finalised at a much-anticipated UN meeting in Copenhagen in December. At the recent G-8 summit in the earthquake-devastated Italian town of L’Aquila, developed nations, including the US, promised to limit global warming to two degrees Celsius by 2050. However, climate experts and environmental groups say even two degrees is far too high and would have cataclysmic consequences…

“Despite the hundreds of pages of suggestions, solid commitments from UN member nations have not been forthcoming. Disputes continue about who should do what and in what time frame. There are also questions about who should provide financing for developing nations so that they can also combat the effects of climate change… Developed nations have been reluctant to agree to concrete commitments without the support of developing nations, especially China and India…”

Dangerous Antiviral Drugs to Children for Swine Flu

BBC News reported on August 10:

“Research has cast doubt on the policy of giving antiviral drugs to children for swine flu. Work in the British Medical Journal shows Tamiflu and Relenza rarely prevent complications in children with seasonal flu, yet carry side effects…

“While the latest study shows that antivirals can shorten the duration of normal seasonal flu in children by up to a day and a half, it also shows that they have little or no effect on asthma flare-ups, ear infections or the likelihood of children needing antibiotics. But the drugs can cause unpleasant side effects, such as vomiting with Tamiflu. There is also the risk that widespread use of the drugs will mean the flu virus will develop resistance to them.

“For most children aged between 1 and 12, the risks associated with taking the drugs may well outweigh any benefits, say the researchers. They say parents with sick children should make sure they get lots of rest and enough fluids and that they should contact their doctor if the child’s condition gets worse. In most cases, swine flu is a relatively mild disease…

“Co-researcher Dr Carl Heneghan, a GP and clinical lecturer at Oxford University, said the current policy of giving Tamiflu for mild illness was an ‘inappropriate strategy.’ He said: ‘The downside of the harms outweigh the one-day reduction in symptomatic benefits’…

“A Department of Health spokesman said: ‘Whilst there is doubt about how swine flu affects children, we believe a safety-first approach of offering antivirals to everyone remains a sensible and responsible way forward. However, we will keep this policy under review as we learn more about the virus and its effects…'”

Jury Duty–America’s Compulsory Service

The Daily Herald wrote on August 10:

“‘Jurors are defending the very cornerstone of our justice system,’ said Sam Amirante, a former Cook County Circuit Court judge now in private practice in Palatine. ‘Their duty is no less important than those soldiers who are dying in Afghanistan to protect our freedom.’ Since Congress abolished the military draft more than 30 years ago, jury service remains the country’s only remaining compulsory service. ‘Jury duty is the one occasion today when an American can be drafted into service,’ said attorney Clarence Burch…

“Yet, most people treat a jury summons like the onset of flu season: hoping the bug passes them by… Prospective jurors typically cite a medical condition, role as a primary caregiver for a child or economic hardship when they’re looking to get out of jury duty… and the law allows the courts to excuse people for those reasons…

“Any juror who advocates the death penalty in all circumstances likely would be excluded for cause… The same would hold for a juror who refuses to impose the death penalty under any circumstances…

“Experts say there’s no such thing as a prosecutor’s or a defense’s juror. Moreover, stereotypes related to gender, education level, economic status, residence, political affiliation, religion don’t necessarily hold…

“Judges and attorneys can do their part by adhering to a reasonable schedule, stipulating to certain facts or issues, keeping sidebars to a minimum, ruling on controversial issues in advance and streamlining cross examination…”

We can safely say that it was never God’s intent for man to engage in the kind of slavery which has brought so much misery and pain on others. We can also say that it was never God’s original intent that there should be any form of slavery. And we conclude that it will be very unlikely that there will be any slavery in the Millennium.

To give an overview of the ORIGIN of slavery in the Bible, let us quote from The Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics, by James Hastings:

“The causes of slavery are at first sight manifold. It may be the result of capture in war; it may be the punishment for crime or debt; or a man who is starving may sell himself or his children to buy food. But, the more we examine the subject, the more we find that the primary cause is capture in war, particularly when the war is between different races…”

As to the primary reason for slavery–capture in war–this concept won’t exist anymore in the Millennium as there will be no more wars in the Millennium (Isaiah 2:1-4). Also, since all will live in prosperity and there will be no more poverty, that reason for slavery won’t exist anymore, either (Micah 4:1-4; Zechariah 3:10). Finally, “slavery” for punishment of crime or debt in the Millennium might likewise be non-existent, as people might not be allowed to actually carry out crimes or go into debt, necessitating that kind of punishment or treatment (compare Isaiah 30:20-21).

We should also mention that it was never God’s original intent that men should be poor in the first place (Deuteronomy 15:1-6). Nor was it God’s original intent that men should go to war, as we explain in detail in our free booklet, “Should You Fight in War?” It was only when man decided that he wanted to fight, that God gave laws which regulated warfare and its consequences–mostly to prevent the kind of terrible abuses which were so prevalent in other ancient societies and which are still so prevalent today.

The Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics, by James Hastings, continues:

“Slavery existed among the Hebrews, as among all the peoples of antiquity, but it appears in milder forms and was inspired by a more humane spirit than in either Greece or Rome…”

The Nelson Study Bible adds:

“… the Jews practiced slavery… A Jewish slave belonged to the family of the owner and had certain religious and social rights. If the slave was a Hebrew, the term of slavery was limited to six years… But even if the slave was a Gentile, the owner’s power was limited… If a master punished and injured a slave in his possession, the slave was to be set free. If the punishment resulted in the slave’s death, then the master was to be punished. The slave was viewed as a person and was to be treated fairly, which differed from the Roman system of slavery…”

It is indeed correct that the kind of “slavery,” as described in Old Testament passages, cannot be remotely compared with the terrible curse of slavery which had been adopted by other cultures in ancient antiquity or which was later practiced and carried out by other cultures, including those of the “Christian” Western societies.

We are setting forth below several examples showing the “humane spirit” of the ancient biblical concept of slavery, while remembering that God had never intended that slavery should exist at all. Still, God saw to it that slaves would have rights and privileges:

As mentioned above, the Bible prohibited the abuse of slaves and required the punishment of the master or the freedom of the slaves in case of physical abuse (Exodus 21:20, 26-27).

Deuteronomy 21:10-14 described the rights of a female slave who had been captured in war.

Deuteronomy 23:16 expressly prohibited that an escaped slave would be returned to his cruel master.

In 1 Chronicles 2:34-35, we find that an Egyptian slave became the son-in-law of his master.

Slaves could even become heirs to the property of their masters (compare Genesis 15:2-3).

Slaves were included in God’s command of rest on the Sabbath, and they were exempted from forced labor on that day (Exodus 20:10).

Slaves were allowed to participate in the Passover, after they were circumcised (Exodus 12:44).

Slaves of priests were allowed to eat the food dedicated to the priests (Leviticus 22:11).

And in Job 31:13-15, we find Job’s exclamation that a godly master would respect the rights and causes of his male or female slave, pointing out that God had made them as well as Job.

In this light, we need to examine why we don’t find explicit condemnation of the concept of slavery in the New Testament.

The Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics, by James Hastings, writes:

“There is no explicit condemnation of slavery in the teaching of our Lord. It would even be difficult to say how much He refers to it, as the Greek can mean ‘slave,’ ‘bond servant,’ or ‘servant.’… it is in the Epistle to Philemon that St. Paul’s teaching is most clear. Onesimus was a runaway slave whom the apostle was sending back to his master Philemon… there is no condemnation of slavery…”

The Nelson Study Bible writes:

“At that time [when Paul wrote the letter to Philemon], the slave-master relationship was as common as the employee-employer relationship is today… In his letters the apostle Paul did not approve of slavery, but he also did not condemn it. He exhorted slaves to demonstrate Christian obedience and humility even to their masters… In turn, Christian masters were to treat their slaves fairly… Yet at the same time, Paul declared the equality of both slaves and free persons before Christ [compare Galatians 3:28; Colossians 3:11; 1 Corinthians 12:13], a principle that would eventually undermine the institution of slavery… The letter [to Philemon] is basically an earnest plea for a Christian love that would confront the cruelty and hatred embodied in the cultural institutions of that day…”

It might appear that Paul’s approach seemed to have been in opposition to the explicit command in Deuteronomy 23:16, not to return a slave to his master. But this is only the case at first glance. If we review these passages more carefully, we find that Deuteronomy 23:16 prohibits the return of an abused slave against the slave’s will. In the case of Paul, the escaped slave Onesimus [the Bible does not tell us WHY Onesimus ran away] perfectly agreed to return to his master Philemon, as Paul encouraged Philemon to receive his slave back with Christian love and to treat him as a brother in the faith.

In trying to explain Paul’s approach, we find the following comments in The New Bible Commentary:Revised:

“Although slaves are mentioned in several Pauline Epistles, in none does slavery appear so vividly as in [the letter to Philemon], since the whole Epistle revolves around a runaway slave. The question arises why Paul did not take the opportunity of pointing out in a more direct manner the evils of the whole system. Certain factors must be borne in mind before an answer is suggested. Slavery was so integral a part in the social system that a direct confrontation with the State to abolish it, even if it had been possible for the Christian church to embark on such a crusade, would have resulted in nothing short of revolution. Paul was certainly no revolutionary…

“Although the Christian could not have hoped to make abolition of slavery a political platform, they could set an example to the world at large concerning the way in which Christianity… could mitigate its evils. This brief letter is a notable example of such an approach in that Paul argues that a new relationship must develop between Philemon and Onesimus, since both master and slave were now Christians…”

We must remember that Paul included several striking passages about “slaves” in New Testament times. Even though he demanded that Christian “slaves” work obediently and sincerely for their Christian or non-Christian masters (Ephesians 6:5-8), while exhorting those masters to treat their “slaves” fairly (Ephesians 6:9; Colossians 4:1), he did encourage slaves to sever the master-slave relationship, if that could be done (compare 1 Corinthians 7:21).

Paul also prohibited Christians from becoming voluntarily slaves of men (verse 22). These prohibitions also apply to us today in our “free” Western societies, even though the concept of “slavery” might not be that obvious at first sight–for instance, a true Christian should not volunteer to join the military and thereby become a slave of man.

Apart from these Christian principles regulating a master-slave relationship, we must understand that it has never been the role, function and responsibility of the Church of God to change the world now, or to undermine the systems and governments of this world. True Christians don’t participate in the wars of this world, nor do they vote in governmental elections nor participate in any attempts to overthrow the government. As explained in our free booklet, “Should You Fight in War?,” Christians are ambassadors of Christ and representatives of a better world–the heavenly kingdom–to be set up on this earth within a few years from now.

Focusing on these facts, we might understand better WHY the New Testament or the apostle Paul did not condemn or even address the concept of slavery per se: This is NOT God’s world, but Satan’s (compare Matthew 4:8-9); Christians are not here for the purpose of “improving” Satan’s rotten evil world (Galatians 1:4)–of trying to make this evil world a better world. They know that this world will be REPLACED by a better world (Daniel 2:44; Revelation 11:15-18)–attempts to IMPROVE or change THIS Satan-ruled world for the better are doomed to fail. However, Christians are to live in this world and its numerous systems as lights, showing as Christ’s ambassadors how they CAN live as Christians in this world, without becoming a part of it, regardless of what circumstance they might find themselves in. Even when they were imprisoned, Joseph or Paul continued to live as true Christians.

Paul was not trying to change the system. He taught that we are to obey our governmental leaders (Romans 13:1-7), except when their laws or directives contradict God’s commands (Acts 5:29; 4:19). His letter to Philemon shows how one can live in the world and within its systems, and still be a Christian.

Based on the foregoing, we feel that it is highly unlikely that there will exist any slavery in the Millennium. But how are we to understand a Scripture like Isaiah 14:1-2, which deals with the Millennium and might suggest the existence of some form of slavery? The passage reads:

“For the LORD will have mercy on Jacob, and will still choose Israel, and settle them in their own land. The strangers will be joined with them, and they will cling to the house of Jacob. Then people will take them and bring them to their place, and the house of Israel will possess them for servants and maids in the land of the LORD; they will take them captive whose captives they were, and rule over their oppressors.”

Upon closer examination, this passage does not seem to teach that men will enslave others in the Millennium. Note how some commentaries explain this Scripture.

Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible writes:

“‘And they shall take them captive…’ — That is, they shall induce them to become proselytes; to be willing to accompany them to their own homes, and to become their servants there. It does not mean that they would subdue them by force; but they would be able, by their influence there, to disarm their opposition; and to induce them to become the friends of their religion… This is one instance where the people of God would show that they could disarm their oppressors by a mild and winning demeanour, and in which they would be able to induce others to join with them. Such would be the force of their example and conduct, of their conversation and of their deportment…”

The commentary of Jamieson, Fausset and Brown adds: “‘captives’ — not by physical, but by moral might; the force of love, and regard to Israel’s God [compare Isaiah 60:14].”

Finally, John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible states:

“… this will have… accomplishment in the latter day, when the Gentiles shall bring their sons and daughters in their arms, and on their shoulders, and on horses, and in chariots, to Jerusalem [Isaiah 49:21-23]… [They will choose] rather to be servants and handmaids to them, than to return to their own land, and who were a kind of inheritance or possession to the [Israelites]… It may be understood of Gentile converts…, who would willingly and cheerfully engage in the service of the church of God, and by love serve his people, and one another [Isaiah 61:5]…”

In conclusion, it was never God’s intent that there should be any kind of slavery in the first place–had mankind chosen to OBEY God. It is highly unlikely that God will use men to enslave others in the Millennium. This is not to say, however, that God won’t deal with uncompromising power and authority regarding individuals and nations who refuse to obey God, until they yield to God’s rule (compare Revelation 2:27; Zechariah 14:11–20; Ezekiel 38:18-23; 39:1-16).

In the meantime, Christians have to strive to live within the laws of man–whatever they might be–unless they contradict the laws of God. No matter what circumstance we might find ourselves in, we still can and should continue to live the way of God.

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

A new StandingWatch program was posted on Standingwatch and YouTube. It is titled, “Coming–The Third Jerusalem Temple?” In the program, Norbert Link points out that a poll was released on the saddest day on the Hebrew calendar–the fasting day of Tisha B’Av–revealing that nearly two-thirds of Israelis say the time is right to rebuild the Jerusalem Temple — “an idea politically unthinkable in Israel just 10 years ago.” What does the Bible say about future daily sacrifices and the building of a Third Temple just prior to the return of the Messiah? What is the abomination of desolation, referred to by Daniel and Jesus?

A new German sermon was posted this week on the Web. It is titled “Die Verwandten Jesu Christi, Teil 1” (“Jesus Christ’s Relatives, Part 1”).