On Saturday, February 21, 2009, Norbert Link will give the sermon, titled, “The Book of Psalms.”

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.

Have you ever seen professional athletes, at the top of their game, train for an upcoming event?  They work long and hard, put their bodies through a nightmare of rigor and pain, and deny themselves even the smallest pleasures in life. They do this all in the name of a sport and in the pursuit of play. It is done to accomplish something that will not last, but rather will fade away and come to naught. Yet, they put their blood, sweat and tears into it.

Now what if they put all that energy and effort into something that is infinitely more important, beneficial and lasting… like the spiritual race set forth in the Bible? The fruits that such an effort would produce, would be colossal. If they were to be as conscientious about their spiritual life as they had been about their physical life, can you imagine the growth that would result?

Can you imagine if a person were to study, pray and fast like their livelihood depended on it?  Now, can you imagine that person being you?

America has its stimulus package. Congress approved it–with virtually no member of Congress having read it– and President Obama signed it into law. Officially estimated as costing about $790 billion, it is really MUCH more expensive.

The Office of the Press Secretary released the text of a speech given by President Obama on February 17 in Denver, when signing the stimulus package. In the speech, Mr. Obama said: “Today does not mark the end of our economic troubles. Nor does it constitute all of what we must do to turn our economy around. But it does mark the beginning of the end…”

Even though Mr. Obama meant that in signing the stimulus package, we could see the beginning of a better economy (which is highly doubtful), his comments would be prophetically correct when understood quite differently. Is the United States seeing the beginning of the end of its prosperity? And more globally–is the end of this world in sight? Almost 2,000 years ago, Jesus Christ spoke of the “beginning of sorrows.” This would result in the END of this present EVIL civilization, when we see the true gospel preached in all the world as a witness (Matthew 24:8, 13-14). Have we reached this time? For more information, please read our free booklet, “The Gospel of the Kingdom of God.”

The downfall of the U.S. economy (on Thursday, the Dow Jones was the worst in six years) might be mirrored by the virtual bankruptcy of the state of California. Bickering politicians were unable, until Thursday morning, to approve a state budget–after 106 days without a budget. The new budget increases income and sales taxes. At the same time, freedom of speech is being suppressed in California’s schools and universities when those expressions of thought are not in line with “politically correct” ideas.

Germany is being asked to rescue Ireland and to help in rebuilding Iraq. At the same time, violent demonstrations of neo-Nazis and leftist activists occurred in Dresden, reminding us of frightful conditions rampant in pre-war Germany. The highest French court decided that the state of France was responsible for the deportation of many Jews in World War 2, but refused to grant further compensation for survivors, and while anti-Semitism may already be on the rise in Europe, Israel might be involved in covert sabotage in Iran.

A French and British submarine collided, “each laden with missiles powerful enough for 1,248 Hiroshima bombings.” Even though we are assured that no radio-active material was released, the frightening news is, in any event, that the “unthinkable” could have happened.

While Europe is muzzling its member states, with “no limits to the Eurocrats’ claim to power,” it is also obvious that Europe is still waiting for a strong unifying political and military leader. At the same time, we are reminded that 80 years ago, the Roman Catholic Church and Benito Mussolini signed the Lateran Treaty. This Pact established the Vatican City State, guaranteed Church independence, and declared Roman Catholicism as Italy’s state religion.

Finally, a seemingly harmless “domesticated” chimpanzee went on a brutal attack. Whatever the cause for its behavior, wild animals still possess wild natures. The time when the nature of wild animals will be truly changed has not yet quite arrived (compare Isaiah 11:6-9).

Politics Made in Washington…

The New York Post wrote on February 15:

“After pushing Congress for weeks to hurry up and pass the massive $787 billion stimulus bill, President Obama promptly took off for a three-day holiday getaway [before signing the bill on Tuesday, February 17]… The push to get the bill through before the holiday weekend was so frantic, members of Congress didn’t have a chance to read all 1,071 pages of the document before they could vote.”

Not that anyone WOULD HAVE read it…

The Stimulus Bill–How Costly Is It Really?

WorldNetDaily wrote on February 13:

“Before this bill is signed, actual federal obligations are already $65.5 trillion – exceeding the gross domestic product of the entire world. The Obama administration economic stimulus package is going to force the Treasury to borrow approximately $2.5 trillion in 2009 and another $4 trillion in 2010, with the result of increasing the current $10 trillion national debt by 65 percent in just two years. If the Obama administration increases the national debt by 65 percent every two years, the debt will be $16.5 trillion in 2010 and $27.225 trillion by 2012, the year of the next presidential election.

“Let’s consider the real meaning of these numbers:

“… If you had gone into business on the day Jesus was born, and your business lost a million dollars a day, 365 days a year, it would take you until October 2737 to lose $1 trillion. $1 trillion dollars divided by 300 million Americans comes out to $3,333 per person. One trillion $1 bills stacked one on top of the other would reach nearly 68,000 miles into the sky, about a third of the way from the Earth to the moon. Earth’s home galaxy, the Milky Way, is estimated to contain about 200 billion stars. So, if each star cost $1, $1 trillion would buy five Milky Way galaxies full of stars.

“But you don’t need to know all that.

“Just let the ‘experts’ in Washington figure it all out for you – the ones who are not even reading the bills, the ones who lied to you last year when they campaigned for office, the ones who are hiding this information from you even today.”

How U.S. Tax Payer Money is “Used”…

Newsmax.com reported on February 14:

“The gargantuan stimulus bill Congress has rubber-stamped with virtually no Republican support contains tens of billions of the very spending projects that made the legislation a lightning rod for criticism. And although the bill is generally described as costing $787 billion, the Congressional Budget Office reports the actual figure is now closer to $3.27 trillion. That stems from the $744 billion it will take to pay for the additional debt the legislation will create, and $2.527 trillion in increased spending from the new and expanded programs the bill will spawn over the next decade…

“The plan has more than $3 billion in ‘neighborhood stabilization’ and Community Development Block Grant funding, much of which may go to benefit ACORN, a low-income housing and voter registration ‘community’ organization that is under federal investigation for its suspicious voter registration practices.

“$1.3 billion [will be used] to bailout AMTRAK, the perennial money-loser railroad. $1 billion for educational programs, including courses on sexually transmitted diseases. $30 million for restoration of wetlands to be spent in the San Francisco Bay Area – House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s district. The money will go in part to protect the endangered salt marsh harvest mouse.

“$200 million for a low-pollution, coal-fired power plant in President Barack Obama’s home state of Illinois. $45 million for ATV four-wheeler trails, and government office renovations, according to RNC Chairman Michael Steele. $200 million to provide computers to community colleges.

“$50 million for the National Endowment of the Arts. Over $650 million in coupons to help consumers buy digital TV converter-box coupons. A reported $300 million for hybrid vehicles and electric-powered cars. According to the Washington Times, this item will include buying golf carts for federal workers.”

California at the Abyss

The Los Angeles Times reported on February 16:

“Ending a weekend marathon of tense negotiations, bleary-eyed state lawmakers late Sunday suspended their bid to plug California’s $41-billion deficit… The two-day hunt for a third Republican in the state Senate willing to vote for $14.4 billion in temporary tax increases proved futile…”

Finally, on February 19, the Sacramento Bee reported:

“The state Legislature voted early today to approve a massive budget package of tax increases, spending cuts and borrowing to close a $40 billion deficit after granting major concessions to one holdout Republican senator. The votes came after… 45 1/2 hours, the single longest Senate session in California history.”

Freedom of Speech in California?

The Los Angeles Times reported on February 16:

“A classroom dispute at Los Angeles City College in the emotional aftermath of Proposition 8 has given rise to a lawsuit testing the balance between 1st Amendment rights and school codes on offensive speech. Student Jonathan Lopez says his professor called him a ‘fascist bastard’ and refused to let him finish his speech against same-sex marriage during a public speaking class last November, weeks after California voters approved the ban on such unions…

“Lopez also said the teacher threatened to have him expelled when he complained to higher-ups. In addition to financial damages, the suit, filed last week in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, seeks to strike down a sexual harassment code barring students from uttering ‘offensive’ statements…

“Lopez, a Los Angeles resident working toward an associate of arts degree, is described in the suit as a Christian who considers it a religious duty to share his beliefs, particularly with other students… Lopez is represented by the Alliance Defense Fund, a Christian legal organization based in Scottsdale, Ariz., and co-founded by evangelical leader James Dobson of Focus on the Family…”

Germany to Rescue Ireland?

The Sunday Times wrote on February 15:

“Fears are mounting that Ireland could default on its soaring national debt pile, amid continuing worries about its troubled banking sector. The cost of buying insurance against Irish government bonds rose to record highs on Friday, having almost tripled in a week. Debt-market investors now rank Ireland as the most troubled economy in Europe…

“With Ireland set to borrow an additional €15 billion (£13.4 billion) this year, the national debt pile will hit €70 billion… One possible solution would see Germany buy billions of euros of Irish government debt through a fund set up by the European Central Bank.”

Germany to Help in Rebuilding Iraq?

The Associated Press reported on February 17:

“Germany’s foreign minister met with top Iraqi leaders in Baghdad on Tuesday in the latest high-level visit by a major Western nation that opposed the 2003 U.S.-led invasion…

“Frank-Walter Steinmeier’s visit–the first by a German foreign minister since 1987–comes on the heels of a similar trip by French President Nicolas Sarkozy a week ago… German and French companies could… [strike] lucrative Iraq reconstruction contracts. Iraqi leaders appear eager to shore up their ties with European nations like Germany and France to ease their dependence on the United States.”

Demonstrations and Clashes in Dresden

Bloomberg reported on February 14:

“German anti-immigrant, skinhead and neo-Nazi groups in the eastern city of Dresden staged one of their biggest demonstrations since German reunification in 1990 today, as 6,000 extremists marched through the streets, police said.

“Groups tied to the National Democratic Party used the 64th anniversary of the 1945 firebombing of Dresden to hold a ‘mourning march’ through the [capitol] of the state of Saxony. Two counter-demonstrations, led by unions and political activists, drew almost 10,000… a group of historians commissioned by the city last year concluded that as many as 25,000 died [during the 1945 fire bombing]… Germany’s domestic intelligence service, the Verfassungsschutz, has also said online activity is increasing organization among extremist groups.”

The Los Angeles Times added on February 14:

“Police clashed with leftist opponents of a march by about 6,000 right-wingers marking the anniversary of the Allied bombing of Dresden during World War II. A police spokesman said the leftists tipped over two police vehicles and threw bottles and rocks as authorities struggled to keep the two groups separated. Several police officers and demonstrators were injured and some people were detained… A third group held a largely peaceful march in Dresden.”

France Was Responsible for Deporting Jews

The Times wrote on February 17:

“The French State was responsible for deporting Jews during the Second World War, the top judicial authority ruled for the first time yesterday, but it dismayed families of victims by declaring that they had already been compensated.

“The… Council of State… called for a ‘solemn recognition of the responsibility of the State’. France was ‘responsible for damages caused by actions which did not result from the occupiers’ direct orders but facilitated deportation from France of people who were victims of anti-Semitic persecution’, it said. The ruling endorses a view that was proclaimed by the former President Jacques Chirac when he took office in 1995.”

Anti-Semitism on the Rise in Europe?

Times on Line wrote on February 16:

“World depressions lead to a rise in anti-Semitism. All over Europe, the evidence is around us… As the world enters a new era of crisis, anti-Semitism is back. History, as ever, begins to repeat itself…

“The Great Depression gave rise to the worst expressions of anti-Semitism ever seen, namely the politics that led to the Holocaust. But even in Britain the Duke of Wellington of the time was leader of a secret anti-Jewish organisation which had the initials PJ – Perish Judah – on its letterhead…

“The distress and upset over the terrible pictures of children killed in Israel’s attacks on Hamas in Gaza have allowed anti-Israeli feelings to be more violently and vehemently expressed than ever before. Criticism of Israel is not anti-Semitic. But all anti-Semites hate the existence of a Jewish state…

“In Italy, the streets of Milan are daubed with slogans urging Italians not to buy goods at Jewish shops – an echo of the Nazi slogan ‘Kauft Nicht Bei Juden’. In Germany, radio phone-ins are full of accusations that the bankers accused of being responsible for the current economic crisis are Jews. In anti-Israel demonstrations in Berlin, placards stating ‘It was a good idea to use gas’ or ‘I’m anti-Semitic and that’s a good thing’ were carried…”

Israel Engaged in Covert War of Sabotage Inside Iran

Welt On Line reported on February 17:

“Israel is involved in a covert war of sabotage inside Iran in an effort to delay Tehran’s attempts to develop a nuclear weapon, the Daily Telegraph newspaper reported on Tuesday… As evidence of Israel’s reported strategy, Iran watchers have pointed to events such as the death of Ardeshire Hassanpour, a nuclear scientist at the Isfahan uranium plant who died at home from apparent gas poisoning in 2007.

“Meir Javendafar, an Iran expert at Meepas, a Middle East analysis group, said there were also reports Iran was being sold faulty equipment for its nuclear programme on international markets, and that there were attempts to disrupt the electricity supply to Natanz, a uranium enrichment facility in central Iran…

“However, he said there were also indications that several more countries other than Israel were involved in attempting to infiltrate Iran to disrupt its nuclear programme… ‘Numerous intelligence agencies are trying their best to do this. Not just Israel but the Americans and many European spy agencies — there are even reports that neutrals such as Holland have been involved,’ he said… ‘Since none of this is confirmed, we can’t be sure. But even if there’s no truth to it, it’s part of what is a massive psychological war against Iran’s nuclear programme…'”

The “Unthinkable” Could Have Happened!

The English tabloid, The Sun, reported on February 16:

“British and French nuclear submarines which collided deep under the Atlantic could have sunk or released deadly radioactivity, it emerged last night. The Royal Navy’s HMS Vanguard and the French Navy’s Le Triomphant are both nuclear powered and were carrying nuke missiles. Between them they had around 250 sailors on board.

“A senior Navy source said: ‘The potential consequences are unthinkable. It’s very unlikely there would have been a nuclear explosion. But a radioactive leak was a possibility. Worse, we could have lost the crew and warheads. That would have been a national disaster.’

“The collision is believed to have taken place on February 3 or 4, in mid-Atlantic. Both subs were submerged and on separate missions. As inquiries began, naval sources said it was a millions-to-one unlucky chance both subs were in the same patch of sea. Warships have sonar gear which locates submarines by sound waves… this is the biggest embarrassment to the Navy since Iran captured 15 sailors in 2007.”

The Independent added on February 17:

“Defence chiefs are facing an inquiry into the safety of the United Kingdom’s nuclear deterrent after British and French submarines, each laden with missiles powerful enough for 1,248 Hiroshima bombings, collided while submerged in the mid-Atlantic…

“Anti-nuclear campaigners said the two vessels had been moments from a potentially catastrophic accident which could have resulted in the widespread release of radioactive material…”

How Europe Muzzles Its Member States

Der Spiegel Online wrote on February 16:

“The Federal Constitutional Court in the southwestern city of Karlsruhe had hardly begun its hearing on the Lisbon Treaty when a higher power — the European Court of Justice — intervened. The Luxembourg-based rival court’s demonstration that there are no limits to the Eurocrats’ claim to power — was spread by whispers through the German courtroom… The [European] court’s reasoning seemed bizarre… It’s a cunning line of argumentation which effectively allows the court to intervene in many different political spheres within member countries…

“A [proposed national] veto [to be included in the Lisbon Treaty]… is only useful with those decisions that must be made unanimously. But all areas of domestic and legal policy where competency is transferred to the European bodies under the Lisbon Treaty would be exempt from the unanimity requirement. Even worse, the European Council can also decide to apply the majority vote principle to decisions that would normally require a unanimous vote. If that happens, Germany could simply be overruled, such as on the question of joint military operations abroad…”

Europe Still in Need of Strong Unifying Leadership

Der Spiegel wrote on February 16:

“As the economy in the European Union sinks deeper into recession, Brussels has proven itself to be devoid of ideas and solutions. Member states are going it alone — and often getting in each other’s way… There is, in short, little good that Brussels can do. But it can do plenty of harm…

“A wave of bankruptcies is spreading throughout the European economy. In Italy, bankruptcies were up 30 percent last year, and they have almost doubled in Ireland and Spain. This year experts anticipate about 35,000 bankruptcy filings in Germany, where the most prominent victims to date include underwear producer Schiesser, model train maker Märklin and porcelain company Rosenthal [In addition, Hertie and Opel are also in deep financial trouble].

“The economic climate in the European common currency zone has reached ‘an historic low’… Countries like Romania are on the brink of bankruptcy. The Greek health minister is not even able to pay suppliers to government-owned hospitals… The Swedish government has promised Swedish automakers Saab and Volvo government subsidies if they agree to shift production away from Germany and Belgium and home to Sweden. Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has hinted to Fiat that he plans to rescue the company if need be.

“And in Germany the latest conservative rising star is already wading into protectionist territory. Shortly before his appointment as Berlin’s new economics minister, Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, a Bavarian, blue-blooded member of the conservative Christian Social Union (CSU), made it clear that he plans to stimulate ‘jobs in Germany, not in the Far East.’

“It was precisely these sorts of protectionist policies that fired up the worldwide economic crisis in the 1930s. Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek, the current holder of the European Union’s rotating presidency, warned that the ‘scenario of 1930’ could repeat itself. German Finance Minister Steinbrück warned of a ‘race of the lemmings.’

“French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who sought to portray himself as a model European only last year, is suddenly an ardent nationalist. He wants to lend French automakers PSA Peugeot Citroën and Renault a total of €6 billion ($7.8 billion) at low interest rates to ‘keep jobs in France’…

“But the Germans, too, quickly turn into combative nationalists when their own interests are at stake…

“Economic policy measures can be left largely to the jurisdiction of the member states… Europe today is only as strong as the 27 heads of government in the EU allow it to be. But views on many issues differ widely in Berlin, London, Paris, Rome, Vienna, Prague or Riga — not exactly a basis for workable bailout concepts.”

80th Anniversary of the Vatican City State

The Catholic news agency, Zenit, reported on February 13:

“Despite its small size, Vatican City State is great in other aspects, according to Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone. Benedict XVI’s secretary of state said Thursday at the opening of the congress ‘A Small Territory for a Great Mission,’ held in Rome’s Lateran palace, that the Vatican is ‘small but great; the greatest in the world from any point of view.’

“The event, organized by the Governorate of the Holy See, marks the 80th anniversary of the Feb. 11, 1929, accords that recognized the independence and sovereignty of the Holy See, created the Vatican City State, and defined the civil and religious relationship between the government and the Church in Italy… The signing of the Lateran Pacts [under Benito Mussolini] put an end to the so-called ‘Roman question’ that began in 1870 when Italy invaded and took possession of Church properties…”

Tame Chimpanzee Becomes Violent

The Associated Press reported on February 17:

“A 200-pound domesticated chimpanzee who once starred in TV commercials for Old Navy and Coca-Cola was shot dead by police after a violent rampage that left a friend of its owner badly mauled. Sandra Herold, who owned the 15-year-old chimp named Travis, wrestled with the animal after it inexplicably attacked her friend Charla Nash, 55…

“After the initial attack, Travis ran away and started roaming Herold’s property until police arrived… the chimpanzee… went after several of the officers, who retreated into their cars… Travis knocked the mirror off a cruiser before opening its door and starting to get in, trapping the officer. That officer shot the chimpanzee several times… The wounded chimpanzee fled the scene, but… police were able to follow the trail of his blood: down the driveway, into the open door of the home, through the house and to his living quarters, where he had retreated and died of his wounds.

“… the chimp was acting so agitated earlier that afternoon that Herold gave him the anti-anxiety drug Xanax in some tea [Xanax can lead to aggression in people, but Herold later denied that she had given Xanax to the chimp]… the animal may have attacked Nash because she was wearing her hair differently and perhaps wasn’t recognized… Police have dealt with [Travis] in the past, including an incident in 2003 when he escaped from his owners’ vehicle in downtown Stamford for two hours. Officers used cookies, macadamia treats and ice cream in an attempt to lure him, but subdued him only after he became too tired to resist.

“… the chimpanzee was toilet trained, dressed himself, took his own bath, ate at the table and drank wine from a stemmed glass. He also brushed his teeth using a Water Pik, logged onto the computer to look at pictures, and watched television using the remote control… ‘He’s been raised almost like a child by this family,’ [the police said]. ‘He rides in a car every day, he opens doors, he’s a very unique animal in that aspect….'”

In its article of February 17, the New York Post quoted a police spokesman as saying: “There was no provocation that we know of. One thing that we’re looking into is that we understand the chimpanzee has Lyme disease and has been ill from that, so maybe from the medications he was out of sorts. We really don’t know.”

The paper also quoted Colleen McCann, a primatologist at the Bronx Zoo, as saying that “chimps are… dangerous even after living among humans for years. ‘They are unpredictable, and in instances like this you cannot control that behavior or prevent it from happening if it is in a private home,’ she said.”

In a recent video-taped sermon series, Norbert Link addresses the increasingly violent behavior of animals around the world. The sermons can be viewed on Google Video or on our Webpage.

The Biblical World of Animals, Part 2, Norbert Link, Nov. 1, 2008
The Biblical World of Animals, Part 1, Norbert Link, Oct. 25, 2008

The Apocrypha are a collection of books, which were written in Greek by various individuals from about 400 to 200 B.C. The Catholic Church considers some of these books as inspired Scripture.

At the Council of Trent (1546 A.D.), the Catholic Church declared that some apocryphal books, together with unwritten Catholic tradition, are of God. It was stated that those who disagreed with this decision were to be considered “anathema.”

The Roman Catholic Church (as well as the Greek Orthodox Church) consider the following Apocrypha (which are also referred to as Deuterocanonical books) as inspired:

Tobit or Tobias
Judith
Wisdom of Solomon
Jesus Sirach (Ecclesiasticus)
Baruch (including the letter of Jeremiah, Baruch 6)
First and Second Maccabees
Additions to Esther and Daniel [i.e., added chapters at the end of the book of Esther; and added chapters to the book of Daniel, including Prayer of Azariah (Daniel 3:24-50); the Song of the Three Young Men (Daniel 3:51-90); Susanna (Daniel 13); and Bel and the Dragon (Daniel 14)].

The Catholic Church rejected as inspired the Apocryphal Books of Third and Fourth Maccabees, Psalm 151, First and Second Esdras, and the Prayer of Manasseh, as well as the so-called Pseudepigrapha, which were written between 200 B.C. and 100 A.D. and which contain, among other writings, the books of Enoch, Michael the Archangel, and Jannes and Jambres. There are additional Pseudepigrapha books, which were possibly written after Christ’s death and which were likewise rejected as inspired, such as the Assumption of Moses, the Apocalypse of Elijah, and the Ascension of Isaiah.

When the Catholic Church decided in 1546 to treat some of the Apocrypha as inspired, their decision had been preceded by a hot debate among early “Church Fathers.” Hilary (bishop of Poictiers, 350 A.D.) rejected as inspired the Apocrypha (Prologue to the Psalms, Sec. 15), and so did Epiphanius (360 A.D.). Referring to the Wisdom of Solomon and the book of Jesus Sirach, he said: “These indeed are useful books and profitable, but they are not placed in the number of the canonical.” In addition, Origen, Cyril of Jerusalem, Athanasius and Jerome spoke out against the inspiration of the Apocrypha.

In his preface to the Wisdom of Solomon, Jerome (340-420 A.D.) rejected the Apocrypha as godly inspired, stating: “As the Church reads the books of Judith and Tobit and Maccabees but does not receive them among the canonical Scriptures, so also it reads Wisdom and Ecclesiasticus for the edification of the people, not for the authoritative confirmation of doctrine.”

According to Edward Hills in “The King James Version Defended,” page 98, other famous Catholics with this viewpoint included Augustine (354-430 A.D., who at first defended the Apocrypha as canonical), Pope Gregory the Great (540-604 A.D.), Cardinal Ximenes, and Cardinal Cajetan.

The Protestant Churches have rejected as inspired all of the Apocrypha. It has been said that the translators of the early King James Bible (Authorized Version) felt that some of the Apocrypha were inspired, but this is incorrect. It is true that in early editions of the King James Bible, the Apocrypha were placed between the Old and New Testaments. But this was done as an appendix of reference material. The Apocrypha began to be omitted from the Authorized Version in 1629 A.D.

Luther stated: “Apocrypha–that is, books which are not regarded as equal to the holy Scriptures, and yet are profitable and good to read” (compare, “The King James Version Defended,” page 98). Calvin wrote: “I am not one of those, however, who would entirely disapprove the reading of those books.” His objection was to “placing the Apocrypha in the same rank” with inspired Scripture (“Antidote” to the Council of Trent, pp. 67,68).

WE MUST STATE THAT THE APOCRYPHA ARE NOT INSPIRED WRITINGS.

Although there are many reasons why this is the case and why the Apocrypha must not be viewed as inspired, we are setting forth several striking examples for this conclusion:

1) The Jewish Canon never included the Apocrypha. This is important, as Romans 3:1-2 tells us that the Jews were given the godly responsibility to preserve the “oracles,” including the Hebrew Scriptures.

As a consequence, the Jewish scholars of Jamnia (90 A.D.) rejected the Apocrypha as divinely inspired. Philo, a Jewish teacher from Alexandria (20 B.C.- 40 A.D.), quoted extensively from virtually every canonical Hebrew book but never once quoted from the Apocrypha.

Josephus (30-100 A.D.) said that the prophets wrote from the time of Moses to that of Artaxerxes, and that no writing since that time had the same authority. In fact, the Jewish people reportedly destroyed the Apocrypha after the overthrow of Jerusalem in 70 A.D.

The Jewish Talmud teaches that the Holy Spirit departed from Israel after the time of the prophet Malachi who lived about four centuries before Christ. While the proof of this assertion is not directly stated in the Word of God, the evidence is that no further inspired writings were given by God until Jesus Christ established the New Testament Church of God.

2) Jesus Himself confirmed the inspired canon of the Hebrew Bible and its correct order (which is divided into the Law, the Prophets and the Psalms). When speaking about the violent death of righteous people, He said in Luke 11:51: “… from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah who perished between the altar and the temple…” The death of Abel is recorded in Genesis, the first book in the Hebrew canon. The death of Zechariah is included in 2 Chronicles, the last book of the Hebrew canon.

3) It is also worthy to note that the New Testament never quotes from ANY of the Apocrypha, while it quotes extensively from EVERY section of the Old Testament Scriptures, which Jesus referred to as “ALL the Scripture” (Luke 24:27). In fact, there are allegedly 263 quotations and 370 allusions to the Old Testament in the New Testament and not one of them refers to the Apocrypha.

4) While the inspired Scriptures make the claim for themselves that they ARE inspired and infallible, the Apocrypha do NOT make this claim for their own writings.

For instance, the author of 2 Maccabees writes:

“… At this point I shall bring my work to an end. If it is found to be well written and aptly composed, that is what I myself aimed at; if superficial and mediocre, it was the best I could do” (2 Maccabees 15:37-38, Revised English Bible).

5) The Apocrypha contain blatant contradictions, but God’s inspired Word does not contradict itself (compare John 10:35). For example, in the two books of the Maccabees, Antiochus Epiphanes dies three different deaths in three different places.

6) The Apocrypha include teachings which contradict the doctrines of the Holy Scriptures, showing that the Apocrypha could not possibly be inspired. For instance, 2 Maccabees 12:42-45 states in the New Revised Standard Version, that 2.000 drachmas of silver were sent to Jerusalem for a sin-offering and to “pray for the dead,” so that “atonement” or reconciliation for the dead could be made, so that “they might be delivered from sin.” The Revised English Bible translates that they were praying and giving the silver drachmas “to free the dead from their sin.” This concept of praying and paying for the dead is contrary to the teaching of the Hebrew Scriptures (and to the teaching of the New Testament).

A terrible example of wrong teaching is included in Tobit 6:5, 8, where the “angel Azariah” gave the following “healing” advice: “Cut open the fish and take out the gall, heart, and liver… For its gall, heart, and liver are useful medicines… As for the fish’s heart and liver, you must burn them to make a smoke in the presence of a man or woman afflicted by a demon or evil spirit, and every affliction will flee away and never remain with that person any longer.”

We must therefore conclude that the Apocrypha are NOT inspired writings, and that they do not belong in the Bible. This is not to say that they must never be read. Especially historical records, for instance the first two books of the Maccabees, can give us valuable information. But as is the case with every book other than the inspired writings contained in the Holy Bible (the writings of Josephus, for example, are of historical value, but they are not “inspired”), we need to be aware that we will be reading, to a larger or smaller degree, truth mixed with error.

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

Our new booklet on the prophetic Book of Zechariah has entered the first editorial review cycle.

A new StandingWatch program was posted on StandingWatch, Google Video and YouTube. It is titled, “WHY Is Christ’s Return Near?” In the program, Norbert Link is asking the question: How can we be sure that Christ will return soon? Did He give us signs to watch for? What are they? Are present world conditions any indication that the “end is near”? If so, why is today different from the last two thousand years since Jesus’ death and resurrection?

A new German sermon was recorded this week and will be posted soon on Google Video and our German Webpage. The sermon addresses the literal truthfulness of the book of Jonah and discusses valuable lessons which we can apply today. It is titled, “Was Jona Uns Lehrt” (“What Jonah Teaches Us.”)

Our annual conference is scheduled for February 26 to March 3. Please pray for safe travel for all participants and for successful and inspired sessions.

On Saturday, February 14, 2009, Dave Harris will give the sermon, titled, “A Gift.”

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

Do we realize how important our example is to others? Not just to talk the talk, but to walk the walk? Not just to walk in our own footsteps, but to walk as Christ walked, when He was here on earth as a human being? To follow the example He gave for us? And, do we realize how our negative example can have a detrimental effect on others, including someone in the Church, especially newer members?

I recently read a book on the history of the Church of God and the trials and severe persecution the members faced, sometimes even to their death. In the Middle Ages, one of the groups began to allow Sunday worshippers to fellowship and meet with those who continued to keep the Sabbath. Rather than turning these worshippers to the Sabbath, the opposite occurred. Sabbath-keepers began to water down their own doctrines and within a few years, they were scattered to the four winds. This only illustrates the importance of maintaining doctrinal purity and the danger of doctrinal compromise or “tolerance.” Rather, we are to conduct ourselves as followers of Christ–whether it be in our appearance, our verbal communication or our conduct inside and outside Church services and functions.

The barrel of good apples will not make a rotten one better. Quite the opposite occurs. In order to prevent good apples from becoming rotten, one has to remove the bad apple. Like a rotten apple, a rebellious, divisive and openly sinning member may have to be removed for his or her own good, as change and repentance may be the result (compare 1 Corinthians 5:1-5). But until that time, such a person must be prevented from corrupting the rest by his or her presence and wrong conduct.

If we discover that we have a computer virus, we will need to make every effort to have it eradicated as quickly as possible. We don’t just ignore it, hoping it will go away. We know that if we don’t deal with the problem, it will totally corrupt our whole computer, making it dysfunctional.

Telling a child, “Do as I say, not as I do!”, just doesn’t cut it with God, since we are to follow the example set by Christ in all that we do. We are to analyze first, before watching something, doing something or saying something, what Christ would do in this situation. And then, we are to decide to follow Christ’s example, instead of our own reasoning. This will have a profound positive effect on those we come in contact with, including our fellow brethren.

We are accountable for the things we say and do, and one day, we will have to give account to Christ. This fact alone should make us more cognizant of not just talking the talk, but walking the walk–the godly walk of following the example of Jesus Christ.

The U.S. Senate approved a new stimulus package of some $838 billion, due to “defection” of three Republicans. Subsequent negotiations with the House reduced the amount to almost $790 billion. This is in addition to the announcement of another $1.5 trillion bank bailout plan, which caused stock prices and the dollar to fall. Observers feel that the bailout plan will actually exceed $2 trillion.

Critics are convinced that the entire stimulus is just the wrong way to go; and that President Obama’s stimulus package includes anti-religious and anti-health care measures. And while the Obama administration is trying to cope with the U.S. recession or–by now–depression, worldwide frustration and anger over the global economic crisis abounds–and fears emerge that some democracies and not only a few governmental heads will tumble and fall in the process. Especially German confidence in Angela Merkel’s leadership qualities is diminishing–even though she is trying to patch up matters with the Pope–and Bavaria’s controversial and unpredictable CSU leader Seehofer may be waiting in the wings. 

Germany is awakening to the fact that President Obama might not be good news for German interests–and it is becoming painfully aware that the USA is pushing Germany into a more militaristic leadership role in Europe.

While Australia is fighting its worst bushfire in 110 years, suspicions of arson have arisen–and the thought was discussed in the press whether al-Qaida terrorists could be behind this man-made disaster. Amnesty International accused Hamas of murder and brutal torture in the Gaza strip during and after Israel’s war, and the Israelis have elected a new leader. With either Netanyahu or Livni at the helm, Hamas and Iran will have to face a determined and uncompromising Israel.

Finally, the German Constitutional Court has begun to examine whether the European Lisbon Treaty is compatible with the German constitution. Europe is holding its breath for the Court’s decision on this critical issue.

U.S. Senate Approves Stimulus Plan–But At What Cost!

The New York Times reported on February 11:

“The Senate approved an economic stimulus bill of some $838 billion on Tuesday, clearing the way for negotiations with the House… The 61-to-37 vote was largely along party lines, as expected… Only a few Republicans voted for the bill… whose support was vital when the bill narrowly cleared a procedural hurdle requiring 60 ‘yes’ votes on Monday.”

The Associated Press reported on February 12:

“Economic stimulus legislation at the heart of President Barack Obama’s recovery plan is on track for final votes in the House and Senate after a dizzying final round of bargaining that yielded agreement on tax cuts and spending totaling $789 billion.

“Obama, who has campaigned energetically for the legislation, welcomed the agreement, saying it would ‘save or create more than 3.5 million jobs and get our economy back on track.’

“The $500-per-worker credit for lower- and middle-income taxpayers that Obama outlined during his presidential campaign was scaled back to $400 during bargaining by the Democratic-controlled Congress and White House. Couples would receive $800 instead of $1,000. Over two years, that move would pump about $25 billion less into the economy than had been previously planned.

“Officials estimated it would mean about $13 a week more in people’s paychecks when withholding tables are adjusted in late spring. Critics say that’s unlikely to do much to boost consumption.

“Millions of people receiving Social Security benefits would get a one-time payment of $250 under the agreement, along with veterans receiving pensions, and poor people receiving Supplemental Security Income payments. An additional $46 billion would go to transportation projects such as highway, bridge and mass transit construction; many lawmakers wanted more.

“The House could vote on the bill as early as Thursday, though Friday seemed more likely. The Senate would follow, but its schedule is less certain… A $15,000 tax credit for anybody buying a home over the next year was dropped; instead, first-time homebuyers could claim an $8,000 credit for homes bought by the end of August. Car buyers could deduct the sales tax they paid on a new car but not the interest on their car loans.”

“U.S. Unveils New $1.5 Trillion Bank Bailout Plan”

Welt On Line reported on February 10:

“U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner on Tuesday announced a plan to take $500 billion in bad assets off the books of struggling banks and expand a Federal Reserve program to support up to $1 trillion in asset-backed securities. The renamed ‘Financial Stability Plan’… will also devote $50 billion in federal rescue funds to try to stem home foreclosures and soften the crushing impact of the deep housing crisis now afflicting the entire economy… After Geithner’s announcement, stock prices fell further and the dollar extended losses while prices for U.S. Treasury debt securities extended gains.

“James Ellman, President of Seacliff Capital in San Francisco, said: ‘Investors want clarity, simplicity, and resolution. This plan is seen as convoluted, obfuscating, and clouded.’ Geithner acknowledged deep skepticism has developed over the fairness and efficiency of a $700-billion bank bailout program approved by Congress in October. He said leaders of some financial institutions that have received money had squandered the good faith that is needed to make the bank rescue effective.”

The Myths of Stimulus Success

In its March on-line edition of the commentarymagazine.com, James K. Glassman wrote about the folly of stimulus. Glassman is the former Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs. We are bringing you the following excerpts from his article:

“Before he was sworn in as President, Barack Obama began to lay out his plans for reviving an American economy that… had declined 3.8 percent in the fourth quarter of 2008, its worst performance in 26 years… He anointed the stimulus proposal with a convenient and vivid metaphor…

“Like payments for broken windows, tax rebates and new roads (the seen) do not come free. The stimulus money that flows to taxpayers, government agencies, and businesses has to come from somewhere (the unseen). During a recession, it is usually borrowed, and the anticipation of taxpayers is that they will have to repay these loans, which means their taxes will rise in the future. This knowledge makes people anxious about spending the extra money, or even about investing it in the kind of ventures that help an economy grow…

“Government simply cannot know enough to direct an economy successfully, and when the President claims that his fiscal stimulus plan will create (or save) at least three million jobs, he is taking a wild, and dangerous, leap…

“In fact, stimulus may be precisely the wrong metaphor… Stimulus—that is, fiscal intervention with the express purpose of speeding up the normal regenerative process…—is unnecessary and almost certainly harmful…

“There may, in fact, be a good reason for government to spend billions of dollars today on building highways, and it has nothing to do with stimulus. It is that long-term interest rates are at historic lows and that the right highways can boost the economy in the long term. There also may be a good reason, again far apart from stimulus, for revising the tax code and reforming Social Security and Medicare. It is that Americans now understand that the economic future is not so assured as they believed a couple of years ago, and it is time for decisions to be made—in a manner careful, sensible, and unstimulated.”

“Popular Rage Grows as Global Crisis Worsens”

Der Spiegel Online wrote on February 10:

“As the global economic crisis deepens, tempers around the world are getting shorter. French and British trade unions are organizing strikes, Putin is sending troops into the streets and Beijing is trying to buy itself calm…

“The global financial crisis has already reached France, bringing business failures, mass layoffs for some workers and reduced working hours for others… Across the English Channel in Britain… demonstrations became a symbol for the fears of the British lower classes, because the country… faces the worst downturn among all highly developed economies…

“In Russia, dismal labor statistics have driven Communists and anti-government protestors into the streets…

“Beijing announced that about 20 million migrant workers — more than the combined populations of Denmark, Sweden and Norway — would likely become unemployed in the coming months… 2009 will be the ‘most difficult’ year since the turn of the millennium.

“About 50 million jobs could be lost worldwide in the next 11 months and more than 200 million people could drift into total poverty, warns the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC). Guy Ryder, the group’s general secretary, believes that these changes represent a ‘social time bomb,’ and that the resulting instability could become ‘extremely hazardous to democracy’ in some countries.

“In the West, the crisis could cost heads of state their jobs, as was recently the case with the prime minister of Iceland… Cabinets in London, Moscow, Beijing and Paris have been overcome by a sense of helplessness…

“The overwhelming majority of the French are plagued by fears of unemployment, lower incomes and shrinking savings… Two-thirds of the French believe that their government… is not engaging in effective crisis management…

“British Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s popularity is falling even faster than Sarkozy’s… only one in three Britons would vote for [Brown’s] Labour today…

“The Kremlin fears that members of the middle class, loyal Putin supporters, will withdraw their support if the prosperity of recent years vanishes. In December alone, disposable income sank by 11.6 percent, and 5.8 million people are already officially unemployed…”

Germany’s Unhappy Alliance

Deutsche Welle reported on February 9:

“The resignation tendered by Economy Minister Michael Glos comes just months ahead of general elections due Sept. 27, and in the midst of an unprecedented global financial crisis… It’s no secret… that there were strains in his relationship with Bavarian Premier Horst Seehofer. Both men are leading figures of Bavaria’s conservative Christian Social Union (CSU), whose alliance with Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats (CDU) makes up a sizeable proportion of the conservative camp’s national support…”

According to Der Spiegel Online, dated February 9, 2009, the reaction of the German press to this most recent debacle was quite telling:

“Conservative newspaper Die Welt writes: ‘Glos wasn’t the right man and wasn’t capable of doing this job, that was an open secret. But he was allowed to remain in it all these years. That’s not exactly a sign of a government aware of its responsibilities. It’s a sign that the conservatives lack a clear economic direction and have been indulging in party political tactics…’

“Mass circulation Bild writes: ‘The timing couldn’t have been worse! The economy ministry is quitting in the middle of the financial crisis… And CSU leader Seehofer didn’t even give him the opportunity to quit the stage in a respectable way… The conservatives didn’t cover themselves in glory in these chaotic hours of Berlin and Munich. And they have shown how few qualified candidates… they have in this their most important area!'”

Merkel and Benedict Patching Up

Welt On Line wrote on February 9:

“Pope Benedict and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who had criticised the pontiff over a Holocaust-denying bishop, have had a ‘cordial and constructive’ phone conversation on the issue, the Vatican said. A joint statement by the Holy See and German government spokesman Ulrich Wilhelm said they exchanged views ‘in an atmosphere of great respect’… adding the phone call had been requested by Merkel…

“It has [been] said Pope Benedict, who has expressed his full solidarity with Jews, was not aware of Williamson’s denial of the Holocaust when he rehabilitated the bishops to try to heal a 20-year-old schism within the Church.”

“Obama Means Blood, Sweat and Tears for Germany”

Der Spiegel Online wrote on February 9:

“German enthusiasm for the new US administration could soon fade. The Americans made it very clear at the Munich Security Conference that they expect solidarity from their European allies — and that means blood, sweat and tears.

“This year, it’s going to be hard to escape the slew of German anniversaries. The list includes the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest 2,000 years ago, the invasion of Poland and the outbreak of World War II 70 years ago, the founding of East and West Germany 60 years ago and the fall of the Berlin Wall 20 years ago. In 2009, hardly any other country in the world will spend so much time intensively examining its own past as Germany.

“At the Munich Security Conference, which ran from Friday to Sunday, politicians from all over the world dared to take a look into the future. As difficult as [forecasts] might be in this time of terrorist threats, global financial meltdown and innumerable intractable regional conflicts, one prediction can be safely made: The phase of German military intervention that began 10 years ago during the Kosovo war is in no way coming to an end, despite the fact the majority of Germans wish it would. On the contrary: The era of foreign deployments for Germans and their military forces has just begun.

“In his highly anticipated speech at the conference, US Vice President Joe Biden did not make the slightest effort to talk around the problem. The good news for America’s European allies is that, from now on, Washington intends to ask for their input often and to listen to it. And the bad news? ‘America will do more, but America will ask for more from our partners.’ Biden is obviously referring to Afghanistan, where the Obama administration intends to station an additional 30,000 soldiers in the near future. And let’s make one thing very clear: Unlike the German forces who are helping with reconstruction efforts, the US troops are not going to Afghanistan to build schools or roads. They are going there to kill Taliban fighters, and their commander-in-chief will not be George W. Bush but Barack Hussein Obama.

“Afghanistan — which will be even more heatedly discussed in Germany than usual during this election year — is not the only international conflict in which Germany is playing an active role. There are also the international efforts to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. Here, too, the agenda of the US government appears to be clear: The Obama administration will hold talks with Tehran, but it is also prepared to pursue other avenues if such talks fail to achieve their intended goal. And that goal is non-negotiable: Iran can not be allowed to have nuclear weapons…

“The Americans will be scrupulously careful that the confrontation with Tehran does not develop into a one-on-one battle between the US and Iran. Biden’s message from Munich is the following: Every NATO country and every member of the European Union is now involved, as of today. This is the price for the new trans-Atlantic openness and cooperation.

“… the Germans would prefer to return to the era before the fall of the Berlin Wall, when the German army… obediently remained in its barracks when trouble broke out elsewhere in the world… In this election year, Angela Merkel and Frank-Walter Steinmeier need to explain to the electorate that there can be no way back to the era in which Germany was left in peace… George W. Bush’s departure from office was met with jubilation in Germany… It’s safe to predict that some Obama worshipers in Germany will soon be missing the 43rd president — because things will no longer be as comfortable for Europe as they were during his time.”

More Than 200 Feared Dead in “Suspicious” Australian Bushfires

Welt On Line reported on February 10:

“Australian police combed through a blackened landscape searching for clues in the hunt for possible arsonists on Tuesday as the death toll from the nation’s worst bushfires looked likely to top 200…

“The bushfires which swept through Victoria state on Saturday night were ‘suspicious’ as there were no natural events such as lightning which would have sparked the blazes, said police. State Premier John Brumby said anyone found guilty could face manslaughter or murder charges.

“The disaster area, more than twice the size of London and encompassing more than 20 towns north of Melbourne, has been declared a crime zone by officials…

“Australia is the most fire-prone country on earth, say scientists, and most of its bushfires are ignited by lightning. Fire officials monitor lightning strikes and any fire that does not correspond with a strike is assumed to be started by people, either accidentally or deliberately.

“The bushfire tragedy is the worst natural disaster in Australia in 110 years. The previous worst bushfire was the Ash Wednesday fires of 1983 which killed 75 people.”

Israel Has Spoken

Haaretz reported on February 11:

“With 99 percent of the votes counted, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni’s Kadima Party is in first place with 28 of the Knesset’s 120 seats, with Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud Party following closely behind with 27 seats… Despite the poll results, it is not certain that Livni will be able to muster the 61-seat coalition needed to form a government…

“If the exit polls are correct, the right-wing bloc, led by Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu, will comprise 63-64 seats, while the center-left bloc, headed by Livni, will take 56-57 seats…”

In a related article, the newspaper wrote:

“With a clear advantage to the rightist bloc in Israel’s national elections Tuesday, Benjamin Netanyahu could well end up as the next prime minister, regardless of whether his Likud party won the most votes or came second to centrist Kadima and Tzipi Livni. Late Tuesday night, Netanyahu began contacts with several right-wing parties, including Avigdor Lieberman’s Yisrael Beiteinu.

“By law, the president must consult with all the parties as to who they prefer as prime minister, and whoever is recommended by more Knesset members is given the nod. Hence if the religious and rightist parties all recommend Netanyahu, he would get first crack at forming a government… Both parties rejected the idea of sharing power via a rotation government.

“At Labor Party headquarters, in contrast, the atmosphere was one of unrelieved gloom: The party had been fighting desperately to hang onto third place, and it apparently lost the battle. Before the vote, party chairman Ehud Barak had been angling for the post of defense minister under either Netanyahu or Livni. But Labor officials said Tuesday night that the party’s poor showing made it virtually impossible for it to join a Netanyahu government.”

Hamas Accused of Torture and Murder

Welt On Line wrote on February 10:

“Amnesty International said on Tuesday Hamas fighters in the Gaza Strip had carried out killings, torture and abductions of people accused of helping Israel, during and after the recent Israeli offensive. The abuses have taken place since the end of December 2008…

“At least two dozen men have been shot dead by Hamas gunmen and scores of others have been shot in the legs, knee-capped or injured in other ways intended to cause permanent disability… Others have been severely beaten, tortured or ill-treated, it said in a report.

“Most were abducted from their homes and later dumped, dead or injured, in isolated areas, or found in the morgue of one of Gaza’s hospitals. Some were shot dead in hospitals where they were receiving treatment for injuries, Amnesty said.”

Will Germany Defeat the Lisbon Treaty?

Der Spiegel Online reported on February 11:

“Germany’s high court is taking a closer look at the European Union’s Lisbon Treaty, the document meant to replace the failed EU constitution. Early indications are that it doesn’t like what it sees. If Germany says no, the treaty is likely dead. Commentators can’t decide whether or not that is good…

“During oral arguments on Tuesday, justices asked unexpectedly critical questions… The skeptical tone from the bench continued on Wednesday… [One justice] said he didn’t really understand how Germany’s parliament would benefit from handing over competencies to the European Union.

“In particular, the court indicated deep skepticism about provisions in the Lisbon Treaty which would allow for the EU to have a say in German criminal law. Given the doubts, it seemed this week unlikely that the court would rubber-stamp the treaty without demanding changes. The court also placed a discussion of Article 146 of the constitution on the agenda for Wednesday. The paragraph stipulates that a national referendum must be held if any part of the constitution is superseded…

“Germany is one of four countries which have not yet ratified the Lisbon Treaty — joining Ireland (which rejected the treaty in a referendum last June), the Czech Republic and Poland. The German parliament approved the treaty last April, but President Horst Köhler withheld his signature pending legal challenges filed by a number of appellants, including parliamentarian Peter Gauweiler, a member of Bavaria’s Christian Social Union — the sister party to Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats — and the Left Party. Franz Ludwig Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg, the son of Claus von Stauffenberg, who attempted to assassinate Adolf Hitler in 1944, is also among those who challenged the treaty.

“Indicating the importance Berlin attaches to the treaty, both Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Interior Minister Wolfgang Schäuble appeared before the court on Tuesday to defend the treaty…

“Should the court rule that parts of the Lisbon Treaty are not in harmony with the German constitution, it would likely mean the end of the document. Any adjustments would mean new negotiations involving all 27 member states. The treaty was already modified following its rejection in 2005. After Ireland voted down the treaty last June, minor adjustments were made in anticipation of a revote. Fundamental questions like those raised by the German court on Tuesday, however, would likely be more difficult to change.

“German commentators take a closer look on Wednesday.

“The Süddeutsche Zeitung writes: ‘… If the justices intervene, which is to be expected, then it will be because the EU’s expansion of competencies has not been followed by an expansion of democracy. Europe is suffering from too little democracy.’

“The economic daily Handelsblatt writes: ‘That the appellants want to stop the construction of the European house was impossible to ignore during Tuesday’s arguments. Germany would be giving yet more power to Europe… But is there a reasonable alternative?’…”

The book of Zechariah is an extraordinary inspired book which contains unique insights into the workings and the mind of God.

Zechariah’s Hebrew name, “Zekar-yah,” means “Yahweh Remembers,” or “Yahweh Has Remembered.” This name is related to the message of the prophet: God remembers His people and will not forget their work for Him, if they follow Him faithfully.

Zechariah was a prophet and a priest–the son of Berechia, the grandson of Iddo the prophet (Zechariah 1:1; compare Nehemiah 12:16, which only mentions Zechariah as a descendant of Iddo, since his father Berechia had apparently died at a young age). Iddo was also a priest who returned from Babylon with Zechariah, Zerubbabel the governor and Joshua the High Priest. Iddo was, according to tradition, a member of the Great Synagogue (the governing body of the Jews before the Sanhedrin).

Zechariah was one of three prophets, along with Haggai and later Malachi, who ministered to the exiles returning from Babylon to Jerusalem.

The book of Zechariah was written during the effort of the ancient people of Judah to rebuild the Temple, which had been destroyed by the Babylonians. Jews had returned 18 years before Zechariah’s appearance to lay the foundation of the Temple, but then the work had stopped. Two months prior to Zechariah, the prophet Haggai had begun to encourage the people to resume building the Temple, but that revival was very short-lived. Haggai’s prophecies can be found in the “Book of Haggai.” Two months later, the work of building the Temple had again stopped. The people had to be encouraged once more by Zechariah, to complete the task of building the Temple.

Zechariah began prophesying in the month of October/November in the second year of the reign of Emperor Darius (520 B.C.). His last dated prophecy was delivered two years later, in 518 B.C.

The Broadman Bible Commentary explains:

“In contrast to most of the Minor Prophets, both Haggai and Zechariah are mentioned outside their own books. They are credited with being the driving forces behind the renewed efforts (ca. 520-515 B.C.) to rebuild the Temple (Ezra 5:1; 6:14)… According to Ezra 5:16 the returning Jews under Sheshbazzar had laid the foundations for a new Temple in Jerusalem in the year 538 B.C. with the permission which the Persian king Cyrus had granted them… However, the work was not completed. For a full 18 years the Temple continued in ruins…

“[By the time of the arrival of Haggai and Zechariah, the] enthusiasm of the pioneering and returning Jews [was]… gone. Quarrels, particularly with the Samaritans, difficulties with the rebuilding of the city, and several years of poor harvests… had dampened their spirits… At this time of low spirits, resignation, unhappiness and hopelessness, God proved his power by sending Haggai to warm the hearts… with new enthusiasm. He persuaded the Jewish community to begin work of the Temple again in 520 B.C. But his encouraging words came to an end after a short period. Zechariah took up his work. Ezra 6:15 records that the rebuilt Temple was formally dedicated in the spring of 515 B.C.”

While the prophet Haggai was a very old man at the time of his public appearance, Zechariah himself was still a “young man” when he began to prophesy. However, the term “young man” could still apply to a 28-year-old man (compare Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible, comment to Genesis 41:12: “… Joseph, when he was so designated by the chief butler… was 28”).

Zechariah’s encouragement to continue and finish the Temple was not solely focused on the days of his time. Rather, he reminded the people of the glorious future of the physical Temple: Its completion would be followed by the First Coming of the Messiah, who would visit that physical Temple, and by His Second Coming, who would visit a spiritual Temple–the Church of God–patterned after the physical Temple. It could also point at the building of ANOTHER physical Temple just prior to the return of Christ, which might endure the end-time destruction of Jerusalem and continue to exist in the Millennium.

Zechariah looked into the future–and he communicated the sure prophecies to the people of his time. Today, we can read prophecies relating to events which have occurred by now, and we can thereby find comfort, assurance and renewed faith in the fact that the prophecies of future events will likewise occur, exactly as written in the book.

The Ryrie Study Bible explains that “Zechariah predicted more about Messiah than any other prophet except Isaiah… [referring to prophecies] concerning His first coming… and prophecies to be fulfilled at His second coming.”

Unger’s Bible Handbook adds: “This book is unique in its messianic emphasis among the minor prophets and in its unfolding of events connected with the first and second advents of Christ. It has been called the most messianic, the most truly apocalyptic and eschatological of all the writings of the OT.”

The commentary of the Scofield Reference Notes elaborates:

“Both advents of Christ are in Zechariah’s prophecy… More than Haggai or Malachi, Zechariah gives the mind of God about the Gentile world-powers surrounding the restored remnant. He has given them their authority and will hold them to account; the test, as always, being their treatment of Israel.”

Some have questioned the authorship of the book of Zechariah, suggesting that it was written by at least two different authors at different times. However, there is no valid reason to doubt that the prophet Zechariah wrote the entire book. As is the case with objections to the single authorship of the book of Isaiah, for example, comments questioning the same regarding the book of Zechariah are to be rejected as well.

The Nelson Study Bible includes the following observation:

“Those who question the unity and single authorship of Zechariah usually argue that chs. 9-14 date from the Hellenistic period (331-167 B.C.) or the Maccabean period (167-73 B.C.). The reference to ‘Greece’ in 9:13 has often been cited as evidence for a late date, after Alexander’s conquests (c. 330 B.C.). However, Greek influence was strong in the ancient Middle East as early as the seventh century B.C… Those who hold the unity of the book generally date its completion between 500 and 470 B.C…”

Rienecker’s “Lexikon zur Bibel” agrees, adding:

“According to Jewish and Christian tradition, Zechariah himself is the author of the entire book; the gospel writers… and Jesus … quote the prophet with that understanding… Some critics assume two different authors… But the disagreements among themselves show that their particular reasoning is not convincing.”

Zechariah recorded many prophecies, which he received and penned under godly inspiration, to persuade us that God is in control. Even in times of great personal and national trials and problems, God is not far from anyone of us, and He is always there to help us and to bless our efforts, when we diligently seek Him.

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

A new StandingWatch program was posted on StandingWatch, Google Video and YouTube. It is titled, “Are You Afraid of Economic Collapse?”

In the program, Norbert Link is asking the questions: Do you live in fear? Do you hope that a human Messiah, like President Obama, will stimulate the U.S. economy? He won’t–as Governor Schwarzenegger also failed to stimulate the California economy. A Great Depression is coming–if it isn’t already here–but you need not be afraid. Why not–while greedy rich bankers should fear and tremble?

A new German sermon was recorded this week and will be posted soon on Google Video and on our German Webpage. The sermon discusses the necessity to have godly faith. It is titled, “Der unglaeubige Thomas” (“Doubting Thomas”).

A new German StandingWatch program was posted on You Tube and our German Website. It is titled, “Der Skandal um den Papst.” (“The Scandal Surrounding the Pope.”)

Our annual conference is scheduled for February 26 to March 3. Please pray for safe travel for all participants and for successful and inspired sessions.