As has been announced on the Internet for the last several weeks, on September 7, 2008, we will be conducting a free public Bible lecture in Fort Collins, Colorado. In the lecture, which we also hope to broadcast live over the Internet, I intend to speak about the prophetic LAST and FINAL resurrection of the ancient Holy Roman Empire in Europe, and its future devastating impact on the rest of the world, including the United States of America, Great Britain and the nation of Israel. While especially the USA is preoccupied with the current ongoing and tiresome election campaigns for the new presidency, or rather mundane news pertaining to John Edward’s infidelity, the world is blinded to events which are REALLY important.

To focus on prophecy and to announce what IS going to happen is part of our ongoing commission to preach the gospel of the Kingdom of God. Jesus told us that we are to watch the news to determine the signs of the time, enabling us to prepare for His return. For example, without Europe’s unification; without America’s downfall; and without Europe’s invasion of the Middle East (all leading to or being a part of the Great Tribulation)–Jesus would not return (Matthew 24:21-22, 27)! And without the continual preaching of the gospel of the Kingdom of God in the modern nations of the ancient house of Israel and in all the world–as a witness–Jesus would not return, either (Matthew 10:23; 24:14).

There are some, even though they claim to be part of the Church of God, who think and teach that it is no longer necessary to preach the gospel–that our commission has been fulfilled and ended. NOTHING COULD BE FURTHER FROM THE TRUTH! In fact, those who teach this, SIN against God by not fulfilling His COMMAND to His Church to preach the gospel (Matthew 28:18-20). They SIN against others for misleading and encouraging them to DISOBEY God. And they SIN against themselves, because ONLY those who are actively involved in God’s Work of preaching the gospel will overcome their own selves more quickly. When we focus on the Work of God, we focus on others–how we can help them by teaching them the truth–rather than on ourselves and our temporary problems.

We can be involved in God’s Work in many different ways. We can participate actively in its many tasks; we can wholeheartedly pray for its success and we can support it financially. For example, we should ALL continuously pray for the success of the upcoming Bible lecture, and that those whom God may want to call will attend to be able to hear the truth. In Colorado, our members will distribute local ads and flyers, announcing the lecture. This takes time and effort, but those who are dedicated to God’s plan for mankind will fulfill that task wholeheartedly and with zeal and dedication.

God wants us to pray: “Your Kingdom Come.” Are YOU praying DAILY for this mind-boggling and unparalleled event–an event which will END all misery and pain on this planet and which will bring true and lasting happiness and peace? Do you understand that the new American President–whoever he may be–will NOT bring prosperity and peace to his country, nor to the rest of the world? All his human dedication, efforts and pre-election promises will not be able to do this. ONLY Jesus Christ will accomplish it.

How much are YOU longing for the glorious event of Christ’s return, ushering in the new and better world tomorrow? How much do YOU understand YOUR PART in God’s plan? How often have YOU prayed this week for the SUCCESS of God’s Work–including for the success of the Bible lecture in Colorado? Were you too busy and too occupied with your job, your family, your financial obligations, your entertainment, sports and other pleasures that you DID NOT HAVE TIME FOR GOD and His Work? God wants to see how much YOU are REALLY part of His Church–how much YOU REALLY understand His plan and WHY He did call YOU TODAY–ahead of the billions of people to be called at a LATER time!

If you have hidden sins in your life, get rid of them NOW. This is not the time to keep on sleeping, but to AWAKE and to become ZEALOUS and DEDICATED. Don’t listen to those who DECEIVE you by teaching that God’s Work of proclaiming the good news of a better world has ended. Rather, get behind God’s Work with all your heart, might and strength. When you honor GOD in this way, He will bless you tremendously in this life–and He will give you eternal life in the world to come.

Is the World Facing Another Global War?

Times-On-Line wrote on August 24:

“Is the world drifting towards a new global war? From this week the dominant super-power, America, will for three months pass through the valley of the shadow of democracy, a presidential election… Barack Obama and John McCain will not act as statesmen but as politicians… Their eye will stray from the ball.

“Meanwhile, along history’s fault line of conflict from Russia’s European border to the Caucasus and on to Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan… drums are sounding and harsh words are spoken. The world is now run by a generation of leaders who have never known global war. Has this dulled their senses?…

“The world is showing alarming parallels with the 1930s. Lights are turning to red as the world again approaches depression. The credit crunch and the collapse of world trade talks are making nations introverted. Meanwhile… Russia… is flexing its muscles and finding them in good working order…

“Any student of McCain or Obama, of Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Dmitry Medvedev, or of the leaders of Britain, France and Germany, might conclude that these are not people likely to go to war. They are surely the children of peace. Yet history shows that ‘going to war’ is never an intention. It is rather the result of weak, shortsighted leaders entrapped by a series of mistakes. For the West’s leaders at present, mistake has become second nature.”

Russia’s Intentional Provocations Continue

The Associated Press reported on August 26:

“Russia formally recognized the breakaway Georgian territories [Abkhazia and South Ossetia]… heightening tensions with the West… a day after Russia’s Kremlin-controlled parliament voted unanimously to support the diplomatic recognition. Western criticism came almost immediately.”

AFP added on August 26:

“US President George W. Bush on Tuesday demanded that Russia reverse its ‘irresponsible decision’ to recognize Georgia’s rebel regions South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states. ‘The United States condemns the decision,’ he said… warning that ‘Russia’s action only exacerbates tensions and complicates diplomatic negotiations’ on the future of Georgia.

“Leading the West’s outraged response, Bush said Moscow’s diplomatic gesture violated a French-brokered August 12 ceasefire pact, as well as ‘numerous’ UN Security Council resolutions backed by Russia in the past… ‘In accordance with United Nations Security Council Resolutions that remain in force, Abkhazia and South Ossetia are within the internationally recognized borders of Georgia, and they must remain so,’ he said…

“Absent significant, concrete reprisals, [Medvedev] has shrugged off warnings of growing isolation from the international community [and a new Cold War], saying: ‘We’re not afraid of anything’…

“German [Foreign Minister] Frank-Walter Steinmeier said all sides were ‘playing with fire’ and urged: ‘The spiral of provocation must stop, and immediately.'”

Der Spiegel Online wrote on August 26:

“It looks as if Moscow is courting isolation. Russia’s relationship with the West was already straining under the ongoing crisis in the Caucasus. Now, though, the situation has become even more tense…

“The Russian move was swiftly met with sharp Western criticism, revealing the dismay with which Europe and the United States have watched Moscow fail to be swayed by any international threats. German Chancellor Angela Merkel called the decision ‘completely unacceptable’ while France expressed its deep regret and reiterated its commitment to the territorial integrity of Georgia. A spokeswoman for the British Foreign Office said: ‘We reject this categorically and reaffirm Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.’

“Sweden’s Foreign Minister Carl Bildt said the fact that Russia’s leadership ‘has now chosen this route means they have chosen a policy of confrontation, not only with the rest of Europe, but also with the international community in general’…

“The move has certainly upset the markets, with Russian stocks falling to their lowest level in two years directly after Medvedev’s announcement, as traders worried about rising tensions in the region. Masha Lipman, an expert at the Moscow Carnegie Center think tank said that the decision is likely to lead to the further diplomatic isolation of Russia. Speaking to the Associated Press, she said that it was an ‘indication that Russia has opted for further aggravation in relations with the West, and a very serious rift this time.'”

Europe Must Act With One Voice

Bild Online reported on August 26 that German Chancellor Angela Merkel condemned Russia’s decision to recognize two former provinces of the Russian Empire, stating that the EU must and will act as a unity, and that Georgia and Ukraine will become members of NATO.

“Explosive” Proposals as to How to “Deal” With Russia

On August 26, The Wall Street Journal published the following opinion by Lindsey Graham, a Republican senator from South Carolina, and Joe Lieberman, an Independent Democratic senator from Connecticut:

“Russia’s aggression is not just a threat to a tiny democracy on the edge of Europe. It is a challenge to the political order and values at the heart of the continent… There is disturbing evidence Russia is already laying the groundwork to apply the same arguments used to justify its intervention in Georgia to other parts of its near abroad — most ominously in Crimea. This strategically important peninsula is part of Ukraine, but with a large ethnic Russian population and the headquarters of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet at Sevastopol…

“Our response to the invasion of Georgia must include regional actions to reassure Russia’s rattled neighbors and strengthen trans-Atlantic solidarity. This means reinvigorating NATO as a military alliance, not just a political one. Contingency planning for the defense of all member states against conventional and unconventional attack, including cyber warfare, needs to be revived. The credibility of Article Five of the NATO Charter — that an attack against one really can and will be treated as an attack against all — needs to be bolstered.”

The Former Soviet Republics Faced With Russian Aggression

In its September 1, 2008, edition, Time magazine published a map designating the former Soviet Republics. Many of them must now be afraid of Russian invasion. As the magazine stated, “… after the invasion of Georgia, former members of the U.S.S.R. face an inescapable truth: you can’t run from geography. Try as they might to move closer to Europe, many are now nervously eyeing a resurgent Russia on their borders.”

Starting with the former provinces in the north and then moving towards the south and the east, the former Soviet-Russian republics, which are all bordering on Russia, are as follows:

The Baltics and their “prickly relationship with Russia,” consisting of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania;

Eastern Europe, consisting of Belarus, Ukraine [“Russia has held a grudge against Ukraine” since 2004] and Moldova;

The Caucasus [“a vital region for the West”], consisting of Georgia, Armenia [“which borders Turkey and Iran, readily accepts Russian protection”] and Azerbaijan; and

Central Asia [“wedged between Russia and China”], consisting of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.

Russia Determined to Threaten the West

The Associated Press reported on August 26:

“Russian President Dmitry Medvedev is warning his country may respond to a U.S. missile shield in Europe through military means. Medvedev says that the deployment of an anti-missile system close to Russian borders ‘will of course create additional tensions. We will have to react somehow, to react, of course, in a military way…'”

On August 27, AFP reported:

“As Medvedev prepared to meet with Chinese President Hu Jintao, a KEY ALLY , the Russian military criticised NATO’s naval presence in the Black Sea, said by the West to be part of planned exercises and to deliver aid to Georgia…

“Russia’s ambassador to NATO, Dmitry Rogozin, warned that any attack by the alliance on the Moscow-backed regions would ‘mean a declaration of war on Russia’…”

The Associated Press added on August 27:

“A U.S. military ship loaded with aid docked at a southern Georgian port Wednesday, and Russia sent three missile boats to another Georgian port as the standoff escalated over a nation devastated by war with Russia… Although Western nations have called the Russian military presence in Poti a clear violation of an European Union-brokered cease-fire, a top Russian general has called using warships to deliver aid ‘devilish.'”

Russia Tests Missile, Receives Some Support from China

AFP reported on August 28:

“Russia on Thursday tested an inter-continental missile, heightening tensions with the West as France said the European Union could impose sanctions on Moscow over the Georgia conflict…

“The missile test in northern Russia came barely a week after the United States completed an accord with Poland on basing an anti-missile shield in central Europe and as Russia accuses NATO of building up its navy vessels in the Black Sea… Russia has been developing the missile in response to US plans to develop a missile-defence shield…

“A statement released by the six nations at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit voiced support for Russia’s ‘active role’ in ‘assisting in peace and cooperation in the region’… [The statement was] signed by Medvedev, President Hu Jintao of China and the leaders of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.”

However, as Der Spiegel Online pointed out on August 27, the SCO refused to follow Russia’s lead to recognize Georgia’s rebel regions South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states. This prompted Russian media to criticize Medvedev and calling his mission a failure, according to Der Spiegel.

Russia Shows Strength, While Europe Shows Weakness

On August 27, The Wall Street Journal published the following analysis about Russia and the EU:

“Russian power is extraordinarily brutal in the post-Soviet era, as we have already seen in Chechnya. This brutality has been confirmed — although on a smaller scale — in the spectacle of the Russian army occupying a sovereign country, moving through it as it pleases, advancing and retreating at will, and casually destroying the military and civilian infrastructures of a young democracy as an astonished world watches. Today it is Georgia. Tomorrow will it be Ukraine? Or, in the name of the same solidarity with the supposedly persecuted Russian-speaking populations, will it be the Baltic countries? Or Poland?…

“The new Russia is indifferent to international protests, admonishments and warnings… Russia has no shame when it comes to twisting principles and ideals… European — and in this instance French — diplomacy is weak. We expect a great democracy to condemn and sanction the aggressor, without nuance. But in effect the opposite was done… Mikheil Saakhashvili, the Georgian president, was… forced to ratify a document that the Russians speak of as the ‘Medvedev document.’ Not a word in it mentions the territorial integrity of the country. Then there are the famous ‘additional security clauses’ acknowledging the Russian army’s right to be stationed there and to patrol, as scandalous in principle as they are vague in their modalities of application. Has the world turned upside down? This must be a dream.

“Western public opinion fell with disconcerting facility for the thesis advanced — from the very first day — by the Kremlin’s propaganda machine. We know now that the Russian army had been hard at work on its war preparations since before Aug. 8… We must analyze in greater depth the mechanisms of… blindness… Reason, if not honor, demands that we go to the rescue of Europe in Tbilisi.”

China and the USA–“A Biblical Seven Years”

The New York Times published the following article, which was re-published by Der Spiegel Online on August 27, titled, “A Biblical Seven Years”:

“China did not build the magnificent $43 billion infrastructure for these games, or put on the unparalleled opening and closing ceremonies, simply by the dumb luck of discovering oil. No, it was the culmination of seven years of national investment, planning, concentrated state power, national mobilization and hard work. Seven years… Oh, that’s right. China was awarded these Olympic Games on July 13, 2001 — just two months before 9/11.

“As I sat in my seat at the Bird’s Nest, watching thousands of Chinese dancers, drummers, singers and acrobats on stilts perform their magic at the closing ceremony, I couldn’t help but reflect on how China and America have spent the last seven years: China has been preparing for the Olympics; we’ve been preparing for Al Qaeda. They’ve been building better stadiums, subways, airports, roads and parks. And we’ve been building better metal detectors, armored Humvees and pilotless drones.

“The difference is starting to show. Just compare arriving at La Guardia’s dumpy terminal in New York City and driving through the crumbling infrastructure into Manhattan with arriving at Shanghai’s sleek airport and taking the 220-mile-per-hour magnetic levitation train, which uses electromagnetic propulsion instead of steel wheels and tracks, to get to town in a blink. Then ask yourself: Who is living in the third world country?

“… the first rule of holes is that when you’re in one, stop digging. When you see how much modern infrastructure has been built in China since 2001, under the banner of the Olympics, and you see how much infrastructure has been postponed in America since 2001, under the banner of the war on terrorism, it’s clear that the next seven years need to be devoted to nation-building in America.

“We need to finish our business in Iraq and Afghanistan as quickly as possible, which is why it is a travesty that the Iraqi Parliament has gone on vacation while 130,000 U.S. troops are standing guard. We can no longer afford to postpone our nation-building while Iraqis squabble over whether to do theirs…”

Iran Builds Submarines With Capacity to Launch Torpedoes and Missiles

On August 26, The New York Sun reported the following:

“Iran’s Defense Ministry said it started to build submarines to give its military ‘the most advanced arms’ and maintain ‘security’ in the Strait of Hormuz. The production line for the Qaem submarines, which will have the capacity to transport and launch torpedoes and subsurface missiles, was inaugurated yesterday, Defense Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar was quoted as saying…

“The Strait of Hormuz, at the mouth of the Persian Gulf, is a chokepoint between Iran and Oman through which about a fifth of the world’s daily oil supply is shipped. Iran is caught in a standoff with Western countries over its nuclear program. America, while saying it is committed to a diplomatic solution, has never ruled out military action.

“Iran warned in June that it would ‘impose control’ on the Gulf, including the strait, in response to any attack on its atomic installations.”

America’s Weak Banking System

Reuters reported on August 27:

“Federal Deposit Insurance Corp (FDIC) might have to borrow money from the Treasury Department to see it through an expected wave of bank failures, the Wall Street Journal reported… The last time the FDIC had borrowed funds from the Treasury was at nearly the tail end of the savings-and-loan crisis in the early 1990s after thousands of banks were shuttered.

“The fact that the agency is considering the option again, after the collapse of just nine banks this year, illustrates the concern among Washington regulators about the weakness of the U.S. banking system in the wake of the credit crisis, the Journal said.”

Another U.S. Bank Folds…

Bloomberg reported on August 23:

“Columbian Bank and Trust Co. of Topeka, Kansas, was closed by U.S. regulators, the nation’s ninth bank to collapse this year amid bad real-estate loans and writedowns stemming from a drop in home prices. The bank, with $752 million in assets and $622 million in total deposits, was shuttered by the Kansas state bank commissioner’s office and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp… Citizens Bank and Trust will assume the failed bank’s insured deposits…

“The pace of bank closings is accelerating as financial firms have reported more than $500 billion in writedowns and credit losses since 2007. The FDIC’s ‘problem’ bank list grew… to 90 banks with combined assets of $26.3 billion.”

How Germans View Obama’s Choice of Biden

On August 25, following Barack Obama’s announcement that he chose Joe Biden as his running mate, the German press responded in a divided manner.

According to Der Spiegel Online, “The right-leaning Die Welt writes: ‘(Choosing Joe Biden as his running mate) is not without its problems… In the minds of the voters, Joe Biden is just as much as a blank slate as Obama is. In America, that’s what you call “double trouble.” Naming Biden doesn’t mitigate people’s stranger anxiety with Obama. It actually accentuates it.’

“The center-right Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung writes: ‘By deciding on Biden as his running mate, Obama … has made it clear that he considers his lack of foreign policy experience to be dangerous and that, given the current global situation, it might even be decisive in the election. Otherwise, it’s very unlikely that he would have chosen Biden, as he represents a tiny state and neither he nor Obama enjoys general popularity with the common citizen. Biden’s own runs for the presidency have usually ended fairly early, with extremely poor results…’

“The financial daily Handelsblatt writes: ‘… If Biden makes it to the White House, it would be a good thing for Europe, too. Biden is a frequent guest in European capitals, and he’s seen the problem spots with his own eyes. … With Biden, Obama is putting a specialist on his team in a time of foreign-policy crisis. That can only help the occasionally troubled trans-Atlantic relations.'”

Democrats Support Unconditional Right of Legal Abortion

The Associated Press reported on August 25 about the Democratic Convention in Denver, Colorado:

“In one of their first orders of business, delegates ratified a party platform tailored to Obama’s specifications. It backs ‘complete redeployment within 16 months from Iraq,’ as well as health care for all, a new economic stimulus package and higher taxes on families earning over $250,000 a year.

“‘The Democratic Party strongly and unequivocally supports Roe v. Wade and a woman’s right to choose a safe and legal abortion, regardless of ability to pay, and we oppose any and all efforts to weaken or undermine that right,’ it said.”

Catholics Attack Biden and Pelosi

The Washington Times reported on August 26:

“Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. arrived at the Democratic National Convention on Monday amid rumblings over whether his pro-choice Catholicism would help or hurt the Democratic ticket. An Irish-Catholic from a working-class upbringing, Mr. Biden won the nod as presumptive presidential nominee Barack Obama’s running mate in part because of his appeal to blue-collar Catholics… But the party’s hopes of winning the critical Catholic vote took a hit Sunday when Archbishop Charles Chaput of Denver said Mr. Biden should avoid taking Communion as a result of his pro-choice stand on abortion…

“The debate underscored what has emerged as a central theme of this year’s convention: the tension between the Democratic Party’s renewed outreach to religious voters and its long-standing support for unfettered access to abortion… Catholics, the nation’s largest religious voting bloc, represent 26 percent of the electorate… Catholic advocacy groups didn’t wait long before weighing in on the ‘wafer wars.’ The conservative Catholic group Fidelis condemned the selection of Mr. Biden. ‘Now everywhere Biden campaigns, we’ll have this question of whether a pro-abortion Catholic can receive Communion. … Selecting a pro-abortion Catholic is a slap in the face to Catholic voters,’ said Fidelis President Brian Burch.”

On August 25, TheHill.com reported:

“In a rare public rebuke of a top politician, the archbishop of Washington [Donald W. Wuerl] said Monday that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) was incorrect when she recently said the [question when human life begins] has long been a matter of controversy within the Catholic Church… Pelosi responded to a question on when life begins by mentioning she was Catholic…

“Wuerl… cited Catechism language that reads, ‘Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception … Since the first century the Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion. This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable. Direct abortion, that is to say, abortion willed either as an end or a means, is gravely contrary to the moral law.'”

“Black Against White” — “The Hidden Issue in the US Presidential Campaign”

Der Spiegel Online wrote on August 27:

“McCain against Obama. Republican against Democrat. Old against young. There are a number of ways to define the ongoing battle for the White House. But the most important is getting short shrift: black against white… Whenever a question about race is asked, the interviewee either tries to act as if he hadn’t heard properly, or the answer quickly meanders into meaninglessness…

“… it is not just Russia and the Georgian war that have suddenly granted McCain serious-contender status in this election. The race issue… remains, despite being pushed into the background by political correctness, unresolved. Now, the issue of race is playing a role in weakening Obama and strengthening McCain and almost no one wants to talk about it. Indeed, the issue of race in the campaign has become the province of the lunatic fringe — such as radio personality Rush Limbaugh. Obama’s candidacy, he said on air, ‘goes back to the fact that nobody had the guts to stand up and say no to a black guy.’ He also referred to Obama as the ‘little black man child.’

“Limbaugh may be extreme, but it’s not difficult to imagine that a large percentage of Republican voters are also wary of seeing a black president. More important, though, is whether the swing voters will be willing to vote for a black man over a white man. And it also depends on the fickle Democrats, many of whom voted for Ronald Reagan in the ’80s. Now they must choose between voting for Obama — or maybe, in the end, McCain.

“It will also, of course, depend upon the aggrieved and defeated Hillary Clinton and how well she fades into the background after her Tuesday night speech in Denver. Obama, for his part, can only help himself by holding his tongue when it comes to Clinton. There are, after all, a number of white skeptics who would have preferred to see Clinton as the Democratic candidate. Race, after all, was a hidden factor in the primaries as well.”

California Appeals Court Affirms Home Schooling by Non-Credentialed Parents

On August 8, 2008, The Mercury News reported the following:

“In a decision widely praised, a California appeals court this morning affirmed the right of parents who don’t have a teaching credential to educate their children at home. A three-judge panel overturned a lower-court order in February that had created an uproar among home-schooling parents when it required that they be credentialed. An estimated 166,000 California children are home schooled.

“The Second District appellate court in Los Angeles ruled that individual parents, like private schools, are exempt from the requirement that those who teach children be credentialed by the state…”

Misrepresentation of the Biblical Sabbath

RTE News reported on August 24:

“Cardinal Séan Brady has suggested that EU hostility to religion may have prompted some Irish voters to reject the Lisbon Treaty. He said a succession of anti-family, anti-life and other anti-Christian decisions by Brussels has made it more difficult for committed Christians to maintain their instinctive support for Europe in the Lisbon Referendum.”

Christianity Today added on August 25 how Cardinal Brady blatantly mischaracterized Sunday, calling it “the Sabbath.” As any serious biblical scholar knows, the Bible commands the worship of the Seventh-Day Sabbath (from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset)–not Sunday, which is the FIRST day of the week. To refer to Sunday as the Sabbath is either willfulness or blatant ignorance. The Bible prophesied however, in the Old Testament book of Daniel, that the Catholic Church WILL attempt to change the times of holy worship. For more information, please read our free booklet, “Is That in the Bible?–Man’s Holidays and God’s Holy Days.”

Christianity Today wrote:

“Cardinal Sean Brady… told the audience: ‘Successive decisions… have undermined the family based on marriage, the right to life from the moment of conception to natural death, the sacredness of the Sabbath, the right of Christian institutions to maintain and promote their ethos, including schools… Ignoring this trend within the EU and its impact on people of faith has inevitable political and social consequences, not least on levels of support for the project itself.'”

Several visions are recorded in the book of Zechariah. Some commentaries try to interpret these visions by limiting them to events at the time of Zechariah. However, as the book deals with the end time and the return of Jesus Christ (compare Zechariah 14:1 ff), it must be viewed, foremost, as containing prophecies for our time today.

In this light, let us review Zechariah’s vision of the woman in a basket, as recorded in Zechariah 5:5-11, where we read:

“(5) Then the angel who talked with me came out and said to me, ‘Lift your eyes now, and see what this is that goes forth.’ (6) So I asked, ‘What is it?’ And he said, ‘It is a basket that is going forth.’ He also said, ‘This is their resemblance [better: their iniquity] throughout the earth: (7) Here is a lead disc lifted up, and this is a woman sitting inside the basket’; (8) then he said, ‘This is Wickedness!’ And he thrust her down into the basket, and threw the lead cover over its mouth. (9) Then I raised my eyes and looked, and there were two women, coming with the wind in their wings; for they had wings like the wings of a stork, and they lifted up the basket between earth and heaven. (10) So I said to the angel who talked to me, ‘Where are they carrying the basket?’ (11) And he said to me, ‘To build a house for it in the land of Shinar [i.e., Babylon, compare Genesis 10:10; Daniel 1:2]; when it is ready, the basket will be set there on its base.'”

What does this vision try to convey to us today?

(1) Without trying to explain every word of this vision, some commentaries identify the woman in the basket as the woman or harlot riding the beast, as described in the book of Revelation. There, she is called “Mystery, Babylon the great, the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth” (Revelation 17:5). She is also described as a religious city built on seven hills (Revelation 17:9, 18, New International Version, Living Bible)–in other words, Babylon the great, in the book of Revelation, signifies a false religious, political, military and economic system.

In this regard, notice the explanation of the Scofield Reference Notes:

“The Babylon phase of the apostate church is symbolized by an unchaste woman, sodden with the greed and luxury of commercialism… Prophetically, the application to the Babylon of the Revelation is obvious.”

Adam Clarke’s Commentary on the Bible agrees:

“The land of Shinar means Babylon; and Babylon means Rome, in the Apocalypse…”

John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible concurs as well:

“This woman is a very lively emblem of the whore of Rome, sitting as a queen upon many waters; ruling over kings and princes; living deliciously, and in great ease and pleasure filling up the measure of her sins…”

(2) Regarding the reference to the land of Shinar, virtually all commentaries agree that this is a reference to Babylon, whether ancient or modern. The commentary of Jamieson, Fausset and Brown states that “Shinar” is “Babylonia…, the capital of the God-opposed world kingdoms, and so representing in general the seat of irreligion…”

(3) Evaluating the ORIGIN of ancient Babylon, Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible points out:

“The name of Shinar, though strictly Babylonia, carries back to an older power than the world-empire of Babylon; which now too was destroyed. ‘In the land of Shinar’… was that first attempt [by Nimrod and the attempt to build the Tower of Babel] to array a world-empire against God… And so it is the… [appropriate] symbol of the antitheist or anti-Christian world, which by violence, art, falsehood, sophistry, wars against the truth…”

The Broadman Bible Commentary adds the following observation:

“Verse 8 identifies the figure as the wicked one or wickedness. In the Old Testament this may be understood in many ways. One is the worship of idols [such as]… the figure of the Babylonian goddess Ishtar [ancient name for Easter] [or]… the figure of a goddess representing idol worship in general.”

(4) The modern application of the woman in the basket, called wickedness, is explained by John Gill as follows:

“‘And he said, This is wickedness,’ …. particularly [referring to] the wicked one, the man of sin and son of perdition… that wicked lawless one, [2 Thessalonians 2:8] yea, wickedness itself, being extremely wicked, a sink of sin and of all abominations.”

The man of sin, as described in 2 Thessalonians 2:3, refers to the future RELIGIOUS head of modern Babylon, who is also identified as the “false prophet” in the book of Revelation. He will indeed be a wicked and evil person, representing an evil and wicked system (compare Revelation 18:23-24).

(5) With this understanding, let us explore the additional meaning of the prophecy in Zechariah 5. We read that the woman, personifying worldwide wickedness or iniquity, is confined to a basket or container, but she is trying, unsuccessfully, to escape from her prison (verses 7-8). This gives us the time setting of Zechariah’s vision–it describes the woman’s future judgment–which will occur when Jesus Christ returns. The modern CITY of Babylon the great–as well as the SYSTEM which it represents– will be destroyed with fire (Revelation 18:8, 21; 19:3). Depending on the translation, it will become a “dwelling place” or a “habitation” or a “house” (Elberfelder Bibel, Menge Bibel and Luther Bibel all say: “Behausung”) or a “home” (New International Version) of “demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird” (Revelation 18:2).

This fact explains why two women with wings of a stork (verse 9) –perhaps angels–carry the imprisoned woman to the land of Babylon, to build a house or dwelling place for her (verse 11). (For a further discussion about the appearance and functions of angels, please read our free booklet, “Angels, Demons and the Spirit World.”) The two women will assist in removing “wickedness”–the wicked system–from this earth. Please note that true Christians are already told today to “Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues” (Revelation 18:4). In the future, wickedness will be placed “forever in Babylon” (compare Geneva Study Bible); that is, the burned and destroyed location and area of the modern city of Babylon will become a “house” for demons during the time of the Millennium.

As Wesley’s Notes put it, the house built for the personified wickedness is not going to be built “in mercy, but in judgment.” She will be “set there… on its base” (verse 11); that is, she “shall be confined without hope of release.”

This reminds us that Satan, the one behind this evil system, will also be “bound” by an angel “for a thousand years.” He will be cast “into the bottomless pit” and he will be “shut up,” and a “seal” will be set on him, “so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years [of the Millennium] were finished” (compare Revelation 20:1-3).

Zechariah’s vision of the woman in the basket is meant to give us hope for the future. Even though wickedness and idolatry prevail in this present evil world, the time will come when Jesus Christ will make an end to wickedness. God WILL remember modern Babylon’s iniquities (Revelation 18:5). We read that God will judge “the great harlot who corrupted the earth with her fornication; and He [will avenge] on her the blood of His servants shed by her” (Revelation 19:2).

“Modern Babylon” will not be able to deceive people in the new world to come. No one following God will want to “dwell” there–her future “house” or “home” will be reserved for demons and evil spirits. By contrast, each child of God will dwell “in the temple of… God” (Revelation 3:12).

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

A new StandingWatch program was posted on StandingWatch, Google Video and YouTube. It is titled, “Russia’s Invasion of Georgia–Just the Beginning.” In the program, Norbert Link asks the questions: Will Russia “nuke” Poland? Will it attack other European nations with nuclear weapons? What would happen if Israel were to attack Iran? Are we facing the prospects of another World War?

Our recent StandingWatch program, titled, “Coming–A Great Depression”  has been viewed on You Tube in excess of 10,100 times.

The following sermon by Norbert Link has been posted on Google Video:

“Bible Study–Mystery of Salvation”

(August 23, 2008) The text for our new comprehensive booklet on the Book of Revelation has been sent to our Graphic Designer, Shelly Bruno. We hope to be able to print the booklet in time for distribution at our Feast sites in Arizona and England.

As announced before, an advertisement for our free Public Bible Lecture in Fort Collins, Colorado, on September 7 has been posted on the Internet. The ad is targeted for the Fort Collins area.

In addition, a local ad and flyer will be distributed in Colorado, announcing the lecture.

Please continue to pray for the success of these ads and the lecture.

On Saturday, August 23, 2008, Norbert Link will give the sermon, titled, “The Mystery of Salvation.”

The services can be heard at www.cognetservices.org at 12:30 pm Pacific Time (which is 2:30 pm Central Time). Just click on Connect to Live Stream.

Have you noticed how quickly things can change? On the world scene, after a long period of constant year-on-year increase, the financial markets have been in turmoil; oil prices have rocketed; and ever increasing house prices have quickly started to head in the opposite direction.

On a more mundane level, at a sports event, the supporters of the team that is winning are usually full of enthusiasm, but if the other team starts to get the upper hand, the previously enthusiastic support can, very quickly, turn to despair. And such events can change within minutes, with supporters going from one extreme to the other.

One moment we can be happy with life, but should we receive some bad news, our attitude can so quickly change, this time within seconds. Highs and lows can be something that we can experience within a short space of time.

And with some people, those whom we may consider close friends, our relationship may change quickly due to a certain set of circumstances. I have experienced those who have expressed gratitude for things that may have been done for them, or for friendship, only to find out that in a short space of time, all seems to count for nothing.

Fallible human beings are prone to third party influence, emotions, a change of circumstances or some other factors, to the extent that things can change quickly from one situation to another–“at a rate of knots,” as they say in Britain and Australia.

Those who may be approachable one day may not be so approachable another day, either because of a change in their circumstances, their attitude or demeanor. The same may, of course, apply to us.

However, we should be very thankful that the great God is utterly reliable and is not prone to mood swings and changeability. Jesus Christ is “the same yesterday, and today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). God is constant, as shown in James 1:17: “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” Malachi 3:6 also endorses this same theme: “For I am the LORD, I do not change.”

When God’s faithful and dedicated people go to Him in prayer, He will hear them. He is not subject to our human failings, changes in behavior or wrong temperament. We should be deeply grateful for God being perfect and approachable, and we know that at least with Him, unlike human beings, things will not be subject to swift changes. He is constant and perfect, and we should strive to be more like Him as each day passes.

The US Fiddled While Georgia Burned

On August 15, The Telegraph published the following article by John R Bolton:
 
“Russia’s invasion across an internationally recognised border, its thrashing of the Georgian military, and its smug satisfaction in humbling one of its former fiefdoms represents only the visible damage.

“As bad as the bloodying of Georgia is, the broader consequences are worse. The United States fiddled while Georgia burned, not even reaching the right rhetorical level in its public statements until three days after the Russian invasion began, and not, at least to date, matching its rhetoric with anything even approximating decisive action. This pattern is the very definition of a paper tiger. Sending Secretary of State [Condoleezza] Rice to Tbilisi is touching, but hardly reassuring; dispatching humanitarian assistance is nothing more than we would have done if Georgia had been hit by a natural rather than a man-made disaster.

“The European Union took the lead in diplomacy, with results approaching Neville Chamberlain’s moment in the spotlight at Munich: a ceasefire that failed to mention Georgia’s territorial integrity, and that all but gave Russia permission to continue its military operations as a ‘peacekeeping’ force anywhere in Georgia. More troubling, over the long term, was that the EU saw its task as being mediator – its favourite role in the world – between Georgia and Russia, rather than an advocate for the victim of aggression.

“Even this dismal performance was enough to relegate [NATO] to an entirely backstage role, while Russian tanks and planes slammed into a ‘faraway country’, as Chamberlain once observed so thoughtfully. In New York, paralysed by the prospect of a Russian veto, the UN Security Council, that Temple of the High-Minded, was as useless as it was during the Cold War…

“The West, collectively, failed in this crisis. Georgia wasted its dime making that famous 3am telephone call to the White House… Moreover, the blood on the Bear’s claws did not go unobserved in other states that were once part of the Soviet Union. Russia demonstrated unambiguously that it could have marched directly to Tbilisi and installed a puppet government before any Western leader was able to turn away from the Olympic Games. It could, presumably, do the same to them…”

For more information, please watch our new StandingWatch program on StandingWatch or Google Video, titled “Georgia Burns, While the West Fiddles.”

Germany’s “Balanced” Shameful Approach!

Deutsche Welle reported on August 14 about Germany’s dubious role in the Russia-Georgia affair:

“Germany’s foreign minister [Steinmeier] urged the EU to take a balanced… [and] even-handed approach to the conflict between Russia and Georgia if it wanted to play a constructive role in forging long-lasting peace in the Caucasus… ‘We should also pursue a policy which is sensible and realistic,’ Steinmeier said on German television…

“But divisions have emerged in the European Union over the best way to deal with Moscow… Many new EU members have condemned Russia’s violent push into Georgia… The United States, a strong backer of Georgia, and Britain have slammed Russia’s military campaign against Georgia…

“Steinmeier’s comments, however, reflect a more nuanced attitude in Germany towards Moscow in the current conflict. German politicians, including Chancellor Angela Merkel, have carefully avoided assigning blame in the conflict. The country, which is heavily dependant on Russian energy supplies, is a strong advocate of closer ties with Moscow. Earlier this year, Germany led European resistance to plans, pushed by the US, to put Georgia on the track to NATO membership…

“Ruprecht Polenz, a veteran member of Merkel’s conservative party and head of the foreign policy committee of the German parliament… told news agency Reuters the EU should bind Russia closer to the bloc… [and] consider offering Moscow a ‘privileged partnership’ if it shows a willingness to adopt European values… adding it would be a mistake to scrap ongoing partnership talks with Russia because of its conflict with Georgia.”

Russia Returns to Its Past

The Wall Street Journal wrote on August 19:

“The sight of Russian tanks rolling through Georgia was shocking yet familiar. Images flash back of Chechnya in 1994 and ’99, Vilnius ’91, Afghanistan ’79, Prague ’68, Hungary ’56. Before that the Soviet invasions, courtesy of the Ribbentrop-Molotov pact, of Poland and the Baltics in ’39 and ’40. Kazaks, Azeris, Tajiks, Ukrainians remember — from family stories and national lore — their own subjugation to Russian rule… Vladimir Putin… doesn’t give the impression he ever believed in… partnership with the West and freedom at home.”

Russia Threatens Poland

The British tabloid, The Sun, wrote on August 16:

“RUSSIA threatened to NUKE Poland yesterday as the world faced the prospect of a terrifying new Cold War.  The chilling threat was issued by a top general of Vladimir Putin amid mounting tensions over the war in Georgia.  Gen Anatoly Nogovitsy lashed out after Poland agreed to help the US create a ‘missile shield’ over Europe. He said: ‘Poland is making itself a target. Such targets are destroyed as a first priority.’  Gen Nogovitsy stressed Moscow was ready to use nuclear weapons ‘against allies of countries having nuclear weapons if they in some way help them’. Russia is furious [that] Poland has said the US can put an interceptor base and a battery of Patriot missiles on its territory…”

ABC News reported on August 20:

“Russia’s foreign ministry today threatened to go beyond diplomatic protests in response to the signing of a U.S.-Polish deal to base part of an American missile defense system in Poland, which borders part of Russia. The latest threat came after a top Russian general said Poland would risk a military strike if it allowed the base and as U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice dismissed Russia’s saber rattling, saying the threats ‘border on the bizarre. When you threaten Poland, you perhaps forget that it is not 1988,’ Rice said… ‘It’s 2008 and the United States has a … firm treaty guarantee to defend Poland’s territory as if it was the territory of the United States. So it’s probably not wise to throw these threats around.’

“But in addition to the threats, Russia may be making a more concrete move. Norway’s defense ministry claims Russia has told it that it plans to cut all military ties with NATO… Today, Russia’s foreign ministry issued a new threat — implying that Russia was the target of the new missile base and not some ‘imaginary Iranian danger. Russia in this case will have to react, and not only through diplomatic protests,’ said a statement from the ministry… The statement described the missile shield as ‘one of the instruments in an extremely dangerous bundle of American military projects involving the one-sided development of a global missile shield system.’… In today’s pact, the United States and Poland agreed to a ‘mutual commitment’ to come to each other’s assistance ‘in case of military or other threats.’…

“Marek Ostrowsk, an analyst for the Polityka weekly, told ABC News that Poland traditionally has more confidence in the United States than its European alliances. ‘Traditionally and historically, we think America is more reliable than Europe,’ Ostrowsk said. ‘In 1918, we regained independence thanks to the U.S. When World War II began in 1939, we were let down by our allies, Britain and France. But the U.S. has never failed us.'”

Poles Fear Russian Attack from “Adolf Putin”

Der Spiegel Online wrote on August 19:

“A recent opinion poll shows that one in two Poles fears that their country will be the target of a Russian attack. The poll was published in news magazine Wprost which this week featured a drawing of Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on its front cover with a Hitler moustache and the headline: ‘Adolf Putin.’  Some 40 percent of respondents said they regarded Russia as Poland’s biggest enemy…”

Ukraine on Russia’s Nuclear Hitlist?

The Telegraph reported on August 18:

“Ukraine offers satellite defence co-operation with Europe and US… The proposal, made amid growing outrage among Russia’s neighbours over its military campaign in Georgia, could see Ukraine added to Moscow’s nuclear hitlist. A Russian general declared Poland a target for its arsenal after Warsaw signed a deal with Washington to host interceptor missiles for America’s anti-nuclear shield…”

Russian Atrocities in Georgia

The Telegraph wrote on August 18:

“Just hours before Mr Medvedev put his signature to the ceasefire deal, Russian forces blew up a Georgian railway bridge on the main line west of the capital, Tbilisi, an act that critics interpreted as a [malicious] attempt to cripple the country’s infrastructure. Moscow at first issued a denial, but television footage shot by the Reuters news agency clearly showed the bridge’s twisted remains…

“Meanwhile, disturbing reports of abuse of ethnic Georgians in captured parts of the disputed region emerged. A group of captive soldiers were paraded in the streets of the South Ossetian capital, Tskinvali, and the bodies of at least 40 dead troops rotted in the sun. Teams of ethnic Georgians, some under armed guard, were forced to clean the streets. It was the first apparent evidence of humiliation or abuse of Georgians in the Russian-controlled breakaway republic.”

Russia Moves Missile Launchers into South Ossetia

The Associated Press reported on August 18:

“The New York Times, citing anonymous U.S. officials who were familiar with intelligence reports, reported Sunday that the Russian military moved missile launchers into South Ossetia on Friday.
 
“The U.S. officials told the Times that Russia deployed several SS-21 missile launchers to positions north of Tskhinvali, the South Ossetian capital. That would put the missiles within range of Georgia’s capital, Tbilisi, the Times reported on its Web site. ‘There’s no doubt there will be further consequences,’ said [Secretary of State Condoleezza] Rice…”

Russia Threatens Europe with Nuclear Confrontation

The Sunday Times wrote on August 17, under the headline: “Russia’s new nuclear challenge to Europe”:

“Russia is considering arming its Baltic fleet with nuclear warheads for the first time since the cold war, senior military sources warned last night. The move, in response to American plans for a missile defence shield in Europe, would heighten tensions raised by the advance of Russian forces to within 20 miles of Tbilisi, the Georgian capital, yesterday.

“Under the Russian plans, nuclear warheads could be supplied to submarines, cruisers and fighter bombers of the Baltic fleet based in Kaliningrad, a Russian enclave between the European Union countries of Poland and Lithuania… The Russians have already indicated that they may point nuclear missiles at western Europe from bases in Kaliningrad and Belarus. They are also said to be thinking of reviving a military presence in Cuba.”

Will Russia’s Imperialism Motivate Europe to Unite?

Der Spiegel Online wrote on August 18:

“The war in the Caucasus has shattered relations with Russia and sparked disagreements within the EU — and with the United States… This is the most serious foreign policy crisis ever faced by the head of the German government. At stake here is more than just reinstating peace in the Caucasus. German foreign policy has been deeply shaken on virtually all fronts. Germany’s delicate relations with Russia have become even more delicate, the war in the Caucasus has plunged the EU into a severe crisis, and relations with the US are weighed down by new tensions that may even extend beyond George W. Bush’s term of office…

“The German government has shown that it can act in this crisis — but the sobering reality is that the Germans alone cannot resolve the situation. A German political consensus is not enough to counter the Russians. That would require, at the very least, a united European front. But that does not exist. Once again it becomes clear that German political policies cannot influence global politics when they do not reflect a united European position. It is already apparent in the committee sessions of NATO and the EU that Russia has successfully divided the rest of the continent into two parts.

“The Eastern Europeans, Swedes and Britons constitute the core of Russia’s critics. Germans, French and Italians, on the other hand, are pushing for an approach that would maintain dialogue with the superpower. In the cabinet session, Merkel said that the EU cannot afford to send such mixed messages…

“Currently, Germany and France are not working together to create a strong backbone for European foreign policy. French President Nicolas Sarkozy has proven unreliable and no effective partnership can be forged with him. Recently, the French magazine Le Point quoted him as saying: ‘There are not many who are running the show. Bush’s time is up, Blair is no longer there. Merkel, no, that’s not it either. Actually, there is only me.’

“Such statements do not go over well in the chancellery in Berlin, especially since the inimitable Sarkozy, who currently heads the EU Council Presidency, did a slipshod job of negotiating the ceasefire between Georgia and Russia. He allowed the Russians to cruise their tanks through Georgia. In any case, Sarkozy has failed to gain the trust of Eastern European countries…

“Sarkozy has announced that he will ‘examine’ a military mission for the European Union. At a meeting with EU colleagues in Brussels, German Foreign Minister Steinmeier found an amazing amount of willingness to embark on such a course. Since then his ministry has begun to map out scenarios for deploying EU troops. The question is whether police officers, soldiers or civilian observers should be sent to Georgia…

“Nevertheless, during her Sunday visit to Tbilisi, Merkel repeated her claim that eventually Georgia would become a member of NATO. Speaking at a press conference she said ‘Georgia will become a member of NATO if it wants to — and it does want to.’

“Eastern Europeans see the situation somewhat differently — they would like to see Georgia already firmly on the path to NATO membership — as does the US administration, represented by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Strong criticism has also emerged from the American election campaign. US presidential candidate John McCain has warned that withholding fast-track membership for Georgia might have been viewed ‘as a green light by Russia for attacks on Georgia.’ He said: ‘I urge NATO to reconsider its decision.’

“Somehow this makes Germany partly responsible for the war in the Caucasus, at least in McCain’s eyes, and that does not bode well for Germany should the Republican be elected president in November. Berlin actually had hoped that it only had to get through the last few months of the Bush administration, and then everything would get better. But, no matter who is president, Germany’s relationship with the US promises to be fraught with tension should America allow itself to be provoked by Russia…

“Where to from here? There is no recipe for dealing with an imperial Russian superpower, not even a concept. Only one thing remains certain: ‘It will definitely be difficult,’ said German Foreign Minister Steinmeier last week as he met with reporters over a cup of coffee — and gazed rather helplessly into the distance.”

For more information about what IS going to happen soon on the world scene, make sure to read the following free booklets: “Europe in Prophecy,”  “The Fall and Rise of Britain and America,” and “The Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord.”

Would the Lisbon Treaty Have Helped Georgia?

The EUObserver wrote on August 18:

“French president Nicolas Sarkozy has used the ongoing crisis between Russia and Georgia to put the case for the EU’s new treaty, currently facing ratification difficulties… ‘It is notable that had the Lisbon Treaty, which is in the process of being ratified, already been in force, the European Union would have had the institutions it needs to cope with international crises.’…

“The short pitch for the Lisbon Treaty also revealed a little how the French president views the role of the EU’s first longterm president of the EU – a post that can be held for up to five years… [Mr Sarkozy] suggests that the president’s position in such crises as the Russia-Georgia one would be one of ‘acting in close consultation with the heads of state and government most affected.’

“This would very much put the President in the foreign policy field. It would also foresee a formal hierarchy among member states as it would give priority to those considered most affected. This kind of scenario has been predicted by some smaller member states who fear that the president would have an all-powerful role, reducing the say of certain governments… But Mr Sarkozy’s words of support for the Lisbon Treaty come amid doubt that it will ever come into force. Although ratified by the vast majority of national parliaments, it was rejected by Irish voters in a referendum in June.”

NATO’s Half-Hearted “Measures” Against Russia

The Los Angeles Times wrote on August 19:

“The Western military alliance today criticized Moscow for its ‘disproportionate’ military action in Georgia and vowed that relations with Russia would change because of it. But the North Atlantic Treaty Organization gathering stopped short in an emergency meeting of agreeing to rearm the beleaguered state as Russian troops continued potentially provocative military operations throughout Georgia and showed little signs of abiding by an agreement signed in Moscow over the weekend to withdraw from the country.

“Russian reaction to the NATO summit was harsh. Russia’s foreign minister blasted the statement as ‘un-objective and biased,’ while Dmitry Rogozin, Moscow’s envoy to NATO, dismissed it as irrelevant…

“Foreign ministers of the NATO issued a statement calling for Russia to withdraw forces to positions before the Aug. 7 outbreak of hostilities between the two countries and expressed their support for the sovereignty of Georgia. They said they would hold no meetings of a NATO-Russia coordinating group until Russian troops withdrew, and they threatened unspecified further steps.”

Reuters added the following on August 19:

“NATO… stopped short of accelerating [Georgia’s] efforts to join NATO, an ambition which had enraged Russia even before the two-week-old conflict over Georgia’s breakaway South Ossetia region…

“The statement did not explicitly refer to a U.S. demand to suspend contacts within the six-year-old NATO-Russia Council (NRC), but NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said it was clear such contacts could not take place at present. ‘As long as Russian forces are basically occupying a large part of Georgia I cannot see a NATO-Russia Council convening at whatever level,’ he told a news conference. ‘But I should add that we certainly do not have the intention to close all doors in our communication with Russia,’ he said, after several European allies including Britain and Germany expressed doubts about cutting off links with Moscow.

“The NATO statement drew sharp condemnation from Moscow, where Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused the alliance of bias and wanting to support a ‘criminal regime’ in Tbilisi. ‘Certainly there will be a lot of changes in our cooperation with NATO and we will have changes in the volume, the quality and the timeframe in our consultations and meetings,’ Russian ambassador to NATO Dmitry Rogozin said in Brussels.”

Der Spiegel Online reported on August 20:

“Under the headline ‘NATO Is at a Loss,’ conservative daily Die Welt writes: Tuesday’s statement from NATO ‘is the absolute minimum that could be expected in reaction to Russia’s cynical disregard of Georgian sovereignty. Moscow cannot have been overawed. It confirms the impression of Putin and Co. that NATO is a paper tiger at the moment, at odds with itself and unassertive.’…

“Germany’s… financial daily Handelsblatt writes: ‘The realization has come slowly — but surely: The political partnership with Russia was an illusion. In reality, the country under the double leadership of (Prime Minister Vladimir) Putin and (President Dmitry) Medvedev is a difficult comrade. Day after day, Moscow refuses to withdraw its troops from Georgia as promised… In the beginning, the Kremlin spin doctors managed to push through their interpretation that Georgia was the aggressor and that Russia was merely protecting its own citizens. But in the meantime it has become apparent that Putin had planned this war long before, prepared for it, and lured Georgia into a trap. South Ossetia and Abkhazia have already been swallowed up and Tbilisi has been humiliated. Now, Moscow is destroying Georgia’s economy — with little regard for the EU peace plan and the warnings from the West. Europeans and Americans are watching seemingly powerlessly…'”

The Wall Street Journal wrote on August 20:

“‘Empty words.’ That’s how Moscow glibly dismissed NATO’s criticism yesterday of Russia’s continued occupation of Georgia. The Russians may be bullies, but like all bullies they know weakness when they see it. The most NATO ministers could muster at their meeting in Brussels was a statement that they ‘cannot continue with business as usual’ with Russia. There was no move to fast-track Georgia’s bid to join NATO, nor a pledge to help the battered democracy rebuild its defenses… NATO leaders also failed to mention Ukraine, another applicant for NATO membership that has angered Moscow in recent years and could become its next target. Also missing was any indication that the alliance would begin making long-delayed plans for defending the Baltic member states and other countries on its eastern flank in case of attack…”

Don’t Forget Russia’s Friend Iran…

AFP reported on August 17:

“Iran said it had sent a rocket carrying a dummy satellite into space on Sunday, triggering fresh concern in Washington that the technology could be diverted to ballistic missiles. The launch is likely to further exacerbate tensions with the West over its nuclear drive, which Iran’s arch-foe Washington and its allies claim is a cover for atomic weapons ambitions…

“Sunday’s development comes amid an international standoff over Tehran’s long-standing refusal to suspend uranium enrichment, a process which makes nuclear fuel but also the core of an atomic bomb. Israel and its staunch ally the United States have never ruled out a military strike against Iran’s nuclear sites… On Sunday, Iran’s air force commander said its fighter jets have been upgraded to allow them to fly 3,000 kilometres (1,860 miles) without refuelling which would put Israel easily within reach… Sunday’s launch came on the birth anniversary of eighth century Imam Mahdi, who vanished as a boy and who Shiites believe will return one day as the messiah.”

Subsequently, AFP reported on August 19 that “An Iranian missile test aimed at putting a dummy satellite into orbit failed, a US defense official said Tuesday. ‘We detected a missile launch from Iran on August 16 and our reports indicated it was unsuccessful,’ said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.”

The Associated Press reported on August 19:

“Iran’s official news agency says the country is preparing to build more nuclear power plants… The country is building its first nuclear power plant in the southern port of Bushehr with the help of Russia. It is expected to go on line later this year.”

For more information, please watch our StandingWatch program, “Is War With Iran Coming Soon?”

… and Russia’s Friend Syria

Times On Line wrote on August 20:

“Syrian President Bashar al-Assad headed to Moscow today to discuss an expansion of his pariah state’s military cooperation with Russia. The trip is raising fears that the new Cold War that has erupted in the Caucasus will spill over into the Middle East, long a battleground between East and West, and crush tentative hopes for peace… with Israel and the US providing military backing to Georgia, Russia appears set to respond in kind by supporting Syria.

“Already, Israeli observers worry that the chaos in the Caucasus may disrupt gas supplies to Europe and Turkey from the Caspian Sea region, creating a greater energy reliance on Iran and its vast reserves. The crisis could in turn allow Tehran to exploit splits in the international community and use Russia as a powerful backer to advance its controversial nuclear programme. In a sign of warming ties, Mr al-Assad… said he fully backed Russia’s pursuit of its ‘legal interests’ in its fight with Georgia…

“Some Israeli analysts… fear [close ties with Russia] could encourage Syria to try to take back the Golan Heights, captured by Israel in 1967, by force. Moscow is expected to propose a revival of its Cold War era naval base at the Syrian port of Tartus on the Mediterranean, with some Russian reports even saying Moscow is already deepening it to accommodate a fleet of war ships. Russia may have similar ambitions for the port of Latakia…”

Control of Nuclear Weapons in Pakistan–Safe or Not?

The Associated Press reported on August 19 on the control of nuclear weapons in Pakistan, after Pervez Musharraf’s announcement of his resignation earlier this week:

“Pervez Musharraf’s departure from the presidency is unlikely to have a significant impact on how Pakistan’s nuclear weapons are controlled. Experts say a 10-member committee, and not just the president, makes decisions on how to use them and only a complete meltdown in governance… could put the atomic bomb in the hands of extremists… While experts say Pakistan’s nuclear assets will stay in safe hands for now, fears persist about the potential for an Islamist takeover.”

The German daily, Die Welt, wrote on August 19: “Pakistan is more important than it seems: a nuclear-armed state, not tied in to arms control, with conflicts on both sides, fragile internally, on the new frontline between the East and the West. Pakistan after Musharraf is the cause for much worry in global politics.”

The Associated Press reported on August 19 that “Just a day after Pervez Musharraf’s resignation, Pakistan’s governing coalition fell into wrangling Tuesday over restoring the judges he fired, exposing troublesome divisions that could disrupt picking his successor as president.”

The German tabloid, Bild, wrote on August 19:

“Since Monday, Pakistan is without a President and without strong leadership. And only one day after Pervez Musharraf’s resignation, violence rules in the region. 20 people died during an attack on a hospital in the northwestern region of Pakistan. During attacks in Afghanistan, [insurgents killed] 10 French soldiers in a mountain ambush and then [sent] a squad of suicide bombers in a failed assault on a U.S. base near the Pakistan border. The actions of the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan show that without strong leadership, Pakistan and the entire region will descent into chaos.”

Obama and Catholics At Odds Over Abortion

On August 12, Pat Buchanan wrote the following on Human Events.com:

“In the Pennsylvania primary, Barack Obama rolled up more than 90 percent of the African-American vote. Among Catholics, he lost by 40 points… But if Barack had a problem with Catholics then, he has a far higher hurdle to surmount in the fall…

“He supports the late-term procedure known as partial-birth abortion, where the baby’s skull is stabbed with scissors in the birth canal and the brains are sucked out to end its life swiftly and ease passage of the corpse into the pan… Yet, when Congress was voting to ban this terrible form of death for a mature fetus, Michelle Obama was signing fundraising letters pledging that, if elected, Barack would be ‘tireless’ in keeping legal this ‘legitimate medical procedure.’ … When the Supreme Court upheld the congressional ban on this barbaric procedure, Barack denounced the court for denying ‘equal rights for women.’

“As David Freddoso reports in his new best-seller, ‘The Case Against Barack Obama,’ the Illinois senator goes further than any U.S. senator has dared go in defending what John Paul II called the ‘culture of death.’  Thrice in the Illinois legislature, Obama helped block a bill that was designed solely to protect the life of infants already born, and outside the womb, who had miraculously survived the attempt to kill them during an abortion. Thrice, Obama voted to let doctors and nurses allow these tiny human beings die of neglect and be tossed out with the medical waste… If, as its advocates contend, abortion has to remain legal to protect the life and health, mental and physical, of the mother, how is a mother’s life or health in the least threatened by a baby no longer inside her — but lying on a table or in a pan fighting for life and breath?…

“In 2007, Barack pledged that, in his first act as president, he will sign the Freedom of Choice Act, which would cancel every federal, state or local regulation or restriction on abortion… What we once called God’s Country would become the nation on earth most zealously committed to an unrestricted right of abortion from conception to birth… if, as Catholics believe, abortion is the killing of an unborn child, and participation in an abortion entails automatic excommunication, how can a good Catholic support a candidate who will appoint justices to make Roe v. Wade eternal and eliminate all restrictions on a practice Catholics legislators have fought for three decades to curtail? And which Catholic priests and prelates will it be who give invocations at Obama rallies, even as Mother Church fights to save the lives of unborn children whom Obama believes have no right to life and no rights at all?”

For more information, please watch our StandingWatch program, “Abortion–Right or Wrong?”

“Global Recession–Eat Sweets, Drink Alcohol, Smoke and Be Merry”

The Associated Press wrote on August 12:

“As a global recession looms, what better way to cope than to eat, drink and be merry? Even as consumers face soaring energy costs, rising food prices and higher mortgages or rent, it seems clear they’re not prepared to forgo many of life’s little treats — alcohol, cigarette and candy makers are all reporting healthy sales amid the gloom…

“Anheuser-Busch Cos. Inc., the biggest brewer in the United States, turned a profit in the most recent quarter despite fears that rising costs for raw materials like glass, barley and wheat and fuel would cut into The King Of Beers’ bottom line. The company is so confident that consumers won’t abandon the beer that it plans to increase prices for popular brands like Budweiser and Bud Light to stay ahead of the higher costs.

“Similarly, Denmark’s Carlsberg A/S reported a 36 percent rise in second-quarter net profit, saying stronger sales, particularly in eastern Europe and Asia, helped offset rising costs… London-based Diageo expects its Scotch whisky business to continue to grow at least 8 percent to 9 percent annually, amid growing demand from emerging markets in Asia and Latin America…

“But much of the demand is also still coming from the United States and Europe, which have been hardest hit by the credit squeeze, with price rises not dissuading many consumers in those regions — Constellation Brands Inc., the world’s largest wine company by volume, posted a 35 percent rise in branded wine sales in North America in the first quarter…

“And while people can’t smoke at the bar because of spreading smoking bans, tobacco companies are doing just fine. Philip Morris International said its earnings rose 23 percent in the second quarter and it raised its earnings forecast for this year… British American Tobacco PLC posted a 15 percent rise in its first-half profits with help from higher prices and increased sales of premium brands. Sales of BAT’s most expensive brands, such as Dunhill and Lucky Strike, grew 7 percent…

“Cadbury PLC, the world’s biggest confectionary company, reported a 7.3 percent rise in first-half sales in its first results since spinning off its U.S. drinks business. Among the big sellers in its candy store was Dairy Milk chocolate, rising 9 percent. In the United States, the Hershey Co. reported dramatically higher second-quarter sales and profit and reaffirmed its 2008 guidance of sales growth of 3 percent to 4 percent.”

Failing U.S. Economy

The Wall Street Journal wrote on August 19:

“U.S. producer prices unexpectedly soared at their highest annual rate in 27 years last month as rising wholesale prices for energy spread to a variety of products including automobiles, prescription drugs and capital equipment… it will be difficult for Federal Reserve officials to look past this latest report, which comes on the heels of a 17-year-high rise in consumer prices.”

“The Worst Is To Come”–Large US Banks May Go Under

Times On Line wrote on August 19:

“Professor Kenneth Rogoff, a leading academic economist, said there was yet worse news to come from the worldwide credit crunch and financial turmoil, particularly in the United States, and that a high-profile casualty among American banks was highly likely.

“’The US is not out of the woods. I think the financial crisis is at the halfway point, perhaps. I would even go further to say the worst is to come,’ Prof Rogoff said at a conference in Singapore. In an ominous warning, he added: “We’re not just going to see mid-sized banks go under in the next few months, we’re going to see a whopper, we’re going to see a big one — one of the big investment banks or big banks,’ he said.  Rising anxieties over ‘worse to come’ in the credit crisis sent shares tumbling in Europe and Asia…

“[Rogoff] also suggested that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the struggling US secondary mortgage lending giants, were likely to cease to exist in their present form within a few years. His prediction over the fate of Fannie and Freddie came after investors dumped the two groups’ shares on Monday after reports suggested that the US Treasury may have no choice but to effectively nationalise them.

“The professor also sounded a warning over rising US inflation, which rose last month to its highest since 1991, and criticised the Federal Reserve for having cut American interest rates too drastically. ‘Cutting interest rates is going to lead to a lot of inflation in the next few years in the United States,’ he said.”

For more information, please watch our StandingWatch programs, “Coming–The Great Depression?”, “WHY Is Our Economy THAT Bad?” and “America’s Financial Crisis“.

Recession Fear in Britain

Der Spiegel Online wrote on August 19:

“For 30 years, the British economy has been on a steady climb skyward. Now it’s being hit with a credit crisis that resembles the American subprime disaster. And just like across the pond, the victims are those who can least afford it… Between March and June alone, 37,740 British homeowners had to turn their property back over to the banks. By the end of the year it’s likely to be 75,000.

“More than a million people in Britain will have difficulties paying off their debt. After 15 years of economic boom, a word is on their lips again that the country thought it had struck from its vocabulary entirely: recession.”

The short answer is, “Yes.” Before discussing this biblical fact in more detail, let us just emphasize that there is hierarchy in God’s Church. This is more fully explained in our Q&A on “hierarchical government.” God has decreed that His Church be led or “governed” by His true and faithful ministry, as discussed in our Q&A on “ministerial authority.”

With that background, let us answer the question regarding ranks within the ministry.

Especially two Scriptures, i.e. Ephesians 4:11 and 1 Corinthians 12:28, show that God has ordained ministerial “ranks” within His Church. These passages read as follows:

“And He Himself [Jesus Christ] gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints…for the edifying of the body of Christ till we all come to the unity of the faith…” (Ephesians 4:11-13).

“And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles? Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret?” (1 Corinthians 12:28-30).

Especially those commentaries that advocate democratic government by all Church members feel that these Scriptures describe only ministerial functions, independent of ranks. The truth is that these passages address BOTH. Function and rank are not mutually exclusive. We read that Paul referred to himself as an apostle and a preacher and a teacher (1 Timothy 2:7). He is also described as a prophet and a teacher in Acts 13:1. He even clarified that there were “ranks” and different functions within the office of “apostle,” calling some of the apostles “chiefest apostles” (Authorized Version) or “most eminent apostles” (2 Corinthians 11:5; 12:11). These would have included Peter and James, the half-brother of Jesus (compare Galatians 1:18-19). We read that the gospel to the uncircumcision [non-Israelite nations] was entrusted to Paul, while the gospel of the circumcision [Israelite nations] was entrusted to Peter (Galatians 2:7-8).

Note how some commentaries explain the passages in Ephesians and 1 Corinthians:

John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible states:

“[Ephesians] 4:11 – And he gave some apostles…. That is, he gave them gifts by which they were qualified to be apostles… this was the first and chief office in the church… evangelists… were below the apostles, and yet above pastors and teachers… from the whole it may be observed, that as there have been various officers and offices in the Gospel dispensation, various gifts have been bestowed; and these are the gifts of Christ, which he has received for men, and gives unto them; and hence it appears that the work of the ministry is not an human invention, but the appointment of Christ, for which he fits and qualifies, and therefore to be regarded; and that they only are the ministers of Christ, whom he makes ministers of the New Testament, and not whom men or themselves make and appoint…

“[1 Corinthians] 12:29 – Are all apostles?…. No; some are prophets, as distinct from apostles; and some are teachers, as distinct from them both, and some are neither: are all prophets? no; some are apostles, above them, and some are teachers, inferior to them… are all teachers? no; the far greater part of the members of churches are hearers, or persons that are taught in the word; are neither in the office of teaching, nor have they the qualifications for it.”

Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible points out:

“[Ephesians] 4:2-16 – … And ministers have their various gifts, which are all given them by the Lord Jesus. The officers which Christ gave to his church were of two sorts – extraordinary ones advanced to a higher office in the church: such were apostles, prophets, and evangelists. The apostles were chief… And then there are ordinary ministers, employed in a lower and narrower sphere; as pastors and teachers… We see here that it is Christ’s prerogative to appoint what officers and offices he pleases in his church.”

Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible (to 1 Corinthians 11:28) explains:

“First, apostles – In the first rank or order; or as superior in honor and in office. He has given them the highest authority in the church; he has more signally endowed them and qualified them than he has others. Secondarily, prophets – As second in regard to endowments and importance… Thirdly, teachers – As occupying the third station in point of importance and valuable endowments… It is not possible, perhaps, to determine the precise meaning of the word [“helps”], or the nature of the office which they discharged; but the word means, in general, those who in any way aided or rendered assistance in the church, and may refer to the temporal affairs of the church, to the care of the poor…

“Governments… It is not easy to determine what particular office or function is here intended… There is no reason to think that the terms here used referred to permanent and established ranks and orders in the ministry and in the church; or in permanent offices which were to continue to all times as an essential part of its organization… The simple idea, however, is that of ruling, or exercising government… All that is clear is, that there were those who administered government in the church… There can be little doubt that the… governments… refer to offices of rule and authority in the church. Two things, therefore, are plain from this text: 1. That in the primitive church there were rulers distinct from the people or church members, to whom these were bound to yield obedience. 2. That these rulers were appointed of God…”

That ranks and functions are described in these passages is supported by other Scriptures, showing that Peter and Paul gave “orders” to other ministers (compare 1 Peter 5:1-4; 2 Timothy 4:1-5). This does not mean that all of these ranks and functions must be present within the Church of God at all times, but some most certainly will be. For instance, in this present day and age, we do not find that the ranks and functions of “apostle” and “prophet” are occupied (notwithstanding the fact that some incorrectly claim that they are apostles or prophets). This is not to say that in the future, prior to Christ’s return, some won’t be appointed by God to hold these offices. It is very likely that the “two witnesses,” for example, will hold the rank, office and function of apostle and prophet (compare Revelation 11:3-6).

The Church of God, under its late human leader, Herbert W. Armstrong, taught that there are ministerial ranks and functions. We believe that Herbert Armstrong had the spiritual rank, office and function of an apostle, but we don’t believe, as mentioned, that God gave that same rank and office to anyone after Mr. Armstrong’s death. We would like to quote from a member letter which Mr. Armstrong wrote on May 2, 1974, explaining the Church’s understanding regarding ministerial ranks and functions:

“… notice Titus 1:4-5 and 2:15 — Paul wrote to Titus (UNDER PAUL), ‘To Titus, mine own son after the common faith … from God the Father (first in rank) and the Lord Jesus Christ (second in rank) our Savior. For this cause left I (next in rank — to Gentiles — under Christ) thee (under Paul’s authority in the Work) in Crete, that thou shouldst set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders (under Titus who is under Paul, who is under Christ) in every city as I had appointed thee.’ …

“Now notice I Corinthians 12: In this chapter God is showing that in THE WORK of the Church — proclaiming the Gospel to the world, and feeding the flock, there are different ADMINISTRATIONS, different OPERATIONS, in the Church, and for these, God has given various spiritual GIFTS, or empowerments, by His Holy Spirit. ADMINISTRATORS refer to performance of executive duties, MANAGERIAL responsibilities, rather than policy-making… The exact pattern or STRUCTURE may vary according to conditions, need etc., but the PRINCIPLE of the organization MUST BE THAT OF GOD’S GOVERNMENT, from the TOP, God, then Christ, on down, as CHRIST has directed and chosen. OPERATIONS, refers to functioning — a doing or performing of what involves practical application of principle or process…

“The very fact that God has endowed different members in His Church with additional spiritual gifts, added to their own natural talents and abilities, in itself shows emphatically that there is definite ORGANIZATION in His Church, and that the ORGANIZATION must flow from a chain of authority, according to the PRINCIPLE which GOD… has set — that is, AUTHORITY FROM THE TOP DOWN… Because of these various administrations, and operations, God shows in this chapter that He has bestowed VARIOUS spiritual gifts added to the natural talents and abilities of various ones to perform the many DIFFERENT functions required for the ORGANIZED Work of God…

“‘And GOD hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues (languages)’ (I Cor. 12:28). That is the rank in which GOD set them… GOD SAYS, first, secondly, thirdly…

“The parallel instruction on the RANK of authority in the Church is in Ephesians 4, beginning with verse 11: ‘And he (Christ) gave some, …’ The RSV translates it more clearly: ‘And His gifts were that some should be apostles,’ etc. Continue, ‘some prophets, and some evangelists, and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for THE WORK of the ministry (proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom to all the world), for the edifying of the body of Christ …’ God’s Church today is organized on THAT DIVINE PATTERN…”

In conclusion, we believe that God wants His Church to be organized in the way as described above. We believe in hierarchical government and in organization, including ministerial ranks, offices and functions within the body of Christ, so that “we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the TRUTH IN LOVE, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head–Christ–from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love” (Ephesians 4:14-16).

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

A new StandingWatch program was posted on StandingWatch and Google Video. It is titled, “Georgia Burns, While the West Fiddles.”  In the program, Norbert Link points out that while our political leaders seem to be unwilling to respond in a meaningful way to the new-found imperialism of “Vladimir Bonaparte,” the Russian Bear, under Putin, continues with its aggressions. “Mother Russia” claims that Georgia has lost its territorial integrity, and threatens Poland with a nuclear attack. As Britain’s The Telegraph wrote on August 15, the West, collectively, including the EU and the USA, failed in this crisis. But very soon, according to the Bible, things WILL change.

The following sermons by Norbert Link have been posted on Google Video:

“Bible Study–Trials and Temptations” (April 15, 2006)

“Bible Study–The Mysteries of the Bible” (October 22, 2005)

As announced last week, an advertisement for our free Public Bible Lecture in Fort Collins, Colorado, on September 7 has been posted on the Internet. The ad is targeted for the Fort Collins area. Please continue to pray for the success of this ad and the lecture.

On Saturday, August 16, 2008, Dave Harris will give the sermon, titled, “What Shall I Do?”

The services can be heard at www.cognetservices.org at 12:30 pm Pacific Time (which is 2:30 pm Central Time). Just click on Connect to Live Stream.

These three Latin words mean “Swifter, Higher, Stronger” and are a continuing motto for the Olympics.  Once every four years it is truly amazing to witness some of the feats that are accomplished. These athletes continue to out-do previous records, some of which were thought to be unassailable.  In many cases it is a testimony to what can be accomplished if someone puts their mind to it.

As we compete in the Christian Olympics, we also must continue to grow and do better on a continual basis (compare 2 Peter 3:18; 1 Peter 2:1-2; Psalm 92:12).

Swifter

We are running in a race towards a prize. We are not to run lackadaisically or half-heartedly, but to run with certainty (compare Colossians 3:23).  Without a doubt, the quickest distance between where we are and where we are going is a straight and narrow line (compare Matthew 7:13-14); it does not wander aimlessly but stays on the track with the goal always in mind: “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it” (1 Corinthians 9:24).

Higher

We are to take the “high” way.  If we are of Christ, we are to seek and strive for those things above (compare Colossians 3:1-2)! God’s ways and thoughts are higher than ours (compare Isaiah 55:9). In and of ourselves we cannot reach these heights (compare Psalm 139:6).  But with the help of God we can soar to new altitudes that were once unobtainable (Psalm 18:33). This is what we should always be shooting for.

Stronger

God is our strength (Psalm 118:14), but this does not negate our part in our fight: “All that your hand finds to do, do it with your strength. For there is no work, or planning, or knowledge, or wisdom, in Sheol, there where you go (Ecclesiastes 9:10, LITV).” Now is the time to do all things through Christ who strengthens us (compare Philippians 4:13). Then we will increase all the more in strength as Paul did (compare Acts 9:22).

The finish line is in sight. Our goal is the Kingdom of God, and the gold medal is eternal life in His Family. In many respects it has been a marathon (compare Hebrews 12:1), and now more than ever as we come to the end. Brethren, let us finish Citius, Altius, Fortius!

Special Report–The War in the Caucasus

The Associated Press reported on August 8 that “Russia dispatched an armored column into the breakaway enclave of South Ossetia on Friday after Georgia, a staunch U.S. ally, launched a surprise offensive to crush separatists… The fighting, which devastated the capital of Tskhinvali, threatened to… escalate tensions between Moscow and Washington…”

And indeed, it has escalated tensions. Russia has once again shown its true colors, and both the USA and Europe have been incapable or unwilling to do anything about it–notwithstanding some “harsh” lip services of “condemnation.” Although Russia claims that it had to act to protect Russian citizens in South Ossetia, this claim is belied by its brutal actions against innocent women and children. Russia’s real goals are quite different–and have nothing to do with the welfare of the South Ossetian people. America and Europe should not have been caught by surprise as they were–and their conduct in this power play has been quite embarrassing.

Even though Russia has claimed that it has ceased further aggressions against Georgia, new reports prove the opposite. In any event, the conflict is far from over and will continue to be fought on the political stage. Will America overcome its weakness and paralysis and do something productive in this matter? The recent developments seem to suggest the opposite. Insofar as Europe is concerned, they have again realized the sad state of affairs for themselves–that they are presently too powerless to stand up against the Russian Bear.

The BIBLE indicates that the situation on the world scene will drastically change in a few years from now. While America’s influence will steadily deteriorate, a united Europe will become a very powerful entity in the world. At that time, Europe WILL react MILITARILY to perceived or real Russian aggression–as Russia has proven historically that it IS willing to invade other countries if it seems to serve its purposes. But that future conflict won’t be good news for the world, either. Notice this remarkable prophecy in the book of Daniel, pertaining to the very end time:

“But news from the east and the north [referring to countries like Russia and China] shall trouble him [the “king of the North,” a future political leader of a united States of Europe]; therefore he shall go out with great fury to destroy and annihilate many… yet he shall come to his end, and no one will help him” (Daniel 11:44).

Notice the following excerpts from the world press, reporting on the ongoing crisis in the Caucasus. They demonstrate how wars are made and lost; how war propaganda is aimed at brainwashing people and soliciting “patriotic and nationalistic support”; and how interests of big politics [including the brutal occupation of other countries and the fight for oil] overrule any humanitarian decency and love for our fellow man (compare James 4:1-4).

It’s the Oil

Der Spiegel Online reported on August 8:

“[The conflict] is one that, in the past, has repeatedly shone the spotlight on differences between Russia and the US. Russia does not want to lose its influence on the former Soviet Republic of Georgia whereas Washington — which sees the country as a vital regional bridgehead and as an important transit country for gas and oil — would like to see the country join NATO and has provided political and economic support…

“Europe has also supported Tbilisi so far… But now that bombs have started to fall, no one in Brussels, Berlin or Paris quite knows what to do…

“As the gateway to the Central Asian oil and gas fields, the former Soviet nation has huge strategic importance to Europe. Planned pipelines will pass through Georgia to help reduce Europe’s energy dependence on Russia. The EU has pumped more than €500 million ($754 million) into aid and development programs in the country…”

The Associated Press reported on August 8:

“A U.S.-backed oil pipeline runs through Georgia, allowing the West to reduce its reliance on Middle Eastern oil while bypassing Russia and Iran… The pipeline that crosses Georgia can pump slightly more than 1 million barrels of crude oil per day, or more than 1 percent of the world’s daily crude output. The 1,100-mile pipeline carries oil from Azerbaijan’s Caspian Sea fields, estimated to hold the world’s third-largest reserves.”

In this context, the following unverified report by Reuters, dated August 9, is quite alarming:

“Russian fighter jets targeted the… major Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) oil pipeline which carries oil to the West from Asia but missed, Georgia’s Economic Development Minister… said on Saturday.”

War Propaganda–How Russia Distorts the Facts and Justifies War Crimes

In spite of Russia’s brutal actions against Georgia, murdering indiscriminately women and children, in a terrible piece of war propaganda, the Russian Pravda justified on August 9 Russia’s action. In distorting the facts and ignoring Russia’s brutal murderous conduct, as has sadly occurred so many times before in its bloody history, the article spread the following fairy tale for warmongers under its appalling headline: “Russia: Again Savior of Peace and Life”:

“The international community collectively held their breath waiting for the reaction of Russia after the savage, brutal, criminal attack by Georgia on South Ossetia. After having offered a cease fire in hostilities, the back stabbing Georgians immediately violated the cease fire, invading South Ossetia and causing massive destruction and death among innocent civilians, among peacekeepers and also destroying a hospital… Georgian troops attempted to storm the city much as Hitler’s Panzer divisions blazed through Europe. Also noteworthy is the fact that Georgian tanks and infantry were being aided by Israeli advisors, a true indicator that this conflict was instigated by outside forces.

“Meanwhile, the western corporate media was maintaining a blackout of ‘the grand silence’ on the aggression of Georgia. When they did finally report on it, they were as usual telling the story backwards with headlines such as ‘Russian Jets Attack Georgia’ and ‘They Have Declared War Against Us’ as though Georgia had not done anything wrong… NATO, the US and the EU all called for an immediate end to hostilities… In a display of cowboy bravado, Georgia also announced that their contingent in Iraq would be withdrawn, ostensibly to be available for further incursions and murderous rampages such as the one of Friday morning…

“President Medvedev said, ‘The Russian military presence in South Ossetia complies with international law and is aimed at enforcing peace. As it has been throughout history, Russia continues to guarantee peace and security in the Caucasus…’ Vladimir Putin stopped by the North Ossetian capital on his way back from the Olympics to survey the situation and speak about the refugee situation. ‘Georgia’s actions are criminal, whereas Russia’s actions are absolutely legitimate,’ the Russian Prime Minister said…

“And so protecting LIFE is the honorable duty of the Russian military. Much as it was during the Great Patriotic War, when the Red Army hoisted the hammer and sickle flag on the Reichstag building, signifying the defeat of fascism.”

Can ANYONE, who knows just a little about Russia’s brutal and bloody history, really believe the nerve with which this article was written? Sadly, some WILL believe it–and that is WHY wars are fought and WHY man CANNOT live in peace with his neighbor. The bloody and murderous history of mankind WILL continue–until Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, returns to put an end to this MADNESS.

More Russian Propaganda

Sadly, AFP reported on August 12 about another incredible piece of Russian propaganda, as follows:

“Former Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachev, commenting on the Russia-Georgia conflict, accused the United States of making a ‘serious blunder’ in pursuing its interest in the Caucasus region. He also said that the US charge that Russia was committing aggression into Georgia was ‘not just hypocritical but shows a lack of humanity’.

“‘By declaring the Caucasus, a region that is thousands of miles from the American continent, a sphere of its “national interest”, the United States made a serious blunder’, Mr Gorbachev said in an opinion piece to be published in the Washington Post on Tuesday. Mr Gorbachev, the last leader of the Soviet Union, said Russia was not seeking territorial expansion, but it has ‘legitimate interests’ in this region.”

Europe Did NOT Help Georgia

Der Spiegel wrote on August 11:

“The dispatch of the Black Sea fleet to Abkhazia, the bombing of the Georgian towns of Poti and Gori and of an aircraft factory near the Georgian capital of Tbilisi show how determined Russia is to escalate this conflict. And how uninterested Russia is in living up to its role as a peacekeeping power. Russia wants to prevent Georgia from joining NATO and it wants to topple Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, the initiator of this policy… The Russian attacks are a blatant violation of Georgian territorial sovereignty, and the fact that many Abkhazians and South Ossetians have Russian passports provides no legal justification for Russia’s actions…

“Since Saakashvili came to power in 2004 with the ‘Rose Revolution,’ he has been urging US and Europe to take a greater role in helping to solve the conflicts. His calls have been in vain as far as Europe is concerned. Georgia is a member of the EU’s European Neighborhood Policy, but when it came to concrete steps to limit and prevent conflicts, Berlin in particular has been quite reticent — in contrast with Sweden, Poland and the Baltic States.

“Georgia’s demands for European solidarity have been refused amid — albeit justified — criticism of the country’s democratic shortcomings… In the end it will be up to Washington to show Russia the red line it must not cross, although the threshold for US intervention will be very high. And for Berlin and Brussels, it’s time to grant Georgia the kind of European solidarity that a European state is entitled to under the European Charter of Fundamental Rights.”

Once Again, Russia Has Shown Its True Face

The Jerusalem Post wrote on August 12:

“Earlier in the day, Medvedev ordered a halt to military action in Georgia, after five days of air and land attacks that took Russian forces deep into its small US-allied neighbor in the Caucasus… The UN and NATO had called meetings Tuesday to deal with the conflict, which… raised fears in former Soviet bloc nations of Eastern Europe. Poland’s president and the leaders of four ex-Soviet republics headed to Georgia for a meeting with President Mikhail Saakashvili to send a signal of solidarity with Tbilisi.

“‘We may say that the Russian state has once again shown its face, its true face,’ said Poland’s Lech Kaczynski, who will be joined by counterparts from Lithuania, Estonia, Ukraine and Latvia… The Russian onslaught, accompanied by relentless Russian air raids on Georgian territory, angered the West, bringing the toughest words yet from US President George W. Bush… ‘Russia has invaded a sovereign neighboring state and threatens a democratic government elected by its people. Such an action is unacceptable in the 21st century,’ Bush said in a televised statement from the White House.”

Russia’s TRUE Intentions

On August 12, The New York Times published an article, which was re-published by Der Spiegel, stating the following:

“Russia is portraying its war in Georgia as a legitimate response to Georgia’s incursion last week into its breakaway region of South Ossetia… But the truth is that for the past several months, Russia, not Georgia, has been stoking tensions in South Ossetia and another of Georgia’s breakaway areas, Abkhazia. After NATO held a summit in Bucharest, Romania, in April — at which Georgia and Ukraine received positive signs of potential membership — then-President Vladimir Putin of Russia signed a decree effectively treating Abkhazia and South Ossetia as parts of the Russian Federation. This was a direct violation of Georgia’s territorial integrity.

“It came after years of growing Russian efforts to assert control over these regions, for example, by distributing Russian passports to citizens and arranging the appointment of Russians to the territories’ governments. Mr. Putin, who is now Russia’s prime minister, oversaw a build-up of Russian ‘peacekeeping’ forces in Abkhazia, which was clearly intended to provoke Georgia into a military response. Yet Georgia showed restraint — in large part because Mr. Saakashvili understood that military adventurism would harm his NATO prospects. Moscow, in turn, transferred its efforts to South Ossetia, where pro-Russian rebels carried out attacks on Georgian forces and villages, finally provoking the response that Moscow had sought as a pretext to intervene.

“Now Moscow has sent out the Black Sea fleet to Georgia’s coast and broadened the war into Abkhazia and Georgia proper, showing that Moscow’s war is not just about South Ossetia. In any case, Moscow’s own treatment of separatism — killing tens of thousands of Chechens over the past decade — says volumes about its claims that it is just trying to protect a minority population.

“This war is about making an example in Georgia, about the consequences post-Soviet countries will suffer for standing up to Moscow, conducting democratic reforms and seeking military and economic ties with the West. No Eurasian country has come so far as Georgia in recent years in terms of democratization and reform. Georgia has the third-largest contingent of forces in Iraq, and before this crisis it had pledged to send forces to Afghanistan…

“Should we allow Russia to occupy Georgia or even just depose the Saakashvili government, the implications for America’s standing in Eurasia would be dire… Indeed, we have no real military options against Russia. But we can put together a meaningful comprehensive reaction, attaching real costs to Russia for its policies.

“America must hit where it hurts: Russia’s international prestige, an obsession of Mr. Putin’s. To begin with, we must do everything possible to see Russia’s membership in the Group of 8 industrialized nations be suspended (something the Republican presidential hopeful John McCain called for even before this crisis). Once the fighting is over, America must step up its campaign for NATO membership for Georgia and Ukraine. Should European countries reject the idea, America could designate them ‘major non-NATO allies,’ along the lines of Israel and Pakistan. This would involve more American military trainers in Georgia, intelligence-sharing, joint exercises and other steps, if not a full pledge by Washington to defend the country in case of attack.

“Finally, in a measure of fitting symbolism, America must note that Russia started this war on the opening day of the Olympics, while it plans to hold its own Winter Olympics only a dozen miles from the victim of its aggression. America should seriously consider announcing a boycott of the 2014 Sochi Olympics. We owe our Georgian allies nothing less.”

“Vladimir Bonaparte”

On August 12, 2008, The Wall Street Journal wrote the following:

“The farther Russia’s tanks roll into Georgia, the more the world is beginning to see the reality of Vladimir Putin’s Napoleonic ambitions. Having consolidated his authoritarian transition as Prime Minister with a figurehead President, Mr. Putin is now pushing to reassert Russian dominance in Eurasia. Ukraine is in his sights, and even the Baltic states could be threatened if he’s allowed to get away with it. The West needs to draw a line at Georgia…

“While the rape of Chechnya was brutal, this is the most brazen act of Mr. Putin’s reign, the first military offensive outside Russia’s borders since Soviet rule ended. Yet it also fits a pattern of other threats and affronts to Russia’s neighbors: turning off the oil or natural-gas taps to Ukraine, Belarus, Georgia, and even to NATO-member Lithuania; launching a cyberassault on Estonia; opposing two antimissile sites in NATO members in Eastern Europe that couldn’t begin to neutralize Russia’s offensive capabilities…

“The Georgia invasion is a direct slap at the Western alliance. Tbilisi, like Kiev, has been pushing for NATO membership. Mr. Putin decided to act while some alliance members, led by Germany, dallied over their applications. Georgia was first. Ukraine, which has been pushing Russia to move its Black Sea fleet’s headquarters out of the Crimea, could be next…”

“As for the U.S., this is perhaps the last chance for President Bush to salvage any kind of positive legacy toward Russia, amid what is a useful record elsewhere in Eurasia. While Mr. Bush has championed the region’s fledgling democracies, he and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice badly misjudged Mr. Putin. Now would be a good moment for Mr. Bush to publicly acknowledge his misjudgment and rally the West’s response.

“John McCain had the Russian leader pegged better, which speaks well of his foreign-policy instincts. The Republican Presidential candidate has long said that Russia should be booted from the G-8 and yesterday he outlined a forceful Western strategy on Russia that stops short of military action. Barack Obama has in the past indicated support for the Georgia and Ukraine NATO bids, but the Democratic candidate has yet to explain in any detail how he would respond to the current conflict.”

How Much Can You Believe Russia?

The Associated Press reported on August 12:

“The State Department is recommending that all U.S. citizens to leave Georgia due to ongoing Russian bombing of civilian and military targets despite Russia’s claim to have halted military operations there.

“In a new travel warning, it says the security situation throughout Georgia remains uncertain and that it is organizing a third evacuation convoy to take Americans who want to leave by road to neighboring Armenia. More than 170 Americans left Georgia on Sunday and Monday in two similar convoys. The entire contingent of Peace Corps volunteers in Georgia has left for Armenia.

“The department says the U.S. Embassy in Tbilisi remains open for emergency services and that Americans who chose not to leave should consider moving to secure locations.”

Will the USA Be Drawn Into the War?

Times On Line reported on August 13:

“President Bush dispatched US military hardware to the heart of the Caucasus yesterday and warned Russia that it could be frozen out of international bodies as punishment for its aggression in Georgia. In his toughest criticism of Russia since becoming President, Mr Bush accused it of breaching the provisional ceasefire agreed with Georgia only 24 hours earlier.  He cited intelligence showing that Russian troops had again taken the town of Gori and could threaten the capital, Tbilisi. He insisted that Moscow respect the former Soviet republic’s territorial integrity. There were also reports of Russian-backed militia in South Ossetia looting ethnic Georgian villages and killing inhabitants…

“Although direct military intervention is not being considered, Pentagon sources have hinted that a limited number of troops could be deployed to support what Mr Bush described as a vigorous and continuing humanitarian mission headed by the US military. The first US air force transport aircraft arrived last night, and the navy was heading to the Black Sea – which is controlled by Russian warships – to deliver humanitarian and medical supplies direct to Georgian ports…

“Condoleezza Rice, the US Secretary of State, flew to France last night to meet President Sarkozy before heading to Tbilisi. Sergei Lavrov, her Russian counterpart, said that the US must choose between supporting the Georgian leadership and maintaining a partnership with Russia on international issues. Dr Rice said: ‘This is not 1968 and the invasion of Czechoslovakia, where Russia can threaten its neighbours, occupy a capital, overthrow a government and get away with it. Things have changed.'”

Is The USA Waking Up?

Time Magazine published the following analysis on August 12, with the headline: “Failing the Georgia Test”:

“Russia’s swift invasion of Georgia appears to have met its goals: humiliating a neighbor that deigned to escape its sphere of influence, and proving that the Bear still has very sharp claws. While it is not yet clear that all military operations have ceased (Georgia reported that bombings continue), the past five days have been a test case for the limits of post-Iraq U.S. power – and the nimbleness of American policy. The results are not encouraging for Washington: the incursion of Russian troops beyond the secessionist province of South Ossetia represents a direct challenge by Moscow to the U.S., the European Union and NATO, reviving the old confrontation between the former cold war adversaries.

“If the stakes are high, you wouldn’t have known it from Washington’s early reaction. The President made cautious statements of condemnation over the weekend at the Olympic games in Beijing, and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice remained on vacation, oddly absent from public view on an issue she had made her career on. At the same time, the presidential campaigns of Barack Obama and John McCain have seen the crisis largely as an occasion for political sniping, perhaps more eager to gain an edge in the race for the White House than they are to seek solutions.

“The Administration struggled to shape a response to the crisis from the beginning. A senior State department official tells TIME that on Aug. 7 he personally warned the Georgian foreign minister ‘not to get into a military tangle’ with the Russians. ‘The Russians are looking for an excuse to kill Georgians,’ the official says he told the foreign minister – reiterating a similar message the official says he delivered in May, during a prior uptick in tensions. But the warning came too late: Georgia’s attack in South Ossetia, in response to provocative attacks by pro-Moscow separatists, began Aug. 6; by the time of the State Department official’s warning, a day later, Russia’s forces were already on the move…

“The crisis has played mostly to McCain’s advantage. McCain and his advisers have long pushed for the U.S. to respond more aggressively to Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s threats against pro-Western neighbors like Georgia and Ukraine by kicking it out of the G-8 and limiting its contact with NATO. The campaign wasted no time calling this position ‘prescient,’ and it called for a more thorough application of diplomatic pressure than did either the Administration or the Obama campaign – including an emergency session of the NATO council to consider a peacekeeping force, to reassess relations with Russia and to reconsider offering a membership plan to Georgia.

“Obama’s campaign made two early missteps. First, in its initial statement, it called for restraint from both Russia and Georgia… Then Obama’s campaign released a statement questioning McCain’s objectivity in the crisis because a top McCain aide, Randy Scheunemann, had lobbied for the Georgians…

“What neither Bush nor either of the campaigns are saying is that the outcome of conflict in Georgia is likely to redefine perceptions of American and European power around the world, especially in the strategically important regions of the caucuses and Central Asia. Russia’s attack has been met with fairly weak diplomatic warnings; and, with no negative consequences in the offing for its adventure, the invasion could mark a return of the military compulsion Moscow practiced in the Soviet era. There is no greater incentive than success.”

Germany’s Newspapers Demand: “The West Must Stop Putin”

Der Spiegel Online wrote on August 13:

“The West urgently needs to get tough to contain Russia’s new-found imperialism in the wake of its military action in Georgia, write German media commentators. The problem is that the EU, as usual, lacks the required unity while the US has a lame duck president whose invasion of Iraq robbed him of authority. Russia has shown the world it won’t shy away from using tanks to enforce its geopolitical interests. And the West has shown it doesn’t have any leverage to halt Russia’s new-found imperialism, write German newspaper commentators…

“Left-leaning Die Tageszeitung writes: ‘The EU cannot accept such developments in neighboring countries and it must not look on without doing something…’ Center-right Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung writes: ‘The West would be well advised to get used to the idea that Moscow no longer shies away from military action in pursuing its interests. That forces the EU to define its foreign policy lines more clearly. Should a country like Georgia that is of strategic importance to the West as a transit country for oil and gas be left to Russia? The EU will have to tackle these uncomfortable questions and even more uncomfortable answers, if it ever wants to be more than a superfluous ‘mediator’ in the step-by-step restoration of the Russian empire.’

“Center-left Süddeutsche Zeitung writes: ‘…After hesitating for days, George W. Bush found strong words and branded the Russian attack on a “sovereign neighboring state” as unacceptable in the 21st century. But the admonition of the outgoing American president won’t have much impact in Moscow. Firstly, the Russian leadership doesn’t see itself as morally accountable to the Iraq warrior Bush. Secondly, it’s waiting to see who will be moving into the White House: Republican hawk John McCain, who wants to throw Russia out of the G8 group of leading industrial nations, or the young Democrat Barack Obama who has made more moderate noises…’

“Business daily Financial Times Deutschland writes: ‘The world, and that means not just the West, has a choice: It can keep on knuckling under to Putin by just tut-tutting and doing nothing. If it does, it will have to live with the consequences of Putin’s imperialism. Or it shows him a clear stop sign and forces him and his so-called peacekeepers out of Georgia so that an international peacekeeping force can be stationed in Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Travel restrictions, economic sanctions or frozen Russian bank accounts abroad are measures that could hit Russia’s economy hard.'”

… And Big Politics and Fighting Are Going On…

The Associated Press reported on August 14:

“The White House says it is ignoring Russia’s claims that Georgia’s territorial integrity has been breached and that its two separatist provinces will no longer be part of the former Soviet Republic… Russia apparently is sabotaging airfields and other military infrastructure in Georgia as its forces pull back, in a deliberate attempt to cripple the already battered, U.S.-trained Georgian military, a U.S. official said Thursday.

“Reports from Georgia indicate that Russian forces are doing what they can to disable Georgia’s ability to fight a future conflict, the official said. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to describe incomplete but apparently convincing eyewitness accounts. Explosions were heard near Gori on Thursday as a Russian troop withdrawal from the strategic city seemed to collapse. A fragile cease-fire appeared even more shaky as Russia’s foreign minister declared that the world ‘can forget about any talk about Georgia’s territorial integrity.'”

That was one of Russia’s goals from the outset–to occupy Georgia and to force it back into the “loving” arms of  “Mother Russia.” In the recent past, Russia occupied and brutally suppressed the peoples of Poland, East Germany and Czechoslovakia. It is now trying to do the same regarding former Soviet countries, beginning with Georgia. As reported above, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said: “This is not 1968 and the invasion of Czechoslovakia, where Russia can threaten its neighbours, occupy a capital, overthrow a government and get away with it. Things have changed.”

But have they? Only the future will tell.

For more information, please read our free booklets, “Europe in Prophecy,” “The Fall and Rise of Britain and America,” and “The Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord.”

Actually, Christ’s words, as quoted above in the book of Matthew, are also recorded in Mark 13:30 and in Luke 21:32. Christ had been asked privately by four of His disciples (Mark 13:3) “… when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” (Matthew 24:3). Christ proceeded to describe events which would take place, leading to His Second Coming and to the end of THIS age and the beginning of the Millennium–the NEW age of the wonderful world tomorrow.

He warned against ever-increasing religious deception, wars, famines, pestilences and earthquakes (Matthew 24:4-7); as well as religious and national persecution of spiritual and physical “Israel,” which persecution is also referred to as the Great Tribulation (Matthew 24:9, 15-28; Mark 13:9, 11-23; Luke 21:12-24). He stated that the Great Tribulation will be followed by heavenly signs or cosmic disturbances (Matthew 24:29; Mark 13:24; Luke 21:25-26), which will finally lead to His return in great power and great glory (Matthew 24:30-31; Mark 13:26-27: Luke 21:27-28).

It is in THAT context that Jesus added the following words:

“Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near–at the doors! Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away” (Matthew 24:32-35).

It is clarified in the parallel Scripture in Luke 21:31, that Christ was speaking about His Coming and the establishment of the “kingdom of God” here on earth: “So you also, when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near.” He also made clear that before the Kingdom of God would be established on earth, the gospel or good news of the Kingdom would be “preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations” (Matthew 24:14).

Commentaries are divided on the meaning of Christ’s statement that “this generation” would not pass away.

(1) Some erroneously assume that Christ was addressing His disciples at the time prior to His death, and that He was promising them that He would return in their lifetime. These commentaries overlook that Christ was not only addressing His four disciples who had asked Him about the signs of His coming, but that He spoke to ALL of His disciples–present and future. He specifically said in Mark 13:37: “And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!”

Also, whenever the Bible uses the expression “you,” it is referring to the physical or spiritual “descendants” of “Israel”–including the modern descendants of the physical nations of the ancient Houses of Israel and Judah, AND the modern descendants of spiritual Israel, which is the Church of God (Galatians 6:16).

Since Jesus did NOT return in the lifetimes of His early disciples, we can rule out the possibility that He was talking about the generation at the time of the Twelve Apostles. He clearly did not mean to tell them that their generation–the people living at the time of the original Apostles–would not die out before His return. Christ could not have meant that, as otherwise, He would have lied. Lying is sinning–a transgression of one of the Ten Commandments–but Christ never sinned (compare 1 Peter 2:22).

(2) Other commentaries state that the word “generation” can mean “race,” and that Christ meant that Israel as a people would not cease to exist before Christ’s return (compare The Nelson Study Bible).

Even though it is true that Israel as a people would not cease to exist–and neither would the Church of God (spiritual Israel)–it is doubtful that Jesus had that aspect in mind. Rather, He emphasized the need for His disciples to watch world events and to be ready for His return. He told us that when “these things BEGIN to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near” (Luke 21:28). The context of His statement that “this generation” would not pass away, is clearly the very end time, just prior to His return, not the continuing existence of “Israel” for over 2,000 years. The events described by Christ were meant to be indications for His end-time disciples that He would return soon.

(3) Therefore, some commentaries offer the explanation that “the word describes a particular era in which people will see the end times. That is, the events will occur so rapidly that all will happen within one generation. ‘All these things’ includes the Antichrist [better, the manifestation of the Beast and the False Prophet, compare Revelation 19:19-20], the tribulation, and more importantly the appearance of Christ in glory” (The Nelson Study Bible).

This is the correct explanation. We need to realize that the Greek word for “generation,” i.e., “genea,” can describe a particular people at a very specific time–not the entire race throughout many “generations.” For instance, Christ spoke on several occasions to His particular “generation” which was alive at the time of His First Coming, and He did NOT mean that THAT generation would not die until His return. Notice Matthew 12:41-42: “The men of Nineveh will RISE UP in the JUDGMENT [the Great White Throne Judgment, after the Millennium, compare Revelation 20:11-12] WITH THIS GENERATION [so they will have also died] and condemn it… The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with THIS generation and condemn it…”

Christ said in Mark 8:12 that no sign from heaven would be given to “this generation” (living at the time of Christ’s First Coming), but we just read that heavenly signs WILL be given to a future generation, which will live just prior to His return.

(4) We might wonder how long a “generation” lasts, according to the Bible. We find a biblical definition for the approximate length of a human life in this modern day and age in Psalm 90:10, where we read: “The days of our lives are seventy years; And if by reason of strength they are eighty years, Yet their boast is only labor and sorrow; For it is soon cut off, and we fly away.” We also read in God’s Word that God sometimes shortens or prolongs human life, and that bloodthirsty and deceitful men may not live out HALF their days (Psalm 55:23). This is an interesting statement in light of the fact that men will be so bloodthirsty and destructive in the end time that Christ will HAVE to come and SHORTEN the days of worldwide warfare, lest ANY man would be saved alive or survive (Matthew 24:22).

At this moment in time, we have not yet seen the beginning of the Great Tribulation, but we have been witnessing ever-increasing religious deception, wars, earthquakes, famines and disease epidemics–events which are described by Christ as the “beginning of sorrows” (Matthew 24:8). These will become more and more visible and frightening in the years to come. We do not know the exact time of Christ’s return, but based on the parable of the fig tree, we CAN say that we ARE living today in the very last generation, and that Christ WILL return BEFORE this present generation has “passed away.” It is therefore important for us to watch and pray, and to be “ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an HOUR [we] do NOT expect” (Matthew 24:44).

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

An advertisement for our free Public Bible Lecture in Fort Collins, Colorado, on September 7 has been posted on the Internet. The ad is targeted for the Fort Collins area. Please pray for the success of this ad and the lecture.

Recently, we had to reprint our booklet, “Europe in Prophecy.” Now, we will reprint our booklet, “The Mysteries of the Bible.”

The following sermons by Norbert Link have been posted on Google Video:

“Bible Study–The Book of Malachi” (August 9, 2008)

“Bible Study–How Assertive Are You?” (August 27, 2005)

“Bible Study–The Son of Man and of God” (December 17, 2005)

A new StandingWatch program in the German language was posted on our German Website and on YouTube It is titled, “Krieg mit Iran–Nie im Leben?” (i.e., “War With Iran–Not in Your Life?”)