On Saturday, June 28, 2008, Norbert Link will give the sermon, titled, “Marriage–Physical and Spiritual.”

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 were the words of a primate in a Walt Disney cartoon movie which was released in the 70’s. The lyrics went something like this: “I wanna walk like you, I wanna talk like you, I wanna be human too.”

In that movie, a primate is portrayed as wanting to be human. In reality, man should have the desire to become like God. God lives forever, and it is somewhat ironic that the Creator God has built into us a desire to go on; that is, to live forever. No one in his right mind really wants to die–that is, under normal circumstances and conditions. There are situations when one is suffering so much that he may want to die, but normally, one wants to live and live on forever.

We are made today in the physical shape of God, but subject to death. God is not. However, He offers man the opportunity to live forever as well, if man becomes more and more like He is.

It is not impossible for man to become more and more like God–if man avails himself of God’s help.

God is love (1 John 4:8). He has demonstrated that love by sacrificing His Son for us (John 3:16). He has created in man as well the capacity to love and be loved by others.

God is merciful, and we can show mercy. God can get jealous in the right way (Exodus 20:5), and we also are sometimes justified in becoming jealous. God even gets angry at times (2 Kings 17:18). His anger is always controlled and for the correct reason. Scripture tells us to be angry and sin not (Ephesians 4:26). Even when our anger is righteous–which is seldom the case–we still have to control our anger.

With God’s Spirit in us, we are able to build a close and intimate relationship with God, so that we can feel confident in bringing our problems to Him. We can look to Him for healing–both physically and emotionally, if we suffer from trauma or from psychological scars because we were abused by others in the past. God is our comforter (Psalm 86:17).  He also fights our physical and spiritual battles for us (1 Samuel 17: 46-47). In relying on God, we can become more and more like Him–including the ability to comfort others who are in need.

It is the desire within each and every converted child of God to be like their Father and their elder brother Jesus Christ, whose footsteps and example they are admonished to follow (1 Peter 2:21). We want to be like God–in character as well as, ultimately, in regard to His very essence.

Our physical bodies wear down and eventually fail. God is Spirit and never wears down. He never gets tired or runs out of energy. We aspire to be like that; especially, as we get older and when our minds say, “Do,”  and our bodies say, “That’s enough.

Paul told Felix that he stood before him for the hope of the resurrection (Acts 24:21). Our desire to be totally like our Father and Jesus Christ will not be achieved until our resurrection to eternal life or the change of our bodies from physical to spirit, from mortal to immortal. We will then have all the energy we need to carry out every task that God has in mind for us, without ever running out of steam. That day will just be marvelous. In the meantime, we can say in our  minds: “I wanna be like You,” knowing that this is the will of God and that it will be reality for us in the near future.

Everything Is Spinning Out of Control

In an eye-opening and thought-provoking article, The Associated Press wrote on June 21 that conditions in the USA and around the world have run out of control in unparalleled ways–raising the all-important questions: Why is it happening, and can solutions be found?

The article stated:

“Is everything spinning out of control? Midwestern levees are bursting. Polar bears are adrift. Gas prices are skyrocketing. Home values are abysmal. Air fares, college tuition and health care border on unaffordable. Wars without end rage in Iraq, Afghanistan and against terrorism… The can-do, bootstrap approach embedded in the American psyche is under assault. Eroding it is a dour powerlessness that is chipping away at the country’s sturdy conviction that destiny can be commanded with sheer courage and perseverance.

“The sense of helplessness is even reflected in this year’s presidential election… An Associated Press-Ipsos poll says a barrel-scraping 17 percent of people surveyed believe the country is moving in the right direction. That is the lowest reading since the survey began in 2003…

“Recent natural disasters around the world dwarf anything afflicting the U.S. Consider that more than 69,000 people died in the China earthquake, and that 78,000 were killed and 56,000 missing from the Myanmar cyclone…

“Food is becoming scarcer and more expensive on a worldwide scale, due to increased consumption in growing countries such as China and India and rising fuel costs. That can-do solution to energy needs — turning corn into fuel — is sapping fields of plenty once devoted to crops that people need to eat. Shortages have sparked riots. In the U.S., rice prices tripled and some stores rationed the staple. Residents of the nation’s capital and its suburbs repeatedly lose power for extended periods as mere thunderstorms rumble through. In California, leaders warn people to use less water in the unrelenting drought. Want to get away from it all? The weak U.S. dollar makes travel abroad forbiddingly expensive. To add insult to injury, some airlines now charge to check luggage…

“American University historian Allan J. Lichtman notes that the U.S. has endured comparable periods and worse, including the economic stagflation (stagnant growth combined with inflation) and Iran hostage crisis of 1980; the dawn of the Cold War, the Korean War and the hysterical hunts for domestic Communists in the late 1940s and early 1950s; and the Depression of the 1930s. ‘All those periods were followed by much more optimistic periods in which the American people had their confidence restored,’ he said. ‘Of course, that doesn’t mean it will happen again.’…

“Records were shattered by voters showing up at polling places, yearning for a voice in who will next guide the country as it confronts the uncontrollable. Never mind that their views of their current leaders are near rock bottom, reflecting a frustration with Washington’s inability to solve anything. President Bush barely gets the approval of three in 10 people, and it’s even worse for the Democratic-led Congress.

“Why the vulnerability? After all, this is the 21st century, not a more primitive past when little in life was assured. Surely people know how to fix problems now. Maybe. And maybe this is what the 21st century will be about — a great unraveling of some things long taken for granted.”

Unprecedented Lightning Storm Causes Hundreds of California Wild Fires

On June 24, The Associated Press reported the following:

“Fire crews joined aircraft from neighboring states Tuesday to battle hundreds of lightning-caused wildfires across Northern California… Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said he was told late Sunday evening that the state had 520 fires, and he found it ‘quite shocking’ that by Monday morning the number had risen above 700. Moments later, a top state fire official standing at Schwarzenegger’s side offered a grim update. The figure was actually 842 fires, said Del Walters, assistant regional chief of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. All but a couple were in the northern part of the state. ‘This is an unprecedented lightning storm in California, that it lasted as long as it did, 5,000 to 6,000 lightning strikes,’ Walters said. ‘We are finding fires all the time.'”

“The End Is Near”

UPI.com reported on June 23:

“Thousands of people in the Netherlands say they expect the world to end in 2012, and many say they are taking precautions to prepare for the apocalypse. The Dutch-language de Volkskrant newspaper said it spoke to thousands of believers in the impending end of civilization, and while theories on the supposed catastrophe varied, most tied the 2012 date to the end of the Mayan calendar, Radio Netherlands reported Monday. De Volkskrant said many of those interviewed are stocking up on emergency supplies, including life rafts and other equipment. Some who spoke to the newspaper were optimistic about the end of civilization. ‘You know, maybe it’s really not that bad that the Netherlands will be destroyed,’ Petra Faile said. ‘I don’t like it here anymore… The country will sink even lower, which will make the flooding worse.'”

In response to the timing of those doomsday predictions, please read our Q&A in this Update.

Inevitable–A “Two-Speed” Europe and a Core Europe

Bloomberg wrote on June 19:

“German Chancellor Angela Merkel rejected proposals that the European Union move on without Ireland after Irish voters vetoed the EU’s new governing treaty, saying there ‘is no other way’ than proceeding together. ‘A two-speed Europe is not the way forward,” Merkel told lawmakers in the lower house of parliament, the Bundestag, in Berlin today.  ‘We must ensure that treaties in the EU are promoted unanimously.’…

“Luxembourg’s Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn said he expects the Irish to vote again and Czech President Vaclav Klaus declared the treaty dead. Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi contradicted Merkel’s stance, saying that Ireland will be left to find its own way out. ‘We will indicate that the 26 remaining countries will approve the European Union treaty, excluding Ireland,’ Berlusconi said today in a speech in Rome to Italian retailers. ‘The 27th country, Ireland, will have to come up with its own solution.’

“Europe can afford individual member states staying out of specific policy areas such as the single currency or the passport-free ‘Schengen’ zone, Merkel said, citing Denmark which hasn’t joined the EU’s common security and defense policy…

“Merkel’s comments on a two-speed Europe also contrast with those of her foreign minister, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who raised the possibility June 14 in Beijing that ‘Ireland will make space for some time for an integration of the remaining 26 member states…’ Steinmeier, a Social Democrat, is a possible candidate to challenge Merkel, a Christian Democrat, for the chancellorship at elections next year.”

The Austrian news network (news.at) discussed on June 18 the concept of a core Europe, as follows:

“The former prime minister of Belgium, Guy Verhofstadt, recommended earlier in his book, ‘The United States of Europe,’ the initiative of [creating] a core Europe… The Green European representative, Daniel Cohn-Bendit, advocated in the magazine ‘Der Spiegel’ [the creation of] a core consisting of Germany, France, Italy, Spain and Poland ‘and of all those who want to belong.’… The chief of Luxembourg, Jean-Claude Juncker, said in ‘Deutschlandfunk’ that ‘there may be no other solution than to form the club of the few.'”

On June 19, The EUObserver published a commentary on the inevitability of a two-speed Europe and a core Europe. The comments were made by Christoph Leitl, President of SME Union (Small and Medium Entrepreneurs Union), the business organization of the European People’s Party and Honorary President of Eurochambres–The Association of European Chambers of Commerce and Industry. Leitl wrote:

“The shock waves of the Irish No are still being felt across Europe. But however bitter the rejection of the Lisbon Treaty is, Europe has to look ahead. The challenges Europe is facing are too big to be blocked by one single Member State… The defeat of the Reform Treaty marks a turning point…

“In the near future, it will certainly not be possible to reach consensus on either option – an integrated political European Union or a loose free trade zone – with 27 Member States… At the same time, a strong and united Europe is vital. One needs only to look at the Balkans to understand that an enhanced role of the European Union in the field of foreign and security policy is desperately needed… I am deeply convinced that the time has come for a courageous step by those who want to go for a more integrated European Union…

“One of Europe’s fundamental values is individuality. Individuality could also be the way out of this dead end. Just like there are two groups of countries within the EU Schengen agreement or like there are Members and Non Members of the Euro area, it should be possible that certain countries form a group that works closer together. Nobody should be obliged to participate in this core group. At the same time nobody should be able to object to this process either. Each and every Member State would have to decide whether it wishes to be in or out, whether it wants to be part of a pure economic community or also a joint political entity…

“A core Europe has always been inevitable. The only question was how it would come about… We need a coalition of the willing to get Europe back on track.”

The Bible is VERY clear that a core Europe WILL soon become reality. For more information, please read our free booklet, “Europe in Prophecy.” Please also make sure to watch our new StandingWatch program, “Ireland Says No–What Now?” StandingWatch, Google Video and YouTube. If you speak German, you might also want to watch the program in its German version, titled, “Irland Sagt Nein–Was Nun?” .

USA Blamed for Ireland’s Rejection of Lisbon Treaty

The EUObserver wrote on June 24:

“France’s Europe minister, Jean-Pierre Jouyet, has said that Europe has enemies in Washington, suggesting that neo-conservatives played a significant role in the Irish rejection of the Lisbon treaty earlier this month. French daily Le Monde reports Mr Jouyet as saying that ‘Europe has powerful enemies on the other side of the Atlantic, gifted with considerable financial means. The role of American neo-conservatives was very important in the victory of the No.’…

“Allegations that some funding for the No side came from across the Atlantic also came up during the Irish debate preceding the referendum. Libertas, an anti-treaty organisation campaigning on a platform of cutting Brussels red-tape, was on the receiving end of such accusations earlier this month…

“The Yes camp alleged it was being bankrolled by a US company, Rivada, which has links to the US military. Some key member of the Libertas campaign had been on Rivada’s payroll. Libertas chief Declan Ganley is also chief executive of Rivada, a telecommunications company.”

Not Easy to Be an American Abroad

In a telling article, Deutsche Welle reported on June 24:

“It’s not easy to be an American abroad these days. Not only is your government unpopular — the US embassy is also worried you’ll be hurt by rowdy enthusiasts of a strange, no-hands-allowed sport [referring to the Euro 2008 soccer tournament in Austria and Switzerland]…

“In the face of… manifold soccer perils, all American tourists can do is follow their embassy’s advice and ‘exercise caution…and be aware of their surroundings at all times.’ And those planning vacations for the future might well consider staying home.”

Will Israel Attack Iran After November 4, 2008 and Before January 20, 2009?

On June 24, The Telegraph reported:

“John Bolton, the former American ambassador to the United Nations, has predicted that Israel could attack Iran after the November presidential election but before George W Bush’s successor is sworn in. The Arab world would be ‘pleased’ by Israeli strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities, he said in an interview with The Daily Telegraph… Mr Bolton, an unflinching hawk who proposes military action to stop Iran developing nuclear weapons, bemoaned what he sees as a lack of will by the Bush administration to itself contemplate military strikes… Israel, however, still had a determination to prevent a nuclear Iran, he argued. The ‘optimal window’ for strikes would be between the November 4 election and the inauguration on January 20, 2009.

“‘The Israelis have one eye on the calendar because of the pace at which the Iranians are proceeding both to develop their nuclear weapons capability and to do things like increase their defences by buying new Russian anti-aircraft systems and further harden the nuclear installations. They’re also obviously looking at the American election calendar. My judgement is they would not want to do anything before our election because there’s no telling what impact it could have on the election.’ But waiting for either Barack Obama, the Democratic candidate, or his Republican opponent John McCain to be installed in the White House could preclude military action happening for the next four years or at least delay it…”

“Market Speculations and High Government Taxes Prime Cause for High Oil Prices”

The Washington Post wrote on June 22:

“Leaders from oil-producing and oil-consuming nations will meet here Sunday to try to pinpoint the reasons behind the rise in oil prices, which have doubled over the past year, and to find ways to bring them down.

“The summit, hastily convened by Saudi Arabia after oil prices nearly reached $140 a barrel this month, is meant to encourage key consumers and producers to join forces to combat high prices, officials said. Though officials from the more than 30 countries gathering here agree that the price must come down, they disagree sharply on the cause of the steep climb.

“U.S. Energy Secretary Samuel W. Bodman, representing the world’s top oil consumer, said Saturday that insufficient oil production is driving the soaring crude prices… But Saudi officials have argued that the market is sufficiently supplied and that market speculation — billions of dollars in financial investments in oil by investors hedging against a weakening U.S. dollar — is the primary force driving up prices… The Saudis have also said high government taxes on fuel and other geopolitical forces, such as instability in oil-producing countries including Iraq, Nigeria and Iran, were putting pressure on prices.”

High Oil Prices to Stay

The Associated Press wrote on June 23:

“Oil prices rose Monday as traders shrugged off a pledge by Saudi Arabia to increase its production and focused on disruptions to Nigerian supply and heightened Middle East tensions. Saudi Arabia said Sunday it would produce more crude oil this year if the market needs it. The kingdom announced a 300,000 barrel per day production increase in May and said before the start of the meeting in Jeddah that it would add another 200,000 barrels per day in July, raising total daily output to 9.7 million barrels…

“Saudi Arabia’s pledge fell far short of U.S. hopes for a specific increase… With expectations fading that the Saudi moves would drive the market downward, analysts suggested present high levels were here to stay, at least for the short term…

“Royal Dutch Shell PLC said Friday that it cannot meet contractual obligations to export oil from a Nigerian oil field following a militant attack Thursday… Also supporting oil prices were worries about heightened tensions between Israel and Iran, after Pentagon officials said Friday a large-scale Israeli military exercise in the eastern Mediterranean early this month could have been a demonstration of Jerusalem’s ability to attack Iranian nuclear facilities.”

“Defying U.S., EU Scraps Cuba Sanctions”

Reuters reported on June 19:

“European Union states agreed on Thursday to scrap sanctions against Cuba… The decision, taken despite U.S. calls for the world to remain tough on Havana, will be reviewed after one year, EU sources said… Unlike the 1962 U.S. embargo, the EU sanctions do not prevent trade and investment. Lifting the sanctions will put the EU at odds with Washington, which wants to maintain a hard line against Cuba.

“‘We certainly don’t see any kind of fundamental break with the Castro dictatorship that would give us reason to believe that now would be the time to lift sanctions,’ U.S. State Department spokesman Tom Casey said on Thursday. ‘We would not be supportive of the EU or anyone else easing those restrictions at this time.'”

A Russian-European Pact?

Reuters reported on June 25:

“Russia seeks a ‘serious’ pact with the European Union reaffirming it as part of Europe, President Dmitry Medvedev told Reuters ahead of a Russia-EU summit in Siberia. The summit starting on Thursday in Khanty-Mansiysk is expected to launch long-delayed talks on a partnership agreement governing relations between Russia and the EU.”

Europe–Don’t Expect Too Much From Obama

On June 18, Der Spiegel Online wrote:

“So far, the details of a European policy have been a non-existent issue in Barack Obama’s presidential campaign… What Obama pointedly did not do… was to attempt to focus the attention of the US electorate on such difficult questions as how, in the wake of the disastrous Bush presidency, a new American administration can go beyond mere rhetorical good will and get down to the hard work of repairing relations with key European allies… So far, at least, Europe has been almost completely off the Obama campaign’s radar…

“Obama has made one major foreign-policy speech since gaining the delegates he needs to score the nomination. Speaking before the American Israel Public Affairs Committee in Washington, Obama said, ‘Jerusalem will remain the capital of Israel, and it must remain undivided.’ Palestinian groups reacted to the nod to Israel with a fury pronounced enough to potentially complicate any Middle East peace negotiations in an Obama administration. To some, it was an indication that the outsized Obama-mania that is so widespread in European capitals may be tempered by a wave of at least mild skepticism… At this stage in the campaign, no one really expects Obama to articulate exactly how he will deal with European leaders.”

As the Bible shows, the relationship between the USA and Europe, which reached an unprecedented low under George Bush, will gradually turn worse, not better, REGARDLESS of who the next American president will be. This is one of MANY reasons why members of the Church of the Eternal God and its corporate international affiliates NEITHER endorse any political candidate NOR vote in governmental or presidential elections. For more information, please read our free booklets, “Should You Fight in War?”, “The Fall and Rise of Britain and America,” and “The Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord.”

Religious Confusion–Obama vs. Dobson

On June 23, 2008, The Associated Press reported about an ensuing biblical controversy between Barack Obama and James Dobson. As can be seen in the article, both are ignorant regarding some of God’s teachings, and their wrong understanding might only serve to confuse even more an unsuspecting and ignorant society.

The article pointed out:

“As Barack Obama broadens his outreach to evangelical voters, one of the movement’s biggest names, James Dobson, accuses the likely Democratic presidential nominee of distorting the Bible and pushing a ‘fruitcake interpretation’ of the Constitution… The conservative Christian group provided The Associated Press with an advance copy of the pre-taped radio segment, which runs 18 minutes and highlights excerpts of a speech Obama gave in June 2006 to the liberal Christian group Call to Renewal. Obama mentions Dobson in the speech.

“‘Even if we did have only Christians in our midst, if we expelled every non-Christian from the United States of America, whose Christianity would we teach in the schools?’ Obama said. ‘Would we go with James Dobson’s or Al Sharpton’s?’ referring to the civil rights leader.

“Dobson took aim at examples Obama cited in asking which Biblical passages should guide public policy – chapters like Leviticus, which Obama said suggests slavery is OK and eating shellfish is an abomination, or Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, ‘a passage that is so radical that it’s doubtful that our own Defense Department would survive its application.’ ‘Folks haven’t been reading their Bibles,’ Obama said.

“Dobson and Minnery accused Obama of wrongly equating Old Testament texts and dietary codes that no longer apply to Jesus’ teachings in the New Testament. ‘I think he’s deliberately distorting the traditional understanding of the Bible to fit his own worldview, his own confused theology,’ Dobson said. ‘… He is dragging biblical understanding through the gutter.'”

As mentioned, both Obama and Dobson, as well as many other religious “leaders,” are confused regarding important doctrinal issues. If you want to learn more about what the BIBLE teaches on those matters, please read our free booklet, “And Lawlessness Will Abound.”

Jury Duty for Priests?

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review wrote on June 25:

“Diocese of Pittsburgh Bishop David A. Zubik was selected Tuesday to serve on a jury for a home invasion case in Allegheny County court… Defense attorney James Sheets said the attorneys asked Zubik the same general questions they ask all jurors. A juror questionnaire asks, for example, if any religious, moral or ethical beliefs would prevent the prospective juror from sitting on a criminal case and reaching a fair verdict. ‘The bishop answered no to that question,’ Sheets said… Mike Manko, spokesman for District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr., said that prosecutors aren’t opposed to priests serving on juries and that Zubik’s jury service ‘is a great example to the community.’ Several priests from the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh have served on juries, but Zubik is the first bishop in recent memory to be seated…

“Cardinal John Joseph O’Connor, who headed the Archdiocese of New York from 1984 to 2000, used to forbid priests from serving on juries, said… Thomas Reese, a senior fellow at the Woodstock Theological Center at Georgetown University. ‘His argument was that being on a jury was participating in an act of government and the clergy were not supposed to be involved in government,’ said Reese. O’Connor would send a letter to the courts and the priest would be excused from serving. Zubik asked for no such dispensation, said Ray Billotte, county court administrator.”

American Pastors Challenge IRS

ABC News reported on June 20:

“Few Americans would invite an investigation by the Internal Revenue Service, but that’s exactly what Minnesota pastor Gus Booth wanted when he stood behind his pulpit and told his congregation God wanted them to vote Republican.

“In an election where candidates openly discuss their faith and are regularly seen in churches, and a time when pastors’ sermons lead the politics sections of newspapers, one might be excused for not knowing that it is illegal for a church to endorse or oppose a candidate for president.

“But when Booth addressed the members of his Warroad Community Church one Sunday in May and told them, ‘If you are a Christian, you cannot support a candidate like Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton for president,’ he very much knew he was violating the law. He even wrote a letter to the IRS explaining what he had said and challenging the tax collection agency to do something about it.

“Churches and other non-profit groups like charities and universities do not have to pay taxes. That exemption, however, comes with a price. Churches, and by extension the pastors who serve them in an official capacity, are not allowed to endorse or oppose political candidates.

“Booth, 34, is one of several religious leaders who this year hope to challenge federal law by flouting the regulations about endorsing candidates from the pulpit–a move that could potentially cost them their tax-exempt status, creating financial ruin for many congregations… Booth and other religious leaders who want to challenge the government believe their rights to freedom of speech and religion, enshrined in the First Amendment, permit them to say whatever they want, wherever they want. Those rights, they say, should trump a 54-year-old tax code…”

U.S. Supreme Court “Interprets” Second Amendment and Upholds an Individual Right to Own and Use Handguns

In a somewhat predictable, albeit regrettable move, the U.S. Supreme Court, in a 5-4 ruling, struck down the District of Columbia’s 32-year-old ban on handguns as incompatible with gun rights under the Second Amendment.

The Associated Press reported on June 26 the following:

“The court had not conclusively interpreted the Second Amendment since its ratification in 1791. The amendment reads: ‘A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.’

“The basic issue for the justices was whether the amendment protects an individual’s right to own guns no matter what, or whether that right is somehow tied to service in a state militia. Writing for the majority, Justice Antonin Scalia said that an individual right to bear arms is supported by ‘the historical narrative’ both before and after the Second Amendment was adopted…

“In a dissent he summarized from the bench, Justice John Paul Stevens wrote that the majority ‘would have us believe that over 200 years ago, the Framers made a choice to limit the tools available to elected officials wishing to regulate civilian uses of weapons.’ He said such evidence ‘is nowhere to be found.’ Justice Stephen Breyer wrote a separate dissent in which he said, ‘In my view, there simply is no untouchable constitutional right guaranteed by the Second Amendment to keep loaded handguns in the house in crime-ridden urban areas.'”

Der Spiegel Online commented on the decision, as follows: “According to estimates, there are 250 million guns in the USA. After enactment of a stricter law in 1976 for Washington, at that time known as the murder capitol, the number of capital crimes with guns greatly declined. Administrative officials of the capitol and organizations for the protection of the youth are now afraid that the number will rise again.”

cbs2chicago.com pointed out that “the gun ban in Washington, D.C., that was struck down Thursday, is the same as Chicago’s, forbidding the sale and possession of handguns.” The article continued:

“… the decision is expected to have effects across the country, including in Chicago, where a ban on the sale and registration of handguns has been in place since 1982. Only police officers, aldermen and a handful of others are exempt from the ban… Mayor Richard M. Daley is a staunch supporter of gun control, and says the recent police shootings – all of which allegedly involved offenders who aimed guns at officers – are the direct result of having too many guns on the street. Daley also says gun violence has claimed the lives of schoolchildren, and without the ban, the city would have more serious problems.

“‘It is an epidemic in America. There’s something about a handgun, there’s something about rifles and shotguns and Uzis people want, and drug dealers and gangbangers have them,’ Mayor Daley said. ‘And one thing we know – the more guns in society, the more victims you have in violent crimes.'”

And so, sadly, we will have to wait a little bit longer for the time when all men–including all judges, politicians and citizens of the USA–will understand the utter uselessness of guns–whether for the purpose of “self-defense” or otherwise–and when they finally “beat their swords into plowshares, And their spears into pruning hooks” (Isaiah 2:4).

Nonsense–Putting Oil Firm Chiefs on Criminal Trial for Denying Global Warming?

In a ridiculous move, a prominent scientist wants to put oil firm chiefs who deny global warming on trial for high crimes . Such irresponsible proposals only add to the dangerous trend to muzzle free speech and to label everything as “hate speech” or worse, which does not fit in the political agenda of “politically correct” opinions. You might want to listen to our recent StandingWatch program, discussing this frightening development, titled, “Beware of Hate Crimes.” It is posted on StandingWatch, Google Video and YouTube.

The Guardian reported on June 23:

“James Hansen, one of the world’s leading climate scientists, will today call for the chief executives of large fossil fuel companies to be put on trial for high crimes against humanity and nature, accusing them of actively spreading doubt about global warming in the same way that tobacco companies blurred the links between smoking and cancer.

“Hansen will use the symbolically charged 20th anniversary of his groundbreaking speech to the US Congress–in which he was among the first to sound the alarm over the reality of global warming–to argue that radical steps need to be taken immediately if the ‘perfect storm’ of irreversible climate change is not to become inevitable.”

In an accompanying article, the Guardian wrote on June 22:

“The majority of the British public is still not convinced that climate change is caused by humans–and many others believe scientists are exaggerating the problem, according to an exclusive poll for The Observer.

“The results have shocked campaigners who hoped that doubts would have been silenced by a report last year by more than 2,500 scientists for the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which found a 90 per cent chance that humans were the main cause of climate change and warned that drastic action was needed to cut greenhouse gas emissions… Some environmentalists blame the public’s doubts on last year’s Channel 4 documentary The Great Global Warming Swindle, and on recent books, including one by Lord Lawson, the former Chancellor, that question the consensus on climate change…

“Professor Bjorn Lomborg, author of The Skeptical Environmentalist, said politicians and campaigners were to blame for over-simplifying the problem by only publicising evidence to support the case… ‘If you’re saying, “We’re not going to tell you the whole truth, but we’re going to ask you to pay up a lot of money,” people are going to be unsure.'”

Before attempting to address those numbers, we need to understand–as we pointed out in detail in previous Q&As–that we do not know the exact day of Christ’s return. Matthew 24:44 reads: “Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” In Mark 13:32-33, we read Christ’s words: “But of that DAY and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is.” Neither Christ, nor God’s angels, nor we “know” [present tense!] the DAY and the HOUR of His coming. Christ seems to be saying that we won’t know the exact time — a phrase broader than just a 24-hour-day. The reason for this conclusion is given in Acts 1:6-7:

“Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, ‘Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?’ [They understood that Christ would establish the Kingdom of God on this earth, when He returns.] And He said to them, ‘It is not for you to know TIMES or SEASONS which the Father has put in His own authority.'”

It is the FATHER’S decision to determine when exactly to send Jesus Christ back to this earth. That is the reason why even Jesus Christ does not know the EXACT time. All attempts to figure out the exact time are also futile in light of Christ’s words in Matthew 24:21-22:

“For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were SHORTENED, no flesh would be saved [alive]: but for the elect’s sake those days will be SHORTENED.”

Some have speculated that Christ will return exactly three-and-a-half years after the beginning of the Great Tribulation (and the Church’s protection at a place of safety). This does not take into account, however, that these last days will be shortened. We also read in Hosea 6:1-2: “Come, and let us return to the LORD; For He has torn, but He will heal us; He has stricken, but He will bind us up. After two days He will revive us; On the third day [not: AFTER three-and-a-half prophetic days or years] He will raise us up.”

With this background, we must be careful when reviewing certain numbers in the book of Daniel. Some have used those numbers to try to figure out, exactly, the DAY of Christ’s return, or at least the YEAR.

(1) 2,300 Evenings and Mornings (Daniel 8:1-14)

Daniel 8:1-14 addresses the time when daily sacrifices will be brought, but subsequently abolished. This will happen just before the return of Christ. In this context, a time frame of 2,300 evenings and mornings is mentioned.

Verses 13 and 14 of Daniel 8 are not all that clear in the New King James Version. Notice how other renditions make the meaning clearer:

The Revised English Bible states: “… ‘How long will the period of this vision last? How long will the regular offering be suppressed and impiety cause desolation? How long will the Holy Place and the fairest of all lands be given over to be trodden down?’ The answer came, ‘For two thousand three hundred evenings and mornings, then the Holy Place will be restored.'”

The New Jerusalem Bible writes: “… ‘How long is this vision to be…?’ … ‘Until two thousand three hundred evenings and mornings have gone by; then the sanctuary will have its rights restored.'”

The New International Version reads: “…’How long will it take for the vision to be fulfilled–the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, the rebellion that causes desolation, and the surrender of the sanctuary and of the host that will be trampled underfoot?’ He said to me, ‘It will take 2,300 evenings and mornings; then the sanctuary will be reconsecrated.'”

Notice carefully: 2,300 evenings and mornings were to pass before the sanctuary would be cleansed or restored. During this time span, the daily offerings would be suppressed; the “transgression of desolation” (verse 13) would appear; and the Holy Place or the sanctuary would be trodden down or trampled underfoot.

The “Soncino Commentary” states that the 2,300 evenings and mornings refer to the number of times the offerings, normally brought twice daily, will be omitted, giving a total period of 1,150 DAYS. The Broadman Bible Commentary agrees: “The time is given two thousand three hundred evenings and mornings… These sacrifices would cover 1150 DAYS.”

Now notice the following explanation of the 2,300 evenings and mornings, or 1,150 days, as published in The Plain Truth, August, 1965, The 2300 Days, by Herman L Hoeh:

“At the end of this 1150-day period the sanctuary is to be ‘cleansed’ or ‘justified.’ This prophecy is yet to be fulfilled!… A great European Church-State union will be in control of Palestine and the whole Western World… It will be allowed to tread Jerusalem underfoot and to prohibit ‘the daily sacrifice’ at the sanctuary for 1150 days… The Gentiles will tread down Jerusalem for 1260 days (Rev. 11) — a period which includes the 1150 days. It is the time of the two witnesses who will prophesy in the streets of Jerusalem for 1260 days, then be killed, and — just IMMEDIATELY BEFORE THE RETURN OF CHRIST — be raised from the dead in the sight of the people! God will suddenly intervene in human affairs. He will put an end to this wicked idolatrous system. ‘The sanctuary SHALL BE cleansed.'”

We will discuss a problem with this explanation later in this Q&A.

(2) The 1,260 Days, 1,290 Days, and 1,335 Days (Daniel 12:7, 11-12)

In Daniel 12, we are introduced to three additional numbers. In this end-time prophecy (verse 4), we are told, in verses 7, 11-12:

“… it shall be for a time, [two] times, and half a time [or 3 1/2 years or 1,260 days]… all these things shall be finished… And from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away, and the abomination of desolation is set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred and ninety days. Blessed is he who waits, and comes to the one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days.”

Please note these statements by Herbert Armstrong, The Time We Are In Now, Pastor General’s Report, November 20, 1979:

“What is this abomination? This refers to Daniel 11:31 and Matthew 24:15. From this time (Daniel 12:11) to Christ’s coming will be 1290 days. Now, verse 12, ‘Blessed is he that waiteth, and comes to the 1335 days.’ Never before have we understood these periods of 1260, 1290 and 1335 days. But it seems evident, now, a blessing is pronounced on us–GOD’S CHURCH–who wait and endure until the 1335 days–approximately 1335 days prior to Christ’s coming. But since no one can know the day or hour of His coming, we probably shall not be able to know the exact day this 1335 days begins. But apparently that is the time when OUR WORK SHALL END. That will be a time when the UNITED Europe shall appear–the revival of the medieval ‘Holy Roman Empire.’ We shall then be warned, and readied to be taken to a place of refuge and safety from the Great Tribulation. Forty-five days later ‘the beast’s armies’ will surround Jerusalem. Thirty days later the Great Tribulation will probably start with a nuclear attack on London and Britain–and possibly the same day or immediately after, on the United States and Canadian cities.”

To summarize at this point, the explanation, as set forth above, under (1) and (2), operates from the assumption that all the days end with the return of Christ. It counts backwards from the time of the return of Christ, reaching the following conclusions:

(a) 1,335 days before Christ’s return: The organized Work ends

(b) 1,290 days before Christ’s return or 45 days after the Work ends: The abomination of desolation is set up

(c) 1,260 days (3 1/2 years) before Christ’s return or 75 days after the Work ends or 30 days after the abomination of desolation is set up: The Great Tribulation begins and Jerusalem is occupied by Gentiles [Compare Daniel 7:25–3 1/2 years or 1,260 days of persecution of the saints.]

(d) 1,150 days before Christ’s return or 90 days after the beginning of the Great Tribulation, or 120 days after the abomination of desolation is set up: The daily sacrifices are taken away (Note again Herman Hoeh’s article, stating that “at the end of the 1150 days, the sanctuary will be cleansed”).

(e) However, we should be able to see that this explanation fails to reconcile an important discrepancy:

According to this explanation, the sacrifices would still be ongoing, even though the Great Tribulation had already begun and the city of Jerusalem had already been occupied (for 110 days), AND the abomination of desolation had already been set up (for 140 days). But Daniel 12:11 says that 1,290 days will expire AFTER the daily sacrifices will be taken away AND the abomination of desolation has been set up.

(3) Other Interpretations of Daniel’s Numbers

What are some other possibilities as to how to understand the numbers in Daniel 8 and 12?

Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, commenting on Daniel 12:11-12, point out that historically, it took 1,290 days from the profanation of the temple by Antiochus Epiphanes (in the month Ijar of the year 145 B.C.) until the restoration of the worship by Judas Maccabeus on the twenty-fifth day of the ninth month [Chisleu] of 148 B.C. Then, FORTY-FIVE DAYS more elapsed before Antiochus’ death in the month Shebat of 148 B.C., “so ending the Jews’ calamities…”

Applying these facts prophetically, the commentary suggests that “Jesus at His coming will deliver the Jews [better: Israel and Judah]. An interval elapses, during which their consciences are awakened to repentance and faith in Him. A second interval elapses in which Israel’s outcasts are gathered, and then the united blessing takes place. These stages are marked by the 1260, 1290, and 1335 days.”

Scofield Reference Notes offer a similar explanation, commenting on Daniel 12:12, as follows:

“Three periods of ‘days’ date from the ‘abomination’ (that is, The blasphemous assumption of deity by the Beast)… Twelve hundred and sixty days [pass until] the destruction of the Beast… This is also the duration of the great tribulation… Dating from the same event is a period of 1290 days, and addition of thirty days… Again forty-five days are added… No account is directly given of that which occupies the interval of seventy-five days between the end of the tribulation and the full blessing of verse 12… It is suggested that the explanation may be found in the prophetic descriptions of the events following… Armageddon… The Beast is destroyed, and Gentile world-dominion ended, by the smiting of the ‘Stone cut out without hands’ at the end of the 1260 days, but the scene is, so to speak, filled with the debris of the image which the ‘wind’ must carry away before full blessing comes in [compare Daniel 2:35].”

John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible makes similar comments to Daniel 12:11:

“… there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days; from the beginning of the reign of antichrist to the end of it are one thousand two hundred and sixty days or years, or forty two months, which is the same… here thirty days… are added, which begin where the other end, and is the time allotted for the conversion of the Jews [better Israel and Judah], and other things, making way for the kingdom of Christ; and which the reign of antichrist was an hindrance of, but should now immediately take place.”

The Ryrie Study Bible comments on Daniel 12:11-12:

“… Antichrist will abolish the Jewish sacrifices… From that time to the end will be 1,290 days. Normally 3 1/2 years (of 360 days per year) would include only 1,260 days. The extra 30 days mentioned here allow for the judgments which take place after the second coming of Christ… Since the one who lives 75 days after the second advent … is called Blessed, this must mark the beginning of the actual functioning of Christ’s millennial kingdom.”

Finally, let us also note these statements by the Broadman Bible Commentary, on Daniel 12:11-12:

“The taking away of the continual burnt offering and the erection of the abomination that makes desolate… from that time there will be 1290 days… Revelation 11:3; 12:6 have a figure of 1260 (3 1/2 years). Since the first half of v. 11 [of Daniel 12] refers to the perversion of the Temple and the abolishment of sacrifice, it would be logical that the 1290 days would refer to the time that the worship would be reestablished and the Temple rededicated to Yahweh… Another dating is introduced in v. 12 [of Daniel 12], 1335 days, which adds 45 days to the last figure… Some… suggest that the first date [refers] to the deliverance from persecution and the second date to the time that the reign of righteousness would be set up.”

According to the opinion of the above-quoted commentaries, a possible future scenario could unfold, as follows:

(a) After 1,260 days of the beginning of the Great Tribulation, Christ returns, ending the Great Tribulation and fighting on the same day of His return at Jerusalem with the armies of the kings of the world, including the beast and the false prophet.

(b) 30 days later (1,290 days), Christ will have judged and banished Satan and awakened the surviving Israelites and Jews to repentance and brought them back to the Promised Land; and the worship in the cleansed Temple will resume.

(c) 45 days later (1,335 days), the peaceful rule of Christ will begin, after the hordes from the east will have been destroyed [compare Ezekiel 38]. As Antiochus died 1,335 days after he had profaned the first temple, so the hordes from the east (who collaborated with the beast at the very end, compare Revelation 16:12) will be destroyed 1,335 days after the third temple has been profaned.

(d) But what about the 1,150 days, since the sanctuary will be cleansed 1150 days after the sacrifices have been taken away?

The Bible says that the sacrifices will be taken away, and that 1,150 days later, the sanctuary will be cleansed. It does not say, when exactly it will be cleansed, or that sacrifices will resume right away after the cleansing. It does not say either, that at the end of the 1,150 days, Christ will return. Rather, it says that sacrifices will be given prior to Christ’s return, and then they will be taken away–around the same time, when the beast and the false prophet set up the abomination of desolation in the Holy Place (a rebuilt Temple). It is true that Christ will ultimately cleanse the sanctuary or Temple, but this could happen some time after He has returned.

(e) Nevertheless, the above-stated opinions also face a big problem–the fact that they all presuppose that we can start counting from a particular given date (be it 1,260 days or 1,290 dates), and that at the end of one of these particular dates, Christ will return. However, as we have seen, nobody knows or can know the exact DAY of Christ’s return, and the time of the Great Tribulation (normally referred to as lasting for 3 1/2 years) might be shortened.

(4) Conclusion of the Matter

We must emphasize that we do not know the exact meaning of the 1,150 days–or of the 1,260 days, 1,290 days or 1,335 days–but there is certainly importance attached to them. But the importance is not that Christ will return exactly 1,150 days after the abolishment of the sacrifices. Remember, too, that the 1,150 days refer not only to the time of the abolishment of the sacrifices, but also to the time when the abomination of desolation is set up and the Holy Place is being trodden under foot (note again Daniel 8:13-14)–and as we have seen in Daniel 12:11, these events seem to last longer than just 1,150 days.

In conclusion, we believe that to our knowledge, NOBODY understands at this time the full meaning of these numbers in the book of Daniel, even though some erroneously claim that they do. However, we should not try to read certain human interpretations into them. God will reveal the meaning to His true servants in His due time (Daniel 12:4, 9-10). Let us wait patiently for God, and let us not try to step ahead of Him–only to become embarrassed later when our human interpretations do not come true.

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

Noelle Jacobs and Michael Link will be getting married in Ramona, California, on Sunday, June 29, 2008. The marriage will be officiated by Norbert Link. We are wishing the new couple God’s richest blessings for this new chapter in their lives.

A new member letter was written for the month of July. It will be sent out early next week. In the letter, Brian Gale discusses the connection between the Day of Pentecost and the Feast of Trumpets, and the need for God’s disciples to prepare for the return of Jesus Christ.

A new StandingWatch program has been posted on StandingWatch, Google Video and YouTube. It is titled, “Spinning Out of Control,” and raises the following issues:

Midwestern floods; tornadoes and hurricanes; powerful earthquakes; skyrocketing gas prices; abysmal home values; increased air fares; unaffordable health care; endless wars in Afghanistan and Iraq; food shortages; depression on the horizon; voter frustration with Washington–is everything spinning out of control? Are we too proud and unwilling to follow Abraham Lincoln’s admonition to “humble ourselves before the offended Power”? Are politicians and religious leaders deceiving us when they proclaim that we don’t have to obey all of God’s laws? Will we perish soon in natural and man-made disasters, as the civilization at the time of Noah perished in the waves of a worldwide flood?

Our recent StandingWatch program, “Coming–The Great Depression” has been viewed approximately 4,200 times on YouTube. Our recent program, “Food Shortage in the USA” has been viewed approximately 3,000 times on YouTube.

A new member letter is also posted online.

On Saturday, June 21, 2008, Robb Harris will give the sermon, titled, respectively, “Nazirites.”

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.

In recent weeks there has been a salmonella scare with tomatoes in many parts of the USA. In previous months, spinach was causing health concerns because of E. coli contamination. And to date, many countries refuse to import American beef across their borders. In a recent Korean protest of imported American beef it was reported, “the online masses have taken to the streets, cursing America and demanding that their government should act to avert catastrophe.” Although the protests were caused by greatly exaggerated myths of U.S. beef, America, once a blessing and breadbasket to the world, is quickly becoming a scourge to it.

In defense of the U.S. government’s Food and Drug Administration, when health issues have arisen, measures are quickly put into place in order to remedy the problems in food supply. But with all of America’s efforts and the measures that have been instituted, America’s reputation is still being lost, and people are still getting sick.

We must in these times be extremely careful what we allow into our bodies, both physical and spiritual. God instituted food laws, not to deny us pleasure, but to keep us healthy. Likewise, He has filled the Bible with laws to keep the right spiritual food entering our bodies. But knowing what isn’t good for us to partake of for spiritual health is not something we are going to learn from immersing ourselves in this world.

In Hebrews 5:14 we read: “But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of USE have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”

Knowledge of real spiritual health and what is safe to take in will only be evident to us through continued study of the Scriptures. We must become “label readers.” It’s not enough to rely on a quick glance of what we are ingesting, and assume it’s safe to take in. Only after constant and thorough inspection can we hope to filter what is entering in and building up our spiritual character.

After Blair–Is Bush the Next Convert to Catholicism?

The Associated Press reported on June 13:

“[President Bush] began the day [Friday] taking a rare stroll through the lush grounds of the Vatican Gardens, stopping at a grotto where the pontiff prays daily. ‘Your eminence, you’re looking good,’ Bush told Pope Benedict XVI at the beginning of their third visit. Normally, VIPS are received in the pope’s library in the Apostolic Palace. That’s where Bush had his first meeting with Benedict in June 2007. But in a gesture of appreciation for the hearty welcome Bush gave him in Washington in April, Benedict welcomed the president and Mrs. Bush near St. John’s Tower in the lush Vatican Gardens.”

Reuters added on June 13:

“Pope Benedict gave George W. Bush an unprecedented welcome in the tranquility of the Vatican Gardens on Friday before the U.S. president resumed his campaign to rally European support for sanctions against Iran… As birds chirped, the two entered a restored medieval tower and held 30 minutes of private talks. ‘Such an honor, such an honor,’ Bush said to the pope.

“After the meeting in the tower, they stood on a terrace to take in the view of 44 hectares (108 acres) of manicured gardens, buildings, ancient walls and St Peter’s Basilica that make up Vatican City. Bush asked: ‘How big is it?’ A Vatican aide responded: ‘Not quite as big as Texas.’ Bush then said: ‘Yes but more important … this is spectacular.'”

AFP stated on June 13:

“Bush ‘is a huge fan of the pope and has full respect for him,’ White House chief of protocol Nancy Goodman Brinker said. The US leader ‘fully supports the (Catholic) Church and fully supports everything this pope is trying to do on behalf of peace, education and hunger in cooperation with world political leaders,’ she told the ANSA news agency. Bush, whose relations with pope John Paul II were strained because of the US-led invasion of Iraq, feels closer to Benedict, who appreciates the religious fervour of the president, a born-again Protestant… On Friday, the two leaders will pray before a statue of the Madonna before bidding each other farewell.”

In fact, they did. Bild Online reported on June 13: “They prayed together before the picture of the Virgin Mary.” The paper also pointed out the U.S. Ambassador to the Vatican, Catholic Mary Ann Gleddon, kissed the pope’s hand when they met.

As a consequence, the Belfast Telegraph stated on Monday, June 16, that “Bush ‘may convert to Catholicism.'” The article continued:

“President George Bush was given such a splendid welcome by Pope Benedict XVI yesterday that rumours started flying that the President, like Tony Blair before him, was on the verge of converting to Catholicism… The notion was given extra mileage by the fact that the President’s brother Jeb, the former governor of Florida, converted to Catholicism on marrying his wife Columba, a Mexican.

“The Vatican differs from the White House on immigration and the death penalty but on other issues including stem cell research, gay marriage and abortion there has been, as the Catholic daily L’Avvenire put it, ‘total harmony.’  Cardinal Pio Laghi, the papal envoy to the White House, said: ‘Bush believes in the values of the Church and his brother is a convert.'”

Serious Problems for this Year’s Harvest Due to Flooding

The New York Times wrote on June 16:

“Last week, the price of corn rose above $7 a bushel on the commodities market for the first time, and soybeans rose sharply, too, reacting to the harsh weather hampering crop production across the Midwest. In addition to Iowa, the farming states of Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin and Minnesota have suffered an unusual level of flooding this year.

“Soaring global demand in addition to the increased use of corn for ethanol, an alternative fuel, have shrunk the worldwide supply of staples that are the core of practically every continent’s diet.

“Meanwhile, the price of oil has jumped, raising the cost of producing crops and feeding livestock and causing an increase in grocery bills here and abroad, sparking riots and protests in at least two dozen countries.

“At a moment when corn should be almost waist-high here in Iowa, the country’s top-producing corn state, more than a million acres have been washed out and destroyed. Beyond that, agriculture experts estimate that 2 million acres of soy beans have been lost to water, putting the state’s total grain loss at 20 percent so far, with the threat of more rain to come…”

US Floods Hit Food Prices

The Financial Times wrote on June 17:

“Consumers were warned to expect even sharper increases in global food prices after US officials said that some of the country’s best farmland was facing its worst flooding for 15 years. Agriculture officials and traders said the damage could push up worldwide corn and soyabean prices, which have spiralled in recent days as floods have swamped crops in parts of Iowa, the US’s biggest corn-producing state. The warning comes at a time when high food prices are already sparking protests across the developing world…

“The increase in the cost of corn and soyabeans – the two main feed crops for farm animals such as cows and chickens – increased the price of live cattle yesterday for the second day in a row, to the highest level in 22 years…

“After weeks of heavy rains and low temperatures, the US Department of Agriculture said that only 57 per cent of the country’s corn crop is in good or excellent condition, considerably less than the 70 per cent registered this time last year. Local farmers in Illinois said that the bad weather had delayed planting by up to five weeks, which would result in a much reduced crop of corn and soyabeans. Some farmers expected their corn production to be down by as much as 50 per cent from last year’s level.

“Agriculture traders described the problem graphically, saying that corn plants in Iowa or Illinois should now be reaching almost waist height, but due to the impact of the heavy rains and low temperatures were below knee-height.”

Reuters added on June 18:

“The swollen Mississippi River ran over the top of at least 12 more levees on Wednesday, as floodwaters swallowed up more U.S. farmland, adding to billion-dollar losses and feeding global food inflation fears… About 10 levees were breached earlier this week, bringing the total to 22 on Wednesday… The cost of the disaster may end up rivaling that of 1993 Midwest floods that caused more than $20 billion in damage and 48 deaths… The prospects of smaller crops have already jolted commodity markets, food producers and exporters. Chicago Board of Trade corn prices traded at a record $8.07 a bushel. The floods will mean more food inflation, not only for U.S. consumers, but also for dozens of countries that buy American grain. The United States exports 54 percent of the world’s corn, 36 percent of its soybeans and 23 percent of its wheat…

“Estimates are that 5 million acres across the Midwest have been ruined and will not produce a crop this year. Iowa and Illinois usually produce one-third of all U.S. corn and soybeans. Expectations of reduced crops from the main sources of livestock feed, renewable fuels like ethanol, starch and edible oils has sent commodity prices to record highs… The worst flooding has struck Iowa but evacuations have also affected flooded sections of Indiana, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Minnesota.”

After the Irish “No”-Vote–Difficult Times Ahead for Europe

Der Spiegel wrote on June 13:

“Ireland shot down the Lisbon Treaty in a referendum held on Thursday. Already, EU politicians are branding the Irish as ingrates. But it is exactly that kind of arrogance which helped lead to the Irish ‘no’ in the first place… Brussels is disappointed — and furious…

“Listen to the Irish themselves and it becomes clear that they remain, for the most part, committed Europeans. In the run up to Thursday’s referendum, though, the country posed two questions born of pragmatism: Is this treaty good for us? And: Are we happy with the current development of the EU? Both questions are ones which many millions of Europeans would likely have responded to with ‘no.’ Had they been asked…

“Already, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown have said that ratification of the Lisbon Treaty should continue as planned — as though the Irish referendum never took place. But for the EU — which sings the praises of democracy and does what it can to improve democratic institutions in places like Turkey — that would be the wrong way to go.”

The Guardian wrote on June 14:

“The long campaign to forge a new dispensation for the European Union descended into panic and uncertainty yesterday when Ireland turned its back on its 26 EU partners and voted down the Lisbon Treaty. EU leaders in Brussels and governments across the union, particularly Germany and France, were stunned by the Irish verdict, which amounted to a huge vote of no confidence in the way the EU is run… The result left Europe’s leaders with a giant dilemma over what to do next… The pressure on Britain indicated that Germany and France still hope to salvage the treaty, although it was not clear how since it has to be ratified by all 27 EU countries to take effect…

“Everything suggested that Europe’s key leaders were urgently conferring on a scheme to steamroller their blueprint through despite the Irish rejection, a course likely to trigger protest from Eurosceptics and deepen Europe’s democratic legitimacy problems. At the very least, the deadlines for implementing the treaty looked difficult to achieve.”

The EUObserver wrote on June 16:

“Europe will this week try and pick up the political pieces following Ireland’s rejection of the Lisbon Treaty, but the relatively high turnout at the ballot box, the wide margin and the jumble of reasons for the No vote mean an exit strategy will be hard to find… Ireland has admitted it will be hard-pressed to come up [with] an answer and asked Europe to not isolate it… France and Germany have been careful to sing from the same hymn sheet, staving off a feeling of Europe in crisis and rushing out a joint statement to say ratification should continue in a bid to stop more eurosceptic countries such as Britain immediately calling off the process… But all countries need to ratify the Lisbon Treaty for it to come into force…

“The most obvious way out – without resorting to renegotiating the treaty for which there is little political appetite – is another vote to see if the Irish say yes second time round… But it appears unlikely that the Irish government can take this route… the EU would leave itself exposed to charges that it is ignoring the will of the people if it pushes Dublin towards a second vote.”

Coming–a Two-Speed or “Core” Europe

The Times wrote on June 15:

“Gordon Brown is privately ready to sacrifice the Lisbon treaty rather than allow the Irish no vote to create a two-tier Europe. Despite the Irish referendum, France, Germany and senior Brussels officials have insisted there should be no delay in implementing the European Union blueprint. But No 10 sources say the prime minister would rather see the entire constitutional treaty collapse than allow individual member states to be left trailing in a two-speed Europe… If Europe presses ahead without Ireland, it would set a precedent for a two-speed club, with Britain likely to be stuck in the second tier…

“The only EU leader so far to admit that the treaty is dead is Vaclav Klaus, the Czech president, who declared the entire project ‘finished’. ‘Ratification cannot be continued,’ he said. There are signs that across Europe political leaders will face growing public opposition if they disregard the Irish vote.”

Der Spiegel Online wrote on June 16:

“The most probable option that remains is an exhausting marathon. The EU would continue working, at least for a while, with the instruments and powers that it already has. Then, in a couple of years, a new round of negotiations would begin in order to come up with a more efficient set of rules for the club. That would take a long time and by that point the old longing for a smaller, better ‘core Europe’ among committed Europeans would once again have been awakened.”

In a related article, Der Spiegel Online wrote on June 16:

“Elsewhere, calls for a ‘two-speed’ Europe have once again become audible. Many in Germany, France and other long-time EU members have argued that, if not everyone is willing to fully integrate, then those who would like to should move ahead. Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker said on German radio on Saturday that it was time for a ‘Club of the Few.’ Former German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer likewise wrote in an editorial for Die Zeit that ‘those who want political integration should move forward and those who are happy with just a common market should be left behind.'”

Ultimately, a two-speed Europe WILL develop, and certain “core nations” WILL move forward. For more information, please watch our new StandingWatch program, titled, “Ireland Says No–What Now?” It is posted on StandingWatch, Google Video and YouTube. Also, make sure to read our free booklet, “Europe in Prophecy.”

“Fortress Europe Is Taking Shape”

Der Spiegel Online wrote on June 19:

“The European Parliament has approved new measures for handling illegal immigrants in the European Union. But does it make the EU more humane? German commentators aren’t sure…

“The business daily Handelsblatt writes: ‘Unfortunately, the train is heading in the wrong direction. … Already the approach is wrong. Instead of seeing immigration as a way to enrich and increase the growth prospects of the aging continent, the EU has set its sights on building a wall. … The slogans are regulation and repression. Fortress Europe is taking shape… there is absolutely no reason for the EU to strengthen the fortress.'”

European Defense–Top Priority

The EUObserver wrote on June 17:

“French president Nicolas Sarkozy has reaffirmed his intention to make European defence a major theme during his country’s six-month stint at running the European Union, beginning in less that two week’s time. In a key address before French military brass on Tuesday (17 June), Mr Sarkozy said ‘building European defence is our priority’ and that ‘whatever the future of the Treaty of Lisbon’ he would not change his mind…

“EU member states in 1999 committed themselves to achieving a Rapid Reaction Force of this size, deployable within 60 days… Mr Sarkozy said he wants to make defence and security policy an example of a ‘concrete Europe, of a Europe that responds to the needs of its citizens. I very much hope that the French presidency of the European Union (…) will be the first step in a veritable relaunch of European defence for the coming years,’ he said, according to AP.”

Blueprint for Nuclear Weapons in the Hands of U.S. Enemies?

CNN wrote on June 15:

“An international smuggling ring may have secretly shared blueprints for an advanced nuclear weapon with Iran, North Korea and other rogue countries, The Washington Post reported Sunday. The now-defunct ring led by Pakistani scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan is previously known to have sold bomb-related parts to Libya, Iran and North Korea.

“A draft report by former top U.N. arms inspector David Albright says the smugglers also acquired designs for building a more sophisticated compact nuclear device that could be fitted on a type of ballistic missile used by Iran and other developing countries, according to the Post.”

In addition, The Financial Times wrote on June 19:

“The US military cannot locate hundreds of sensitive nuclear missile components, according to several government officials familiar with a Pentagon report on nuclear safeguards. Robert Gates, US defence secretary, recently fired both the US Air Force chief of staff and air force secretary after an investigation blamed the air force for the inadvertent shipment of nuclear missile nose cones to Taiwan. According to previously undisclosed details obtained by the FT, the investigation also concluded that the air force could not account for many sensitive components previously included in its nuclear inventory. One official said the number of missing components was more than 1,000.”

Israel Believes Air Strike Against Iran Unavoidable–“We Will See a Middle East in Flames.”

Der Spiegel Online wrote on June 16:

“The Israeli government no longer believes that sanctions can prevent Iran from building nuclear weapons. A broad consensus in favor of a military strike against Tehran’s nuclear facilities — without the Americans, if necessary — is beginning to take shape… there is now a consensus within the Israeli government that an air strike against the Iranian nuclear facilities has become unavoidable…

“The one question over which Israel’s various political groups disagree is the timing of an attack. The doves argue that diplomatic efforts by the United Nations should be allowed to continue until Iran is on the verge of completing the bomb…

“The hawks, on the other hand, believe time is running out. They stress that there is now a ‘favorable window of opportunity’ that will close with the US presidential election in November, and that Israel can only depend on American support for as long as current US President George W. Bush is still in charge in Washington. They are convinced that the country cannot truly depend on any of the candidates to succeed Bush in office. Barack Obama, the presumptive Democratic candidate, has already said that he favors direct negotiations with Tehran. And even if Republican John McCain wins the race, politicians in Jerusalem do not expect him to be ordering an attack as his first official act… President Bush, however, has recently been sending out signals that are suspiciously reminiscent of the run-up to the Iraq war…

“In a recent letter to Austrian Chancellor Alfred Gusenbauer, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak wrote that Tehran is not far from the ‘point of no return’ at which the Israelis believe it could no longer be prevented from developing a bomb. Israeli intelligence officials believe that Iranian weapons engineers could have enough enriched uranium to build a nuclear warhead by 2009.

“Bruce Riedel, a Middle East expert who spent many years working for the CIA, says it would be ‘very difficult for this administration [of the USA] to start a war with Iran. There would be public uproar and congressional uproar.’ But the situation is different from Israel’s perspective, says Riedel. ‘There is some risk that Israel thinks it has limited time to act and it has a green light from American politicians.’ Besides, the Israeli Air Force is known for its ‘inventive solutions to military problems,’ says Riedel, who has strong contacts to Israel, referring to the feasibility of such an attack. ‘Israeli military planners tell me it is mission doable.’

“This is why Riedel sees an Israeli military strike, with the US government’s consent, as the most likely attack scenario. But the consequences, according to Riedel, would not differ from those of an American attack. ‘An Israeli attack will be seen as a US attack. Iran will retaliate against both Israel and the US.’ The consequences, says Riedel, would be fatal. ‘We will see a Middle East in flames.’

“Nevertheless, in Israel it is no longer a matter of whether there will be a military strike, but when.”

No Official Position on Homosexual Bishops in Lutheran Churches

Reuters reported on June 17:

“Germany could elect its first openly gay Lutheran bishop [Horst Gorski, a senior cleric from Hamburg] next month [July 12], a move conservatives say would alienate many Christians and open divisions in the Church…

“‘Many members of the community would have little understanding for a bishop with this kind of lifestyle,’ Ulrich Ruess, a pastor in the northern city of Hamburg, was quoted as telling Die Welt newspaper. Others have been quoted as saying Gorski’s appointment would damage the standing and weight of the Lutheran Church, founded by German Martin Luther in the 16th century and now one of the largest Protestant denominations.

“The election committee is standing by its choice of candidates. ‘After careful consultation, we have nominated two experienced provosts as candidates who have excelled in their localities and in the region in a variety of ways,’ said election committee member Bishop Maria Jepsen, the world’s first woman Lutheran bishop. In an Internet statement, she said the two candidates earned respect with their theological and pastoral work as well as through their strong charisma.

“The Lutheran World Federation, which represents nearly 69 million Christians, says it will not get involved as it has no common line on the question of homosexuality… Last year the largest U.S. Lutheran body, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), said it would allow homosexual clergy in sexual relationships to serve as pastors.”

California’s Gay Marriages

The Associated Press reported on June 18:

“Wearing everything from T-shirts to tuxedos and lavish gowns, hundreds of same-sex couples rushed to county clerks’ offices throughout California to obtain marriage licenses and exchange vows as last-minute legal challenges to gay marriage failed. All 58 counties began issuing licenses Tuesday following an order from the state’s highest court.

“San Diego County, typically a Republican stronghold, added four walk-up windows and assigned 78 employees to issue marriage licenses, up from the usual 19. It issued 230 licenses on Tuesday, breaking its previous single-day record of 176 on Valentine’s Day 2005…

“A recent Field Poll showed that Californians favor granting gays the right to marry 51 percent to 42 percent. It was the first time in 30 years of California polling that the scales tipped in that direction. In a sign of the growing political support for same-sex marriage, the Los Angeles City Council president, the mayor of Sacramento and at least two state lawmakers agreed to officiate at the weddings of staff members and friends.”

Romantic Human-Robot Relationships?

AFP wrote on June 15:

“Romantic human-robot relationships are no longer the stuff of science fiction — researchers expect them to become reality within four decades… ‘I am talking about loving relationships about 40 years from now,’ David Levy, author of the book ‘Love + sex with robots’, told AFP at an international conference. ‘… [Then] there [will exist] robots that have also emotions, personality, consciousness. They can talk to you, they can make you laugh. They can … say they love you just like a human would say “I love you”, and say it as though they mean it …’

“Scientists were working on artificial personality, emotion and consciousness, said Levy, and some robots already appear lifelike… Levy’s bombshell thesis, whose publication has had a ripple-effect way beyond the scientific community, gives rise to a number of complicated ethical and relationship questions.”

Jacob’s Pillar Stone in the UK–Fact or Fiction?

The Telegraph wrote on June 16:

“Scottish, English and British monarchs have been crowned on the ancient coronation stone since the ninth century. It spent 700 years under the chair in Westminster Abbey after it was seized in 1296 by King Edward I, and was finally returned to Scotland 12 years ago. It has since been viewed at Edinburgh Castle by tens of thousands of people, and is regarded as a symbol of Scottish independence. According to legend, Jacob used the ancient stone as a pillow when he dreamt of a ladder to heaven.

“But Scotland’s First Minister is convinced that it may be no more than a worthless lump of Perthshire sandstone. He believes it was passed off as the real coronation stone when Edward stormed Scone Abbey in 1296…

“On Christmas Day 1950, the Stone of Destiny was stolen from below the coronation chair in Westminster Abbey by a group of radical nationalist students… After a brief sojourn north of the border it was later handed back to British authorities and was used in the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953.

“Ian Hamilton, a QC who was one of the four students who stole the relic 58 years ago, said he remained convinced it was the real thing… A spokesman for Westminster Abbey said she had always believed the stone was genuine.”

We don’t believe that Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ, appeared to anyone after she had died in the first century. Mary is dead and buried, sleeping the sleep of death in her grave, and awaiting her resurrection to eternal life at the time of Christ’s return. The Bible makes it very clear that all who died in Christ will be resurrected when Christ comes back to this earth–not before then (compare 1 Corinthians 15:22-23, 50-52; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17). As we explain in our free booklet, “Do We Have an Immortal Soul?”, those who die sleep a dreamless sleep of death, without any knowledge, activity, consciousness or thought. For this reason alone, Mary could not have really appeared to anyone after she had died.

Some believe that Mary appeared in a vision. For proof, they point to the occasion of the “transfiguration on the mount” (Matthew 17:1-9), when three of Christ’s disciples, Peter, James and John, saw Jesus Christ in a vision (verse 9) talking to Moses and Elijah, who had died. In that vision, the disciples were given a glimpse of how it would be like in the Kingdom of God, which will be established on this earth after Christ’s return. Jesus had told those disciples that they would not die until they had seen the Kingdom of God having come with power (compare Matthew 16:28; Mark 9:1). They did see it–in a vision (For more information on this vision, please read our free booklet, “The Gospel of the Kingdom of God.”).

We must note, however, that that vision was quite different from visions children and others might have experienced, claiming that they saw the “Virgin Mary” appearing to them with a message from God, pertaining to future events. While the disciples experienced a vision pertaining to a time when Jesus, Moses and Elijah would in fact be powerful spirit beings in the Kingdom of God, the visions of Mary deal mainly with the time prior to Christ’s return–prior to Mary’s resurrection from the dead.

In any event, we are told in Scripture to test the spirits whether they are from God (1 John 4:1). It may not be all that clear to many from the outset whether a particular vision or message is from God or from another source. The Bible warns us that, especially in these end times, many will listen to and be deceived by “lying spirits.” The fact that a message might even accurately foretell certain events is not proof, all by itself, that that message was given by God.

Some point to the episode of King Saul’s encounter with the witch of Endor (1 Samuel 28:3-25), when allegedly, Samuel, who had died, appeared to Saul. They state that if dead Samuel could appear to Saul, why could not dead Mary appear to children?

We read that the prophet Samuel had died, but subsequently King Saul, who had been forsaken by God, went to a witch to find out his future. In the séance, the witch “saw” someone who claimed to be the prophet Samuel. Of course, it was not the real Samuel, as he had died and was in his grave, and as God had clearly stated that he would no longer speak to King Saul through His prophets (verses 6, 15). The figure which only the witch “saw”–Saul did not see anything–was a demon impersonating Samuel. Nevertheless, we find that the demon accurately foretold the future–that Saul and his sons would die in battle the following day (verse 19) (For more information on this séance with Saul and the witch of Endor, please read our free booklet, “Do We Have an Immortal Soul?“).

The fact that the demon accurately foretold the future does not negate the fact that he was a deceiving spirit. We read in Deuteronomy 13:1-4: “If there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, and he gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder comes to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying, ‘Let us go after other gods’–which you have not known–‘and let us serve them,’ you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams, for the LORD your God is testing you to know whether you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. You shall walk after the LORD your God and fear Him, and keep His commandments and obey His voice; you shall serve Him and hold fast to Him.”

Notice! Even though the sign or the wonder came to pass, this was no proof that the prophet was God’s messenger. That is why we are told, as mentioned, to test the spirits–whether they preach the Word of God and obedience to His commandments, or whether they teach a different gospel (Galatians 1:6-9) or a different Jesus (2 Corinthians 11:4).

We also find that apparently, King Saul “prophesied” under the influence of a demonic spirit, after the Spirit of God had left him. We read, in 1 Samuel 18:10, that a distressing spirit from God came upon Saul, and he prophesied inside the house. This distressing spirit was a demon motivating Saul to try to kill David (vs. 11-12). God had allowed this demon to plague Saul, who was unwilling to obey Him, and Saul was even prophesying under demonic influence. The Bible does not tell us, exactly, what Saul prophesied, but he might very well have foretold accurately some future events. Further references to that distressing spirit or demon can be found in 1 Samuel 16:14-23. For more information on the powerful and deceptive role of demons and their activities, please read our free booklet, “Angels, Demons and the Spirit World.”

Many today are unwilling to obey God and keep His commandments. And so, God allows deception to come upon mankind, including signs and wonders which might appear to be very real, and which might even accurately foretell certain future events. But we are told that these are “lying wonders,” and that they are inspired by Satan, not by God–even though God allows these things to happen. We read in 2 Thessalonians 2:8-12 about the appearance of a powerful religious personage, called the “lawless one” or the “false prophet.” He will manifest himself just prior to the return of Christ:

“The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs,and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”

This powerful personage is also described in Revelation 13:13-14: “He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do…”

Christ warned that this false prophet or “lawless one” will be accompanied by many other false preachers, priests, ministers and prophets who will deceive most people. We read in Matthew 24:5, 23-24: “For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am Christ,’ and will deceive many… Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.”

When we are faced with apparitions of “the Virgin Mary” and other dead “saints,” we must consider the biblical testimony and compare it with the kind of message and teaching conveyed in those alleged apparitions. If they don’t match, then we know that those apparitions are not from God, because God is a God of truth, who cannot lie or deceive (Titus 1:2; Hebrews 6:18), and we know that “no lie is of the truth” (1 John 2:21).

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

A new StandingWatch program has been posted on StandingWatch, Google Video and YouTube. It is titled, “Ireland Says No–What Now?” In the program, Norbert Link discusses the fact that the Irish people have rejected the Lisbon Treaty–and have plunged Europe into another institutional crisis. As all 27 member states must ratify the Treaty, it is feared that the dream of a European superstate is dead–or that it has been put on ice for many years to come. But is this true? Not at all! The paradox is this: Ireland, by their no-vote, might have set in motion a development which they tried to prevent from happening.

Our recent StandingWatch program, “Coming–The Great Depression” has been viewed approximately 3,600 times on YouTube. Our recent program, “Food Shortage in the USA” has been viewed approximately 2,800 times on YouTube.

The following video-recorded sermon by Norbert Link was posted on Google Video:

Bible Study — By This We Know, June 7, 2008

On Saturday, June 14, 2008, Bill Grams will give the sermon, titled, “The Book of Esther.”

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.

Our lives tend to be filled with, as the Bible reveals, “the cares of this world.”

Of course, we are to take care of responsibilities that fall to us. We are judged very stringently if we fail to do the basics. Note what Paul wrote: “But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever” (1 Timothy 5:8).

So what is the balance point? Are we to ignore our lives and the individual work we are called upon to do, or are we to put all of our efforts into the greater calling—the Work of God?

In reality, striking a balanced approach to all of our responsibilities is paramount. We can’t ignore and neglect any of our duties.

Brethren who selflessly expend dedicated service to God now support the Church of God. That entails sacrifice. Sacrifice means putting something ahead of our own desires or pleasures. In innumerable ways, members of the Church add what they are able to the Work of God—proclaiming the good news of God’s Kingdom.

What has that knowledge meant to you? How has your life been changed and enriched beyond measure because you know the truth? Is it enough for each one of us to have our lives so abundantly blessed by having a relationship with God that will consummate in eternal life?

Jesus Christ gave His life for us and for all! As Christians, we are called upon—yes, it is expected of us—to be willing to lay down our lives for our brethren and for our fellow man. Here is what Jesus taught: “‘Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends’” (John 15:13).

The way we now do this is to dedicate our lives as living sacrifices (compare Romans 12:1). Becoming servants of God means that we seek to please God—remember, WE ARE NOT OUR OWN! Consider what Paul stated:

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

Also, consider this paramount truth: “For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, WE ARE THE LORD’S” (Romans 14:8).

Look to yourselves and deeply think about your calling and ask, “What does God expect of me?”

God expects of us to fulfill our individual duties and responsibilities towards our fellow man. The greatest duty of all is to participate in the Work of God, announcing to man a better world to come–a world filled with peace, hope, freedom and prosperity. This shows our love to God and to man–and we must manifest that love with all of our heart and with all of our might!

What Germany Can Expect from the Next U.S. President

Der Spiegel Online wrote on June 9:

“It’s a dream, nothing but a dream… what if German politicians would exude just a smidgen of the youthfulness and spirit of optimism that Barack Obama, the presumptive Democratic presidential candidate, seems to have in abundance? In the grey bleakness exuded by Berlin’s grand coalition government, these daydreams thrive like marsh marigolds on a wetland meadow…

“Obamamania has gripped large segments of Germany’s political establishment and population… In an editorial in last Friday’s edition of the influential Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper titled ‘What the conservatives Must Do Now,’ former Bavarian conservative leader Edmund Stoiber gave his party some unsolicited advice. America, the Bavarian politician wrote, is ‘a marvellous example of the power of democracy.’…

“In a head-to-head contest with John McCain, the designated Republican presidential candidate, 67 percent of Germans would vote for Obama… Despite all the enthusiasm for Obama, Germans know little about his foreign policy ideas…

“McCain’s positions, at least, are well known… But the Republican candidate is also known for his temper. His fits of rage are legendary… McCain’s outbursts have long been the subject of ridicule among Americans attending the Munich conference…

“Obama, on the other hand, is as fascinating to German politicians as a mirage. He seems promising from afar, and yet no one knows what he actually stands for. In fact, hardly anyone knows him at all…

“If McCain wins the election, most German foreign policy experts predict trouble ahead for Germany. If Obama wins there will also be friction, but no one knows where and on what fronts.

“Whoever moves into the White House next January will base his decisions on American interests, not on personal preferences… For the Germans, Obama could in fact prove to be the more difficult partner… Analysts in Berlin believe that both Obama and McCain would be more adamant than the current president in calling for the German military, the Bundeswehr, to participate in combat missions in [the south of Afghanistan]…”

“What Is the Post-Bush Era Going to Look Like?”

On June 9, Der Spiegel Online stated the following:

“US President George W. Bush will arrive in Europe this week… But… Europe is more than happy to see him off… Since the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, Europeans have viewed Bush with a great measure of distrust and fully 77 percent now disagree with his international policies…

“Bush himself seems content to play his bad-guy role right to the very end. Just recently, his government presented plans to require Europeans — even those who don’t need visas — to register online at least three days before travelling to the US. Bush himself once again mentioned the possibility of a strike on Iran. And his Republican Party recently blocked a climate protection bill in the Senate.

“Still, Europe is looking beyond Bush. The outgoing president has made it easy for Europe to resist requests for more involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq, for example. But that will change — likely as soon as next year. Should Barack Obama, who is wildly popular in Europe, get elected, it will be even more difficult for Europe to say no. The question then would be a more existential one for trans-Atlantic relations… the question will be whether Europe and the US are natural partners as has so long been assumed. Or whether the rise of other world regions like Asia has done permanent damage to the axis.

“‘The Bush visit,’ says John Glenn of the German Marshall Fund, ‘is a reminder that one of the most interesting periods of all times is about to begin in trans-Atlantic relations: What is the post-Bush era going to look like?'”

President Bush Apologizes for War Rhetoric

The Times wrote on June 11:

“President Bush has admitted to The Times that his gun-slinging rhetoric made the world believe that he was a ‘guy really anxious for war’ in Iraq. He said that his aim now was to leave his successor a legacy of international diplomacy for tackling Iran. In an exclusive interview, he expressed regret at the bitter divisions over the war and said that he was troubled about how his country had been misunderstood. ‘I think that in retrospect I could have used a different tone, a different rhetoric.’…

“Mr Bush is concerned that the Democratic nominee Barack Obama might open cracks in the West’s united front towards Tehran’s nuclear ambitions. At the EU-US summit in Slovenia, he pressed for tougher sanctions against Iran unless it agreed to suspend its uranium enrichment programme verifiably… The President was keen to bind his successor into a continued military presence in Afghanistan and Iraq… he delivered a thinly veiled warning to Mr Obama that his promises to renegotiate or block international trade deals were already causing alarm in Europe and beyond.”

Practice for Guantanamo Bay Suspects Held Unconstitutional

The Associated Press reported on June 12:

“The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that foreign terrorism suspects held at Guantanamo Bay have rights under the Constitution to challenge their detention in U.S. civilian courts. In its third rebuke of the Bush administration’s treatment of prisoners, the court ruled 5-4 that the government is violating the rights of prisoners being held indefinitely and without charges at the U.S. naval base in Cuba. The court’s liberal justices were in the majority… The court said not only that the detainees have rights under the Constitution, but that the system the administration has put in place to classify them as enemy combatants and review those decisions is inadequate…

“In dissent, Chief Justice John Roberts criticized his colleagues for striking down what he called ‘the most generous set of procedural protections ever afforded aliens detained by this country as enemy combatants.’ Justices Samuel Alito, Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas also dissented. Scalia said the nation is ‘at war with radical Islamists’ and that the court’s decision ‘will make the war harder on us. It will almost certainly cause more Americans to be killed.’ Justices Stephen Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, David Souter and John Paul Stevens joined Kennedy to form the majority.”

Lessons that the USA Must Learn

On June 7, USA Today published the following thoughtful and truly remarkable editorial:

“It has long been apparent that the United States rushed to war in Iraq based on false premises. Saddam Hussein didn’t have weapons of mass destruction, didn’t have ties to the terrorists responsible for the 9/11 attacks and wasn’t an imminent danger.

“But one great unanswered question has festered in Washington: Did President Bush and his top officials knowingly lie when they repeatedly asserted that Saddam was reconstituting a nuclear program and had biological and chemical weapons? Or did they simply get it wrong, cherry-picking flawed intelligence to make their case for action?

“Anyone hoping for the final answer from the long-delayed Senate Intelligence Committee report released Thursday will be disappointed–unless, of course, they cherry-pick it to support their preconceived opinions.

“For the most part, the 171-page report contradicts the simplistic ‘Bush lied, people died’ formulation found on bumper stickers. It concludes that the administration’s prewar statements on Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction were mostly backed up by available (but flawed) U.S. intelligence, although the statements tended to gloss over internal debate among intelligence agencies about those findings.

“The report does find, however, that assertions by Bush and Vice President Cheney that Saddam was prepared to arm terrorist groups to attack the United States contradicted available intelligence. In fact, that intelligence suggested Saddam was unlikely to do so because he feared an attack would strengthen the U.S. case for war.

“This mixed verdict won’t satisfy partisans on either side. But it doesn’t mean the report — endorsed by the panel’s eight Democrats and two of its seven Republicans — is an exercise in futility, as its GOP critics claimed. It is, in fact, a cautionary tale that provides important lessons, particularly as the nation decides what to do about Iran and its murky nuclear program.

“For Congress, the lesson is that lawmakers need to double-check intelligence themselves, not simply rely on summaries or administration assurances. Pathetically few members of Congress read the complete 2002 National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq, which detailed misgivings of some intelligence agencies, before they cast fateful votes that authorized the Iraq war.

“For this and future administrations, the lesson is that White House officials need to weigh and study all available intelligence, not seize on only what supports their preconceived notions. They mustn’t present ambiguity as certainty. They mustn’t launch pre-emptive attacks without bulletproof evidence. And never again should they treat war as a marketing campaign, like selling a new brand of toothpaste.”

“Many Have Lost Faith in America”

On June 11, 2008, Der Spiegel Online reported about the German view on German-American relationships:

“German newspaper commentators have launched a scathing attack on US President George W. Bush’s record, saying he embodies ‘the arrogance of power’ and has shattered the world’s faith in America. The diplomatic fence-mending between German Chancellor Angela Merkel and US President George W. Bush over the past two years seems to have done nothing to pacify German editorial writers who have seized on the US president’s farewell trip to Europe to launch a tirade of criticism of his eight years in power.

“The Iraq war, Guantanamo Bay, Abu Ghraib, CIA renditions and Bush’s record on climate change have tainted not only Bush’s image but also that of America for years to come, write Germany’s leading newspapers… German politicians from Merkel’s ruling coalition have been similarly scathing this week in their assessment of Bush’s record, throwing diplomatic caution to the wind five months ahead of the presidential election.

“Left-wing Berliner Zeitung writes: ‘Rarely has an American president been less popular in this country. And rarely has one embodied the arrogance of power more convincingly than Bush… Many have lost faith in America…’

“Business daily Handelsblatt writes: ‘With this unilateralism Bush damaged America’s reputation…’

“Center-left Süddeutsche Zeitung writes: ‘In Germany, America is no longer seen as a country of individual liberty, as a reliable ally and definitely not as a model… in the thoughts and feeling of many Germans [Bush] is leaving behind a mixture of antipathy, ridicule, anger and skepticism towards US policies and towards America in general. Differentiating between the two has become more difficult with every year of his presidency. The memory of Bush will darken America’s image in the world for years to come.’

“Conservative Die Welt writes: ‘… It’s not just George W. Bush who’s unwelcome. Ever since Reagan’s Berlin visit in 1987, American presidents haven’t been especially welcome whenever they embodied the uncomfortable aspect of the Atlantic alliance, which many regard as a burden that should be discarded soon. But the Bush critics are overlooking one thing: Whether Obama or McCain, the coming president of the US will be a difficult partner.'”

Iraq Caught Between the USA and Iran

The Los Angeles Times reported on June 10:

“Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki concluded a three-day visit to Iran after meeting Monday with Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who warned that the continued presence of U.S. troops was ‘the main obstacle on the way to progress and prosperity in Iraq.’

“The session with Khamenei, Iran’s top religious and political authority, served to further highlight the delicate position of the Iraqi government — caught between the U.S. and Iran, each seeking to pull Iraq out of the other’s sphere of influence…

“Khamenei and other Iranian politicians have repeatedly urged Maliki’s government not to sign a status of forces agreement being negotiated with the United States. The agreement would provide a legal framework for the continued presence of U.S. troops in Iraq after the United Nations mandate expires at the end of this year.”

A European Army–Friend or Foe?

The Associated Press wrote on June 8:

“Former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton has warned Europe against forging closer military ties. French President Nicolas Sarkozy has called for greater defense cooperation among European nations. But Bolton told a conference in Dublin on Sunday that such a move could undermine NATO.

“Bolton says creating a European Union military capability would be a huge mistake. Sarkozy called in a speech last week for an independent European defense policy. But he insists his plans would complement — not compete — with NATO.”

Bush and Pope Will “See” Statue of “Madonna”

Reuters reported on June 9:

“Pope Benedict will unusually host talks with U.S. President George W. Bush in a restored medieval tower on Friday, to repay him for a warm reception at the White House, the Vatican said… St. John’s Tower is a round structure on a hilltop inside the Vatican gardens that is sometimes used as a residence for important guests. After their private talks, Bush and the pope will stroll in the gardens to see a statue of the Madonna.”

The big question is: Why would a U.S. President who is a Methodist, want to see a statue of the “Madonna”–who is worshipped by Catholics as the Queen of Heaven or the Holy Mother of God?

Please make sure to read the Q&A in this issue, discussing the “image of the beast,” as mentioned in the book of Revelation.

The Dollar and the Euro

The Wall Street Journal wrote on June 9:

“… the value of the U.S. dollar against the euro has fallen drastically in the last few years. In December 2002, one dollar was equal in value to one euro; today, it requires more than half… as many dollars to equal one euro…

“The euro is the official currency used by 320 million Europeans in 15 member states: Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia and Spain. Another three member states – Denmark, Sweden and the United Kingdom – use their own currencies.”

New York’s Chrysler Building For Sale

The New York Post reported on June 11:

“The latest Big Apple trophy being coveted by oil-rich sovereign wealth funds is the landmark Chrysler Building. Sources say the super-rich Abu Dhabi Investment Council is negotiating an $800 million deal for a 75 percent stake in the Art Deco treasure that has defined the Midtown skyline since 1930. The Chrysler assets would be purchased from TMW – the German arm of an Atlanta-based investment fund that’s been eager to cash out of its Chrysler stake.

“The deal follows last month’s sale of the GM Building and three other Macklowe/Equity Portfolio properties for $3.95 billion to a group of investors including the wealth funds of Kuwait and Qatar and Boston Properties… Tishman Speyer Properties owns the remaining 25 percent stake in the Chrysler Building and operates the landmark at 405 Lexington Ave., along with the Trylons and the newer next door neighbor at 666 Third Ave… Recently Tishman Speyer obtained a 150-year extension of the ground lease.  Sources say the deal would leave Tishman Speyer in charge of the building, with the Abu Dhabi fund essentially acting as a silent partner. Abu Dhabi has also partnered with Tishman Speyer in other deals around the world, sources said.”

Israel Threatens To Attack Iran…

On June 7, 2008, the Guardian stated the following:

“Israel ‘will attack’ Iran if it continues to develop nuclear weapons, one of prime minister Ehud Olmert’s deputies warned yesterday. Shaul Mofaz, a former defence minister and a contender to replace the scandal-battered Olmert, said military action would be ‘unavoidable’ if Tehran proved able to acquire the technology to manufacture atomic bombs…

“Mofaz was born in Iran, giving his remarks extra edge… Mofaz’s remarks came at the end of a week of intense US-Israeli talks on Iran. They were also the most explicit threat yet against the Islamic Republic from a member of the Israeli government, which, like the Bush administration, has preferred to hint at force as a last resort should UN sanctions be deemed to have failed…

“Experts doubt whether Israel could destroy Iran’s extensive and heavily defended nuclear facilities without American help. In 1981 Israel bombed and destroyed Iraq’s nuclear reactor. Last September its planes bombed a site in Syria that the US said was a nuclear reactor built with North Korean help. Syria denied having any such facility. Israel is believed to have an arsenal of 150-400 nuclear warheads. Unlike Iran, it has never signed the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.”

… and Iran Responds in Kind

On June 10, 2008, Reuters reported:

“Iran’s defense minister was quoted on Tuesday as warning Israel of a ‘very painful’ response if it launched a military strike over the Islamic Republic’s disputed nuclear program…  In Jerusalem, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert asked ministers at the weekly cabinet meeting on Tuesday to refrain from discussing sensitive matters publicly, officials said… [Iran’s] Shahab-3 missile, with a range of 2,000 km (1,250 miles), is capable of hitting Israel and U.S. bases in the Gulf, Iranian officials say.”

Grim Prospects for Worldwide Harvests in 2008

The International Herald Tribune wrote on June 10:

“In a year when global harvests need to be excellent to ease the threat of pervasive food shortages, evidence is mounting that they will be average at best. Some farmers are starting to fear disaster. American corn and soybean farmers are suffering from too much rain, while Australian wheat farmers have been plagued by drought…

“At a moment when the country’s corn should be flourishing, one plant in 10 has not even emerged from the ground, the [U.S.] Agriculture Department said Monday. Because corn planted late is more sensitive to heat damage in high summer, every day’s delay practically guarantees a lower yield at harvest…

“Last winter, as the full scope of the global food crisis became clear, commodity prices doubled or tripled, provoking grumbling in America, riots in two dozen countries and the specter of greatly increased malnutrition. As the world clamors for more corn, wheat, soybeans and rice, farmers are trying to meet the challenge. Millions of acres are coming back into production in Europe. In Asia, planting two or three crops in a single year is becoming more common.

“American farmers are planting 324 million acres this year, up 4 million acres from 2007. Too much of the best land is waterlogged, however. Indiana and Illinois have been the worst hit, although Iowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota were inundated last weekend…

“United States soybean plantings are running 16 percent behind last year. Rice is tardy in Arkansas, which produces nearly half the country’s crop…

“Harvests ebb and flow, of course. But with supplies of most of the key commodities at their lowest levels in decades, there is little room for error this year. American farmers are among the world’s top producers, supplying 60 percent of the corn that moves across international borders in a typical year, as well as a third of the soybeans, a quarter of the wheat and a tenth of the rice…”

Shocking Rulings in Canada Regarding Alleged “Hate Crimes”

WorldNetDaily reported on June 9:

“A Canadian human rights tribunal ordered a Christian pastor to renounce his faith and never again express moral opposition to homosexuality, according to a new report.

“In a decision dated May 30 in the penalty phase of the quasi-judicial proceedings run by the Alberta Human Rights Tribunal, evangelical pastor Stephen Boisson was banned from expressing his biblical perspective of homosexuality and ordered to pay $5,000 for ‘damages for pain and suffering’ as well as apologize to the activist who complained of being hurt… Boisson wrote a letter to the editor of his local Red Deer, Alberta, newspaper in 2002 denouncing the advance of homosexual activism as ‘wicked’ and stating: ‘Children as young as five and six years of age are being subjected to psychologically and physiologically damaging pro-homosexual literature and guidance in the public school system; all under the fraudulent guise of equal rights.’…”

Please listen to our recent StandingWatch program, titled, “Beware of Hate Crimes,” which discusses the problematic development of overzealous governmental agencies, prosecutors and courts in their dealing with alleged “hate crime” offenders. The program is posted on  StandingWatch or Google Video or YouTube.

The Word’s Questionable Obsession with “Hate Speech”

The International Herald Tribune wrote on June 11:

“A couple of years ago, a Canadian magazine published an article arguing that the rise of Islam threatened Western values. The article’s tone was mocking and biting, but it said nothing that conservative magazines and blogs in the United States did not say every day without fear of legal reprisal. Things are different here. The magazine is on trial.

“Under Canadian law, there is a serious argument that the article contained hate speech and that its publisher, Maclean’s magazine, the nation’s leading newsweekly, should be forbidden from saying similar things, forced to publish a rebuttal and made to compensate Muslims for injuring their ‘dignity, feelings and self respect.’ The British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal, which held five days of hearings on those questions in Vancouver last week, will soon rule on whether Maclean’s violated a provincial hate speech law by stirring up animosity toward Muslims…

“In the United States… [under] the First Amendment, newspapers and magazines can say what they like about minority groups and religions – even false, provocative or hateful things – without legal consequence…

“Canada, Britain, France, Germany, the Netherlands, South Africa, Australia and India all have laws or have signed international conventions banning hate speech. Israel and France forbid the sale of Nazi items like swastikas and flags. It is a crime to deny the Holocaust in Canada, Germany and France…

“[In the USA, the] First Amendment is not, of course, absolute. The Supreme Court has said that the government may ban fighting words or threats. Punishments may be enhanced for violent crimes prompted by race hate. And private institutions, including universities and employers, are not subject to the First Amendment, which restricts only government activities. But merely saying hateful things about minority groups, even with the intent to cause their members distress and to generate contempt and loathing, is protected by the First Amendment…

“Many foreign courts have respectfully considered the U.S. approach – and then rejected it. A 1990 decision from the Canadian Supreme Court, for instance, upheld the criminal conviction of James Keegstra for ‘unlawfully promoting hatred against an identifiable group by communicating anti-Semitic statements.’ Keegstra, a teacher, had told his students that Jews are ‘money loving,’ ‘power hungry’ and ‘treacherous.’…

“Steyn, the author of the Maclean’s article, said the court proceeding illustrated some important distinctions… ‘What we’re learning here is really the bedrock difference between the United States and the countries that are in a broad sense its legal cousins… Western governments are becoming increasingly comfortable with the regulation of opinion. The First Amendment really does distinguish the U.S., not just from Canada but from the rest of the Western world.'”

Did Jesus Visit Britain?

On June 7, 2008, the Daily Express stated the following:

“An astonishing new book claims that a decade before he was crucified, Jesus sailed [to Britain] on a trading ship… William Blake’s Jerusalem is a hymn about the legend that Jesus once came to Britain. In it Blake asks if Jesus ever walked upon England’s ‘mountains green’, words inspired by the myth that a man called Jesus wandered through British vill­ages a decade before He was crucified…

“By collating stories from local legends, architectural evi­dence from two ancient churches and analysing letters from our earliest historians, author Glyn Lewis believes the tale of Jesus’s visit to Britain is true. The key to it all is Jesus’s family. Joseph of Arimathea, Jesus’s uncle, was a metal trader who travelled Europe. He was a trustworthy businessman – in Mark 15:43 he is described as an ‘honourable counsellor’.

“’Joseph of Arima­thea almost certainly came here to buy tin in Cornwall and copper and lead in Somerset,’ says Lewis, author of Did Jesus Come To Britain? ‘In the Bible Joseph of Arimathea approached Pon­tius Pilate for Jesus’s body after the crucifixion. The law then stated that only a close relative could have done this, which shows he and Jesus clearly knew each other well. Pilate also gave Joseph time in a meeting, which showed he wasn’t just “anybody” but a respected member of the community.’…

“Miners’ songs in Corn­wall mention Joseph and Jesus and folk songs from Somerset also tell of the days where He walked among the people of Glastonbury. ‘Britain is one of the very few countries that has songs and hymns about Jesus being here,’ Lewis explains. ‘There are so many that it just seems strange they would all be fictional.’…

“It is, however, difficult to find concrete evidence. ‘We have no written history until about the 6th century when famed histor­ian Gildas started writing but I think he refers to Jesus’s time in this country.’ St Gildas, who lived from AD516 to AD710 wrote that: ‘Christ afforded His light to our island during the height of the reign of Tiberius Caesar.’…

“If Jesus and His uncle landed in Cornwall they would have gone on to Somerset. This was a well-established route for metal traders like Joseph and he would have sailed his ship around the Cornish coast and moored near Burnham or Uphill in Somerset. Lewis writes, they ‘might have called in at the mouth of the Camel estuary in Cornwall’ to replenish supplies of food and water. There remains to this day a well on this harbour which legend has it was where Christ and His uncle stopped…”

The Latest News — Ireland’s EU Treaty Referendum Too Close to Call

AFP reported on June 12:
 
“Ireland on Thursday held a knife edge vote on the European Union’s new reform treaty, with rejection certain to plunge the 27-nation bloc into a new crisis… Counting starts on Friday morning and official results were expected later in the day… EU leaders are anxiously watching Ireland’s voters after a late surge of opposition… Ireland is the only EU member holding a public vote on the treaty, which replaced a draft EU constitution rejected by French and Dutch voters in 2005…

“The Lisbon Treaty, which aims to make EU decision-making more efficient following the recent expansion to 27 nations, has already been approved through a parliamentary vote by 18 other European nations. The Greek, Finnish and Estonian parliaments all ratified the treaty on Wednesday.

“If it is rejected by Ireland, the EU risks being pitched into a new period institutional crisis like that which followed the demise of the EU constitution three years ago… Ireland has caused upsets in EU referendums before. In 2001, its voters rejected the Nice Treaty, a result overturned in a second poll the following year.”

In the thirteenth chapter of the book of Revelation, John sees two “beasts.” These are symbolic descriptions of powerful world empires.

Beginning with Revelation 13:1, John sees in a vision a fantastic beast rising out of the sea, which has seven heads and ten horns. This beast received a deadly wound, but was healed. We explained in previous Q&A’s and some of our booklets, that this beast describes the Roman Empire at the time of John, its subsequent fall and its ten revivals or resurrections throughout history until the time of Christ’s return. The last and tenth resurrection is unfolding in Europe right now before our very eyes. (For more information, please read, for example, our free booklet, “Europe in Prophecy.”)

Beginning with Revelation 13:11, John sees in vision a second beast coming up out of the earth. This second beast had two horns. It looked like a lamb (Jesus Christ is referred to as the Lamb of God throughout the New Testament, compare John 1:29), but it spoke like a dragon (Satan is identified as a dragon in Revelation 12:3, 9). This second beast is obviously a religious power, which is influenced by Satan, while pretending to speak on behalf of Christ.

We read in Revelation 13:14 that the second beast will make an “image” to the first beast–the Roman Empire.

Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible states the following regarding the nature of that “image”:

“All that is stated here would be fulfilled if the old Roman civil power should become to a large extent dead, or cease to exert its influence over people, and if then the papal spiritual power should cause a form of domination to exist strongly resembling the former in its general character and extent, and if it should secure this result—that the world would acknowledge its sway or render it homage as it did to the old Roman government. This would receive its fulfillment if it be supposed that the first ‘beast’ represented the ancient Roman civil power as such; that this died away—as if the head had received a fatal wound; that it was again revived under the influence of the papacy; and that, under that influence, a civil government, strongly resembling the old Roman dominion, was caused to exist, depending for its vital energy on the papacy, and, in its turn, lending its aid to support the papacy.

“All this in fact occurred in the decline of the Roman power… In the empire which then sprung up, and which owed much of its influence to the sustaining aid of the papacy, we discern the ‘image’ of the former Roman power; the prolongation of the Roman ascendency over the world.”

John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible gives a similar explanation:

“… the Roman empire… had received a deadly wound… but now revived in… the pope of Rome… the image made to this beast some understand [to describe] the translation of the empire to Charles the [Great], and [subsequent] emperors, by the pope of Rome… this was an image to the first beast… for [the pope received] the power of inaugurating and crowning these emperors, and of setting up and deposing them when the pope pleased…”

However, this passage about the “image of the beast” is not just of historical application for us today, but it also contains a prophecy for the immediate future. Therefore, many commentaries suggest that the “image” to the first beast–a final revived political and military Roman Empire–might very well point at an ultimate literal fulfillment of the creation of a real image—and this even more so, as there have been isolated incidents in the past, which might serve as forerunners to a final all-encompassing deception.

We read in Revelation 13:15 that the image will speak and cause those to be killed who will not worship the image of the beast. In applying this statement quite literally and figuratively, John Gill writes:

“[This] may be understood either of the images of the virgin Mary, and other saints, which it is pretended, and the people are made to believe, that they do at times actually speak, and really weep and laugh, as it may serve their different purposes; or this image may be said to speak by the decrees, canons, anathemas, curses, threatenings, persuasions, doctrines… of the pope and his clergy… these are the known orders and decrees of the Papacy, which have been executed by the Inquisition, and other hands, in innumerable instances…”

The commentary of Jamieson, Fausset and Brown adds the following:

“Charlemagne’s image was set up for homage; and the Pope adored the new emperor… Rome’s speaking images and winking pictures of the Virgin Mary and the saints are an earnest of the future demoniacal miracles of the false prophet [the final representative of the second beast, which looks like a lamb and speaks like a dragon, and which makes an image to the first beast–the revived Roman Empire] in making the [first] beast’s… image to speak.”

Lehmann Strauss writes in “The Book of the Revelation”:

“The false prophet will attempt to lead the people to finance the erection of a great image in Jerusalem, thereby making Jerusalem the center of a world-wide religious system… How the image is made to speak, or what it says, is not revealed… When the image speaks, Jews and Gentiles, Roman Catholics and Protestants, wherever they are, will worship the image or be killed if they refuse.”

Whatever the exact meaning of the “speaking image,” it is clear that it includes the description of a future worldwide demonic deception, leading to the murder of all those who will not worship and obey the beast (Revelation 13:4, 8, 12) and its image (Revelation 13:15). We are warned in God’s Word to be aware of these terrible times to come in the very near future. We are told to consciously prepare for these evil days. Even though misguided and deceived men may persecute us for refusing to worship the beast and his image, God assures us that He will punish us very severely if we give in to pressure and worship them. Revelation 14:9-11 leaves us with this warning of the third angel:

“…’If anyone worships the beast and his image… he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation… they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image…'”

But notice, too, this blessing pronounced for those who refuse to worship the coming beast and his image: “… then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshipped the beast or his image… And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years… Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years” (Revelation 20:4, 6).

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

Information for our Feast of Tabernacles’ sites for 2008 in Great Britain and the USA has been posted on our Website.

A new StandingWatch program has been posted on StandingWatch, GoogleVideo and YouTube. The program is titled, “Beware of Hate Crimes!” In the program, Norbert Link asks the question whether the United States should be concerned when Catholic and Protestant ministers and others are accused of committing a hate crime in Canada, Great Britain or Continental Europe, for expressing their religious beliefs. Why are so many willing to compromise their convictions, when faced with possible repercussions for their job, their status in society, or their religious or political career?

Our recent StandingWatch program, “Coming–The Great Depression” has been viewed more than 3,100 times on YouTube. Our recent program, “Food Shortage in the USA” has been viewed more than 2,500 times on YouTube.

Our first German StandingWatch video program (“AufPostenStehen”) was posted on our German Website, titled “Leben auf dem Mars?” (“Life on Mars?”). In the program, Norbert Link asks the age-old question whether life could have evolved on Mars, and whether man evolved on earth. In addition, the German translation of our booklet on Healing (“Menschliches Leid–Weshalb… und wie lange noch?”) was posted on the German Website.

The following video-recorded sermons by Norbert Link were posted on Google Video:

Bible Study — The Time of Christ’s Return, October 4, 2005

Bible Study — Why Read the Old Testament?, December 2, 2006.

by Eric Rank

A few weeks ago I had the tremendous privilege of witnessing the birth of  my son. It barely scratches the surface to say that it was an amazing  experience. As much as my wife and I prepared ahead of time for that fateful day to happen, we were caught a little off-guard. After spending perhaps just a bit too much time laboring at home, my wife nearly gave birth in the car on the way to the hospital. Fortunately, we managed to arrive in time in the care of expert hands, but only with a few minutes to spare.

With such a sudden event, I was reminded about the similarities and parallels between child birth and the coming Kingdom of God. Just as my wife and I know that the Kingdom is coming in the future, we knew nine months ahead of time that the birth of our son was coming. We didn’t know the exact moment to expect it–if we had known, we would have been in the car a bit earlier. This reminds me of what the Bible tells us about the timing of the end. Even though I cannot know the exact time of Christ’s coming, the Bible instructs me to be prepared. By knowing, watching, learning and living as righteously as possible, I can be sure that I won’t be caught off guard when the Kingdom comes.

On Saturday, June 7, 2008, Rene Messier will give the sermon from Oregon, titled, “Doctrine.”

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.

On Sunday, June 8, 2008, is Pentecost.

Dave Harris will give the sermon in the morning from Colorado, titled, “The Other Sheep.” Norbert Link will give the sermon in the afternoon from California, titled, “By This We Know.”

The services can be heard at www.cognetservices.org at 9:00 pm Pacific Time and at 12:30 pm Pacific Time (which is 11:00 pm and 2:30 pm Central Time). Just click on Connect to Live Stream.

The Church of God is going to celebrate the annual Holy Day of Pentecost on Sunday, June 8, 2008, remembering the unique event when God poured out the Holy Spirit on the New Testament Church in 31 A.D. (Acts 2:33). When Christ’s disciples received the Holy Spirit on that day, observers mocked, thinking that they had become “full of new wine” (Acts 2:13). The Bible tells us, however, that they were “all FILLED with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:4). And so must we be today–on a continuous basis.

Before our conversion, the following description of the carnal human mind applied to us as well: We were “filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness…” (Romans 1:29).

But now, with the mind of Christ in us (Philippians 2:5; 1 Corinthians 2:16), we must be quite different. We are now to be “FULL of goodness, FILLED with all [Godly] knowledge” (Romans 15:14) and “FULL of mercy and good works” (James 3:17). In other words, we must be full of God’s Holy Spirit.

When Jesus was here on earth, He was “FILLED with the Holy Spirit” (Luke 4:1), and therefore, He was “FULL of grace and truth” (John 1:14). We read about some of His disciples being described in similar ways. In Acts 6:3, Peter asked the brethren to “seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, FULL of the Holy Spirit and wisdom.” One of the men chosen was “Stephen, a man FULL of faith and the Holy Spirit” (verse 5). He is also described as a man “FULL of faith and power” (verse 8)–characteristics which are all part of the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23; 2 Timothy 1:7). Even at the time when he was facing certain death, Stephen was “FULL of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 7:55). Likewise, Barnabas was “a good man, FULL of the Holy Spirit and of faith” (Acts 11:24).

This does not happen automatically. We can become and continue to be full of God’s Spirit, but it takes effort. We must persistently and daily strive to become filled with the Holy Spirit. Paul tells us that our “inward man is being renewed day by day” (2 Corinthians 4:16)–through a continuous and daily “supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:19). We need to draw near to God daily, and then God will draw near to us (James 4:8), by granting us His Holy Spirit ABUNDANTLY (Titus 3:4-6).

How often do the affairs and cares of this world, the deceit of riches and the pleasures of life take top priority over our relationship with God? We must be careful that we do not–slowly but surely–grieve and, in time, even quench the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30; 1 Thessalonians 5:19). In the famous parable of the five wise and the five foolish virgins, ALL of them had begun to slumber and sleep (Matthew 25:5). When the “midnight cry” was heard, announcing that Jesus Christ, the bridegroom, was coming, they all trimmed their lamps (verse 7). Unfortunately, the five foolish virgins had to realize that their lamps were going out because they did not have enough supply of oil (Matthew 25:8). They were not filled with or full of the Holy Spirit.

None of us should want to be in that category when the day of Christ’s return arrives. The time to prepare is now. 2 John 8 encourages us to look to ourselves, “that we do not lose the things we worked for, but that we may receive a full reward.” Being filled with the Holy Spirit on a daily basis, our reward will be full, and “an entrance will be supplied to [us] abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:11).

America’s Historical Moment–Obama Declared Democratic Presidential Candidate

As it was reported on Tuesday, June 3, 2008, Barack Obama effectively clinched the Democratic presidential nomination, becoming the first black candidate ever to lead his party into a fall campaign for the White House.

In a remarkable and unusually strong speech on Wednesday morning at a vast annual policy conference of the American Israel Public Affairs Council (AIPAC), Obama presented himself as a tough candidate and vowed unwavering support for Israel, coupled with a willingness to use everything within his power–a phrase that he repeated loudly three times to add emphasis–to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. He also stated that America must take the lead in dealing with Iran, as Europe has failed to bring about any acceptable solutions.

AFP added the following in its article of June 4:

“Barack Obama said Wednesday that Jerusalem must remain the ‘undivided’ capital of Israel… Obama said in the strikingly pro-Israel speech that the US bond with the Jewish state was ‘unbreakable today, unbreakable tomorrow, unbreakable for ever,’ adding he was speaking from his heart as a ‘true friend’ of Israel… Obama warned Islamist movement Hamas must renounce violence, pledged to stand up for Israel’s right to defend itself at the United Nations and to provide the Jewish state the means to guarantee its security… ‘There is no room at the negotiating table for terrorist organizations.'”

In its article of June 4, USA Today quoted the following additional comment from Obama’s speech: “…’let there be no doubt: I will always keep the threat of military action on the table to defend our security and our ally Israel. Sometimes there are no alternatives to confrontation.'”

Will European-American Relationships Improve Under a New U.S. President?

Many German commentators and newspapers don’t think so.

Deutsche Welle published the following comment on June 3:

“Lots has been written about the world’s infatuation with Obama, here and elsewhere. With Obama’s candidacy assured, however, how he is perceived by an international audience and what is expected of him becomes more important… A lucid analysis of Obama’s international role and its possible problems offers Constanze Stelzenmüller of the German Marshall Fund of the United States: Entitled The Dalai Obama, Stelzenmüller writes that Germans’ high hopes for an Obama victory are not unfounded, but they may still be disappointed…

“Even if Obama defeats McCain and becomes President, the end of the euphoria is foreseeable writes Stelzenmüller. ‘Obama will call on the help of Germany and the rest of Europe to combat authoritarian regimes worldwide. Iran, NATO in Afghanistan, engagement on Europe’s borders, diplomacy in the Middle East, and perhaps stabilization assistance in Iraq. As an idealist, Obama hopes his appeal to Europe’s sense of responsibility, but if that fails, he must continue as a realist – without Europe.'”

Other German newspapers agree with this assessment. Der Spiegel Online stated the following on June 5, 2008:

“The center-right Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung writes:

“‘America is ready for a change and possibly even for a historic transformation … But regardless who gets elected president in November, the change is not going to be as earth-shattering as people expect… In terms of foreign policy, there won’t be a major shift under McCain or Obama — not even a rapid withdrawal of American soldiers from Iraq…’

“In the Hamburg weekly newspaper Die Zeit, journalist Josef Joffe writes: ‘The zeitgeist is blowing for Obama — even if not as strongly in Asia, Africa and Latin America as it is in Western Europe. But an optical illusion may be influencing our opinions: the comforting idea that the real problem is George W. Bush and not America. Out with cowboys and in with change and hope, and then we’ll be able to love America once again.’

“‘So, why is this a mental delusion? First, because anti-Americanism is older than the younger Bush. Second, because Obama (probably) comes, but the superpower stays. America, this modern steam hammer of a nation, is fundamentally a destroyer.

“‘In Old Europe, we’d prefer to take things a bit easier — and, no wonder, after all the catastrophes of the 20th century. And that’s why we don’t want (what former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder once described in his election campaign as) “American conditions.” We also don’t want any American demands about reinforcing the military in Afghanistan or hard sanctions against Iran or civilian assistance in Iraq, which both Obama and McCain would request.'”

2008–Already Deadliest Tornado Year Since 1998

The Associated Press reported on May 28:

“With the year not even half done, 2008 is already the deadliest tornado year in the United States since 1998 and seems on track to break the U.S. record for the number of twisters in a year, according to the National Weather Service. Also, this year’s storms seem to be unusually powerful. But like someone who has lost all his worldly possessions to a whirlwind, meteorologists cannot explain exactly why this is happening…

“And it’s not just more storms. The strongest of those storms — those in the 136-to-200 mph range — have been more prevalent than normal, and lately they seem to be hitting populated areas more…

“Global warming cannot really explain what is happening… While higher temperatures could increase the number of thunderstorms, which are needed to trigger tornadoes, they also would tend to push the storm systems too far north to form some twisters…”

Islamic Terrorists Envision Devastation of America After Nuclear Attack

The Daily Mail wrote on May 30:

“Washington is laid to waste. The Capitol is a blackened, smoking ruin. The White House has been razed. Countless thousands are dead. This is the apocalyptic scene terrorists hope to create if they ever get their hands on a nuclear bomb.

“The computer-generated image below was posted on an Islamic extremists’ website yesterday.

“It appeared as rumours swept the Internet that the FBI was warning that an Al Qaeda video was about to be released urging militants to use weapons of mass destruction to attack the West… One message with the Washington picture said: ‘The next strike’s in the heart of America…’… Last night FBI sources said Al Qaeda was desperate to get its hands on a weapon of mass destruction, be it nuclear, chemical, or biological…”

U.S. Invasion of Iraq Has Failed–Why?

USA Today reported on May 28:

“Too often during this current occupation, Iraqis have been treated as mere pawns in a geopolitical game between the United States and the Baathists or the jihadists. We have surged our military forces and poured billions into the reconstruction but have made relatively little effort to win the hearts and minds of Iraqis by involving them in a common endeavor.

“Instead, we’ve conveyed the sense that the United States is in Iraq for its own interests and not those of the Iraqis. We fight the terrorists there so we don’t fight them here, we say. That may or may not be so, but… democracies are built not by the force of arms or a flood of dollars, but by an active demonstration of faith in the common bonds of humanity.”

Chuck Hagel: “New Great Leaders Will Arrive”

On June 3, Der Spiegel Online published an interview with U.S. Republican Senator Chuck Hagel. We are bringing you the following excerpts from the interview:

“We invaded Iraq, we are occupying Iraq and we have made Iraq dependent on us. By our actions we have done terrible damage to our own country and undermined our interests in the world… Our first moral obligation is to our own people whom we keep sending back to Iraq again and again. Four-thousand US soldiers have given their lives, over 30,000 have been wounded, many seriously. I just got an e-mail today from the father of a helicopter pilot. His son is going back to Iraq for the fifth time. That is not acceptable…

“We need to get out [of Iraq], but responsibly. Much depends on how we are going to engage Iran. That spills over into the peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians. It spills over into Lebanon. It spills over into the relationship with Syria. We need a regional strategy, and in my view that means a permanent Middle East conference in which all Middle East nations participate. The longer we stay in Iraq, the more difficult it becomes to implement such a process. Many of the Arab nations don’t trust us…

“What has American involvement accomplished so far? The Middle East is as combustible and as complicated as it has ever been. Our policy has been disastrous.. We have to use our economic and also our cultural strength. Trust is the crucial currency in international relations. We willfully diminished the value of this currency and we now have to rebuild it. Trust is more important than anything else…

“A strong America is in the interest of the world. I often meet with foreign leaders and they know that the world is more dangerous when America is stumbling, bumbling and weak. America should lead, but through consensus and common interests…

“We are the greatest debtor nation in the world. We have an enormous trade deficit… you cannot continue to spend $600 billion a year that you do not have. We are spending $3 billion a week in Iraq alone…

“Today, I don’t see any great global leaders of the stature of Reagan, Kohl, Mitterand and Thatcher. They were important, whether you agreed with them or not. But as [former German Chancellor Helmut] Schmidt also told me in my office, there will come a time when we will find those new leaders again.”

Think the U.S. Economy Is Bad? It Will Get MUCH Worse!

The New York Times wrote on June 1:

“Struggling as we are with the housing bust, the credit crunch, shrinking consumption, rising unemployment and faltering business investment, we can be forgiven for thinking that all the big shoes have dropped. There is another one up there, however, and it is about to come down.

“State and city governments have yet to shrink the economy; indeed, they have even managed to prop it up. They have quietly maintained their spending at pre-crisis levels even as they warn of numerous cutbacks forced on them by declining tax revenues. The cutbacks, however, are written into budgets for a fiscal year that begins on July 1, a month away. In the meantime the states and cities, often drawing on rainy-day savings, have carried their share of the load for the national economy.

“That share is gigantic. At $1.8 trillion annually in a $14 trillion economy, the states and municipalities spend almost twice as much as the federal government, including the cost of the Iraq war. When librarians, lifeguards, teachers, transit workers, road repair crews and health care workers disappear, or airport and school construction is halted, the economy trembles. None of that, or very little, has happened so far, not even in California, despite a significant decline in tax revenue.

“’We are looking at a $4 billion cut to public schools and deep cuts that will result in thousands of Californians losing their health care,’ said Jean Ross, executive director of the California Budget Project, offering a preview of coming hardships. ‘But the reality is we have not pulled money off the streets yet.’

“Quite the opposite, the states and municipalities have increased their spending in recent quarters, bolstering the nation’s meager economic growth. Over the past year, they have added $40 billion to their outlays, even allowing for scattered spending freezes and a few cutbacks in advance of July 1. Total employment has also risen. But when the current fiscal year ends in 30 days (or in the fall for many municipalities), state and city spending will fall, along with employment — slowly at first and then quite noticeably after the next president takes office.”

New Law on Global Warming Would Create Giant Tax, Critics Say

The Associated Press reported on June 3:

“The Senate began what is expected to be a weeklong, contentious debate Monday over legislation to combat global warming by mandatory reductions in carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases… The Senate measure, which has wide Democratic and some Republican support, would cap U.S. emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, cutting them by 18 percent by 2020 and by two-thirds by mid-century. It would specifically target refineries, power plants, factories and transportation for 70 percent reductions…

“Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky called it ‘a giant tax on virtually every aspect of the economy,’ and accused Democrats of being ‘laughably out of touch’ in taking up the bill when the country is reeling from $4 a gallon gasoline and other high energy costs. President Bush said at a White House event that the measure amounted to ‘a huge spending bill fueled by tax increases’ and that it ‘would impose roughly $6 trillion in new costs on the American economy.'”

Myanmar’s Military Junta Prevents Aid for Their People

The Associated Press reported on June 3:

“More than 1 million people still don’t have adequate food, water or shelter a month after a devastating cyclone swept through Myanmar, and it’s not clear what the military junta is doing to help them, the United Nations said Tuesday.

“Humanitarian groups say they continue to face hurdles from Myanmar’s military government in sending disaster experts and vital equipment into the country. As a result, only a trickle of aid is reaching the storm’s estimated 2.4 million survivors, leaving many without even basic relief. Aid groups are unable to provide 1.3 million survivors with sufficient food and clean water, while trying to prevent a second wave of deaths from malnutrition and disease, the U.N. said in its latest assessment report…

“Myanmar’s xenophobic military regime left survivors to largely fend for themselves. It barred foreigners from the delta until last week and refused entry to U.S. and French aid-laden naval vessels, which have been idling off the country’s coast.”

AFP added on June 4:

“US warships laden with supplies for Myanmar’s cyclone victims will sail away after the junta refused their help, even as aid workers Wednesday pleaded for more help… The United Nations estimates that of the 2.4 million survivors in need of food and shelter, 1.1 million have received no foreign aid.”

Worldwide Food Price Crisis

AFP wrote on June 3:

“UN chief Ban Ki-moon called for a huge rise in food production Tuesday as world leaders opened a summit on the food price crisis that threatens hunger, poverty and conflict worldwide…

“Prices have doubled in three years, according to the World Bank, sparking riots in Egypt and Haiti and in many African nations. Brazil, Vietnam, India and Egypt have all imposed food export restrictions. Rising use of biofuels, trade restrictions, increased demand from Asia to serve changing diets, poor harvests and increasing transport costs have all been blamed for the price rise.

“World Bank President Robert Zoellick has said two billion people across the world are struggling with high food prices, and 100 million extra people in poor countries may be pushed into poverty by the crisis… Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda urged fellow leaders to release excess stockpiles of food to ease shortages in poorer countries, offering more than 300,000 tonnes of imported rice held by Japan.”

Worldwide Fuel Crisis

The Independet wrote on May 31:

“All around the world, in a multitude of ways, the soaring price of oil is hurting rich and poor alike…

“The number of Britons in ‘fuel poverty’ – 10 per cent of their income goes on energy – is thought to have reached four million… Malaysia has told petrol stations to stop selling fuel to Singapore-registered cars…

“Africa is at the sharp end of the oil shock and the inter-related surge in food prices. With millions living on the tiny margin between subsistence and starvation, fuel costs can quickly become a matter of life and death… There are also growing fears that rapidly increasing fuel prices could have a knock-on effect for aid agencies in countries such as Ethiopia, which are struggling to pay for fuel. This week the Red Cross said in its annual report that rising oil and food costs would mean it now needs much more money than last year just to keep the same level of aid distribution. Africa remains the largest area of Red Cross spending, accounting for 45 per cent of the field budget in 2007…

“In Egypt, petrol prices have risen by as much as 40 per cent in a year. Yemen has been rocked by riots in the south, which is home to only a fifth of its 22 million population but produces 80 per cent of the country’s oil. Young men and separatists, angry that very little of the nation’s oil wealth has trickled down to ordinary people in the south, have been protesting since April, raising concerns that Islamic militants could exploit the unrest in the notoriously fractious country…

“In Gaza this week, where fuel shortages have long been a major source of seething discontent due to rationing by Israel and Hamas, Palestinians were forced to fill their cars with olive oil instead of diesel… Iran is acutely vulnerable to rises in fuel prices because, despite being the world’s second largest producer, it is still forced to import about 40 per cent of its petrol because of a lack of refining facilities. Protests last year over fuel prices brought in rationing, which is still in place in Tehran and other major Iranian cities.”

Germans Don’t Want Darwin Questioned

Deutsche Welle reported on June 4:

“A Swiss firm has announced plans to construct a ‘Genesis Land’ in the Heidelberg area. But local politicians and theologians don’t like the prospect of becoming home to an anti-Darwin amusement park… According to the developers’ plans, Genesis Land would feature a ‘life-sized’ Noah’s arch, a ride simulating the Biblical Flood and a 3-D animated retelling of the New Testament… The project’s Web site says it aims to ‘communicate Biblical history and a Biblical message in a modern, experience oriented way.’…

“But religious and political representatives from the state of Baden-Wuerttemberg are less than enthusiastic… ‘A project like this only gets in the way of our attempts to spread the faith,’ Hansjörg Hemminger, the Wuerttemberg Protestant Church’s Spokesman on World Views told the newspaper Die Welt.

“Civic planners, too, are against Genesis Land. ‘Such a project isn’t going to get any support from us,’ Raban von der Malsburg, the official in charge of construction in Heidelberg, told the Rhein-Neckar-Zeitung newspaper. Christoph Trinemeier, the director of a regional association, shares the belief that creationism wouldn’t enhance the area’s reputation. ‘Scientists from the entire world live and do research at the most modern level in our region,’ he said to the Rhein-Neckar-Zeitung as grounds for opposing Genesis Land.

“But the project is still very much in the planning stage and may never become reality.”

The Theory of Evolution is wrong. Our free booklet, “The Theory of Evolution–a Fairy Tale for Adults” proves from Scripture, WHY it is a human fabrication, without any scientific basis whatsoever. Please watch in this regard our latest StandingWatch program, “Is There Life on Mars?” View it on StandingWatch or Google Video or YouTube.

Tissue from Dead People to Create Cloned Stem Cells

On June 1, 2008, The Sunday Times wrote the following:

“Scientists [in the UK] are to be permitted to use tissue from dead people to create cloned human stem cells for research, under a legal change put forward by the government. Health ministers have proposed that laboratories should be allowed to use stored human tissue to create cloned embryonic stem cells without the explicit consent of the tissue donor. This would allow research to be done on tissue donated for medical research as long as 30 years ago. Scientists would also be able to use cells from people who have died since they donated their tissue or who cannot be contacted. Many laboratories have banks of stored tissue which act as DNA libraries…”

“Hate Crimes” in Canada…

WorldNetDaily reported on June 5 about hate crimes in Canada:

“A priest is being investigated as a potential criminal under a federal ‘hate crimes’ law for quoting from the Bible, and he’s being targeted using a Canadian provision under which no defendant ever has been acquitted, according to a new report.

“Pete Vere, a canon lawyer and Catholic journalist, has reported on the prosecution of Father Alphonse de Valk, a pro-life activist known across Canada, by the Canadian Human Rights Commission – ‘a quasi-judicial investigative body with the power of the Canadian government behind it’ – at CatholicExchange.com. ‘What was Father de Valk’s alleged “hate act”?’ Vere wrote.

“‘Father defended the [Catholic] Church’s teaching on marriage during Canada’s same-sex ‘marriage’ debate, quoting extensively from the Bible, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and Pope John Paul II’s encyclicals. Each of these documents contains official Catholic teaching. And like millions of other people throughout the world and the ages – many of who are non-Catholics and non-Christians – Father believes that marriage is an exclusive union between a man and a woman,’ he wrote.

“The new case comes just as columnist and author Mark Steyn, and Maclean’s magazine which published an excerpt from his ‘America Alone’ book, are on trial before the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal for similar ‘offenses.’… That case revolves around Joseph’s claims the defendants depicted Muslims as ‘a violent people’ with a religion that is ‘violent.'”

… and in Britain…

The Telegraph reported on June 2, 2008:

“A police community support officer ordered two Christian preachers to stop handing out gospel leaflets in a predominantly Muslim area of Birmingham. The evangelists say they were threatened with arrest for committing a ‘hate crime’ and were told they risked being beaten up if they returned. The incident will fuel fears that ‘no-go areas’ for Christians are emerging in British towns and cities…

“The preachers, both ministers in Birmingham, were handing out leaflets on Alum Rock Road in February when they started talking to four Asian youths. A police community support officer… interrupted the conversation and began questioning the ministers about their beliefs. They said when the officer realised they were American, although both have lived in Britain for many years, he launched a tirade against President Bush and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“[One of the ministers] said: ‘I told him that this had nothing to do with the gospel we were preaching but he became very aggressive. He said we were in a Muslim area and were not allowed to spread our Christian message. He said we were committing a hate crime by telling the youths to leave Islam… West Midlands Police, who refused to apologise, said the incident had been ‘fully investigated’ and the officer would be given training in understanding hate crime and communication.”

… and in Continental Europe

The Associated Press reported on June 3:

“Brigitte Bardot was convicted Tuesday of provoking discrimination and racial hatred for writing that Muslims are destroying France. A Paris court also handed down a $23,325 fine against the former screen siren and animal rights campaigner. The court also ordered Bardot to pay $1,555 in damages to… [a] leading French anti-racism group known as MRAP…

“In [a] December 2006 letter to Sarkozy, now the president, Bardot said France is ‘tired of being led by the nose by this population that is destroying us, destroying our country by imposing its acts.’ Bardot, 73, was referring to the Muslim feast of Aid el-Kebir, celebrated by slaughtering sheep.

“French anti-racism laws prevent inciting hatred and discrimination on racial or religious… grounds. Bardot had been convicted four times previously for inciting racial hatred.”

These laws are on the books in many parts of Europe. Since they are prohibiting “inciting discrimination on religious grounds,” the time is drawing nearer when religious organizations will be prosecuted in Europe for teaching the Biblical truth about “orthodox Christianity” and especially the history and the prophesied future of Babylon the Great and the woman riding the scarlet-colored beast, as mentioned in Revelation 17 and 18.

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

The answer to all of these questions is a resounding, “No.”

Regarding pictures, images or statues of Christ (including those which picture Him on the cross), we clearly read that we are not to have images of God (Exodus 20:4). Since Jesus is God (John 1:1; Hebrews 1:8; Titus 2:13), the creation and use of images or pictures of Christ violates this express prohibition.

Some say that this commandment does not prohibit us to portray Christ when He was a man, and not God. Even though Christ became fully man and fully flesh, He nevertheless did not cease to be the Personage that He had always been before–the Son of God, the second member in the God Family. That is why He, when here on earth, was called “Immanuel” or “God with us,” and that is why people, recognizing this fact, worshipped Him in the flesh.

In addition, Paul tells us that we are not to know Jesus Christ any longer according to the flesh (2 Corinthians 5:16), as He is now again a glorified, all-powerful and divine God being. He is depicted in Revelation 1:14, 16 with eyes as a flame of fire and as the sun shining in full strength. Pictures which show Christ today, even as a man, are totally inaccurate, even from a human standpoint. They portray Christ with long hair, although Paul said that it is a shame for a man to wear long hair (1 Corinthians 11:14). And even though Christ was a Jew, pictures today show Him with features which have no resemblance to Jewish men, but which give Him an effeminate appearance, instead.

When addressing the cross and its worship or use in religious services or at home, we should realize that the Bible does not even say that Christ was nailed to a cross, as it is pictured and portrayed today. In every case when the word “cross” is used in the Authorized Version or the New King James Bible, the Greek word is “stauros.”

According to Young’s Analytical Concordance to the Bible, the meaning of that word is simply, “stake.” Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible agrees, defining “stauros” as a “stake or post, as set upright,” continuing that it could refer to a pole or a cross.

Bullinger’s Companion Bible states in Appendix 162 under “The Cross and Crucifixion”:

“In the Greek N.T. two words are used for ‘the cross’ on which the Lord was put to death. (1) The word ‘stauros’; which denotes an upright pale or stake, to which criminals were nailed for execution; (2) The word ‘xulon’, which generally denotes a piece of a dead log of wood, or timber, for fuel or for any other purpose… As this latter word ‘xulon’ is used for the former ‘stauros’, it shows us that the meaning of each is exactly the same. Our English word ‘cross’ is the translation of the Latin ‘crux’; but the Greek ‘stauros’ no more means a ‘crux’ than the word ‘stick’ means a ‘crutch’. “

The word “xulon” is translated many times in the Authorized Version or the New King James Bible as “tree,” for instance in 1 Peter 2:24, stating that Christ bore our sins in His body on the tree (compare, too, Acts 10:39; 13:29).

The Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words by Vine adds the following, when discussing the kind of death which Christ endured:

“… stauros denotes, primarily, an upright pale or stake. On such malefactors were nailed for execution. Both the noun and the verb stauroo, to fasten to a stake or pale, are originally to be distinguished from the ecclesiastical form of a two beamed cross.”

Since the Greek in the New Testament does not state that Christ died on a cross, as we know it today, how did this idea enter orthodox Christianity? Here is what happened:

Alexander Hislop writes in his book, The Two Babylons, pp. 197, 199:

“The same sign of the cross that Rome now worships was used in the Babylonian Mysteries, was applied by paganism to the same magic purposes, was honored with the same honors. That which is now called the Christian cross was originally no Christian emblem at all, but was the mystic Tau of the Chaldeans and Egyptians–the true original form of the letter T–the initial of the name of Tammuz… There is hardly a Pagan tribe where the cross has not been found. The cross was worshiped by the Pagan Celts long before the incarnation and death of Christ… It was worshiped in Mexico for ages before the Roman Catholic missionaries set foot there, large stone crosses being erected, probably to the ‘god of rain.’ The cross was widely worshiped, or regarded as a sacred emblem, was the unequivocal symbol of Bacchus, the Babylonian Messiah… “

We have found pictures, showing Assyrian, Egyptian, Hindu and Greek gods and goddesses associated with crosses. The ancient Greek goddess Diana is shown with a cross over her head–very similar to the portrayal of the “Virgin Mary” by many medieval artists.

Vine adds that the shape of a “two-beamed cross” had ” its origin in ancient Chaldea, and was used as the symbol of the god Tammuz (being in the shape of the mystic Tau, the initial of his name) in that country and in adjacent lands, including Egypt. By the middle of the 3rd century A.D. the churches had either departed from, or had travestied, certain doctrines of the Christian faith. In order to increase the prestige of the apostate ecclesiastical system pagans were received into the churches apart from regeneration by faith, and were permitted largely to retain their pagan signs and symbols. Hence the Tau or T, in its most frequent form, with the cross-piece lowered, was adopted to stand for the cross of Christ.”

In addition, it is true that the Romans used a two-beamed cross as one of their methods of crucifixion, but it is highly unlikely that that method was used in the case of Christ. The Encyclopedia Britannica writes in its 11th edition, volume 7, on page 506:

“Two methods were followed in the infliction of the punishment of crucifixion. In both of these the criminal was first of all usually stripped naked, and bound to an upright stake, where he was so cruelly scourged with an implement, formed of strips of leather having pieces of iron, or some other hard material, at their ends, that not merely was the flesh often stripped from the bones, but even the entrails partly protruded, and the anatomy of the body was disclosed. In this pitiable state he was re-clothed, and, if able to do so, was made to drag the stake to the place of execution, where he was either fastened to it, or impaled upon it, and left to die.”

Regarding another method, the encyclopedia states that:

“After the scourging, the criminal was made to carry a cross beam to the place of execution, and he was then fastened to it by iron nails driven through the outstretched arms and through the ankles. Sometimes this was done as the cross lay on the ground, and it was then lifted into position.”

As pagans already worshiped the cross as we know it today, before they entered the Catholic fold; as the Roman Church allowed them to continue to worship the cross–only now in association with Christ; and as the Romans used a two-beamed cross as one of their methods of crucifixion, it can be easily seen how the Roman Church was able to convince an unsuspecting world that THAT was the method of Christ’s crucifixion.

However, as mentioned, it is highly unlikely that Christ was killed in that way. In the New Testament, the word for “stauros” is equated with a “tree”–and never with a two-beamed “cross.” Also, Christ had to carry His “cross” (“stauros”) to Golgotha (Matthew 27:32; John 19:17). Some commentaries say that this was only the cross beam–that is, only a small part of the “cross.” However, the Bible does not seem to support this. We read that Christ carried His “cross”; that subsequently, Simon a Cyrenian was compelled to bear “His cross” (Mark 15:21); and that after His crucifixion had begun, His mother and other relatives stood “by the cross of Jesus” (John 19:25). In all these passages, the same word “stauros” is used in the original Greek for “cross”—with no indication of just different parts of the “cross” being described at different times.

In addition, Christ told us to carry our “cross” (Matthew 10:38; 16:24) as He had carried and endured His “cross” (Hebrews 12:2). If He only carried a portion of the “cross,” then that analogy would break down, as we are to carry our entire “cross”–not just portions of it.

We also read that Christ compared the manner of His death with the way in which Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness (John 3:14). Numbers 21:9 tells us how Moses did it: “So Moses made a bronze serpent, and put it ON A POLE; and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.” The bronze serpent was placed on a solid pole, consisting of one piece–indicating the kind of pale or stake on which Christ died.

Since we don’t even know for sure the exact method of Christ’s crucifixion, but since we DO know that the “cross”–as orthodox Christianity uses it today “in memory of Christ”–was worshiped by pagans in connection with their pagan idols, we should not use it at all, nor even wear it as an amulet. The “Christian” use of the cross did not begin until the time of Constantine, and there is no evidence that God’s true Church has ever used cross symbols for any purpose.

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

A new StandingWatch program (#168) has been posted on StandingWatch, Google Video and YouTube.

The program is titled, “Is There Life on Mars?” In the program, Norbert Link points out that with astonishing accuracy, the Phoenix Mars Lander reached the Red Planet on May 25, 2008–exactly as planned. The 422 million-mile journey, which began on August 4, 2007, costs us about 420 million dollars. Is this well-spent money? Scientists are hopeful to discover conditions favorable for life on Mars, either now or once upon a time. They would like to find some evidence for the evolution of life on Mars. But is there even evidence of evolution of life here on earth?

A new member letter was written and sent out this week. In the letter, Norbert Link discusses the fact that we must use God’s Holy Spirit to bring about peace, unity and reconciliation. The letter also discusses what we must do to avoid becoming disunified and confused.

As we announced last week, Paul Voss, a long-time deacon in God’s Church, died on May 23, 2008, at his home in Oregon. A memorial service for Paul will be conducted on Sunday, July 13, 2008, at 1:00 pm, followed by a potluck, at the Seventh-Day Adventist Church, 2701 East 8th Street, (Paradise Valley), National City, California 91950. All family members and friends are invited to attend.