On August 5, 2006, Edwin Pope will give the sermon, titled, “No Other Gods.”

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.

When God calls us into His truth, He gives us a Work to do. As far as His Church is concerned, it is a collective Work–to preach the gospel of the kingdom of God and to feed the flock. But each of us is also responsible to fulfill, in this life, our individual Work. God has called you, not just for the purpose of receiving your own personal salvation, but also to fulfill the Work that He has given YOU! We read in Mark 13:34 that Christ, before He went to heaven, “gave authority to His servants, and to each his work.”

In order to fulfill your Work, you need to know what your Work is. For instance, do you know what your Work is within the Church? Do you know what your Work is in your personal life–in your relationship with God, and every time that you come in contact with other people?

God will have to show you what YOUR Work is. And once you accept God’s Will for you, God will help you to DO Your Work. God showed the apostles Paul and Barnabas what kind of Work He wanted them to do (Acts 13:2). And step by step, they completed the Work which God gave THEM (Acts 14:26). Timothy, too, did His part–His special Work–in the overall ongoing and never-ending “Work of the Lord” (1 Corinthians 16:10).

Christ knew perfectly well the Work that the Father had given Him to do. His whole human life evolved around His desire to fulfill God’s Work for Him (John 4:34; 9:4). Just before His arrest, He said to the Father: “I have finished the work which you have given Me to do” (John 17:4). And with His last dying breath on the cross, He exclaimed: “It is finished” (John 19:30).

Christ, as a human being, finished HIS Work–the task allotted to Him at that time, while in the flesh. But God’s overall WORK was not over, of course. In the same way, even though the individual Work of some is finished, who died over the centuries, God has given all of us, who are still alive, a Work to do! What is your Work? And are you as determined, as Christ and the apostles were, to fulfill the Work that God has given YOU to do? You need to examine your own Work (Galatians 6:4). And if your examination shows that you are fulfilling the Work that God has given YOU, then you will receive a reward for your Work (1 Corinthians 3:14; 15:58).

You may not be called today for the Work of the ordained ministry (Ephesians 4:12), but you ARE called, for sure, for the Work of ministering to or serving others. And God will not forget your Work and your labor of love in that regard (Hebrews 6:10). We know that God will judge each one of us, without partiality, according to our individual Work (1 Peter 1:17).

Are you a DOER of God’s Work that He gave YOU to DO (James 1:25)?

God, who has begun a good Work in you, is determined to complete it (Philippians 1:6). Are you determined to complete the good Work that you have begun for God? What, then, is YOUR Work, exactly–and how are you DOING?

A New Middle East Being Born?

Newsweek reported on July 28:

“A New York Times/CBS News poll found a strong isolationist streak emerging, with 58 percent saying the United States has no responsibility to resolve the conflict between Israel and other countries in the Middle East, and 56 percent supporting a timetable for getting out of Iraq. A substantial majority of 62 percent say the Iraq war has not been worth it in terms of lives lost and dollars spent… Dale Bishop… taught Iranian studies at Columbia University and for 20 years served as Middle East area executive for the United Church of Christ. He spent much of his time reminding us of Lebanon’s bloody history and how Iraq seems destined to go down the same path.

“Both countries are artifacts of the colonial era. Winston Churchill drew the border lines for Iraq. The first Iraqi king was a Saudi-born royal who had not set foot in the new nation until he was installed. Lebanon was carved out of Syria by the French, who wanted a place for the Christian population… Lebanon has 17 sects, including a variety of Christians, Shiite and Sunni Muslims and Druze, and they fought a prolonged civil war that didn’t end until 1991. It was said that the fighting would continue until only a single Lebanese was left, and he would look at himself in the mirror and shoot the mirror. U.S. troops were in the middle of that mess until 241 American servicemen were ambushed and killed in their barracks in 1983. That was enough for President Reagan. He pulled out U.S. troops…

“The Lebanese continued to fight it out without U.S. forces, an outcome Bishop believes will eventually happen in Iraq. ‘And it’s not going to be pretty,’ he says. ‘We walked into a huge mess, and we’re not going to achieve a military victory—and our pride prevents us from just leaving… it’s a new Middle East that’s being born…”

“Hezbollah Are Cowards”

On July 31, News Herald Sun published several pictures showing that Hezbollah terrorists are using Lebanese civilians as “human shields” in their fight against Israel. The article stated:

“The images… show Hezbollah using high-density residential areas as launch pads for rockets and heavy-calibre weapons. Dressed in civilian clothing so they can quickly disappear, the militants [are] carrying automatic assault rifles and ride in on trucks mounted with cannon… The images include one of a group of men and youths preparing to fire an anti-aircraft gun metres from an apartment block with sheets hanging out on a balcony to dry. The release of the images comes as Hezbollah faces criticism for allegedly using innocent civilians as ‘human shields’. [UN’s humanitarian chief Jan] Egeland blasted Hezbollah as ‘cowards’ for operating among civilians. ‘When I was in Lebanon, in the Hezbollah heartland, I said Hezbollah must stop this cowardly blending in among women and children,’ he said.”

Christ’s Return in Our Lifetime?

On July 28, MSNBC.com published an interview with Tim LaHaye, coauthor of the popular “Left Behind” series. In the interview, LaHaye stated the following:

“Biblically speaking, the very nations that are mentioned in prophecy—and have been mentioned for 2,500 years as occupying the focus of the tension of the last days—are the very nations that are involved in the conflict [in the Middle East] right now. That may be one of the reasons there’s a sudden interest in bible prophecy because all of a sudden they realize end-time events could possibly take place and break forth right now… I have often said that no one knows the day nor the hour that Christ will come, but no generation has had so many signs of the times as our generation. We have more reason to believe that Christ could come in our lifetime than any generation before us…

“We believe that the Bible should be understood literally whenever possible. The next big event is the second coming of Christ. That’s preceded by a number of signs. And some of those signs could be stage-setting right now. They’re not going to come out of nowhere. For example, the Bible predicts when the antichrist comes and sits at his kingdom…, he’s going to have one world economy and one world government and one world religion. We’re already moving rapidly in the direction of those very things.”

Extreme Worldwide Weather Conditions

The Sunday Times reported on July 30:

“It looks like being the hottest July on record but Britain is not alone in experiencing extreme conditions… Hot, arid weather is afflicting millions in America and in dozens of countries across Europe and parts of east Asia. The phenomenon has surprised meteorologists who are used to seeing drought as a regional, not global, problem. This weekend they said early analysis of the hot weather, together with the size of the areas affected, suggested it was linked to global climate change…

“In California the temperature in Death Valley reached 56.5C and in many west coast towns it exceeded 40C. An estimated 130 people have been killed by the heat and demand for power to run air-conditioning overloaded power stations, leaving some areas without electricity for up to three days. In South America, mid-winter temperatures in Uruguay, Argentina, Chile and Brazil are up to 7C higher than average. The accompanying drought has reduced the giant Iguazu falls on the Brazil-Argentina border to a trickle. Temperatures are averaging 7C higher than usual across southern England and Scotland… Even Mediterranean countries were caught unawares. Last week Spain and France, hit by temperatures 7-9C above average, had to shut down nuclear power stations as the rivers supplying water for cooling became too warm.

“Pakistan, Bangladesh and southern India hit 3C above normal and much of central China was up by 5C. A drought, the worst for 60 years, is affecting the Chongqing region, leaving 2m short of water.”

Iran and Venezuela–Kindred Spirits?

The Guardian Unlimited reported on July 30:

“The presidents of Iran and Venezuela, leading U.S. critics, pledged Saturday to support one another in disputes with Washington… Iran’s president… said he saw in the Venezuelan president a kindred spirit. Chavez… said he admired the Iranian president for ‘his wisdom and strength.’ He invited Iranian oil companies to invest in Venezuela… Earlier this week [Chavez] secured an arms agreement with Russia that prompted U.S. criticism. Chavez boasted in Moscow on Thursday that Russia had helped his country break a U.S.-imposed ‘blockade’ by agreeing to sell fighter planes and helicopters worth billions of dollars to Venezuela… During his visit to Qatar, which began Friday, Chavez said Venezuela could eventually export guns and ammunition to Bolivia and other allies once these plants were built…”

Haider’s Strong Words

The Austrian Press reported on July 30 about Joerg Haider’s outspoken comments about and strong reaction to the crisis in the Middle East. According to Networld, Haider was quoted as saying in an interview with APA:

“The USA doesn’t fight the axis of evil–they ARE the axis of evil… [As was the case in Iraq] so they want a war in Lebanon at any cost…”

The article continued to point out that Haider remarked that European peace-keeping troops ought to replace the American military in Iraq and Afghanistan; that America is motivated by its interests in oil; and that it is willing to sacrifice the lives of innocent civilians for those interests. He insisted that Austria protest officially against “Israel’s aggression in Lebanon” and he demanded to “dismiss Israel’s ambassador in Austria.”

EU Condemns Israel

On July 31, The Associated Press reported about Europe’s reaction to Israel’s airstrike on the Lebanese city of Qana. The article stated:

“… officials from the Finnish EU presidency, the European Commission as well as EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana agreed to condemn the bombing as ‘unjustifiable.’… Solana declared that ‘nothing can justify’ the attack and the death of innocent civilians in Qana… The leaders of the UK and Germany, prime minister Tony Blair and chancellor Angela Merkel, in a joint statement after the Qana attack stressed the ‘urgency of the need for a ceasefire as soon as possible,’ but refrained from using the word ‘immediate.’ ‘It is now necessary to work in New York on the preconditions for such a ceasefire,’ the Blair-Merkel statement said.”

The Turning Point in Qana

Der Spiegel Online reported on July 31 about the reaction of the German press to Israel’s attack on Qana. The overall consensus was that the incident in Qana hurt Israel and helped Hezbollah. The article stated:

“At the start of Israel’s siege on militants in Lebanon, world opinion tilted toward Jerusalem — even some Arab governments made hushed noises against Hezbollah. But after an attack on a Lebanese village killed over 50 civilians on Sunday, that honeymoon is well and truly over, writes the German press. The deadly strike on the village of Qana on Sunday by Israeli planes has marked a sea-change in the almost three-week war in Lebanon: Not only did Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora publicly [uninvite] Condoleezza Rice to Beirut for peace talks; not only did Lebanese protesters smash windows at the UN building in Beirut; now world opinion seems to have shifted against Israel, and the violence threatens to hand Hezbollah militants a propaganda coup… At least 56 people died in the raid, including 37 children. Israel said it was unaware civilians were in the basement of a building when its planes bombed the village. But the strike outraged Lebanese people who remember a similar attack in Qana ten years ago, when Israel bombed a UN compound there during its so-called ‘Grapes of Wrath’ operation, killing 102 civilians…

“German editorial pages on Monday unanimously argue that the war has moved into a dangerous and perhaps unwinnable phase. The right-wing daily Die Welt suspects that Israel’s military ‘doesn’t know which strategy to take. It attacks, then it retreats.’ The lack of strategy leads to politically ‘tragic mistakes,’ and even an ‘immediate ceasefire’ now may give the terrorists a ‘world-shuddering victory — a victory which would also be expensive for us (in Europe)’… the left-wing daily Die Tageszeitung argues that it’s now too late for a sudden peace… ‘An immediate unconditional cease-fire will be the same as a victory for Hezbollah.’ The paper argues that Israel and the US have already lost ‘on the field of diplomacy,’ and that absent a quick military success, ‘Qana in 2006 will be what Qana in 1996 became: the writing on the wall that led to Israel’s retreat from Lebanon.’

“The Financial Times Deutschland… agrees with other papers that a retreat or a cease-fire will do no good. The last time Israel retreated from Lebanon, in 2000, it was ‘celebrated as a triumph for Hezbollah, and established its mythic status. As everyone can see, it didn’t serve the cause of peace.’ The paper isn’t optimistic about continued fighting, either, because the violence has already hurt Israel’s standing as a diplomatic negotiator. ‘The unprecedented criticism that Arab governments from Egypt to Saudi Arabia expressed against Hezbollah at the start of the current war has gone mute again.’ Although many leaders in the Middle East hate the idea of Iran spreading its influence through Hezbollah, the paper writes, now they have to show ‘solidarity’ with the Lebanese.”

The Pope Condemns Israel

According to an article in the German paper, NetZeitung, dated July 30, the Pope condemned Israel’s attack on Qana and stated: “In the name of God I am asking all responsible for this spiral of violence to immediately put down their weapons.” He continued to state that we “cannot build a new world order and peace with the vehicle of violence.” He asked, in German, to “pray to Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, that the hardness of our hearts would cease and that the weapons would finally be silenced.”

Peacekeeping Force in Lebanon?

The Associated Press reported on August 2:

“Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Wednesday that Israel’s three-week-old offensive in Lebanon will stop only after a robust international peacekeeping force is in place in southern Lebanon… His comments on the international force were his clearest indication to date that Israel would resist European pressure for an immediate cease-fire. It’s not clear how long it will take to put such a force together… Turning to Syria to help solve the crisis would be useless, he said.”

In a related article, The Associated Press reported on August 2:

“Dealing a blow to a U.S.-backed strategy for Lebanon, France has refused to participate in a meeting of nations that could send troops to help monitor a cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah, even though it may join–and possibly even lead–such a force. The French refusal to take part in the meeting, set to take place at the U.N. on Thursday, reflects a wide divergence in views between Washington and Paris about how to impose a lasting peace after three weeks of war between Israel and Hezbollah. France doesn’t even want to talk about sending peacekeepers until fighting halts…

“France, Italy, Germany, Ireland and Turkey have said they are considering joining a multinational force, and France, which has taken a prominent role in diplomacy over Lebanon, could lead it.”

However, according to other news, Germany’s Chancellor, Angela Merkel, told German tabloid Bild am Sonntag over the weekend that her country’s military capacities are “largely exhausted” with Berlin already providing peacekeeping contingents to Congo, the western Balkans and Afghanistan.

“The EU Must Act”

On July 29, the EUOberserver wrote a remarkable article, titled, “The EU Must Act.” In the article, it was stated:

“The international conference in Rome on July 26 offered hope that a consensus could be reached on a plan that would end the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. But the conference ended without a resolution, and the members of the European Union are scrambling to salvage their first diplomatic attempt to end the current crisis. The EU should not be discouraged; it is capable of conducting a pro-active foreign policy and has the ability to commit the necessary financial, diplomatic, and military resources to bring stability and peace to the region. The EU must act decisively as a counterbalance to US unilateralism by proposing a European solution to the current crisis…  the chief problem is that the EU, which has an unprecedented opportunity to bring regional stability and an end to the deadly conflict between Israel and its neighbours, is holding back, as if it needs a permission slip from the United States before it can act.

The article continued:

“Unlike the US… the EU is still a credible broker in the region; Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and the Palestinian Authority are members of the European Neighborhood Policy (ENP)– their relationship yields more than $45 billion in trade annually… The European Union should consider the immediate dispatch of its EU Rapid Reaction Force (RRF)… to southern Lebanon. The RRF is a European military force that can be ‘triggered in situations of crisis and armed conflict’… Its development was predicated on the idea that the EU needs a force that can act independently of US-led NATO missions… The case for an EU force must also take into account Europe’s refusal to list Hezbollah as a terrorist organization, which opens the door for direct negotiations with hopes for the possibility that an EU force can maintain the peace without firing a shot.”

Opposition in Israel to the War in Lebanon

News Haaretz reported on July 31:

“The first person to refuse to do army service during the current fighting was sentenced Sunday to 28 days in a military prison. According to the refusal organization Yesh Gvul, which issued a public statement Sunday urging others to follow in Amir Fester’s footsteps, more than 10 other people have contacted the organization about the possibility of refusing to serve… Sunday’s bombing in Qana sparked an immediate surge in Israeli opposition to the fighting in Lebanon. Spontaneous demonstrations and petitions were organized within hours, and drew more people than the organized demonstrations of the previous two weeks…

“More than 600 people… have signed an international petition calling for an immediate, unconditional cease-fire in Lebanon, Gaza and the West Bank… Thousands of Israeli Arabs took to the streets of Umm al-Fahm on Sunday evening to protest the war in Lebanon following the bombing of the village of Qana.”

IRS Warns Churches

The Associated Press reported on July 18:
 
“The Internal Revenue Service has been warning churches and nonprofit organizations that improper campaigning in the upcoming political season could endanger their tax-exempt status. In notices to more than 15,000 tax-exempt organizations, numerous church denominations and tax preparers, the agency has detailed its new enforcement program, called the Political Activity Compliance Initiative… Under the initiative, the IRS plans to expedite investigations into claims of improper campaigning, no longer waiting for an annual tax return to be filed or the tax year to end before launching a probe. A three-member committee will make an initial review of complaints and then vote on whether to pursue the investigation in detail.”
The article continued:

“Since 2004, the IRS has investigated more than 200 organizations, including All Saints Church in Pasadena. Two days before the 2004 presidential election, the Rev. George F. Regas, the church’s former rector, delivered a guest sermon that pictured Jesus in a debate with George W. Bush and John Kerry. Although Regas didn’t endorse a candidate, he said Jesus would have told Bush that his pre-emptive war policy ‘has led to disaster.’ The church drew national attention when the Rev. Ed Bacon, rector of All Saints, disclosed the IRS investigation and later said the agency believed the church had violated federal tax code barring tax-exempt organizations from intervening in political campaigns and elections. Church leaders have not heard from the IRS since October, when the agency said the investigation was being taken to a higher level, according to Regas. The IRS has not confirmed whether the investigation is still ongoing…

“This month, OMB Watch, a Washington-based nonprofit government watchdog group, issued a report criticizing the IRS enforcement program and said the program could prompt retaliatory and harassment complaints unless the agency develops clear guidelines.”

A: For an in-depth Bible study as to HOW, exactly, our righteousness must exceed the “righteousness” of the scribes and the Pharisees, including their actions, thoughts and motives, please look up and study carefully all the Scriptures quoted in this Q&A, especially those passages in which Jesus Christ condemns the scribes and the Pharisees for their concept of “righteousness.”

We need to understand the types of “righteousness” Christ is referring to in Matthew 5:20. The Bible says that all of God’s commandments constitute righteousness (Psalm 119:172), and that we sin if we transgress just one of His commandments (1 John 3:4, Authorized Version; James 2:10-12). However, Christ was not saying that we will never enter God’s Kingdom if we occasionally sin. If that were the case, then NO ONE would be able to enter God’s Kingdom, as WE ALL sin from time to time (Romans 3:9-10; James 3:2; 1 John 1:8-10). But we can obtain forgiveness for our sins through repentance and faith in the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ, who died FOR US, and who can and will make us righteous, by living in us, as we will explain.

What Christ was addressing first was the self-righteousness of the Pharisees and scribes who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and who despised others (Luke 18:9-14). They erroneously believed that they were without sin, and that they did not need to repent (John 9:40-41). They believed that they could keep the law of God, in the way that they interpreted it, based on their own strength and [self-] righteousness (compare Romans 10:2-3). In addition, even though the scribes and Pharisees appeared to be very righteous to men, they were filled with hypocrisy (Luke 12:1; compare Matthew 23:1-36; Mark 12:13-15). Although they claimed that they kept God’s law and that they were without sin, they, in reality, did NOT keep God’s law at all (Mark 7:1-13; John 7:18-19). First, they neglected the weightier matters of the law, while they appeared to be very diligent in keeping the “smaller” matters (Matthew 23:23; Luke 11:42). But even insofar as the “smaller” areas of the law were concerned, they kept them only, if at all, to be seen and praised by men (Matthew 23:5).

On the other hand, our righteousness must exceed that of the scribes and the Pharisees, in that we have to replace our own [self-] righteousness with the acceptance of God’s GIFT of HIS righteousness (Romans 5:17; compare Philippians 3:8-9). We are to seek GOD’s righteousness, not our own (Matthew 6:33), and we must allow God’s righteousness to REPLACE our own [self-] righteousness. This is only possible if we let Christ live in us through the Holy Spirit, fulfilling for and through us the righteous requirement of the law (Romans 8:3-4). Job had that kind of [pharisaical] self-righteousness which did not allow him to see his sinful nature [which we all have] and which needed to be replaced with the righteousness of God. But Job came to repentance, and so must we (Job 42:1-6).

With God’s righteousness in us comes the ability to keep the law, as well as the attitude of humility–the realization and conviction that we need to repent of our own shortcomings and that we need to let God live His life in us. When we sin, we must repent and obtain forgiveness through the blood of Christ, and the Bible promises us that the living Christ, dwelling within us, will cleanse or purify us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). Without faith in Christ, and what He did, does and will accomplish for us, and without the faith OF Christ–Christ’s faith–in us, enabling us to do what we must (Galatians 2:20, Authorized Version), we could never obtain God’s righteousness (compare Romans 4:13; 10:1-6; Galatians 5:5 and Philippians 3:9). Without God’s Holy Spirit within us, which the scribes and Pharisees did not have, man CANNOT keep God’s law in the spirit. Our human righteousness is like “filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6) in comparison with the righteousness of God, which God wants to give us through the gift of His Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17).

Christ promises us that we WILL enter God’s Kingdom if we seek God and HIS righteousness first. In doing so, we are to replace our own self-righteousness–the “righteousness of the scribes and the Pharisees”–with the righteousness of God.

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

Our new book on Prayer has reached the final review cycle. We should be able to finalize the book soon and send it to the printer in Canada.

A new StandingWatch program has been posted on the Web. It is titled: “Why the Hate Against America and Israel?”

Set forth below is a summary of the program:

Israel is being condemned for the tragedy in Qana, during which many civilians were killed. But Hezbollah continues to kill civilians in Israel, without experiencing the same condemnation. The world demands, with the exception of the USA, an immediate cease fire. But wouldn’t such a move only help Hezbollah and its supporters? And why is the world at odds with the USA in regard to almost every major issue, including the situation in the Middle East?

On July 29, 2006, Dave Harris will give the sermon, titled, “The Time of Harvest.”

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.

The amount of money owed by consumers in the UK broke through the symbolic £1 trillion barrier for the first time in 2004. The Bank of England said that consumers owe more than £1,000bn on cards, mortgages and loans. According to the National Consumer Council, about six million families are already struggling to keep up with credit commitments at a time when borrowing is rising. Students are now building up huge debts as they work their way through University. Debt is everywhere and continues to grow by the day.

But debt is not confined to the UK. Debt in the world is a massive problem. At a G-8 finance ministers’ meeting in February last year, the world’s richest nations agreed in principle to cancel up to 100 per cent of the debts of the poorest countries in Africa.

And yet, again referring to the UK, retailers have not been doing well and many businesses have been in serious trouble, some going into bankruptcy. Therefore, encouraging spending is usually part of the overall marketing drive throughout the year, but is particularly strong in the run up to Christmas, thus increasing even further personal debt.  It is a dichotomy. Retailers need sales but customers are up to their neck in debt.

As one expert stated: “The British economic recovery–heralded by Gordon Brown–is hanging by a thread. It rests on the fragile foundations of a consumer boom in Britain, and far more importantly, in the United States. Moreover the US economic bubble is keeping the world afloat at the present time. This is a fact recognised by all the economic pundits.” A very simple piece of Biblical advice is generally ignored by mankind–and to their hurt: “The borrower is servant to the lender” (Proverbs 22:7). Some debt may be necessary to buy a house or a car, but debt has become such an integral part of almost everyone’s life today that it has spiralled out of control.

Personal situations, and the economy in general, are hanging by a thread. The global economy is so inter-dependent that it could fall like a house of cards. Massive spending fuels personal debt; not spending means that businesses will go out of business. The economy is so fragile that it could fail at any time. Let us make sure that our own house is in order.

“Israel’s Reaction Is Right!”

Der Spiegel Online published an article by Matthias Küntzel, a German political scientist and publicist, arguing that “Israel’s reaction is right.” The article stated:

“German and European public opinion does take sides — and it tends to side with the apparent underdog and against Israel. It has almost become a reflex on the Continent. In 2003, 59 percent of all Europeans pointed to Israel as the country presenting the greatest risk to world peace. On the third day of the current crisis, fully three quarters of all Germans polled were convinced that Israel was overreacting and using too much force in its response to Hezbollah. And since then, the images coming from the war zone have set the tenor: A cease-fire, most believe, should begin as soon as possible.

“I disagree — and have four reasons for doing so.

“First, Israel is fighting a just war. Germany and the European Union should unequivocally back Israel… Islamism has attacked Israel from both the south and the north and Israel has no choice but to react. But there is more to it than that. Israel’s military operation is important for the entire Western world… Islamism isn’t out to change Israeli policy in the region, Islamism is out to completely eradicate the country of Israel…

“Second, Israel wants peace… So far, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s government has succeeded in coupling its military operation with transparent political goals. Every step can be justified. On the one hand, Israel recognizes Lebanon as a sovereign state, thus making it responsible for the Hezbollah attack on July 12 in which the group abducted two Israeli soldiers. On the other hand, Israel’s war aims have been clearly stated… The fighting serves to achieve the following aims: a. The implementation of United Nations resolution 1559, which calls for the disarmament of Hezbollah; b. The implementation of UN resolution 5241, which calls for south Lebanon to be solely under the control of the Lebanese army, and c. The unconditional return of the kidnapped Israeli soldiers…  The infrastructure in Lebanon is being attacked, but only insofar as it is relevant to the arming and operations of Hezbollah. The Lebanese civilian population has been warned with leaflets and radio messages prior to attacks in residential areas. Hezbollah, on the other hand, is marching to a different drummer. Their motto is: ‘You love life, we love death.’… Hezbollah is not only happy to kill as many Jews as possible, it is not bothered by the deaths of Shiite Muslims as well and has thus strategically based many of their rockets directly in the middle of Shiite residential districts.

“Third, there is no alternative to Israel’s current military operation. Will Hezbollah ever willingly give up their weapons? Not a chance! The Jihad against Israel is the foundation of the militant group’s very existence. For Hezbollah members, the destruction of Israel is not only non-negotiable, it is a religious duty. Hezbollah only understands the language of violence and Israel’s military is the only force that is in a position to effectively confront Hezbollah. A United Nations force would never be able to achieve what Israel could… With this in mind, the demand for an immediate cease-fire is the equivalent of a plea for saving Hezbollah.

“Fourth, Israel’s military operation has already resulted in positive effects. One can already see some positive results from the Israeli operation — the strength of which clearly took Hezbollah and its supporters by surprise. Whereas the process of ‘critical dialogue’ — supported especially by Germany — with the Mullah dictatorship in Iran and with anti-Semitic terror groups tended to strengthen those groups, the Israeli offensive seems to have started a paradigm shift in the Middle East: For the first time in the history of the Middle East conflict, an overwhelming majority of the Arab League distanced itself from Hezbollah’s ‘dangerous adventurism.’

“Israel must not be forced to abandon its war against Hezbollah, rather it must win the conflict. Just as Hezbollah is fighting the war as Iran’s proxy, Israel is fighting genocidal Islamism as the proxy for the rest of the Western world. The least Israel should be able to expect from the West is that it not be betrayed.”

Whether Israel–strictly based on human reasoning–is fighting a “righteous war” or not, is not really the most important issue. How does GOD–not man–look at this present situation? For more information, please make sure to view our StandingWatch programs, “War in the Middle East?” and “Why No Peace in the Middle East?”

American Hypocrisy?

The British paper, The Independent, published a thought-provoking article on July 21 about perceived glaring hypocrisy between America’s domestic and foreign policy. The article stated:

“Yesterday US troops killed five people, including two women and a child, in the city of Baquba [Iraq] during a raid, claiming they had been shot at. At best it was a tragic error, at worst it spoke to the cavalier attitude of the US towards Iraqi civilian lives. Local police said that a man had fired from a rooftop at the Americans because he thought a hostile militia force was approaching. While the eyes of the world are elsewhere, Baghdad is still dying and the daily toll is hitting record levels. While the plumes of fire and smoke over Lebanon have dominated headlines for 11 days, with Britain and the US opposing a UN call for an immediate ceasefire, another Bush-Blair foreign policy disaster is unfolding in Iraq.

“Invoking the sanctity of human life, George Bush wielded the presidential veto for the first time in his presidency to halt US embryonic stem cell research in its tracks. He… talked of preventing the ‘taking of innocent human life’. How hollow that sounds to Iraqis. More people are dying here–probably more than 150 a day–in the escalating sectarian civil war between Shia and Sunni Muslims and the continuing war with US troops than in the bombardment of Lebanon.

“In a desperate effort to stem the butchery, the government yesterday imposed an all-day curfew on Baghdad, but tens of thousands of its people have already run for their lives. In some parts of the city, dead bodies are left to rot in the baking summer heat because nobody dares to remove them…Iraqis are terrified in a way that I have never seen before, since I first visited Baghdad in 1978. Sectarian massacres happen almost daily. The UN says 6,000 civilians were slaughtered in May and June, but this month has been far worse. In many districts it has become difficult to buy bread because Sunni assassins have killed all the bakers who are traditionally Shia…

“I never expected the occupation of Iraq by the US and Britain to end happily. But I did not foresee the present catastrophe. Baghdad has survived the Iran-Iraq war, the 1991 Gulf War, UN sanctions, more bombing and, finally, a savage guerrilla war. Now the city is finally splitting apart, and–most surprising of all–this disaster scarcely gets a mention on the news as the world watches the destruction of Beirut so many miles away.”

Cease Fire Or Not?

The British paper, The Independent, wrote on July 21:

“Israeli warplanes continued their bombardment of Lebanon yesterday, defying a demand by Kofi Annan for an immediate end to fighting on the ninth day of a war that has led to the ‘collective punishment of the Lebanese people’. Two countries, the US and Britain, defiantly refused to back the international clamour for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hizbollah guerrillas… [This] has given Israel a powerful signal that it can continue its attacks with impunity… Mr Annan, the secretary general of the United Nations, used his emotive statement to the Security Council to reflect the deep-seated international unease about the human cost of Israel’s response to the onslaught of rockets from Hizbollah guerrillas backed by Syria and Iran. ‘What is most urgently needed is an immediate cessation of hostilities,’ he said. However, he added that there were ‘serious obstacles to reaching a ceasefire, or even to diminishing the violence quickly.’…

“The statement was sharply criticised by Israel and the United States… Britain and the US say they are not opposed to a ceasefire, but that Hizbollah must first stop firing missiles from south Lebanon into Israel and release two abducted soldiers. Countries such as Russia, which are calling for an immediate end to the fighting, have accused Israel of harbouring broader strategic goals than the simple return of the soldiers… The EU said yesterday that a ceasefire was essential before any peacekeeping mission can be deployed to southern Lebanon, and said the two sides were ‘not listening enough’ to calls for an end to violence.”

The Associated Press reported on July 26:

“U.S., European and Arab officials holding crisis talks on Lebanon failed to agree Wednesday on an immediate plan to halt the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah guerrillas… After listening to a dramatic appeal from Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora for them to stop the killing, the officials said they had agreed on the need to deploy an international force under the aegis of the United Nations in southern Lebanon… The United States and Britain opposed the push for a quick cease-fire, saying any truce should ensure that Hezbollah no longer is a threat to Israel and should ensure a durable peace… The foreign ministers and other senior officials from 15 nations, as well as Annan and representatives from the European Union and the World Bank, agreed on a declaration that expressed ‘deep concern’ for the high number of civilian casualties in Lebanon, where government officials say hundreds of people have been killed… In Brussels, European Union officials said a meeting of foreign ministers would be held Aug. 1 to discuss the violence.”

Der Spiegel Online added on July 27:

“The Rome peace conference was widely derided as a failure on Wednesday, but Israel has claimed its one achievement was to affirm support for a continued bombardment of Lebanon…”

And so, the bloodshed, including the deaths of innocent civilians on both sides, will continue…

International Peacekeepers in Lebanon?

The Associated Press reported on July 23:

“President Bush’s chief of staff said Sunday international peacekeepers might be needed in Lebanon to help end the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah militants, but that U.S. troop involvement was unlikely… Israel’s defense minister said Sunday that his country would accept a temporary international force, preferably headed by NATO, along the Lebanese border to keep Hezbollah guerrillas away from Israel, according to officials in the minister’s office.”

Der Spiegel Online added on July 25:

“CNN also reported that Rice suggested more than 10,000 Turkish and Egyptian soldiers be used and be placed under NATO or UN command after a cease-fire. In a second phase, the contingent would be expanded to 30,000. Rice had discussed the plan with the Israeli government but it was not clear whether Egypt and Turkey had agreed, the report said. Meanwhile Germany continues to agonize about whether it should send troops as part of such a force. The general secretary of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, Stephan Kramer, told German radio: ‘There are many Shoah survivors still alive in Israel, fortunately. And I don’t know what they would think if German troops had to take action against an Israeli soldier defending his country.’ Germany’s history made it problematic to send German troops to the region, he said.”

What Do Iranians Think?

On July 23, 2006, the British magazine, “Time,” published an article, titled, “Meanwhile, the view from inside Iran.” In the article, it was pointed out:

“To many observers in the Western world, Hizballah, the Lebanese guerrilla group battling Israel, is a mere puppet of Iran. Some are convinced that Hizballah triggered the crisis on Tehran’s orders to divert world attention away from Iran’s controversial nuclear plans. But client states are not necessarily as docile as one might think. Just as Israel sometimes takes actions that surprise (and even displease) the U.S., Hizballah does things Iran has neither ordered up nor necessarily approves of.

“It’s impossible to know the precise origins of the current crisis in Lebanon, but since it erupted two weeks ago, the mood in Tehran has swung between indifference–the fighting rarely makes the headlines–and resentment over Iran’s longstanding sponsorship of Hizballah. True, there have been officially sponsored rallies declaring support for Hizballah, whose leaders pledge religious allegiance to Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatullah Ali Khamenei. But the emotional support for Hizballah common throughout the Arab world is largely absent here…

“It’s not only ordinary Iranians who are worried about what the Middle East explosion means for Iran. Even as state infomercials order Iranians to boycott soft drinks, officials in Tehran–pragmatists and conservatives alike–concur that the conflict is bad news for the Iranian regime because it exacerbates the West’s image of Tehran as a regional troublemaker. Rather than helpfully distracting attention from Iran, as many have charged, the conflict ‘undermines Iran’s position,’ says a university professor close to senior Iranian officials.

“The thorny nuclear negotiations with the West are likely to become even trickier. The delay in efforts to enforce a cease-fire in Lebanon is inflaming divisions within the Iranian regime on how to respond to the U.S.-backed package of incentives offered to Tehran in June. Before the crisis erupted, the momentum seemed to favor advocates of a pragmatic, positive response. But now the radicals are using the U.S.-backed Israeli campaign in Lebanon to push their case for a tough line. As an adviser to a senior conservative ayatullah puts it, ‘This has strengthened the hand of those who argue,”If this happened to us, the only thing that would save us is a nuclear deterrent.”‘”

Four UN Observers Killed

Der Spiegel Online reported on July 26 that “United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan has accused Israel of deliberately targeting a UN observation post in an air raid which killed four UN observers on Tuesday night…  Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said he had told Annan of his ‘deep sorrow’ at the killing of the observers, but voiced shock at Annan’s suggestion the attack was deliberate… China condemned the air raid, in which a Chinese national was killed. Its official Xinhua news agency said the other three observers were from Finland, Austria and Canada.”

America Unable To Solve the World’s Problems

On July 27, MSNBC.com posted an article on its Webpage, titled, “A Mission Unaccomplished.” In the article, it was stated:

“The war unfolding in the Middle East marks a new era. For Israel and the Palestinians, it is the end of any prospect for peace. For Israel and Hizbullah, it is the beginning of a death struggle. For newly reborn Lebanon, led by a West-leaning government that sprang from last year’s anti-Syrian Cedar Revolution, it’s a loss beyond calculation. And for the United States, it’s the last gasp of a cosmically naive pipe dream. A Middle East Pax Americana, topped by a friendly post-Saddam Iraq with democracies popping up like mushrooms across a once autocratic landscape? What rubbish. The United States is now bogged down, Israel is under threat, Lebanon is collapsing, Iraq is on the verge of civil war and Iran is fanning the flames across the region while pursuing its nuclear policy and calling for Israel to be wiped off the map. And in those unfortunate places where elections have indeed been held, Islamists swept the ballots, surfing on popular resentment against America, Israel and the West.”

It’s All President Bush’s Fault…

On July 25, The Russian paper, Pravda, published an overly simplified article by Rodrigue Tremblay, a professor emeritus of economics at the University of Montreal. However, the article shows the willingness of many to blame President Bush for almost everything which goes wrong these days in the world. The article stated:

“Coincidence or not, things started to go bad internationally soon after George W. Bush squeezed into power in January 2001, with the help of a one-member majority of the U.S. Supreme Court. Days after his inauguration, the new president began uttering incendiary statements, seemingly designed to provoke the Muslim world, but also to bully America’s allies… To what extent the al-Qaeda attacks of 9/11 were in response to Bush’s provocations, we will probably never know. One thing is certain, however, and it is that they surely did not help… The U.N.-sanctioned 2001 attacks against the al-Qaeda training camps in Afghanistan were accepted by the rest of the world as a necessary military mission to extirpate the virus of Islamist terrorism. Such was not the case with the unprovoked 2003 war against Iraq. There were no Islamist terrorists in Iraq before George W. Bush decided on his own to invade and occupy that country militarily…

“Bush II also demonstrated how irremediably caught up he is in the tangled neocon web when, in early July 2006, he ‘authorized’ Israel’s Ehud Olmert to indiscriminately bomb the defenseless country of Lebanon, even though there were 25,000 Americans in that country and hundreds of thousands of other nationals at risk. What’s more, Israeli offensive military forces were dropping American bombs on Beirut and on Lebanese villages. As a consequence, more than 350 Lebanese and other nationals, nearly all of whom were civilians and a third, children, have perished under Israeli bombs… In the Muslim world… [the] advent of democracy has been set back decades because Bush’s illegal invasion and occupation of Iraq has resulted in an Islamist and anti-democracy reaction. This reaction has been exacerbated by the military invasion of Lebanon by the U.S.’s client state, Israel… Even in Turkey, the most pro-Western Islamic country and a member of NATO, the anti-West mood is ‘rising’. The very idea of exporting ‘democracy’ with bombs and tanks was crazy to begin with, more like a cruel hoax. Elections in some of the most extreme Islamic countries were bound to bring anti-West religious parties to power.

“Indeed, in recent general elections in many Middle East countries, Islamist parties have obtained significant victories: for the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, for Hamas in Palestine, for Hezbollah in Lebanon, and for a host of Islamist religious parties in Iraq, Somalia, and Afghanistan. As time goes on and the American-led occupation of Iraq and the Israeli occupation of Lebanon persist, and as American puppet Israel continues to kill innocent civilians in Gaza and in Lebanon, radical Islamist parties will gain further in popularity in most, if not all, Muslim countries. The U.S. will lose any following and Western values will be shunted aside in favor of radical Islamism. What a mess! It is really true that under the failed leadership of George W. Bush, the world is going to hell (politically, economically and morally speaking)!”

Why do we find so much anti-Americanism in the world? For answers, please read our free booklets, “The Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord,” and, “The Fall and Rise of Britain and America.”

Interview With Lebanese President Emile Lahoud

On July 14, 2006, Der Spiegel published an interview with Lebanese President Emile Lahoud. His statements are remarkable in light of the present war in the Middle East and reflect quite a different mindset than that of the Western World, showing that a peaceful solution for the country of Lebanon is as far away as ever. Lahoud stated:

“I myself built up [the Lebanese] army following the civil war and integrated all the religious groups: Muslims, Christians and Druze. This army is there to secure internal peace, but it is not an army to fight a war… But it wasn’t the army that freed the occupied south of the country, rather it was the resistance which achieved that. Without this resistance Lebanon would still be occupied today… Naturally the strongholds of the resistance [i.e., Hezbollah] are not known [to the Lebanese army or the Israelis]. Despite the hail of bombs, the Israelis have been unable to produce one single photo of a destroyed resistance base, because they don’t know where they are. Army bases, on the other hand, are well known and this is why they are invariably destroying our armed forces and, above all, civilian targets… The Israeli armed forces are destroying Lebanon, and the international community isn’t trying to hold them back, but giving them more time to complete their plan of destruction… The exchange of prisoners has always worked perfectly in the past. The Germans above all were very helpful in this process. It is unclear whether that will happen this time. It’s a charged atmosphere…

“Hezbollah enjoys utmost prestige in Lebanon, because it freed our country. All over the Arab world you hear: Hezbollah maintains Arab honor, and even though it (Hezbollah) is very small, it stands up to Israel… As long as the conflict between Lebanon and Israel remains unresolved, no international force will help, however large it may be. The problems smoulder on: the undetermined status of the Schebaa Farms, the Lebanese prisoners in Israel and above all the Palestinian refugees in Lebanon… We have today around half a million Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, their birth rate is three times higher than the Lebanese. That is a time bomb. It is the basic problem of our country, it led to the outbreak of civil war in 1975 and still remains unsolved today. Everybody today is talking about UN resolution 1559 [United Nations Resolution 1559 demands that the (Lebanese) army should control the whole country], but nobody mentions resolution 194, which recognizes the Palestinians’ right of return (to Israel). Lebanon is small and can’t integrate the Palestinians.”

Catholic Church Does Not Get Involved in Politics?

The Associated Press reported on July 21 about some rather strange comments from Pope Benedict XVI, pertaining to the present crisis in the Middle East:

“Pope Benedict XVI said Friday that he does not plan to intervene diplomatically in the Middle East fighting, but called on people of all religions to join Sunday’s worldwide day of prayers for peace. ‘I think it is best to leave that to the diplomats, because we don’t enter politics. But we do everything for peace. Our goal is simply peace, and we will do everything to help attain peace,’ Benedict told reporters… The pope has set aside Sunday as a worldwide day of prayers for peace, hoping the prayers will bring a halt to the fighting. Benedict invited everyone to pray ‘especially Muslims and Jews.’

“Benedict said he had heard from Catholic communities in Lebanon and Israel. ‘Especially from Lebanon, who implored us, as they have implored the Italian government, to help,’ he said. ‘We will help with our prayers and with the people we have… in Lebanon.'”

Zenit added on July 20:

“A communiqué issued today by the Vatican press office said the decision was due to the ‘great concern’ with which the Holy Father follows ‘the fate of all the affected peoples.’ With this initiative, the Pope invites ‘the pastors and faithful of all the particular Churches, and all believers of the world, to implore from God the precious gift of peace,’ explained the Vatican communiqué. In particular, the Bishop of Rome appeals for prayer to the Lord ‘for an immediate cease-fire between the sides, for humanitarian corridors to be opened in order to bring help to the suffering peoples and for reasonable and responsible negotiations to begin to put an end to objective situations of injustice that exist in that region.’ According to the Pontiff, ‘the Lebanese have the right to see the integrity and sovereignty of their country respected, the Israelis, the right to live in peace in their state, and the Palestinians have the right to have their own free and sovereign homeland.'”

The office of Pope does hold great influence in this world–in fact, the Pope is the most influential religious personality of our day. Biblical prophecy reveals that this office, and the person occupying it, will become more and more powerful in coming years. The Word of God reveals that BOTH a religious and a military entity will soon emerge in continental Europe to jointly dominate events all over the earth! Please read our free booklet, “Europe in Prophecy”, for more of the dramatic details of these future events!

Outrageous U.S. Court Decision in Collaboration With Social Services

The Associated Press reported on July 21 about an outrageous decision with the effect of an intrusion into the rights of religion and privacy of the parents and the victim who is suffering of cancer:

“A [Virginia] judge ruled Friday that a 16-year-old boy fighting to use alternative treatment for his cancer must report to a hospital by Tuesday and accept treatment that doctors deem necessary, the family’s attorney said. The judge also found Starchild Abraham Cherrix’s parents were neglectful for allowing him to pursue alternative treatment of a sugar-free, organic diet and herbal supplements supervised by a clinic in Mexico, lawyer John Stepanovich said. Jay and Rose Cherrix… must continue to share custody of their son with the Accomack County Department of Social Services, as the judge had previously ordered, Stepanovich said. The parents were devastated by the new order and planned to appeal, the lawyer said.”

Just Wait…

USA Today reported on July 22 about the ongoing disagreement between Presidents Bush and Putin. The article stated:

“They’re the two most powerful people in the world. They shared private and public thoughts this past week. Two words summed up the difference in their philosophy, policy and style. This exchange between President Bush and Russian President Putin at a news conference after their private meeting at the Group of Eight summit tells it all:

“Bush: ‘I talked about my desire to promote institutional change in parts of the world like Iraq where there’s a free press and free religion … a lot of people in our country would hope that Russia would do the same thing.’

“Putin: ‘We certainly would not want to have the same kind of democracy as they have in Iraq, I will tell you quite honestly.’

“Bush: ‘Just wait.’

“’Wait’ has been the Bush clarion call in Iraq for years. Wait, we’ll find weapons of mass destruction. Wait, elections will bring a real working democracy. Wait, Iraq’s military will stand up and then our troops can stand down. ‘Wait’ makes Iraq Bush’s Achilles’ heel, which weakens his position with other world leaders on other world problems. The G-8 talked about them all–North Korea, Iran, Israel, Lebanon, the Hezbollah. Most issues produced compromising double talk because the G-8 countries have no strong world leader.”

God’s Holy Spirit is foremost the POWER of God, emanating from both the Father and the Son. But it is also the MIND of God, including all the characteristics of God Himself. When God’s Holy Spirit dwells in us, we are to change, by replacing our human nature with the nature of God (1 Samuel 10:6; Romans 8:13), enabling us to follow God and to be obedient to Him (Numbers 14:24; Ezekiel 11:19-20; 36:27; 1 Peter 1:22).

Let us notice several Scriptures which describe in detail God’s characteristics, which are being conveyed to us through the Holy Spirit dwelling within us. Please consider that all of these characteristics are GOD’S–that is, when we read that God’s Spirit is a Spirit of Power, it is actually GOD’s Power that is emanating from God (both the Father and the Son) through the Holy Spirit:

— God’s Spirit is a Spirit of Power (Luke 4:14; Micah 3:8; Romans 15:13), of Love (Romans 5:5) and of a Sound Mind (2 Timothy 1:7).

— God’s Spirit is a Spirit of Wisdom (Exodus 28:3) and of the Revelation in the Knowledge of God (Ephesians 1:17; compare 1 Corinthians 2:10-16), as well as of Understanding, Counsel and Might, Knowledge and the Fear of God (Isaiah 11:2).

— God’s Spirit is a Spirit of Truth (John 15:26; 16:13).

— God’s Spirit is a Spirit of Faith (2 Corinthians 4:13).

— God’s Spirit is a Spirit of Joy (1 Thessalonians 1:6) and of Peace (Romans 14:17).

— God’s Spirit is a Spirit of Grace and of Supplication or fervent prayer (Zechariah 12:10).

When God gives us His Holy Spirit, we are to bring forth the fruit of God’s Spirit, which is described as “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23). Please note that it does not say, “fruits,” but “fruit”–when God’s Spirit dwells in us, we are to produce ALL of these characteristics, as they all–together–are THE FRUIT of God’s Spirit. This means that the Holy Spirit is a Spirit of those characteristics, producing ITS fruit in us. We are told that the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness and truth (Ephesians 5:9). With God’s Spirit within us, we will also bring forth justice in our lives (Isaiah 42:1). God’s Spirit within us gives us comfort (Acts 9:31) and hope (Romans 15:13).

God’s Spirit within us teaches us all things and brings to remembrance all things (John 14:26; 1 John 2:27). With God’s Spirit within us, we can worship God in spirit and in truth (John 4:23-24; Philippians 3:3).

God’s Spirit in us is not static. It must be used by us. God’s Holy Spirit is compared with living waters. As living waters flow, so God’s Holy Spirit within us must flow from us toward others–that is, others must be able to recognize the effects of God’s Spirit within us (John 4:10, 13-14; 7:37-39). As God’s Spirit is to flow through us and out of us toward others, it must be renewed on a regular basis (through regular prayer), so that we can be constantly filled with it (Psalm 51:10-11; Philippians 1:19; Ephesians 5:18; compare 2 Corinthians 4:16). Rather than quenching the Holy Spirit within us (1 Thessalonians 5:19), we must be led by and follow the lead of the Spirit (Romans 8:14; Luke 4:1).

In order to learn more about the Biblical truth that the Holy Spirit is NOT a person, and how we can receive God’s Holy Spirit, please read our free booklets, “Is God a Trinity?” and “Baptism–A Requirement for Salvation.”

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

Correction:

In the Q&A of our previous Update #253 (on Matthew 28:1), it was erroneously stated that during the crucifixion week, the annual Holy Day–the First Day of Unleavened Bread–fell on a Wednesday, beginning with sunset on Tuesday. This is incorrect. The annual Holy Day fell on a THURSDAY, BEGINNING with sunset on WEDNESDAY. The version of the Q&A, as posted on the Web, has been corrected.

A new StandingWatch program has been posted on the Web. It is titled, “Why No Peace in the Middle East?” Set forth below is a brief summary:

When observing the current events in the Middle East, a lasting peaceful and prosperous solution seems to be as elusive as ever. We are not here to assess blame, but just to report the events based on Biblical prophecy. The Bible shows indeed, how current events will lead to the ultimate fulfillment of a situation which has been clearly foretold a long time ago. Why is it that we are seemingly unable to create a peaceful and happy world?

StandingWatch responses from Google Video:

The following sets forth some of the all-time high responses to our StandingWatch programs, so far, posted on Google Video (These figures do not include views on and downloads from our StandingWatch Website):

Is Nuclear War Coming? —  1,245 views and 43 downloads
Ghosts of Departed Ones? — 695 views and 1 download
Da Vinci, Judas and a Fish — 613 views and 20 downloads
Afghanistan’s Radical Islam — 602 views and 15 downloads
Germany in Prophecy — 483 views and 13 downloads
666, the Beast and Antichrist — 477 views and 11 downloads
America’s Illegal Aliens — 441 views and 6 downloads
Evolution or the Bible — 379 views and 15 downloads
What Is Happening in Germany — 355 views and 4 downloads
American Hiroshima — 353 views and 13 downloads
The Pope Is Dead–What Is Next? — 330 views and 1 download

Totals of all programs posted on Google Video so far have been 9,308 views and 212 downloads.

Dwight Armstrong Hymns in Public Domain

Worldwide Church of God officials announced on June 26, 2006, that it is placing all Dwight Armstrong composed hymns to which it owns the copyright into the public domain. Effective immediately, any person or group who wishes to copy or use these hymns may do so without receiving permission from the Church. Church officials have said that the works released into the public domain are only those hymns by Dwight Armstrong to which  the Church holds the copyright. No other hymns or materials of any kind are being placed into the public domain, and the responsibility is on the user to ascertain whether the work it wishes to use is one of the released hymns.

With the copyright holder’s expression of intent to abandon the copyright to Dwight Armstrong’s hymns, they have now entered the public domain.

by Eric Rank

As I write this, I’m in the midst of moving my family 1000 miles away from the place we call home. The other night I lay awake, quite overwhelmed, reflecting on the impact of this decision to move. All I could think about were the things we’re leaving behind. We’re leaving my loving parents and family; I’m leaving a good job; we’re moving away from a comfortable house in a neighborhood we enjoy; and we’re leaving some very dear friends. With all this in mind, I summed up my feelings with a single, emotionally charged, frightened, anxious and melancholy sentence. I said out loud to my wife and companion in this adventure, “I’m really happy here.”

At this last minute I realized that I’m giving up a life that I truly enjoy to move to a place where just about everything will be different and few things certain. It’s very scary.

It reminds me of the story of Abram, when God tells him to leave his home to a land to be shown to him by God. When this happened he was 75 years old, and well-established in his life. Yet, because God made a promise to him, he faithfully packed up his household and moved, knowing only that it was commanded by God and that he would be blessed for his obedience.

In my family’s move, the one thing that I am certain of is that we’ll be blessed with the opportunity to grow spiritually. We are moving to an area where we will be building relationships with other brethren, challenging ourselves to grow spiritually in ways that we cannot in the place we’re moving away from.

When I become overwhelmed by the immense changes right now, I find comfort knowing that moving 1000 miles away from here is the best spiritual move that we could possibly make. But that still doesn’t make it easy.

What does make it easier is remembering that Christ told us not to love this life to the death. I have to apply this by always attempting to put spiritual benefits above physical comfort. As God promised Abram, He promises us, that if we succeed in obeying His commandment to live according to the way of His Holy Spirit, we too will be blessed.

On July 22, 2006, Norbert Link will give the sermon, titled, “In The Beginning, Part 3.”

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 a recent article about an Associated Press-Ipsos poll, just over
half of those who took the survey said lying was never justified, YET
in the same exact poll nearly two-thirds said it was OK to lie in
particular situations.  One “noted ethicist” even proclaimed that
he was a proponent of lying and we have a moral obligation to lie.

The
most dumbfounding aspect of this was that most would say that lying was
necessary at the most ludicrous of times:  when asked about their
age; whether they were very sick; how someone looked in a dress;
etc. 

Hopefully we can see how ridiculous this is, and
these things would not be an issue for us.  But, what about the
tougher predicaments? What if we were faced with something of a more
dire nature?  Is it OK for us to lie to save someone’s life or in
order to spare our own?

This is where some are more likely to go
off the rail.  The short answer is no.  We do not have the
prerogative to decide when we can lie.  The Bible does not say
that it is OK to lie if a situation warrants it in our mind.  To
believe that the Great God did not conceive of the dilemmas that we
would face when He asked us not to lie is to discount God and to lack
faith in Him.

It is a necessity to worship God in truth (John
4:24), and if we lie, it should go without saying that this is not of
the truth (1 John 2:21). If we consider ourselves to be followers of
what God instructs us in His Word, the Bible, we cannot lie to anyone,
at any time, about anything (Colossians 3:9).

If we are of God,
then we will keep His Word, the Truth.  If we believe that we have
to lie, then we follow the originator of lying, the devil (John 8:44,
47). If we love and believe God and His Word, then we can rest assured
that all will work out for good (Romans 8:28).

ONGOING WAR in the Middle East

Der Spiegel Online wrote on July 17:

“A spiral of violence has stymied peace in the Middle East for decades. Now, as bombs are being dropped on Beirut, rockets fired at Haifa and tanks sent into Gaza, Israel and Muslim extremists have brought the region to the brink of all out war…  Israeli fighter jets destroyed the runway at Beirut’s international airport. Then the city’s fuel storage tanks went up in flames. Israeli warships moved into Lebanese waters, blockading the country’s ports. Lebanon, which had just halfway recovered from 15 years of civil war, was bombed back into the last century during hundreds of air strikes in the last week. The simple headline ‘War’ in newspapers on both sides of the border said it all… the Israelis found themselves being bombed back into the days of the wars of 1948-49, 1956, 1967 and 1973, as tens of thousands fled from Hezbollah’s rocket attacks on Israeli territory. Nahariya, a popular Israeli seaside resort, turned into a ghost town in the wake of a barrage of Katyusha rockets. More than a third of the city’s 50,000 inhabitants left after Hezbollah’s attacks caused dozens of injuries and one death.

“For the first time, the apparently upgraded Soviet-era Katyusha rockets hit the port city of Haifa, which had been considered out of range and safe. Eight Israeli railway employees were killed in an attack on Sunday on Israel’s third-largest city, triggering panic among Haifa’s 270,000 inhabitants…

“The most recent escalation of violence in the Middle East is the outcome of a cooperative effort as surprising as it is threatening. It appears that the Shiite Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Sunni Hamas in the Palestinian Gaza Strip have for the first time managed to coordinate an operation on two fronts. Despite their bloody clashes in Iraq, the two factions within Islam have apparently set aside their differences in their struggle against common enemy Israel…

“[H]atred for Israel grows with each day, as Israeli fighter jets launch ever more ferocious bombing attacks on targets in Beirut and southern Lebanon, destroying bridges and roads, and as television stations broadcast close-up images of bloody corpses disfigured by shrapnel. Many Lebanese already sympathize with the Shiite militia for having liberated southern Lebanon in its struggle against Israeli occupation.”

In a related article, Der Spiegel Online wrote on July 17:

“The militant Islamist group Hezbollah fire[d] Iranian-built missiles even deeper into northern Israel after Israeli Defense Forces bombarded Hezbollah strongholds and even Lebanese army targets over the weekend. World leaders have called for diplomacy and ‘international forces’ to keep the peace… Attending the G-8 summit in St. Petersburg, Russia, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Israel had ‘a right to defend itself,’ but she and other G-8 leaders also called on Israel to stop attacking Lebanon. ‘We don’t want to let the forces of terrorism and those who support them get the chance to create chaos in the Middle East,’ Merkel said in an interview with the German television station ZDF. But German sources told SPIEGEL that, internally, Merkel’s government considered the Israeli bombardments ‘an excessive reaction.’…

“At their meeting in St. Petersburg over the weekend, G-8 leaders had trouble reaching a consensus over how to respond to the Mideast crisis. In a joint statement on Sunday, the G-8 leaders called for ‘an immediate end to the current violence.’ But throughout the weekend, differences of opinion emerged over where criticism should be directed. Bush held Hezbollah responsible for the violence and offered ‘tacit approval’ (New York Times) for Israel’s attack against Hezbollah. ‘Our message to Israel is, look, defend yourself, but as you do so, be mindful of the consequences,’ Bush said on Sunday, ‘And so we’ve urged restraint.’ But Russia’s Putin accused Israel of going further than just defending itself. ‘We do get the impression that the aims of Israel go beyond just recovering their kidnapped soldiers,’ he told reporters…

“Missiles fired from Lebanon late Sunday landed in the Israeli city of Afula — about 50 kilometers from the Israeli-Lebanese border and further south than ever before. At least one missile landed near Nazareth, while others fell in western Galilee, near the coastal city of Akko, and in Haifa. Eight people were killed in the first rocket attack on Haifa on Sunday… Egyptian ministers separately confirmed on Saturday that an Egyptian civilian ship off the coast of Lebanon had been hit during a barrage of rocket fire between Hezbollah militants and Israeli gunships. Hezbollah had launched an attack on a fleet of Israeli military vessels laying siege to Lebanon from the water; Israel said a stray Lebanese missile hit the Egyptian boat. Egypt’s state news agency MENA, however, reported that the ship had been hit by Israeli fire. Egypt’s Foreign Ministry spokesman said it was too early to say which side had fired the shot…

“Thousands of foreign civilians are currently being evacuated from Lebanon. An estimated 20,000 French, 2,000 Germans and 5,000 Swedes reside in the country. Hundreds were being evacuated on Monday by air and by sea. The American, Israeli, and EU governments have coordinated the evacuations. Tens of thousands of Syrian guest workers, meanwhile, lined up at a Lebanese border crossing to escape the hail of bombs.”

The British paper, The Times, wrote on July 15:

“Regardless of the outcome of the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, the clear losers will be the Lebanese who had hoped that their country was shedding its image as a synonym for violence. “

The British paper, The Independent, added on July 15:

“The beautiful viaduct that soars over the mountainside here has become a ‘terrorist’ target. The Israelis attacked the international highway from Beirut to Damascus just after dawn yesterday and dropped a bomb clean through the central span of the Italian-built bridge–a symbol of Lebanon’s co-operation with the European Union–sending concrete crashing hundreds of feet down into the valley beneath. It was the pride of the murdered ex-prime minister Rafik Hariri, the face of a new, emergent Lebanon. And now it is a ‘terrorist’ target.”

The AFP reported on July 19:

“At least 55 civilians were killed as Israeli jets and gunboats pummelled towns and villages across Lebanon and tens of thousands of people fled a conflict that both sides defiantly warned would have no limit. In the bloodiest day since the fighting erupted eight days ago, two Israeli soldiers were also reported killed in clashes with guerrillas from the Shiite Muslim Hezbollah movement as another volley of rockets fell on northern Israel. Streams of Lebanese were fleeing their homes to find safe havens and thousands of foreigners, mainly Westerners, were being evacuated by sea from Beirut to the neighbouring Mediterranean island of Cyprus.

“The United Nations has warned of a humanitarian catastrophe, with 500,000 people displaced by the Israeli onslaught and the air and sea blockade and at least 310 people killed in Lebanon alone since last Wednesday. With the international community unable to agree even on a ceasefire call, Israel vowed its ‘intensive war’ against militants would go on as long it deemed necessary. ‘The security cabinet met this morning and decided on the continuation of the offensives in Lebanon and Gaza with no time limit,’ an Israeli official said. Hezbollah, whose leader Hassan Nasrallah vowed open war against Israel after his Beirut headquarters was bombed, retorted that its guerrillas can continue to strike with ‘an arsenal of rockets for long months, and not just days or weeks.’…

“Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora, who took office about a year ago after the first elections since former powerbroker Syria ended its three-decade military presence, accused Israel of ‘committing massacres’ against his people… For many ordinary Lebanese there is little chance of… a rescue and many were fleeing their homes in southern Leb
anon, which has borne the brunt of the Israeli operation, to try to find safe havens.”

The Associated Press reported on July 20 that “Israeli troops met fierce resistance from Hezbollah guerrillas Thursday as they crossed into Lebanon to seek tunnels and weapons for a second straight day, and Israel hinted at a full-scale invasion.”

The Jerusalem Post reported on July 20 that “The Lebanese Minister of Defense warned Israel Thursday that if IDF ground forces are sent into southern Lebanon, Lebanese troops will fight along with the Hizbullah against Israel.”

US Already Bankrupt?

On July 14, the British newspaper, “The Telegraph,” published an article about the financial situation of the United States, titled, “US ‘could be going bankrupt.'” In the article, it was pointed out:

“The United States is heading for bankruptcy, according to an extraordinary paper published by one of the key members of the country’s central bank… Prof Kotlikoff said that, by some measures, the US is already bankrupt. ‘To paraphrase the Oxford English Dictionary, is the United States at the end of its resources, exhausted, stripped bare, destitute, bereft, wanting in property, or wrecked in consequence of failure to pay its creditors?’, he asked. According to his central analysis, ‘the US government is, indeed, bankrupt, insofar as it will be unable to pay its creditors, who, in this context, are current and future generations to whom it has explicitly or implicitly promised future net payments of various kinds.'”

Worldwide Donors to the Catholic Church

On July 13, Zenit published an article, explaining that Mexico belongs to the list of the ten highest donors to the Vatican. According to the article, “the Mexican contribution is ninth in the world, after that of the United States, Italy, Germany, France, Spain, Ireland, Canada and Korea, and before that of Austria. Mexico is in ninth place both in contributions to ‘Peter’s Pence’ as well as in the contributions of bishops in the collection carried out in their dioceses to support the universal mission of the Church… In previous years, the country of some 90 million Catholics had no significant place in aid to the work of the Church.”

Has the Iraq War Produced A Better Iraq?

On July 19, 2006, The Associated Press reported:

“Nearly 6,000 civilians were slain across Iraq in May and June, a spike in deaths that coincided with rising sectarian attacks across the country… The report from the U.N. Assistance Mission in Iraq describes a wave of lawlessness and crime, including assassinations, bombings, kidnappings, torture and intimidation. Hundreds of teachers, judges, religious leaders and doctors have been targeted for death, and thousands of people have fled, the report said…

“In the last two days alone, more than 120 people were killed in violence in Iraq. In the worst attacks, fifty-three perished in a suicide bombing Tuesday in Kufa, and 50 were slain Monday in a market in Mahmoudiya… In the first six months of the year, it said 14,338 people had been killed… Women report that their rights have been rolled back by extremist Muslim groups–both Shiite and Sunni. While under Saddam Hussein’s largely secular regime, women faced few social restrictions, they say they are now barred from going to market alone, wearing pants or driving cars. And children are frequently victims, perishing in large crowds or sometimes even targeted themselves, the report said. ‘Violence, corruption, inefficiency of state organs to exert control over security, establish the rule of law and protect individual and collective rights all lead to inability of both the state and the family to meet the needs of children,’ it said. The government still has not pursued many allegations of torture and other inhumane treatment in prisons and detention centers, the U.N. said.”

America In World War III?

On July 15, The Seattle Times quoted former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich as saying that “America is in World War III.” In the article, it was pointed out: “Gingrich said in the coming days he plans to speak out publicly, and to the Administration, about the need to recognize that America is in World War III. He lists wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, this week’s bomb attacks in India, North Korean nuclear threats, terrorist arrests and investigations in Florida, Canada and Britain, and violence in Israel and Lebanon as evidence of World War III… He said people, including some in the Bush Administration, who urge a restrained response from Israel are wrong ‘because they haven’t crossed the bridge of realizing this is a war.’ ‘This is World War III,’ Gingrich said. And once that’s accepted, he said calls for restraint would fall away… Gingrich said that public opinion can change ‘the minute you use the language’ of World War III. The message then, he said, is ‘OK, if we’re in the third world war, which side do you think should win?’ An historian, Gingrich said he has been studying recently how Abraham Lincoln talked to Americans about the Civil War, and what turned out to be a much longer and deadlier war than Lincoln expected.”

Earthquake and Tsunami Hit Java Island

The Associated Press reported on July 17 that “A powerful earthquake sent a two-meter high tsunami crashing into beach resorts along Indonesia’s Java island Monday, killing around 20 people and causing extensive damage to hotels, restaurants and homes, witnesses and officials said [It was subsequently reported that the tsunami killed over 530 people and left more than 50,000 people without home or shelter]… The tsunami followed a quake that struck deep beneath the Indian Ocean 150 miles southwest of Java’s western coast… The earthquake had a preliminary magnitude of 7.2, the U.S. Geological Survey said. It was followed by a [series of aftershocks, including a] 6.1-magnitude aftershock two hours later.”

According to subsequent reports on July 19, another 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck the region on Wednesday.

The article continued:

“Indonesia is prone to earthquakes because of its location on the so-called Pacific ‘Ring of Fire,’ an arc of volcanoes and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin. The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami killed at least 216,000 people, nearly half of them in Indonesia’s Aceh province. On May 27, a magnitude-5.9 earthquake devastated a large swath of Java Island, killing more than 5,800 people.”

Israel’s Goals in Lebanon

On July 19, Der Spiegel Online discussed the reaction of the German press to Israel’s fight in the Middle East. The magazine quoted numerous German newspapers, as follows:

“The center-right Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung doubts a buffer zone will do much good… ‘The (rocket) attacks on Haifa prove that Hezbollah has weapons to reach Israel even from the hinterlands of Lebanon,’ writes the paper. The idea of disarming Hezbollah and forcing Lebanon to obey Resolution 1559 also seems to be an Israeli pipedream: ‘Until now the Lebanese army has been too weak, and whether they will want or be able to fulfil this task after the terrorists have been decimated in their own country remains an open question.’ Until Hezbollah surrenders, writes the FAZ, even sending UN troops to keep the peace will be ‘an illusion,’ and the risk of escalation remains high…

“The right-wing daily Die Welt runs a guest editorial filed from Tel Aviv, which argues that the international press has focused on Israel’s use of military force but missed the larger point: Israel hasn’t ‘opened’ a war on two fronts (in Lebanon as well as Gaza); Israel has ‘responded on two fronts’ after months of harassment and hundreds of rockets fired from the Gaza Strip, the author, conservative US commentator Jeffrey Gedmin, writes…

“The left-wing daily Die Tageszeitung also runs a guest editorial, by the German-born Israeli peace activist and journalist Uri Avnery. It’s a ‘total illusion,’ Avnery writes, to think the Lebanese government would disarm a popular movement like Hezbollah, or that the Lebanese army–full of Shiites sympathetic to the Shiite militants– would fight them. ‘The only solution (for Israel) will be an agreement with the Shiites, and an indirect one with Syria and Iran,’ he argues, warning that Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, has started to position himself in the Arab world ‘as a kind of liberator the Palestinians.’ Israel needs to negotiate, Avnery believes…

“The center-left Süddeutsche Zeitung… wonders exactly where the violence will lead. Hezbollah’s rockets are hidden in civilian cellars, and ‘the longer this war of deterrence lasts and the more civilian victims are mourned in Lebanon, the more pictures of destruction will shove the true instigators of this war — Hezbollah — into the background.'”

Anti-Israeli Sentiments Grow

The EUObserver wrote on July 16 that “US foreign affairs chief Condoleezza Rice played down the split between Europe and America on reactions to Israel’s bombing of Lebanon… The US lays blame on Hamas and Hezbollah militants, arguing that Iran and Syria incited and supported the groups in kidnapping Israeli soldiers to halt Lebanon and Palestine’s recent moves toward democracy and peace with Tel Aviv… Mr Bush’s Iraq ally, UK leader Tony Blair, broadly aligned himself with the US after a bilateral meeting on Sunday morning, blaming Iran and Syria for disrupting regional ‘democratisation’ and saying ‘we have got to deal with those underlying conditions.’ But French president Jacques Chirac and Russian leader Vladimir Putin came out on Saturday night with strongly anti-Israeli statements in an international polarisation reminiscent of the divisions around the 2003 Iraq invasion itself.”

The Christian Science Monitor wrote on July 18:

“With Israel’s confrontation with Hizbullah and Lebanon lurching closer to all-out war, winds of anger are blowing through the Middle East that are likely to strengthen the political hand of radical Islamists from Egypt to Saudi Arabia. Since the fighting began, at least 24 Israelis, 12 of them civilians, have been killed and at least 175 Lebanese, nearly all civilians. In recent weeks, about 200 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed in a separate showdown between Israel and Hamas, the Palestinian militant group who won power in elections earlier this year. The confrontation–coupled with the rising civilian toll–also poses a serious threat to US interests in the region… Anger at Saudi Arabia’s close relationship with the US, and by association Israel, has long generated support for Al Qaeda among many Saudis… The escalating confrontation between Israel and Lebanon is also helping Syria and Iran gain influence and prestige among Arab populations for their strong support of Hizbullah and Hamas.”

Rift Between EU and USA Over Israel?

On July 19, The Associated Press reported:

“A rift is emerging between the European Union and the United States over whether Israel should cease its offensive against Hezbollah guerrillas.

“The Europeans fear mounting civilian casualties will play into the hands of militants and weaken Lebanon’s democratically elected government. The Bush administration, while noting these concerns, is giving Israel a tacit green light to take the time it needs to neutralize the Shiite militant group.

“The mixed message could help Israel in its mission to destroy Hezbollah’s stronghold in southern Lebanon and stop the guerrillas’ deadly rocket fire on Israel. But Islamic hard-liners and terrorist groups could be long-term winners, using the vivid television imagery of the death and destruction in Lebanon to win popularity and promote their jihads.”

Iran’s Hezbollah Welcomes World War III

Newsmax.com reported on July 18:

“Iran’s Hezbollah, which claims links to the Lebanese group of the same name, said on Tuesday it stood ready to attack Israeli and U.S. interests worldwide. ‘We have 2,000 volunteers who have registered since last year,’ said Iranian Hezbollah’s spokesman Mojtaba Bigdeli… ‘They have been trained and they can become fully armed. We are ready to dispatch them to every corner of the world to jeopardize Israel and America’s interests. We are only waiting for the Supreme Leader’s green light to take action. If America wants to ignite World War Three . . . we welcome it,’ he said… While Iran did fund and support Lebanese Hezbollah during the 1980s, Tehran says it has not contributed troops or weapons in the latest violence. Israel says Iranian armaments have been fired against it.”

Is Lebanon’s Hezbollah Planning Attacks in the USA?

TCV News reported on July 16 that “While many US government officials are deeply concerned over Iran’s nuclear program, according to recent reports, investigations by Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Justice Department revealed last May that the Lebanon-based terrorist group Hezbollah may be plotting attacks. These attacks may be launched by their sleeper cells in New York and several other US cities… Hezbollah, or God’s Party, grew out of the Lebanese civil war in the early 1980s and quickly became the region’s leading radical Islamic movement. Their primary goal was to drive Israeli and American troops out of Lebanon. For many years, Hezbollah was synonymous with terror, suicide bombings and kidnappings.

“In 1983, militants who went on to join Hezbollah’s ranks carried out a suicide bombing attack that killed 241 US marines in Beirut, which lead to President Ronald Reagan’s withdrawal order for all US military peacekeepers. In May 2000 — due to the success of the party’s military arm — one of its main aims was achieved. Israel’s military was forced to end almost 20 years of occupation in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah now serves as an inspiration to Palestinian factions fighting to liberate more territory. The party has embraced the Palestinian cause and has said publicly that it is ready to open a second front against Israel in support of the intifada.”

“Hezbollah’s political rhetoric’s central theme is the total annihilation of the state of Israel. Its definition of Israeli occupation has also encompassed the idea that the whole of Palestine is occupied Muslim land and it has argued that Israel has no right to exist. Hezbollah’s spiritual head Sheikh Fadlallah is close to Iranian government and is believed responsible for the vitriolic speeches of the Iranian president.

“Hezbollah is funded, armed and trained by the Iranians and given free reign by Syria’s ruling Ba’athist Party. Its international network, according to terrorism analysts, is believed to include at least 15,000 operatives in cells in the US, Canada, Argentina, Paraguay, Brazil, most of Western Europe, Indonesia, Malaysia, and throughout Africa. Western intelligence sources estimate Hezbollah’s annual budget to be approximately $400 million, including almost $100 million annually from Iran.

“Other sources of funding include Syria, charitable organizations, individual donations, legitimate business, and illegitimate businesses such as illegal arms trading, cigarette smuggling, currency counterfeiting, credit card fraud, theft, operating illegal telephone exchanges, and drug trafficking. Recently two men were convicted of running a criminal operation that helped to fund Hezbollah.”

Slow Evacuations of Americans

USA Today reported on July 18:

“Thousands of Americans remained stranded Monday in Lebanon as the State and Defense departments developed plans to evacuate them. By late Monday, 64 Americans had been flown by Marine helicopter to safety on the island of Cyprus. The pace of the evacuation angered some in the USA with relatives in the country… As Israel and the militant Islamic group Hezbollah trade rocket attacks and airstrikes, European nations with citizens in Lebanon have evacuated more of their citizens more quickly than the United States. For example, about 850 Swedes among about 5,000 in Lebanon have been evacuated, and Sweden also chartered three ships to bring Swedes from Beirut to Cyprus… The State Department rejected a land evacuation through Syria because of safety concerns for Americans in that country…

“The Defense and State departments are developing a plan to evacuate those of the 25,000 Americans in Lebanon who want to leave, said Thomas Miller, a spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in Cyprus. A U.S. Embassy statement issued Monday instructed American citizens to be ready to leave immediately. It may be a week or more before the evacuation is fully underway, Miller said. Israeli airstrikes have damaged the international airport, making the sea Americans’ main escape route. The Pentagon has mobilized some ships and troops to aid in the evacuation. The 750-passenger Orient Queen, a Greek cruise ship, has been chartered to ferry evacuees from Beirut to Cyprus.”

As CNN reported on July 18, many Americans begin to compare the slow response of the American government to the crisis in Lebanon with its slow response to the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina.

On July 19, 2006, The Associated Press reported:

“An eight-deck cruise liner [the “Orient Queen”] carrying more than 1,000 Americans sailed out of Beirut’s port Wednesday, the first mass U.S. evacuation from Lebanon since Israeli airstrikes started more than a week ago. The U.S. Marine general coordinating the evacuation says 6,000 Americans will be out of Lebanon by the weekend… Many of those aboard were relieved to depart, after complaints of slow action by the United States compared to European countries that sent cruise ships, ferries and warships over the past three days to move out thousands… The Americans also stepped up evacuations Wednesday by military aircraft from their hilltop embassy, which was expected to stay open. Four Chinook transport helicopters ferried 800 Americans from Beirut to nearby Larnaca airport in Cyprus. The Chinooks can carry twice as many people as the Sea Stallion choppers that have carried evacuees for the past three days… The U.S. State Department said Tuesday it had dropped a plan to make Americans reimburse the government for the transport… An estimated 8,000 of the 25,000 U.S. citizens in Lebanon want to be evacuated. A total of 320 Americans–mostly children, students and the elderly–left Tuesday night by military helicopter and a Norwegian car ferry, which also carried hundreds of Swedes, Norwegians and others… Part of what delayed the Orient Queen was Israel’s blockade of Lebanon’s ports…”

…While Some Other Nations Act More Quickly

AFP reported on July 18:

“World powers have deployed helicopters, warships, chartered ferries and buses to pluck tens of thousands of trapped foreigners from war-torn Lebanon in one of the biggest mass evacuations since World War II. With Beirut’s airport in tatters, foreigners fled by bus to Syria to escape Israeli bombs, missiles and artillery fire, as others were taken away by ship or helicopter to Cyprus. Israel has imposed an air and sea blockade around Lebanon but has said it will co-ordinate with foreign governments to allow their terrified nationals to leave.

“In London, Prime Minister Tony Blair said Britain now had six ships in the region… The British press has put pressure on Blair, saying Britons in Beirut are impatient with preparations to evacuate up to 12,000 British nationals, 10,000 dual nationals, and Commonwealth citizens… By early Tuesday, a chartered French ferry with about 1,250 people aboard — 800 French nationals, including 300 children, 400 from other European Union member states and 50 Americans — had already docked in Larnaca, Cyprus. The French nationals were to return to France on chartered Air France flights… Larnaca will also be the first port of call for nearly 50,000 Canadian citizens trapped by the fighting; Ottawa has chartered three ships — each capable of carrying 900 people — to help in the evacuation. An Italian vessel — with 186 Italians, 58 Lebanese and 49 Swedes and a new-born baby on board — docked there late Monday…

“Russians fleeing southern Lebanon described a harrowing journey along deserted and bombed roads to Beirut as others returned safely to Moscow from the Palestinian territories… Sweden is chartering a 1,600-passenger Greek vessel. Stockholm’s ambassador to Cyprus Ingemar Lindhal said 750 of its 5,000 passport holders are believed to have already escaped overland through Syria… Some 181 Polish nationals escaped to Syria on six buses which also contained about 30 other people, including Americans, Slovaks and Czechs… Spain said Tuesday that 113 people, most of them Spanish, had been brought home on board an armed forces Boeing 707 from Damascus, where they had arrived by bus… At the same time, German, Swiss and Austrian nationals began arriving back in Europe on chartered planes, many again on flights out of Damascus.”

The Costs of the Iraq War

The Associated Press reported on July 14 about the incredible financial costs of the Iraq war. According to the report, “The war in Iraq has cost almost $300 billion and would total almost a half-trillion dollars even if all U.S. troops were withdrawn by the end of 2009, according to a Congressional Budget Office analysis released Thursday. Congress has approved $432 billion for military operations and other costs related to combating terror since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks… A recent competing analysis by the Congressional Research Service puts the tally for Iraq at $319 billion with the war in Afghanistan costing another $88 billion.”

No Capable Leaders in this World–While the World Is in Chaos?

 Britain’s “Daily Mail” wrote on July 17 about the G8 summit meeting in Russia, entitling its article: “The eight most powerful people on the planet…but weak, indecisive and utterly incapable of true world leadership.” The paper continued:

“Rarely can the impotence of what is supposed to be the most powerful group of people in the world have been placed in sharper focus. President Bush is limping to the end of his presidency; President Chirac of France and Japan’s Prime Minister Koizumi are both nearing the end of their own terms; Germany’s Chancellor Merkel, the new girl on the block, is already dragged down by mounting criticism at home; and our own Prime Minister Blair–well, say no more. Yet the G8 could hardly be meeting at a more dangerous juncture in world history, with the conflagration in the Middle East escalating virtually by the hour and the crisis over Iran’s uranium enrichment programme reaching a critical point of decision. If ever the state of the world called for united and decisive leadership, it is now…”

The paper made the following additional comments regarding the present war in the Middle East:

“It is wrong to see what has happened in Lebanon as a local skirmish that somehow got out of control. It is rather an attempt by Iran to gain regional dominance, with untold consequences for all of us if it succeeds. Israel is under ferocious attack by Iran and Syria through their proxies, Hezbollah and Hamas. Hezbollah is a kind of unofficial Iranian army, which continues to receive extensive funding and weapons from Tehran–including the arsenal of more than 13,000 rockets which have been pointed at Israel from their launchers in southern Lebanon for years. It was these missiles which hit Haifa yesterday, killing at least eight Israelis. It has been reported that Iranian Revolutionary Guards worked with Hezbollah in Lebanon on these attacks. And it was almost certainly Iran which instigated them. Iran’s President Ahmadinejad has threatened to wipe Israel off the map, as well as posing a mortal threat to the west from his regime’s potential for nuclear terrorism and blackmail. Last Tuesday, Iran dismissed the EU’s attempt to rein in its nuclear programme by saying it was in no hurry to respond…

“True, Israel’s response has been a fierce bombing campaign across Lebanon. It has blown up bridges, roads, Beirut airport and Lebanon’s TV station and many targets which it says were Hezbollah bases. It has choked off Lebanon’s economy, including its growing tourism industry. Tragically, more than 120 Lebanese have been killed so far, including a convoy of fleeing families and a further 23 civilians who died in raids yesterday. This has led to some accusing Israel of a disproportionate response. But in my view this is no more ‘disproportionate’ than, for example, Nato’s bombing of civilian targets in Serbia to force it to withdraw from Kosovo. War is always hell. Innocents always get killed, and where terrorists have deliberately embedded themselves among civilians it is hard to avoid such tragedies.

“It’s important to remember that the reason Iran was able to launch this wave of attacks upon Israel was the world’s abject failure to implement the UN Security Council resolution demanding the disarmament of all militias in Lebanon. Despite all their fierce words, both President Bush and Tony Blair are paralysed over Iran and other rogue states because they have been so politically weakened–and militarily stretched–in Iraq and Afghanistan. Even those of us who supported the war in Iraq have been appalled by the way mistakes made since the fall of Baghdad have left the coalition so powerless. It is that perception of chronic U.S. weakness which has so emboldened Iran and Syria, from whom the U.S. has exacted no price for their role in helping foment the war in Iraq.”

You are referring to the following statements in our above-mentioned booklet:

“In addition, Matthew 28:1 also reveals–correctly translated–that there were actually two ‘Sabbaths’ during the crucifixion week, a weekly Sabbath and an annual Sabbath. Cockrell points out: ‘Matthew makes it plain that two Sabbaths had passed since Jesus was crucified. The KJV [Authorized Version] has this rendering: “In the end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulcher” (Matth. 28:1). On this verse nearly all translators have allowed tradition to control their translation. It is not “Sabbath” but “Sabbaths” in the Greek text (the genitive case and the plural number). The verse properly translated would read: “In the end of the Sabbaths…” This allows for an annual Sabbath on Thursday and a regular Sabbath on Saturday.

“The Fenton Bible renders this verse correctly as, ‘after the Sabbaths,’ and it includes the following footnote: ‘The Greek original is in the plural, “Sabbaths,” which is retained.’ Alfred Marshall’s Parallel New Testament in Greek and English likewise translate the clause as, ‘after the Sabbaths.’

“In the Greek, the word for ‘Sabbath’ in the clause, ‘after the Sabbath,’ is ‘sabbata.’ This is the plural form of ‘sabbaton,’ and it is translated elsewhere many times (but unfortunately, not always, and not consistently) in the plural. For instance, we read in Matthew 12:5 (Authorized Version): ‘… how that on the sabbath days [in Greek, ‘sabbata’] the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath [Greek, ‘sabbaton’]. Matthew 12:10 (AV) states: ‘”Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days?”‘ The Greek is, ‘sabbata.’ Luke 4:31 (AV) reads: ‘… and taught them on the sabbath days [Greek, ‘sabbata.’].’ The New King James Bible translates this word quite accurately here as, ‘Sabbaths.’ Further examples can be found in Luke 6:2, 9; Colossians 2:16; and Acts 17:2.”

A good help in regard to the correct original Greek in the above-quoted Scriptures, including Matthew 28:1, can be found in Young’s Analytical Concordance to the Bible. It lists, under “Sabbath,” the Scriptures which use the word in the singular (“sabbaton”) and in the plural (“sabbata”). Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible is not helpful in this case, as it does not differentiate between the singular and the plural forms. Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words is not extremely helpful, either. It does admit that the Greek word “sabbata” is the plural form, but it continues to state rather doubtful artificial reasons for the differentiation between the singular and the plural in the Greek. Quite inconsistently, however, the commentary does admit that the plural is used, and should be translated as such, in passages such as Matthew 12:5 and Acts 16:13.

Further research on the question reveals that the Authorized Version translates many times–but unfortunately not always–the plural for “Sabbaths” as “Sabbath days” (for instance, in Matthew 12:5, 10; Luke 4:31; Luke 6:2, 9; Colossians 2:16; and Acts 17:2). In the original Greek, there is no word for “days”–the correct translation should be “Sabbaths.” The New King James Bible translates most of these passages as “Sabbaths.”

To add to the confusion, the Greek word in Matthew 28:1 (The New King James Bible translates, quite inaccurately: “Now after the Sabbath…”) is “sabbaton,” but it is still the PLURAL form–not the singular form. In the Greek, the genitive plural form is used–and the genitive plural form of “sabbata” is “sabbaton.” In the Original, it says that it was “late on” or “in the end OF” the Sabbaths–that is, it was in the end OF SABBATON. Since SABBATON is here the genitive plural of SABBATA, it is still a plural expression, and in English, it must be correctly translated: “Now in the end of the Sabbaths…”

This shows, as we explain in our booklet, that there were actually TWO Sabbaths during the crucifixion week–a weekly Sabbath (the period from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset), and an annual Holy Day–the First Day of Unleavened Bread, which fell in that week on a Thursday–beginning with sunset on Wednesday. The women came to the grave at the end of the WEEKLY Sabbath, when the annual Sabbath had already ended and the weekly Sabbath was about to end.

In addition, it is correct that the word “week” in Matthew 28:1 is also derived from the Greek plural word for Sabbath, i.e. “SABBATA.” (Even though the Greek in Matthew 28:1 is “sabbaton,” it is again the genitive plural of “sabbata,” since it says, in the original Greek, “… as it was getting dusk toward the first day OF the week…”). Young’s Analytical Concordance of the Bible explains that the phrase “week” in Matthew 28:1 is to be understood as “from Sabbath to Sabbath”–that is, a week is composed of the time from one weekly Sabbath to the next weekly Sabbath. It is mostly used in the plural (“sabbata”), meaning “one OF Sabbaths,” signifying the first day AFTER the weekly Sabbath. Examples where the word “week” is translated from the Greek plural word for Sabbath (i.e., “sabbata”), can be found, in addition to Matthew 28:1, in Mark 16:2; Luke 24:1; John 20:1, 19; Acts 20:7; and 1 Corinthians 16:2.

In a few cases, such as Luke 18:12 and Mark 16:9, the Greek word for “week” is in the singular form for Sabbath (i.e., “sabbaton”). In Luke 18:12, the Pharisee claims that he is fasting “twice a week.” It literally says: “twice of the Sabbath”; that is, “twice in the days after the weekly Sabbath.”

Rather than abolishing the weekly and annual Sabbaths, the above-quoted examples show that the New Testament clearly upholds the sanctity of God’s weekly and annual Holy Days. For more information, please read our free booklet, “God’s Commanded Holy Days.”

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

A new member letter has been written and sent out. In the letter,
Edwin Pope discusses the terrible consequences of sin, which can be
seen in this world, and our collective and individual responsibilities.

A new StandingWatch program has been posted on the Web. It is titled, “War in the Middle East.” Set forth below is a brief summary:

We
are observing outright war in the Middle East, which was long in the
making. But its sudden outbreak surprised not only a few commentators.
It was caused by the ongoing provocations of the terrorist organization
Hezbollah, which is operating in Lebanon. Israel’s reaction, however,
has met the condemnation of the Vatican and many countries around the
world, with the notable exception of the USA and Canada. The real
causes for this present crisis are seldom mentioned, and one tragic
consequence of this war–as is the case with every war–is the
suffering of innocent civilians.

A new Study Guide for parents with children has been placed on the Web (under Literature/Study Tools). It is titled “Teaching the Bible to Children.”

On July 15, 2006, Edwin Pope will give the sermon, titled, “Satan’s Continual Attack on the Family of Man.”

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.

Before sitting at my computer to write this editorial, I decided to
catch the mid-day national and international news on television. There
was a breaking story in Mumbai (formerly known as Bombay), India. Eight
(8) bombs had been set off on trains in Mumbai with the result that
hundreds of people were either killed or injured!

It seems no
matter where one looks today, turmoil is erupting somewhere in the
world. The United States and Britain, as well as other nations, are at
war in Iraq; and within the country of Iraq, factions have erupted into
civil war. The Gaza Strip has become a powder keg as emotions between
Israel and Palestine are about to burst. Iran continues to cause
concern for all peace-loving nations. And there seems to be no peace
anywhere within the Middle East. In fact, we are presently witnessing an outright war in that region.

And now, Korea has begun flexing
its muscles, causing anxiety throughout that part of the world, with
Japan, China, and South Korea all being put on alert by the actions of
the North Koreans.

What is happening within the family of man? Why does there seem to be no peace on the earth? Where did this all begin?

When
God created mankind some 6,000 years ago, He explained to the original
human parents of all mankind the Way that would lead to peace in the
world. But Adam and Eve chose at that time to reject God’s instruction,
choosing, rather, to walk in the way of “good and evil.” Thus, having
rejected the Way of peace, mankind has reaped the fruit of their
choice! The history of mankind reflects the result that was derived
from their choice!

As prophesied, mankind finds himself on the
brink of total annihilation. Many see no hope for the future of
mankind. Yet, the Eternal God has a totally different idea for the
future – a specific and glorious purpose for man’s destiny!

God
is in the process of building and enlarging His own Family through
which the creation will be preserved into the future. God the Father
will build His own Family on the foundation already laid by the first
of the firstfruits of God’s Family, Jesus Christ. Jesus became the
chief cornerstone of a foundation of strength, based upon the
principles God has established whereby all must live. It is the same
foundation which was rejected in the beginning by Adam and Eve!

We
have been called to become firstfruits within God’s Family. We must be
walking in the Way Christ walked while on the earth – He being the
First of the firstfruits! We are to learn of that Way as we prepare to
become future sons and daughters in that Family of God.

Will we
be diligent in following that Way? It is possible through the power of
God’s Holy Spirit of which we received an earnest payment following our
baptism and the laying on of hands of God’s ministry! We must never
reject that Spirit and, as David did, we should be praying that God
will not take His Holy Spirit from us! In fact, we should be asking Him
for more of His Spirit, which He says He will give us if we ask in
faith! It is through that power working within us that we will enter
the Kingdom as born-again members of the Family of God!

We must
not fail in this calling as we grow from being members of the family of
man to become members of the Family of God! If we are faithful, we will
be changed to become as Christ is – at the seventh trump!

More Turmoil in the Middle East

AFP reported on July 12, 2006:

“Israel has invaded southern Lebanon in a ground and air assault to retrieve two soldiers snatched by Hezbollah, the first such assault into the country since a 2000 pullout. The capture, in an attack on an army outpost on the volatile Lebanese border, opened a new front in the Middle East after the capture of another Israeli soldier by Palestinians two weeks ago plunged the region into chaos. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said the abduction amounted to an act of war, held the government in Beirut fully responsible, and vowed no negotiations, as aircraft and artillery pounded Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon.

“Hezbollah, whose Shiite militia was instrumental in forcing Israeli troops out of Lebanon six years ago and which is sponsored by Israel’s arch-foes Syria and Iran, demanded the release of Arab prisoners in exchange for the soldiers. The morning raid and abduction came amid intense cross-border exchanges in which at least four civilians were wounded in northern Israel and another four in south Lebanon, including a correspondent of Hezbollah television. Two Lebanese civilians were later killed and five others wounded as the Israelis mounted their incursion, Lebanese police said.”

The article continued:

“Defence Minister Amir Peretz confirmed the soldiers were captured in an operation along Israel’s northern border… As soon as news of the capture was announced, celebratory gunfire erupted across Beirut’s southern suburbs — a Hezbollah stronghold. Some residents were also seen distributing sweets to passing motorists… The return of Israeli troops to the Gaza Strip last week has already evoked painful memories of the army’s disastrous 1982 invasion of Lebanon where soldiers became bogged down in a deadly quagmire before finally leaving… In an interview, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said his mediation efforts for Shalit’s release had been sabotaged by an unnamed party. In the remarks published Wednesday, Mubarak said he had reached a deal with Israel for ‘a large number of prisoners’ to be released but added that Hamas came under fresh pressure and the mediation was scuppered… Israel has so far refused to negotiate and launched a large-scale operation against the Gaza Strip, killing more than 60 Palestinians in the past 10 days and pounding the territory’s infrastructure.”

Der Spiegel Online added the following on July 13:

“After the kidnapping of two of its soldiers, Israel is cutting Lebanon off from the outside world with an air, land and sea blockade, Israeli army radio announced Thursday. Bombing raids continue after both Beirut airport and a suburb of the Lebanese capital were targeted causing at least 27 civilian casualties. Conflict in the Middle East intensified Thursday as Israel announced it would completely blockade Lebanon and continue bombing raids until two kidnapped Israeli soldiers are released. At least 27 civilians died in a night of bombing, with scores more injured as Israel flew more than 40 bombing raids over Lebanon… The Israeli Navy has entered Lebanese waters while flights have been halted into and out of Beirut’s only international airport. It is the biggest show of Israeli force in Lebanon since the 1982 invasion…

“During the night and early morning Israel carried out an aerial bombardment of southern Lebanon. According to police, ten members of a family were killed when their house was hit by a bomb: the dead included eight children. According to AFP at least 27 civilians died during a night of attacks. The Israeli army confirmed it had flown around 40 raids. The army is targeting hidden caches of Hezbollah weapons and munitions and targeted Beirut airport because, according to the army, it ‘is a central hub for the transfer of weapons and supplies to the Hezbollah terrorist organization.’… Meanwhile, the Israeli army has also stepped up its operation in the Gaza Strip. The office of the Palestinian foreign minister there was bombed Wednesday night and ten children were injured, doctors at the El-Schifa hospital said. According to eyewitnesses the children lived in houses near to the office. Nearby apartments were badly damaged by the blast.”

CNN.com added on Thursday, July 13, that “Israeli forces struck Beirut’s international airport for the second time Thursday, hitting fuel tanks that exploded into fireballs. The attack came soon after two rockets struck the northern Israeli port of Haifa on a day of spiraling violence and deepening crisis. Israel Defense Forces said the Haifa rockets came from Lebanon and blamed the strike on Hezbollah, whose guerrillas triggered the violence when they attacked inside Israel on Wednesday, killing eight Israeli soldiers and capturing two more.”

The EU Flexes Its Muscles

AFP reported on July 12:

“The European Commission has slapped Microsoft with a new fine of 280.5 million euros for failing to fully respect a 2004 antitrust ruling, but the software giant vowed to appeal. Raising the pressure on the US software giant, the European Union competition watchdog also threatened additional fines of three million euros (3.82 million dollars) a day from the end of the month if the company continued to defy the ruling. EU Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes said that more than two years since the decision was handed down she now had ‘no alternative’ than to impose new fines, on top of a nearly half-billion-euro penalty in the original ruling… ‘No company is above the law, each and every company, large or small, operating in the European Union must obey EU law, including competition law for the benefit of all companies and consumers.’… After a five-year investigation, Kroes’ predecessor Mario Monti took the commission’s biggest competition decision ever in ruling that Microsoft had broken EU law by using a quasi-monopoly in personal computer operating systems to thwart rivals… In addition to fining Microsoft, the EU ordered the company to sell a version of its Windows operating system without Media Player software and to divulge information on Windows needed by makers of rival products.”

In a somewhat related matter, The Associated Press reported on July 12:

“The EU head office on Wednesday proposed to legislate price controls on the cost of using a mobile phone abroad, saying network operators make “excessive” profits on roaming calls and have systematically ignored appeals to moderate their prices… EU Information Society Commissioner Viviane Reding said the roaming rates bill she has drafted tackles ‘one of the last borders within Europe’s internal market… For years, mobile roaming charges have remained at unjustifiably high levels, in spite of repeated warnings to the industry,’ she said. ‘I am convinced reducing roaming charges will not only be beneficial for citizens traveling within the EU, but will also enhance the competitiveness of Europe’s industry…. [A] local call in Poland costs euro 0.19, but on a non-Polish cellphone it costs from euro 0.34 to euro 2.56 per minute. While a local call in Italy costs an Italian customer euro 0.10, that same call will cost a French customer euro 0.50 to euro 1.18 per minute.”

Bush Administration in More Trouble?

AFP reported on July 10, 2006:

“The Bush administration concealed at least one ‘major’ intelligence operation from Congress in possible violation of the law and briefed lawmakers only after they had learned about it from independent sources, a ranking congressman said. The charge by Republican Representative Peter Hoekstra, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, calls into question repeated assurances by President George W. Bush and his top aides that they strictly comply with disclosure requirements. They also follow allegations the administration may have acted illegally by authorizing wiretaps on American citizens in the wake of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks without requisite court warrants… US law requires that the intelligence panels of both the Senate and the House of Representatives be informed of the government’s intelligence activities.”

Bush Defends Putin

Der Spiegel Online reported on July 7:

“Ahead of his trip to the G8 summit in St. Petersburg later this month, US President George Bush has warned against publicly criticizing his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on contentious issues.”

The article continued:

“Bush still considers Putin a friend despite ongoing US-Russian tensions, the US leader said in a recent television [interview] with news channel CNN. At the same time, he said admonishing the Russian president in public on matters of concern such as democracy and human rights would be counterproductive… Bush will meet with Putin on July 15-16 for a Group of Eight (G8) gathering of the world’s leading industrial nations in the Russian leader’s hometown St. Petersburg, Russia. The summit comes at a time of harsh exchanges between US and Russian officials, including US Vice President Dick Cheney’s comments in May that Putin was bullying Russia’s neighbors with energy sources and hurting the domestic development of democracy.

“More recently, Russia has opposed a UN Security Council resolution backed by the United States that would impose sanctions on North Korea for its missile tests. But Bush said he has a good relationship with Putin despite all of the disagreements. ‘I don’t understand some of the decisions he’s made, but my relationship is such that I’m able to express that concern and listen carefully as to why he does what he does,’ he said in the CNN interview… Bush likely has some sympathy for Putin, since the US president has been subjected to public criticism in recent years like few other leaders ever have.”

President Bush in Germany–His Lonely Arrival

On July 13, Der Spiegel Online wrote the following about President Bush’s short visit in Germany: “The airport of the Baltic Sea port town Rostock has probably never received as prominent a visitor as US President George W. Bush, who arrived in Germany Wednesday night. But amid heavy security hardly anyone was there to see Bush and his wife Laura land.”

The article continued:

“The airport had been closed off. The president’s audience consisted only of Secret Service agents and the journalists on the specially set up press podium… Meanwhile the town of Trinwillershagen is preparing for its great night in a relatively relaxed manner. True, there are vehicle controls at the entrance to the town — which has 770 inhabitants — but beyond the checkpoint everything is fully accessible, including the inn where Merkel and Bush will have their barbecue along with 50 hand-picked guests on Thursday evening.”

Has World War III Begun?

The New York Daily News reported on July 9:

“Last week’s headlines prove the point: North Korea fires missiles, Iran talks of nukes again, Iraq carnage continues, Israel invades Gaza, England observes one-year anniversary of subway bombing. And, oh, yes, the feds stop a plot to blow up tunnels under the Hudson River. World War III has begun. It’s not perfectly clear when it started. Perhaps it was after the Berlin Wall fell and the Cold War ended. Perhaps it was the first bombing of the World Trade Center, in 1993. What is clear is that this war has a long fuse and, while we are not in the full-scale combat phase that marked World Wars I and II, we seem to be heading there. The expanding hostilities mean it’s time to give this conflict a name, one that focuses the mind and clarifies the big picture. The war on terror, or the war of terror, has tentacles that reach much of the globe. It is a world war…

“I sound pessimistic because I am. Even worse than the problems is the fact that our political system is failing us. Democratic Party leaders want to pretend we can declare peace and everything will be fine, while President Bush is out of ideas. Witness Bush now counseling patience and diplomacy on North Korea. This from a man who scorned both for five years. But what choice does he have now that the pillars of his post-9/11 foreign policy are crumbling?… I believed Iraq was the key, that if we prevailed there, momentum would shift in our favor. Now I’m not sure. We still must prevail there, but Iraq could mean nothing if Iran or Bin Laden get the bomb or North Korea uses one.”

President Bush Defends Israel

The Associated Press reported on July 13:

“President Bush said Thursday that Israel has the right to defend itself as it launched fresh attacks on Lebanon after the capture of Israeli soldiers. Bush, visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel en route later in the week to a summit of world leaders in Russia, laid the blame for the escalation of violence along the border on Hezbollah, whose guerrillas mounted a cross-border raid earlier in the week and captured the two soldiers. He also said that Syria ‘needs to be held to account’ for supporting and harboring Hezbollah… Merkel appealed for restraint from both sides. But she suggested they do not share equal blame, repeatedly noting that the violence began with the soldiers’ capture… Bush was pressed on whether Israel’s military assaults, which have killed nearly three dozen civilians, could trigger a wider war. He tempered his strong support for Israel by saying his ‘biggest concern’ was that the attacks could weaken the Lebanese government led by Prime Minister Fuad Saniora and make it harder for the fledgling democracy movement there to continue to grow.”

The Jerusalem Post reported on July 13 that “Greece on Thursday expressed ‘serious concern’ over Israeli attacks in Lebanon, and urged neighboring countries to show restraint… Greece has traditionally close ties with Arab countries but has also recently improved relations with Israel.”

The article in The Associated Press continued:

“On Iran, both Bush and Merkel declined to take a hard line against Tehran, which has defied appeals from the United States, Germany and other nations to provide an answer by Wednesday on whether it would accept a package of incentives to halt uranium enrichment. The United States and other permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, along with Germany and the European Union, have agreed to raise Iran’s behavior at the Security Council for possible punishment.”

Southern California Wildfire

The Associated Press reported on July 13 about a huge wildfire which was caused by lightning and finds fuel in many dead trees killed by beetle infestation:

“A huge wildfire was edging toward San Bernardino National Forest Thursday, worrying fire officials that it could grow rapidly and get close to the resort community of Big Bear Lake and add to the nearly 100 structures it had already devoured. The blistering heat and strong winds that have made firefighting efforts difficult were not letting up, as forecasters expected 100 degree plus temperatures Thursday. Temperatures hit 108 degrees Wednesday as 2,500 firefighters attacked flames burning greasewood, Joshua trees, pinon pines and brush in hills and canyons… A severe bark beetle infestation has killed many trees in the National Forest in recent years, and could provide the Sawtooth Complex fire with substantial fuel… The fire, ignited during the weekend by lightning, had destroyed 42 houses, 55 other buildings and 91 vehicles in and around this high desert community 100 miles east of Los Angeles, authorities said. As of late Wednesday, it had burned 37,000 acres (according to news reports on Thursday, more than 40,000 acres have been burned).”

Mass Murder in India

AFP reported on July 12:

“Indian police said the bombs which ripped through trains in the financial hub Mumbai [formerly known as Bombay], killing more than 200 people and wounding hundreds more, bore the hallmark of Islamic militants. Investigators picked through the debris of Tuesday’s rush-hour strikes seeking clues to the country’s worst attack in more than a decade… Seven blasts [according to subsequent reports, eight blasts] went off in the space of 15 minutes along the western railway line, tearing open first-class train carriages that were packed with people travelling home from work. The toll was 200 dead with more than 700 injured… Analysts said the bombers hoped to stoke Hindu-Muslim tensions and may have targeted first-class carriages to minimise casualties among Muslims, a minority in Mumbai and generally poorer than their Hindu counterparts.”

India Launches Its Missiles

The Jerusalem Post reported on July 9:

“India test-fired its nuclear-capable Agni III missile Sunday for the first time, the Defense Ministry said… India’s longest-range missile [was] able to fly 3,000 kilometers… The Agni III further boosts India’s homegrown missile arsenal, which includes… [a] short-range… ballistic missile, [a] medium-range [missile] and [a] supersonic… missile, developed jointly with Russia.”

Japan Considering Pre-Emptive Strike on North Korea

The Associated Press reported on July 10:

“Japan said Monday it was considering whether a pre-emptive strike on… [North Korea’s] missile bases would violate its constitution… Japan was badly rattled by North Korea’s missile tests last week and several government officials openly discussed whether the country ought to take steps to better defend itself, including setting up the legal framework to allow Tokyo to launch a pre-emptive strike…

“Japan’s constitution currently bars the use of military force in settling international disputes and prohibits Japan from maintaining a military for warfare. Tokyo has interpreted that to mean it can have armed troops to protect itself, allowing the existence of its 240,000-strong Self-Defense Forces. A Defense Agency spokeswoman, however, said Japan has no attacking weapons such as ballistic missiles that could reach North Korea. Its forces only have ground-to-air missiles and ground-to-vessel missiles…”

A Europe-Wide Missile “Defense”-System?

The EUObserver reported on July 7:

“NATO headquarters has been warming up to the idea of a Europe-wide missile defence system… The issue has come under a new spotlight following this week’s missile tests by North Korea… Hungarian press quoted the US lieutenant commander Joe Carpenter as saying that a deal on the location is far from ended. ‘The decision hasn’t even been made whether or not we will build in Europe. The first question is whether or not the system is viable,’ he added…

“Mrs Alliot-Marie also confirmed that French leaders discussed… a kind of Europeanised nuclear force or ‘eurobomb’ with the British prime minister Tony Blair during their summit in Paris on 9 June. Her confirmation sparked criticism by Geoffrey Van Orden, defence spokesman for the UK conservatives in the European Parliament. He argued ‘Given the importance of the independent nuclear deterrent to the national security of the United Kingdom, I am very surprised that the prime minister did not mention that such a vital issue is currently being discussed.’

“Mr Van Orden said that while the UK and France have been on different sides of the argument on several key foreign policy issues, ‘It would be the most extraordinary act of folly if we were to become in any way reliant on France for the ultimate strategic defence capability of our nation.'”

Germany’s Transformation

On July 5, 2006, Der Spiegel Online wrote:

“Germany’s World Cup dream might be over, but that doesn’t mean the tournament won’t have a lasting effect on the country. The soccer spectacle has already altered the way the world sees the Germans and even how the Germans see themselves… The soccer tournament has unleashed a torrent of feel-good vibes from Hamburg to Munich that has stunned the locals probably even more than all the foreign visitors from around the globe. Germans — long shy about expressing positive attitudes toward their country in light of their difficult history — have experienced three weeks of unabashed fun and pride decked out in the national colors black, red and gold.

“The Germans are positive. The Germans are friendly. The Germans have hosted an unforgettable World Cup. How can this be? For years, commentators both at home and abroad have derided the Germans for their pessimism and often glum or crabby manner. A sudden transformation brought on by the sunny, California-style optimism of German national soccer team coach Jürgen Klinsmann?… much of what has seemed so surprising over the last three weeks is less some dramatic transformation than simply a new perspective on things. Germany was always full of friendly and optimistic people like Klinsmann — it’s just that they were often drowned out by all the complainers and pessimists. The World Cup hasn’t changed the foundations of the country, but it has changed the balance within it…

“Just as Germany was never as bad a place as many foreigners thought, it was certainly much nicer than many Germans were willing to admit. Yes, there are problems, serious ones. The economy might be doing okay at the moment, but far too many people remain jobless. And Chancellor Angela Merkel’s so-called grand coalition appears more willing to simply milk taxpayers than undertake real reforms that would overhaul the country’s bloated welfare system or creaky healthcare.

“Still, Germany remains a very comfortable place to live… Many Turks and Arabs flew the German colors at their shops or on their cars. A small gesture perhaps, but an important one to both those Germans concerned about integration and those immigrants acknowledging that this is their home too. This outpouring of good-natured patriotism is only logical: if the Germans are more willing to express their affection for the good aspects of their own country, then so too will others. Of course, there will be challenges both private and public that will make it difficult for some Germans to stick to their newfound positive ethos. But the naysayers no longer have the upper hand here. Many optimists will not cede the country back to the moaners so easily. And that, in many respects, is a greater gift from Klinsmann and his team than winning the World Cup ever could be.”

Germany’s Leadership Crisis

Der Spiegel Online reported on July 6 about the crisis in leadership of Germany’s Chancellor, Angela Merkel. With strong words, the magazine pointed out:

“The German government’s protracted health reform talks were worth the effort in at least one respect: a clearer picture of Angela Merkel has emerged. The chancellor who took office with a mission to modernize the country isn’t delivering… Angela Merkel is no German Maggie Thatcher. That’s not something one has to complain about, but it’s important to know. Surprisingly, Angela Merkel has so far not even reached the standing of a female version of Gerhard Schröder… Her small steps won’t modernize the country. Quite the contrary. They are even leading away from Angela Merkel. She is betraying herself by trying to swap conviction for popularity…

“The fact that the Social Democrat party without Schröder is following her willingly, and even encouraging her at times, doesn’t lessen Merkel’s responsibility for what’s happening, it increases it. It’s Merkel’s task to continue the reforms, to speed them up and deepen them. Konrad Adenauer, the first chancellor of postwar West Germany, embedded the country into the west, Willy Brandt, the first Social Democrat chancellor, opened Germany to the east. It’s Merkel’s historic mission to reform the welfare state and cut mass unemployment. There’s no point trying to evade the enormity of this task by negating it. In the end, Merkel will be chancellor of reform or she won’t be chancellor at all. Her ‘breakthrough in health policy’ announced at the weekend is a breakthrough in the wrong direction… It’s the job of the media to describe reality. The chancellor’s job is to effect change, improve opportunities for prosperity and minimize future risks. And to lead the country, sometimes into areas where no one has ventured before. Angela Merkel isn’t delivering this kind of leadership at the moment.”

On July 7, the magazine published a follow-up article about the current political situation in Germany, under Angela Merkel’s leadership:

“The shine has come off Germany’s so-called grand coalition. Recently proposed healthcare reforms have sparked a bitter row between Angela Merkel’s conservatives and their Social Democratic partners… Rather than working together to find a solution, the coalition currently seems to prefer criticizing each other… After a golden honeymoon in which Merkel seemed to be able to do no wrong, suddenly her popularity, and that of the coalition government, appears to be in freefall. A survey by public broadcaster ARD for July recorded just 24 percent of the German population is happy with the work of the grand coalition — the worst poll rating since the government was formed last year. Two-thirds of respondents said they felt the grand coalition was no better at solving Germany’s problems than the previous center-left government under Gerhard Schröder…

“[The] conservative newspaper Die Welt [writes:]… ‘The German drama is that both partners are too weak on their own to risk a new beginning. So they’ll stay together, and muddle through in small steps.’… ‘the grand coalition faces a summer of discontent,’ writes Financial Times Deutschland. ‘The combination of deadlock, chaos and anger is reminiscent of the crisis of Gerhard Schröder’s second administration… The grand coalition today suffers from a quite different predicament: the fundamental incompatibility of two political directions and mentalities.’…

“[The] Sueddeutsche Zeitung [writes:] ‘Nothing significant is to be expected from this government… Only a few months after it took office, the coalition is acting like it’s preparing for a separation and to apportion blame.’ The honeymoon is over for Angela Merkel too. In the cold light of day, ‘nobody knows what this woman really wants and for what policies she stands…'”

Germany is facing a leadership crisis of potentially dangerous proportions. Please make sure to listen to our new StandingWatch program, “Germany’s New Patriotism.”

Sabbath Keeper Wins in Court

The Adventist News Network reported on June 30, 2006, that “A United States federal district court in Fayetteville, Arkansas, has ruled for a Seventh-day Adventist who sought accommodation for his Sabbath-keeping beliefs. The worker was awarded U.S. $311,166.75 in lost wages and punitive damages. It is believed to be one of the few such cases in which punitive damages–designed to ‘reform or deter the defendant,’ as one definition puts it–have been awarded to a Sabbath-keeper.”

The article continued:

“Todd Sturgill, age 41 and a resident of Springdale, Arkansas, was a 19-year driver for United Parcel Service when he joined the Seventh-day Adventist Church in May of 2004. In July of that year, Sturgill asked his employer for accommodation on Friday evenings during the upcoming holiday delivery season. After three months, Sturgill was told he would receive no accommodation. Though Sturgill was happy to perform his job, his conviction about observing the Biblical Sabbath on the seventh day of the week–which begins at sunset on Friday and ends at sunset on the Sabbath, or Saturday–would not allow him to perform work during that time. Despite these roadblocks, Sturgill was able to make arrangements with his coworkers to adjust his schedule and keep the Sabbath until Friday, Dec. 17, 2004. On that day, despite repeated requests for assistance and accommodation, managers at the firm took no steps to enable Sturgill to complete his work before sundown, and he returned to the UPS center with roughly 35 undelivered parcels, and then went home. He was fired the following Monday for what UPS called ‘job abandonment.'”

The article pointed out:

“The June 30 ruling supports an earlier federal court case in which an auto salesman in Arkansas, who was not a Seventh-day Adventist, won the right to have his Sabbatarian beliefs accommodated. ‘While we are gratified over today’s outcome, one message is clear,’ said Todd McFarland, associate general counsel for the Seventh-day Adventist world church. ‘The United States needs to enact the Workplace Religious Freedom Act to safeguard the rights of working people.'”

For more information about the godly requirements for true Christians to keep the weekly Sabbath, as well as seven annual Holy Days, please read our free booklet, “God’s Commanded Holy Days.”

Russia’s Pravda Acknowledges Weakness of Evolution Theory

The Pravda published an interesting article on July 7, bringing into focus some of the problems with the Evolution Theory. The article pointed out:

“The theory of evolution teaches that matter has an innate tendency to evolve towards greater and greater complexity or order. We are so accustomed to seeing evolution of technology all about us (new cars, boats, ships, inventions, etc.) that we assume that Nature must work the same way also. Of course, we forget that all those new gadgets and technology had a human designer behind them. Nature, however, does not work the same way… For example, a few amino acids have been produced spontaneously, but there is already a natural tendency for molecules to form into amino acids if given the right conditions. There is, however, no natural tendency for amino acids to come together spontaneously into a sequence to form into proteins. They have to be directed to do so by the genetic code in the cells of our bodies. Even the simplest cell is made up of billions of protein molecules. An average protein molecule may comprise of several hundred sequentially arranged amino acids. Many are comprised of thousands of sequential units. If they are not in the precise sequence the protein will not function!

“The sequence of molecules in DNA (the genetic code) determines the sequence of molecules in proteins. Furthermore, without DNA there cannot be RNA, but without RNA there cannot be DNA. Without either DNA or RNA there cannot be proteins, but without proteins there cannot be either DNA or RNA. These complex molecules are all mutually dependent upon one another for existence! If the cell had evolved it would have had to be all at once. A partially evolved cell cannot wait millions of years to become complete because it would be highly unstable and quickly disintegrate in the open environment.

“The great British scientist Sir Frederick Hoyle has said that the mathematical probability of the sequence of molecules in the simplest cell occurring by chance is 10 to the 40,000th power or roughly equivalent to a tornado going through a junk yard and assembling a 747 Jumbo Jet. It is not rational to put faith in such odds for the origin of life. Considering the enormous complexity of life, it is much more logical to believe that the genetic and biological similarities between all species is due to a common Designer rather than common biological ancestry. It is only logical that the great Designer would design similar functions for similar purposes and different functions for different purposes in all of the various forms of life.

“Contrary to popular belief, scientists have never created life in the laboratory. What scientists have done is genetically alter or engineer already existing forms of life, and by doing this scientists have been able to produce new forms of life. However, they did not produce these new life forms from non-living matter… Furthermore, because of the law of entropy the universe does not have the ability to have sustained itself from all eternity since all the useful energy in the universe will some day become irreversibly and totally useless. The universe, therefore, cannot be eternal and requires a beginning. Since energy cannot come into existence from nothing by any natural process, the beginning of the universe must have required a Supernatural origin!

“Science cannot prove we’re here by creation, but neither can science prove we’re here by chance or macro-evolution. No one has observed either. They are both accepted on faith. The issue is which faith, Darwinian macro-evolutionary theory or creation, has better scientific support. Whatever evolution occurs in Nature is limited to within biological kinds (such as the varieties of dogs, cats, horses, cows, etc.) but, unless Nature can perform genetic engineering, evolution will never be possible across biological kinds, especially from simpler kinds to more complex ones (i.e. from fish to human)… What we believe about our origins does influence our philosophy and value of life as well as our view of ourselves and others. This is no small issue!”

For more information on this vital topic, please read our free booklet, “The Theory of Evolution–a Fairy Tale for Adults.”

In the passage in question, Jesus made the following comment:

“… if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death.”

He
elaborated on this statement in additional passages, such as John 8:52:
“… If anyone keeps My word he shall never taste death.” In referring
to our participation at the annual Passover service, He stated, in John
6:50, 58: “This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may
eat of it and not die… He who eats this bread will live forever.”

We
also read, in Hebrews 11:5, that ancient Enoch “was taken away so that
he did not see death.” But this does not mean that Enoch did not die.
We are told, in Hebrews 11:39, that all the spiritual giants of faith,
including Enoch, have not, so far, received the promises–including the
promise of eternal life. Hebrews 11:13 specifically says: “These all
DIED in faith, not having received the promises…” Hebrews 9:27 tells
us that “it is appointed for men to die once.” 1 Corinthians 15:22 adds
that “in Adam ALL die.”

The Bible confirms that all of Christ’s
disciples would die “in Adam.” Some of Christ’s disciples will still be
alive when He returns–they will be changed, instantly, from matter to
spirit. But even they will “die” physically–their physical cells will
cease to exist, and they will be “clothed” from above with a spiritual
“tent” (2 Corinthians 5:1-4; 2 Peter 1:13-14). Christ also said that
many would die the death of a martyr. Christ prophesied that many would
be killed by misguided people (John 16:2). He stated that Peter would
die for God (John 21:18-19). The Two Witnesses will die (Revelation
11:7-10). Of course, even Jesus Christ died and remained dead in the
grave for three days and three nights.

When Christ said that we
will not “see” or “taste” death when we keep His Word, He made
reference, not to this physical death which we all experience, but to
eternal death. The Bible refers to this eternal death as the “second
death.” When we sin, we bring upon ourselves the penalty of eternal
death (Romans 6:23), but upon repentance and belief in Jesus Christ as
our Savior, we receive forgiveness and are freed from the penalty of
eternal death–because Christ died FOR US.

We read in John
3:14-16: “… the Son of Man [must] be lifted up, that whoever believes
in Him [Jesus Christ] should not perish but have eternal life. For God
[the Father] so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that
whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”
Later, Christ confirmed that His disciples, as long as they are His
disciples, will never “perish”–that is, they will not die the “second”
or final death: “And I give them eternal life, and they shall never
perish” (John 10:28).

Note what the Bible tells us about the
“second death.” In Revelation 2:11 we read that “He who overcomes shall
not be hurt by the second death.” Revelation 20:6 says that those in
the “first resurrection”–which is a resurrection to eternal life–are
not affected by the second death. It says that “over such the second
death has no power.” On the other hand, those who refuse to repent and
to accept God’s forgiveness, WILL be destroyed in the gehenna
fire–they will die the second death: “Then Death and Hades were cast
into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found
written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire… But the
cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral,
sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake
which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death”
(Revelation 20:14-15; 21:8).

Jesus Christ died the first death so
that we don’t have to die the second death–He did “taste death for
everyone” (Hebrews 2:9). Christ did not die the second or final death
from which there is no resurrection–as we all know, Christ WAS
resurrected from the dead to ETERNAL life after three days and three
nights in the grave. Hebrews 5:7 tells us that He, “in the days of His
flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement
cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death,… was
heard because of His godly fear…” Christ was not saved from the first
death. But God the Father heard Him and saved Him from the second
death–that is, He gave Christ power not to sin and to stay obedient to
Him.

Christ came in the flesh to obey His Father’s command. He
said: “And I know that His command is everlasting life” (John 12:50).
Whatever Christ spoke and did, it was for the ultimate goal that man
could obtain everlasting life. John confirms God’s desire for man: “And
this is the promise that He has promised us–eternal life” (1 John
2:25). Titus 1:2 adds that we live “in hope of eternal life which God,
who cannot lie, promised before time began.”

But we are still
human beings–flesh and blood. We all will die “in Adam.” In order to
obtain God’s promise–eternal and everlasting life–we need to be
resurrected from this physical death, and changed into Spirit
beings–because once we are Spirit, we cannot die. Christ emphasized
this fact in Luke 20:35-37:

“… those who are counted worthy to
attain… the resurrection from the dead … [cannot] die anymore, for
they are equal to the angels and are sons of God, being sons of the
resurrection. But even Moses showed … that the dead are raised…”

And so, we read about Christ’s promise of our future resurrection to eternal life:

“…
the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His
voice and come forth–those who have done good, to the resurrection of
life…” (John 5:28-29). He added in John 6:39-40: “This is the will of
the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose
nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. And this is the will
of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him
may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.” He
elaborated in John 6:54: “Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood
[symbolic for the bread and the wine during the annual Passover
service] has eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”

But
why, then, do we read that even though we must be resurrected from the
dead, we already HAVE, RIGHT NOW, eternal life? Because the Bible makes
it very clear that Christ’s true disciples HAVE already ETERNAL life,
while still existing in this physical flesh, BEFORE they are
resurrected in the first resurrection.

In addition to some of the passages which we quoted above to this effect, please note these Scriptures:

John 6:47 says: “… he who believes in Me HAS everlasting life.”

1
John 5:11-13 adds: “… God HAS GIVEN US eternal life, and this life is
in His Son. He who has the Son HAS life… These things I have written
to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know
that you HAVE eternal life…”

The answer is, actually, quite
simple. Our inheritance of eternal life as immortal Spirit beings is a
future event, following our death and resurrection (Matthew 19:16;
25:46; Mark 10:30). Christ said in John 11:25-26: “I am the
resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, THOUGH HE MAY DIE, he
shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never
die.” That is, even though we may die the first or physical
death, we shall never die the second, eternal or final death–a death
with eternal consequences.

At the same time, we HAVE eternal
life in us by virtue of God’s Holy Spirit that God has given us. Christ
said that the Holy Spirit would abide in us FOREVER (John 14:16). (We
hasten to point out that the Holy Spirit is NOT a Person, but the power
and mind of God, emanating from the Father and the Son. For more
information, please read our free booklet, “Is God a Trinity?”).
We also read that if we refuse to follow God and His commandments, and
if we hate our brethren, His Holy Spirit–that is, His “eternal
life”–will not continue to abide in us (1 John 3:15). But if we keep
His commandments and love our brethren, then His Holy Spirit will
continue to abide in us (1 John 3:24). We HAVE eternal life in us, when
God’s Holy Spirit dwells in us, because the Holy Spirit is an “eternal
Spirit” (Hebrews 9:14). In that sense, we have already passed from
death to life (1 John 3:14), and we will not come into a future
judgment (John 5:24)–that is, we will be resurrected to eternal life,
not to physical life with the possibility of failing (For further
information on the different resurrections, as taught in the Bible,
please read our free booklet, “Do We Have an Immortal Soul?”).

As
long as we keep God’s Word and do good (John 8:51; John 5:28-29); as
long as we love Christ (John 14:23), as long as we abide in Christ’s
love (John 15:10); as long as we really know God and do what He tells
us (John 17:3; 1 John 5:20); as long as we believe in Christ as our
Savior, Lord and Master whom we must obey (John 3:14; John 15:14); we
HAVE eternal life–through God’s Holy Spirit dwelling in us. And God
will resurrect us through His Spirit, as long as His Holy Spirit dwells
in us at the time of our death (Romans 8:11).

This does not
mean, however, that God’s Holy Spirit remains in our dead bodies, while
we are sleeping the sleep of death. Rather, God’s Holy Spirit will
return to God, together with the spirit in man, when man dies. God has
given every human being a human spirit which separates and
distinguishes man from animals (Zechariah 12:1; 1 Corinthians 2:11-12).
When man dies, the spirit of man leaves the human body and returns to
God (Ecclesiastes 3:21; 12:7). Converted Christians receive a portion
of God’s Holy Spirit (Acts 2:17-18; 1 John 4:13), and both the spirit
in man and God’s Holy Spirit “witness” that we have become God’s
(begotten) children (Romans 8:16). When a converted Christian dies, the
spirit in man, now made perfect through the Holy Spirit, returns to God
(Hebrews 12:23). God, through the power of His Holy Spirit, will
resurrect the Christian to eternal life, by using the spirit in man
which has “recorded” or preserved everything about the Christian (See
Q&A in Update #241, “Do You Teach a Resurrection of the Physical Body?”).

Christ’s
words in John 8:51 must be understood quite literally. As long as we
keep His Word, we will never see or experience death–the final or
second death. Rather, with God’s Holy Spirit dwelling in us, we have
received a “down payment” of eternal life (compare Ephesians 1:14–the
word “guarantee” can also mean “down payment” or “earnest.”). If we
continue to live God’s way of life, by following the lead of the Holy
Spirit in us (Romans 8:9, 14; Galatians 5:25), we “will of the Spirit
reap everlasting life” (Galatians 6:8)–by becoming born-again Spirit
beings in the Family of God.

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

A new StandingWatch program was posted on the Web. It is titled: “Germany’s New Patriotism.” Set forth below is a summary of the program:

During
the Worldcup, Germans have re-discovered a love for their country and
its accomplishments. They feel proud again to be German. Most
commentators think that this is a good development. But Germany is
presently run by a weak and controversial government–a Grand
Coalition of the two biggest parties. The German press is outraged
about broken campaign promises, describing the government’s current
attempts to accomplish anything as a “declaration of political
bankruptcy” and “the big chaos.” Will and can Germany’s new-found
patriotism bring about an early change in government which is perceived
by many German citizens as becoming increasingly incompetent to rule
the nation?