On Saturday, January 3, 2004, Norbert Link will be presenting the sermon, titled, “I Was in Prison…”

The services can be heard at www.cognetservices.org at the appropriate time, just click on “Connect to Live Stream.”

Have you ever wanted something? Not just something that is a passing fancy, but something that is the entire focus of your being.

We read of just such an example in the account of Amnon and Tamar. 2 Samuel 13 relates the account. In verse 2, it states that Amnon was so “distressed” in his love for Tamar that he became sick. However, Amnon, in his obsession, actually ended up concocting a plan that culminated in his raping her. Verse 15 then continues the story: “Then Amnon hated her exceedingly, so that the hatred with which he hated her was greater than the love with which he had loved her.”

Later on, Amnon was murdered for this disgraceful act by Absalom, Tamar’s brother. This event came on the heels of another despicable act of unrestrained lust on the part of king David. He had seen the beauty of Bathsheba, and with no consideration for the consequences, had defiled the wife of one of his most faithful servants, and, in order to cover up his adulterous conduct and to marry Bathsheba, he proceeded with killing Bathsheba’s husband, Uriah.

Through the prophet Nathan, God spoke this judgment to David: ” ‘Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me, and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife’ ” (2 Samuel 12:10).

Wanting something so intensely and, in a sense, so mindlessly as in the examples of Amnon and David led to tremendous frustration, suffering and even death!

That was true, likewise, for Adam and Eve. Note how Genesis 3:6 reports on their evil desire: “So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.”

Once again, the results were catastrophic for both Adam and Eve and the rest of humanity that has followed along the same path of wanton lust for what is forbidden by God.

We find other, more positive examples in the Word of God that teach us what we should want. God explains it in a very straight forward way in Deuteronomy 30:19: ” ‘I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live.’ “

Have you chosen life? Is eternal life the entire focus of your being?

If we say, “yes!” to these questions, then let us check ourselves out with this reminder from Jesus: ” ‘So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple’ ” (Luke 14:33). Simply put, we must want what God wants for us–and completely on His terms!

Indeed, God does set before us a choice. We get to choose life, or we can choose death!

What do YOU want?

VATICAN TARGETED?

As WorldNetDaily reported on December 27, 2003, “Terrorists planned to observe the celebrated birth of Jesus Christ on Christmas Day with a 9-11-style attack on the Vatican, according to Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi. “‘A hijacked plane into the Vatican. … An attack from the sky, is that clear?’ Berlusconi is quoted as saying in the Milan newspaper Libero. ‘The threat of terrorism is very high in this instant. I passed Christmas Eve in Rome to deal with the situation. Now I feel calm. It will pass.’

According to the paper, the premier said news of the attack on Rome was ‘precise and verified.’ He offered no details about where the information came from… Reuters reports Berlusconi later denied making the statements attributed to him by the daily, and accused its reporter of making up the quotes.”

Other papers said that Berlusconi made the denials after he came under attack from colleagues who charged Berlusconi with breaching confidentiality. The Vatican did not comment.

EARTHQUAKE IN IRAN

WorldNetDaily reported on December 27, 2003: “International offers of aid poured in to Iran as rescue teams from all over the world joined a massive search for survivors in the wake of the 6.3-magnitude earthquake that flattened the historic city of Bam, killing as many as 40,000 people… While rescue workers have pulled hundreds out of the rubble — including an infant — thousands of others are feared still trapped alive…

“But as the death toll soars from the world’s most serious earthquake since 25,000 were killed in the western Indian state of Gujarat in 2001, Tehran continued its longstanding hostility toward Israel, declaring it would not accept its assistance.

“‘The Islamic Republic of Iran accepts all kinds of humanitarian aid from all countries and international organizations with the exception of the Zionist regime,’ Jahanbakhsh Khanjani, a spokesman for Iran’s Interior Ministry, said following word that unofficial Israeli sources were considering sending aid to Iran.”

A CORE EUROPE?

As NEWS-Networld reported, Austria’s Chancellor Schuessel is opposed to the concept of a “core Europe.” This concept had been proposed by Germany and France after the failed attempt in December to create a European Constitution for all European member states. Schuessel said, “This is not the kind of Europe that I want. We want to use all our strength to create a European Constitution for all 25 member states.” Nevertheless, he added: “If we should not be able to create a European Constitution…, and there should be a core Europe, then we will do everything that we will be a part of it.”

STRONG EURO — WEAK DOLLAR

As Der Spiegel Online and Reuters reported on December 31, 2003 and January 1,2004, “The euro broke above a $1.25 barrier FOR THE FIRST TIME on Monday.” While the euro “climbs and climbs,” traders “expect a further decline of the value of the U.S. dollar.” Amazingly, the Bush Administration sees no cause for concern, having, as one commentator put it, “an evident policy of benign neglect, if not outright approval of a cheaper dollar.” Reuters stated: “In just under a year since taking office last January, Treasury Secretary John Snow has toned down the former hard-line U.S. commitment to a ‘strong dollar,’ effectively endorsing the fall by saying that its value ‘reflects the fundamentals of the demand and supply for currencies.'”

EUROPE IN THE “NEW YEAR”

AFP reported on January 1, 2004: “Buoyed by a strong euro and mindful of EU expansion, Europe’s leaders used their New Year’s messages to urge their peoples to work hard to meet the challenge of ensuring economic renewal and stability, in an uncertain and increasingly interconnected world.” Quoting Germany’s Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, the paper wrote: “‘Germany, which has Europe’s biggest economy, ‘will not be the only country to benefit by us acting decisively to modernize. THE WHOLE OF EUROPE IS LOOKING AT OUR EFFORTS IN HOPE,’ the chancellor said.” Quoting British Prime Minister Tony Blair, the paper continued: “‘Boom and bust, economic uncertainty… used to be the British disease. We have cured that disease,’ Blair said.”

Whatever the British “disease,” the Bible makes it clear that it has not been cured. At the same time, the Bible predicts that Germany will be Europe’s leading power in the last days. Note this remarkable prophecy for our days, in Hosea 5:13: “When Ephraim [Great Britain and other Anglo-Saxon English-speaking nations] saw his sickness…, Then Ephraim went to Assyria [modern Germany and other German-speaking nations] And sent to King Jareb [the final leader of a United Europe, apparently a German or an Austrian]; Yet he cannot cure you… For I [God] will be like a lion to Ephraim…”

Also, note this prophecy for our time in Hosea 7:11: “Ephraim also is like a silly dove, without sense… They go to Assyria. Wherever they go, I will spread My net on them; I will bring them down like birds of the air; I will chastise them According to what their congregation has heard. Woe to them, for they have fled from Me! Destruction to them, Because they have transgressed against Me.”

To learn more about the future of continental
Europe and Great Britain, please read our free booklets, “Europe
in Prophecy” and “The
Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord.”

“U.S. DISTRACTED – AND THE WORLD CHANGED”

This was the headline of an article, published by UPI on December 26, 2003. The author, Martin Walker, continued:

“While the Bush administration focused relentlessly on the war in Iraq and its confused and bloody aftermath, the rest of the world has been busy reshaping the geopolitical map that has prevailed since the end of the Cold War. In Europe, Russia, China, India, the Middle East and South America, regional powers have been adjusting to the new realities of American military and strategic dominance, and to potential American weaknesses in the longer term.

“Some of those vulnerabilities, like the endemic U.S. trade deficit and the return of massive federal budget deficits, or the threat from militant Islam and the rise of China, are obvious. Others, like Europe’s slow withdrawal from its traditionally subordinate status, or Russia’s attempt to reassert control over the newly independent states who were once part of the Soviet Union, are less clear…

“With India, China and Pakistan all nuclear powers, Asia is now assuming the geopolitical importance and hair-trigger danger that Europe suffered in the Cold War. And the European Union itself remains a major player, even though its two nuclear powers, Britain and France, were on opposite sides of the argument over the Iraq war. Indeed, the growing cohesion of the EU, both as an economic actor through the euro currency, and as a strategic actor through its Common Foreign and Security Policy, is one of the striking features of the emerging new world order.

“Bickering over its budget and its draft new constitution, the EU is a quarrelsome work in progress, but the overall trend towards integration is clear. Even in the year when U.S. defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld spoke of a division between “Old” and “New” Europe over Iraq, the loyal British signed up with the French and Germans for a new EU defense structure, subtly independent from the U.S.-led NATO and able to mount military operations separately from the United States…

“But as the EU enlarges, with Cyprus joining on May 1, 2004 and Turkey now formally accepted as a candidate member, the EU is moving closer and closer to the Middle East. This is a region where European and American interests have traditionally been at odds, from the Suez crisis of 1956, the refusal of landing rights to U.S. aircraft resupplying Israel in the 1973 Yom Kippur war, to this year’s Iraq war.

“The EU and U.S. are the world’s two economic giants, each accounting for almost a quarter of global GDP, and their joint failure in 2003 to secure progress at the World Trade Organization summit at Cancun, Mexico, was an important warning sign…

“Brazil’s radical new President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva symbolizes the way that Latin America is increasingly determined to go its own way, despite the powerful tradition of U.S. influence. The EU now invests more in Latin America than the United States, and China is now Argentina’s largest market — signs of erosion in Washington’s role…

“The British, French and German foreign ministers crafted a deal this year to bring Iran’s nuclear ambitions back within the non-proliferation rules of the International Atomic Energy Authority, and China has become a key player in the North Korean negotiations… this is no longer the lonely American superpower running the show…

[Russian Vladimir] Putin’s… clampdown on the Russian media and the arrest of the oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky, and the renewed centralization of authoritarian power in the Kremlin along with the ruthless repression in Chechnya, make Russia look more like the old Tsarist system. Putin’s recent bullying of former Soviet republics like Georgia and Moldova suggests that the old Russian imperial pretensions are far from dead…

“The question is whether the main players in the Middle East, whether Israel defying American advice against building more settlements on Palestinian land, or Saudis terrified that relaxing their hold will make an al-Qaida coup more feasible, see it quite Washington’s way.

“That has been the problem in the year 2003. For all America’s wealth and power, the world did not see matters Washington’s way, and began making their own, alternative arrangements. And with the United States about to become even more distracted by the introspection of a presidential election year, the world’s other major powers in Europe and Asia will have even more room to maneuver and craft a world in which America no longer rules the roost. Historians may yet look back [at this era]… when America’s moment of undisputed power began to give way to a new balance among a series of regional powers, each able to challenge American dominance in its own sphere of influence.”

This question was addressed by the Church before. We are quoting, as set forth below, from a letter published by the Worldwide Church of God, which explains the long-standing position of the Church on the matter:

“Water divining, also known as ‘water witching’ and ‘water dowsing,’ is practiced all over the world. It is the craft of seeking underground water by means of a divining rod, commonly a forked stick which is held by the twigs, one in each hand with the stock pointing outward or upward. As the diviner walks over the ground, the stick will suddenly twist in his hands and point downward, supposedly indicating the presence of underground water. At times there is water; at other times there is none.

“Hosea prophesied that divining rods would be used in our time. He wrote, ‘My people ask counsel at their stock and their staff declareth unto them (Hos. 4:12). According to the ‘Critical and Experimental Commentary,’ by Jamieson, Faussett, and Brown, ‘staff’ here refers to a divining rod.

“What is the origin of this practice? How did it come to be used so extensively in our western, so-called Christian nations? In his book titled ‘Fads and Fallacies in the Name of Science,’ Martin Gardner admits:

“‘The employment of various shaped rods for divination purposes goes all the way back to the ancient Greeks and Egyptians …. In the Middle Ages, it was associated with the power of Satan, although many churchmen made use of divination rods. The forked twig, for finding minerals, apparently did not appear until the fifteenth century when it was used by German prospectors in the Harz Mining region. When German miners were imported to England in the century following, they brought the practice with them. It was in England that the use of the twig was transferred from minerals to the search for water.’

“God condemns such practices. He says, ‘Thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations. There shall not be found among you anyone … that useth divination’ (Deut. 18:9-10)…”

This quote explains quite convincingly why Christians should not involve themselves with water divining, or with any practice which is associated with the powers of the fallen spirit world that has departed from God. In the Middle Ages, it was clearly understood by many that the “art” of water divining was to be attributed “to the hand of the Devil,” as one source put it. When researching the subject, this conclusion is inescapable. Notice this quote from an article, titled, “Dry Spell Awakens Water Witches from the Graves,” dated November 13, 2003, as published by IslamOnline.net (emphasis added):

“Nanay Selda, the water witch, has done it again. How? It is no secret. Water witching has existed for hundreds of years all over the world. Nanay Selda is no necromancer, as water witches, water diviners or dowsers are ordinary people GIFTED with the art of finding water… Nanay Selda says SHE IS GUIDED BY A ‘FORCE’ WHEN SHE EXTENDS HER ARMS USING THE GUAVA BRANCHES… After she’s used the branches, one can see red welts on her palm, evidence of struggle WITH A FORCE, which shows UNUSUAL STRENGTH in such small frail arms. When I asked how she did it, she snapped like a bitch warning her pups, ‘I don’t know so don’t ask me.’ One water expert… had this to say…’ There is no empirical basis for water divining, yet it works. Water witches have not studied hydrogeology academically, but they know it intuitively.'”

The fact that water divining sometimes “works,” does not justify us to reach the conclusion that Christians can use this method. We read, for example, in Deuteronomy 13:1-4:

“If there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams and he gives you a SIGN or a WONDER, and the sign or the wonder COMES TO PASS, of which he spoke to you, saying, ‘Let us go after other gods’ — which you have not known — ‘and let us serve them,’ you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams, for the LORD your God is TESTING you to know whether you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. You shall walk after the LORD your God and fear Him, and keep His commandments and obey His voice; you shall serve Him and hold fast to Him.”

The world of demons, and their “religion” and practice
of sorcery and witchcraft, including water divining, does sometimes
bring “results.” But these practices are in opposition
to God and His way of life — and must therefore be rejected and
avoided by true Christians. In order to learn more about the reality
of God’s spirit realm and the “dark side,” please read
our free booklet, “Angels,
Demons and the Spirit World.”

Rather than using practices such as “water divining,” we are told, in Proverbs 3:6: “In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.” When we are in need of water and pray to God for revelation of the right location, God will show us, if we believe in His wisdom and might. There is no need to use “water divining” or any other occult practices to discover what God has preserved for His people.

A new StandingWatch program has been posted on the Website, titled, “How Good Is Your Word?”

The following short note appeared in the most recent “Journal”:

Wedding supper

SAN DIEGO, Calif. — For an article revealing the location of the marriage supper of Christ and the church, see an Internet based newsletter published by the Church of the Eternal God.

On Saturday, December 27, 2003, Edwin Pope will be presenting the sermon, “Goals of Child Rearing.”

The services can be heard at www.cognetservices.org at the appropriate time, just click on “Connect to Live Stream.”

A Samurai Warrior is an expert at using his sword for offensive as well as defensive means. He attains this level by training for many years under a tutor. He continues to practice and to keep his sword sharp and in a good condition. He is a fine example of practice leading to perfection. Professional musicians serve as additional examples for the need of continued practice. A famous violinist once said it was crucial for him to stay in form by practicing every day. He said if he did not practice for one day, he knew it. If he did not practice for two days, the critics knew it. If he failed to practice for three days, the audience knew it.

The question I would like to pose in this editorial is how are we doing with OUR sword? Are we PRACTICING the use of our sword? Our sword, according to Ephesians 6:17, is actually God’s sword that He gave us to be used by us, thereby accepting it as “our” sword. This sword is the Word of God — in other words, the Bible.

We can see how effectively Christ used His sword against Satan, as recorded in Matthew 4:3-10. Christ remembered and applied the Word of God to deflect the arrows of Satan, as it were, to defeat his attack on Him. Satan was attempting to get Him to sin, so that Christ would disqualify Himself as our Savior.

After this encounter, Satan left Him for a season or for another “opportune time” (Luke 4:13), which means he never quit. He just took a pause in his effort to bring Christ down. Bear in mind that Satan doesn’t rest from his efforts today to also bring us down. He is described as a roaring lion, walking about and “seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8).

We, as brothers and sisters of Christ and children of God the Father, need to keep our swords sharp and ready for use. We do this by the continuous study of the Word of God. The Bible is our complete weapon to thwart the efforts of the adversary in his attempts to get us to fall short of our calling.

We should be studying God’s Word daily. We can find comfort in the recorded examples of how God dealt with His servants in the past. Internalizing God’s laws in our minds, and learning how to apply the laws and statutes in our daily lives, should be a top priority in our studies. We read in 2 Timothy 2:15, in the Authorized Version, that we should study to show ourselves approved unto God. Are we doing this?

As Christian soldiers, we need to ensure that we remain faithful in our responsibilities to God the Father and Jesus Christ. This means that we need to practice daily the use of God’s Word. We must keep our sword ready for use when required, and we need to show ourselves approved unto God by our daily study of His Word, the Bible. At the successful end of our training, brethren, we will enter the Kingdom of God — a goal well worthy of the effort that is required of us now.

Mad Cow Disease

MAD COW DISEASE IN THE U.S.?

As Associated Press reported on December 24, 2003, “Federal officials insisted Wednesday that the food supply remains safe, even as a fallout began from the apparent discovery of the first case of mad cow disease in the United States. The impact was evident almost immediately: EIGHT [ASIAN] NATIONS, INCLUDING JAPAN, SOUTH KOREA AND TAIWAN, HALTED U.S. BEEF IMPORTS… JAPAN IS THE LARGEST OVERSEAS MARKET FOR U.S. BEEF…”
Japan imposed an indefinite ban and planned to recall certain meat products already on the market, according to USA Today.

Other articles pointed out that the second-largest overseas market for U.S. beef is South Korea, and that Japan and South Korea “were followed by other key Asian buyers such as Singapore, Malaysia, [Hong Kong], and Taiwan, while Australia and New Zealand said they would stop U.S. beef at their ports pending the outcome of U.S. [examination] on the infected animal.” As USA Today reported on December 24, in addition to the eight Asian nations, Mexico has also blocked the import of American beef.

As Bild reported, the European Union does not intend to block any further import of American beef, “as the import of most of the American beef into Europe is already banned, due to the treatment of American beef with hormones.”

Associated Press reported on December 25 that “A British lab provided initial independent confirmation Thursday that the United States has its first case of mad cow disease.” The article continued: “The [U.S.] government is trying to find the herd the cow was raised with, since the cow likely was sickened SEVERAL YEARS AGO from eating feed made partly from an infected cow. The incubation period in cattle is FOUR TO FIVE YEARS… Authorities were also scrambling to find where the meat cut from the animal was sent. The Agriculture Department already has issued a recall for 10,410 pounds of beef.”

It was also stated in the press that “Mad cow disease eats holes in the brains of cattle. It sprang up in Britain in 1986 and spread through countries in Europe and Asia, prompting massive destruction of herds and decimating the European beef industry. People can contract a form of mad cow disease if they eat infected beef or nerve tissue, and possibly through blood transfusions. The human form of mad cow disease so far has killed 143 people in Britain and 10 elsewhere, none in the United States.”

Der Spiegel Online explained that mad cow disease is caused by the practice of feeding to cattle recycled brains of animals, and “animal flour” (i.e., ground animal bones) in general. As one observer pointed out: “The food industry’s practice of using every last piece of slaughtered animal has meant that unwholesome remains now re-enter the food chain as food for another animal. Recent outbreaks of ‘mad cow disease’ have been caused by this practice… This would never normally occur in nature; left to their own devices, cows would not eat meat.”

According to Associated Press of December 25, “John Stauber, the author of ‘Mad Cow U.S.A.,’ said the U.S. hasn’t done enough to keep [Mad Cow Disease] out of the country. Cattle get sick by eating feed that contains tissue from the brain and spine of infected animals. The United States has banned such feed since 1997. ‘Here’s the problem, the feed ban has been grossly violated by feed mills,’ Stauber said… Stauber also said he believes the ban is ineffective because it exempts blood from cattle, which Stauber said could transmit mad-cow type diseases… Dr. Stanley Prusiner, a neurologist at the University of California at San Francisco [and a Nobel laureate], who discovered the proteins that cause mad cow disease, said he warned… recently that it was ‘just a matter of time’ before the disease was found in the United States.”

EARTHQUAKE IN CALIFORNIA

Associated Press reported on Tuesday, December 23, 2003:

“More aftershocks rattled the area Tuesday following a magnitude-6.5 earthquake that jolted the central California coast… Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger… declared a state of emergency for San Luis Obispo County… Residents from San Francisco to Los Angeles were shaken by Monday’s quake, the first to cause [two] fatalities in the state since a magnitude-6.7 temblor hit Northridge in 1994… The quake was centered on a series of faults that run parallel to the San Andreas Fault… Monday’s quake was the state’s most powerful since 1999, when a nonfatal magnitude-7.1 quake struck the desert near Joshua Tree. The last one of a similar size in the area was in 1952.”

LATEST NEWS ON AUSTRIA’S JOERG HAIDER

Recently, the world has not heard much of Joerg Haider, governor of the Austrian State of Carinthia. This does not mean that Haider has become a non-entity. Quite to the contrary. Last week’s developments proved the opposite, and showed once again that Haider is a person to be reckoned with.

As Yahoo! Nachrichten and Der Spiegel Online reported on December 17, 2003, Haider questioned on Austrian public television that the Americans had in fact captured Saddam Hussein. He said that the person captured could be one of Saddam’s many doubles, and that the DNA testing of his saliva was meaningless, as they did not have a prior sample for comparison. He added that the reports of Saddam’s capture were “pretty much fraudulent” and constituted “an American play of ham actors.” He stated that the Americans needed a success story to help solve President Bush’s dilemma.

Haider continued by comparing President Bush with Saddam Hussein and Israel with a dictatorship similar to China and Iraq before the war. When asked whether he preferred Saddam to Bush, Haider said, “This is a tough call, because both have violated international law and both have violated human rights. The only difference is that one had the luck to lead a world power, and therefore the ability to make the laws, while the other was a weak dictator.”

Many Austrian politicians condemned Haider for his remarks. This prompted Haider to respond even further. As NEWS-Networld and “Kleine Zeitung” reported this week, Haider published one-page advertisements in newspapers in Carinthia, defending his statements and adding, “The truth hurts.” His ads stated that the goal of the American war “was not freedom and justice, but the possession of Iraqi oil.” He charged the United States with having “provided Hussein with weapons and poison gas in the past — as long as it served U.S. interests.” He claimed that “George Bush repeatedly misrepresented the facts to the world community,” and that Pope John Paul II and Mikhail Gorbachev share Haider’s position.

The further condemnatory reaction of Austrian politicians prompted Haider to additional press releases and statements. As NEWS-Networld reported, Haider said on Austrian radio that there was a difference between the published opinion and the public opinion. He claimed that he had received many phone calls from Austrians “who were happy that someone was saying what many in Austria were thinking.”

NEWS Online published on December 23 a commentary by popular Austrian columnist, Peter Pelinka, titled, “No good year for Europe.” He stated: “2003 was not a good year. Not for Austria…, not for the world (Joerg Haider is correct in one point: The politics of President Bush are indeed extremely dangerous, but one cannot compare him with the bloody dictator Saddam), and especially not for Europe…”

NO GOOD YEAR FOR EUROPE?

Austrian columnist Peter Pelinka stated in his commentary, published by NEWS Online: “It is truly a paradox: National borders have become meaningless in a globalized economy…, 80 percent of the laws (including for Austria) are made by the European Parliament…, the ‘old Europe’ grows together with the ‘new Europe,’ following historical rules… The U.S. author, Charles Kupchan… remains optimistic: He describes the United States as a decreasing and Europe as an increasin
g world power, based on the rules of world history. He sees Europe experiencing now what the United States accomplished in the 19th century.”

WHAT’S NEXT FOR EUROPE?

Der Spiegel Online published on December 20 an interview with Joschka Fischer, Germany’s foreign minister, following the failed attempt of the constitution summit to create a European Constitution. He called the failure “a beneficial shock.” He continued: “To my mind there won’t be a ‘European nucleus.’ Instead, there will be different nuclei, different speeds. But there will be A GROUP OF COUNTRIES WHICH ARE INVOLVED EVERYWHERE, the nucleus of the nucleus, so to speak.”

According to Reuters of December 13, 2003, French President Jacques Chirac had already “called for smaller ‘pioneer groups’ of countries to forge ahead with closer integration in defense, economic policy and justice… German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder… took a similar line: ‘If we don’t manage in the foreseeable future to reach a consensus, then there will emerge a Europe of two speeds.'”

The breakdown came when Poland and Spain insisted to uphold the Nice agreement in 2000, which gave Poland and Spain nearly the same voting rights as Germany, whose population is twice as large as theirs. On the other hand, Germany, France and Belgium were determined to change the agreement to gain more voting power.

The Bible predicts that in the end, there will be ten nations or groups of nations ruling over Europe. The most recent development could constitute a giant leap toward the final fulfillment of that prophecy. For more information, please listen to our recent split sermon on the issue, titled, “Europe — Now What?” The sermon has been posted at http://www.eternalgod.org/audio/index.php.

IS THE PLANET MARS BECOMING GERMAN?

With this incredible headline, German boulevard paper Bild “informed” its readers on December 21 that the first European spacecraft will be landing on Mars on December 25. It continued, “In three days, Mars is German.” To “prove” this claim, the article stated, “Key portions of the landing device were made in Germany.” The name of the spacecraft is “Beagle 2.” It was the ship “Beagle,” on which Charles Darwin developed his key ideas of the evolution theory. And so, scientists are hopeful that they will now find traces of water and proofs for alien life on planet Mars.

“USA SABOTAGES BILLION EUROS PROJECT
IN ‘OLD EUROPE'”

This was one of the headlines of Spiegel Online, dated December 22. The article continued, “The political fight between the United States and the ‘old Europe’ has now reached science. In order to revenge itself for France’s ‘No’ to the Iraq war, Washington wants to prevent the construction of a development reactor, which will be worth billions of Euros, in Iter, France. The reactor,” said the magazine, “could solve man’s energy problem… The project has been worked on for eight years by the EU, Japan, the USA, China, Russia and South Korea. It will cost 10 billion Euros… The decision where to build the reactor was postponed until February 2004… While Russia and China preferred the location of Iter in France, the USA, South Korea and Japan voted for Rokkasho in Japan.”

UNACCEPTABLE CHRISTIAN ZEAL?

The left-liberal German magazine, Der Spiegel, published an article, titled, “All Over the World for God.” It stated: “Thousands of German missionaries are trying to convert non-believers in far-off lands. While the large churches are gradually withdrawing, more and more Christian sectarians are disseminating MEDIEVAL SUPERSTITION by DUBIOUS METHODS. Both groups consider the THEORY OF EVOLUTION TO BE NONSENSE… they consider HOMOSEXUALITY TO BE A SIN, ABORTION EQUALLY SO, AND PREMARITAL SEX IS TABOO. Posing as foreign aid workers they also go about their missionary work in countries where Christians are unwelcome or even persecuted. THEIR CLAIM TO RELIGIOUS ABSOLUTENESS IS HARDLY LESS ZEALOUS THAN THAT OF MUSLIM EXTREMISTS. Many Jesus advertisers also show little concern for the fact that they are DESTROYING THE PEACEFUL COEXISTENCE OF LOCAL COMMUNITIES. No wonder that the Germans are sometimes unwelcome.”

Whether public opinion likes it or not, the theory of evolution IS false (see our booklet, “Evolution — a Fairy Tale for Adults”); homosexual conduct is sinful (see our Updates Nos. 99 and 104); and abortion and premarital sex are wrong (see, regarding abortion, our booklet, “Are You Already Born Again?”). Further, to follow God’s way of life will bring persecution. The Bible is replete with examples where the “peaceful coexistence of local communities” was destroyed, due to persecution from those who rejected God’s truth.

GERMAN NEO-NAZI BAND CONVICTED

As der Stern reported on December 22, three right-extreme German musicians were convicted for creating and participating in a criminal organization. This is the first time that a German court has made such a judgment. The writer of the band received a jail term of three years and six months. The court found that he was guilty of disseminating Nazi propaganda and of committing a hate crime. The other two band members were set free on parole. The court found that the band members were partially responsible for right-extreme acts of violence, committed by third parties, as the band disseminated their music by CD in Germany (the CD had been produced in foreign countries). The band had only performed once in public. As Der Stern reported, the court held that “they had violated the dignity of man of many foreigners; they had glorified the Nazi time; severely badmouthed German politicians; and RIDICULED THE POPE and religious communities.”

NO KERCHIEFS FOR GERMAN TEACHERS?

According to “Kleine Zeitung,” a newspaper from Carinthia, Austria, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder has demanded that German teachers, as well as any other public officials, do not wear kerchiefs. The article pointed out: “As justification, he stated that Germany is a secular country: ‘We are influenced by three great traditions: the Greek-Roman philosophy; the Christian-Judaic religion; and the inheritance of enlightenment.'”

One needs to ask: How can Germany be a “secular” country, if it is influenced by Christian and Jewish religions and by the Greek-Roman philosophy? The truth is, of course, that Germany is NOT a secular country, and that the separation between church and state, as it is known to exist in the United States, does NOT exist in the same way in Germany.

ROMAN CATHOLICISM AND EUROPE

According to Associated Press of December 22, “Pope John Paul II said Monday that an expanding Europe must recognize the important contributions that Christianity has made to the continent over the centuries.” The article quoted the pope as saying: “I can’t but note that Europe is going through a CRUCIAL PHASE OF ITS HISTORY while widening its borders to other peoples and nations… It is important that Europe, enriched through the centuries by its Christian faith, confirms these origins and revives its roots.'”

SAINTHOOD FOR EMPEROR CHARLES I OF HAPSBURG?

As Associated Press reported on December 20, “the Vatican on Saturday attributed a miracle to the last emperor of Austria-Hungary, paving the way for the eventual beatification and sainthood of Charles I… Beatification requires evidence of a miracle after the person’s death (!) and is the last formal step before possible sainthood. Charles’ miracle reportedly came when a cloistered nun in Brazil prayed for his beatification in the 1970s and was cured of a deadly disease, [according to] the emperor’s grandson George Hapsburg.”

Emperor Karl I of Austria (1887-1922), known as Charles IV of Hungary, was Austria-Hungary’s last emperor. He became Austrian Emperor on November 21, 1916, and King of Hungary on December 30, 1916. He abdicated at the end of the war in 1918. He sought exile in Switzerland in March 1919. He was denied
domicile in Hungary, and died in Spain in 1922 of pneumonia. His wife, Zita of Bourbon-Parma, lived for a further 67 years, dying in Switzerland at the age of 96.

DO CHRISTMAS CAROLS MAKE US SICK?

Associated Press reported on December 22, 2003, that “Labor unions in the Czech Republic demanded Monday that stores stop playing Christmas carols incessantly or pay compensation for causing emotional trauma to sales clerks. Some stores here play the same songs all day — and play them loudly. Employees say shifts have become unbearable… Unions in neighboring Austria have lodged similar complaints against stores there.”

Much has been speculated as to the identity of the 144,000. However, if we let the Bible speak for itself, the answer becomes rather obvious.

Let us begin our analysis by quoting from a letter of the Worldwide Church of God, dated November 1987:

“In verse 1 [of Revelation 7] we find that the Day of the Lord — the time of terrible plagues — is to be delayed temporarily UNTIL the servants of God have been sealed. According to the sequence of prophesied events, this sealing is yet IN THE FUTURE. It will occur AFTER THE COMING GREAT TRIBULATION AND THE APPEARANCE OF THE HEAVENLY SIGNS, but just BEFORE THE PLAGUES of God’s judgments are poured out.

“Next, notice Jesus’ own explanation of the 144,000. They are 144,000 of the TRIBES OF ISRAEL, 12,000 of each tribe. The tribe of Dan is not mentioned — perhaps because they went to idolatry anciently, and will thus have to WAIT for God’s salvation (Gen. 49:1, 18). The 144,000 are to be given SPECIAL PROTECTION DURING THE DAY OF THE LORD.

“The 144,000 are sealed BY the Holy Spirit, IN their foreheads (minds). Revelation 14:1 shows that it is the Father’s name that is written there. Jesus’ very last prayer was that His Church would be kept in the Father’s name (John 17) [emphasis in original and added].”

This explanation is in accord with Mr. Armstrong’s writings, the late human leader of the Worldwide Church of God until his death in 1986. Please note the following excerpts from his booklet, “The key to the book of Revelation”:

“It is vital to understand the distinction between the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord. The heavenly signs do not occur until AFTER the Tribulation (Matt. 24:29). But they are to come BEFORE the ‘Day of the Lord’ (Joel 2:31)… But just as we come to the time of the terrible DAY OF THE LORD to strike, an angel appears holding back the four winds (Rev. 7:1-3), which are the first four Trumpet plagues (Rev. 8:7-12) of the Day of the Lord.

“They are held back until the 144,000 are sealed, and the great innumerable multitude of ALL NATIONS turn to God and His protection.

“The 144,000 are 12,000 from each of the literal tribes of Israel. They are sealed by the Holy Spirit, IN their foreheads, and it is the FATHER’S NAME that is sealed there (Rev. 14:1). THE TIME OF THIS SEALING, THEN, IS YET FUTURE — AFTER THE TRIBULATION, AFTER THE HEAVENLY SIGNS… The innumerable multitude shall have COME OUT of THE Great Tribulation (Rev. 7:14… ) [emphasis in original and added].”

In considering the Biblical revelation regarding the 144,000, we can see the following:

1) None of the 144,000 have already been sealed.
2) The 144,000 will be sealed in the future, AFTER the Great Tribulation.
3) The 144,000 will be sealed in order to be protected from the plagues of the Day of the Lord.
4) The 144,000 are physical Israelites that will be alive at the time of their sealing.
5) 12,000 of each tribe of Israel will be sealed. Since the tribe of Dan is omitted, the tribe of Joseph is represented through Joseph and through his son Manasseh (Revelation 7:6, 8).
6) Since the 144,000 will be sealed AFTER the Great Tribulation, they will have to go THROUGH the Great Tribulation. There is no indication in the Bible that they will be protected from the Great Tribulation at a place of safety.
7) As the 144,000 will be protected from the plagues of the Day of the Lord, so the “great multitude” (Revelation 7:9) will turn to God for protection as well.
8) The “great multitude” is not a part of the 144,000, but it is a separate group of peoples.
9) The “great multitude,” which “no one can number,” consists “of ALL [other, that is, non-Israelite] nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues.”
10) The “great multitude” had to go through the Great Tribulation as well. They will not be at a place of safety, to be protected from the Great Tribulation. Revelation 7:14 reads: “These are the ones who COME OUT OF the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”

Today, neither the 144,000 nor the great multitude have turned to God. But they will — when they remember the message of the gospel of the kingdom of God, which is being preached today, and which will continue to be preached by God’s church (compare Matthew 24:14; 28:18-20), combined with the activities of the two witnesses (Revelation 11:1-6), the martyrdom of some of the saints (Revelation 6:9-11; 12:13-17) and the sufferings of national Israelites and Jews during the Great Tribulation, and the heavenly signs. When the 144,000 find themselves in the midst of the Great Tribulation, they will reflect and come to their senses. THEN they will repent — not before then. Speaking of the modern houses of Israel and Judah, we read a remarkable prophecy in Deuteronomy 30:1-3, 6, and 8. This prophecy refers to “the latter days” (Deuteronomy 31:29) and might also include a description of the conversion of the 144,000:

“Now it shall come to pass, when all these things come upon you, the blessing and the curse which I have set before you, and you call them to mind among all the nations where the LORD your God drives you, and you RETURN to the Lord your God (i.e., REPENT) and OBEY His voice, according to ALL that I command you today, you and your children, with all your heart and with all your soul (describing CONVERSION), that the LORD your God will bring you back from captivity (which will be experienced by the modern houses of Israel and Judah during the time of the Great Tribulation)… And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, THAT YOU MAY LIVE (that is, that you might be PROTECTED from the PLAGUES of the Day of the Lord)… And you will again obey the voice of the LORD and do all His commandments which I command you today.”

When the 144,000 turn to God, become converted and receive the Holy Spirit, they will be protected from the plagues of the Day of the Lord. Their conversion is still in the future. It will take place after they, together with the great multitude of ALL [non-Israelite] nations, have experienced the fiery trial of the Great Tribulation.

On Saturday, December 20, 2003, Robb Harris will be presenting the sermon, titled, “Who Do You Trust.”

The services can be heard at www.cognetservices.org at the appropriate time, just click on “Connect to Live Stream.”

(Español: Por qué no la Navidad)

It’s Christmas time again. During the coldest and darkest season of the year, beautiful, colorful Christmas lights surround us. Some houses are decorated with breath-taking splendor, and one can hardly help oneself but to admire the display of electric lights in the midst of the cold and gloomy wintertime. Our children are introduced to the Christmas season as the time of peace and good will — as an important time of family unity and togetherness. In Washington, following an 80-year old tradition, national Christmas tree-lighting ceremonies are publicly held, and speeches are given talking about how Christmas celebrates the fact that Christ was born to bring peace to this world. When entering grocery stores, we hear famous and melodious Christmas songs, ranging from “Silent Night, Holy Night” to “O Christmas Tree,” or other well-known tunes. One sentence in a popular Christmas song may be especially telling, loudly proclaiming, “And man will live forevermore because of Christmas Day.”

Then, there are the Christmas presents. Especially children can hardly wait until Christmas Eve to see their presents displayed under the beautifully decorated Christmas tree. I still remember when my brother and I, as young children in Germany, were asked by my parents to go on an errand on Christmas Eve. When we returned, we were told that the little “Christ Child” had arrived at our home and had left behind a brand-new electric toy train, as well as other nice presents. Of course, in Germany and in certain other countries, children receive a double portion of presents, as they are being given a “foretaste” on St. Nicholas Day on December 6: An adult with a white beard, dressed in a red suit, appears to remind the children of their conduct throughout the year. He speaks of their good deeds, as well as, especially, their bad ones. Upon their promise “never to do it again,” the red-clothed Santa Claus puts his rod away and opens his big bag to present nice gifts. When St. Nicholas or Santa Claus appeared to us, we did not realize, at first, that our mother always “happened” to be away — and that she returned shortly after Santa Claus’ departure.

This sounds all so innocent, so well meaning, and it warms the heart of adults and brings back emotion-filled memories of years long gone by. But, could there be anything wrong with those celebrations?

Many, who support Christmas festivities, recognize their dark side. They point out that Christmas has become totally commercialized. The sale of Christmas merchandise begins right after Thanksgiving, in order to give all potential customers enough time to buy multiple presents for all their loved ones, their family and their friends. They also “need” to buy presents for those whom they are somehow “indebted to,” or from whom they hope to receive certain favors in return. People buy gifts, which they can’t afford, incurring credit card debts that they can never repay, only to fulfill their expected “obligations” to give presents to others. We also know that especially during Christmas season, more crimes are committed than at any other time of the year, and alcoholism runs rampant.

Religious people realize, too, that Christmas celebrations have become less and less focused on Christ, the alleged “cause” and “reason” for the holiday. And so, as we read in WorldNetDaily.com, “Every December, a call goes out from the nation’s pulpits to ‘put Christ back into Christmas.'”

But there is a problem with that call, as there is a problem with the entire Christmas festivities. The above-mentioned article continues, “… growing numbers of Americans — including fundamental Christians — are claiming Jesus Christ had nothing to do with the holiday.”

This brings us to the crux of the matter. What, if anything, does Christ have to do with Christmas? Was He born on December 25? Did He command, in the Bible, to keep Christmas holy? Where do all the different Christmas customs come from? Are they Biblical?

The fact that Christmas lights and candles look pretty is not the answer. If we can establish that Christmas celebrations are not commanded in Scripture — yes, that they are, in fact, prohibited and a counterfeit to true godly worship, then it is irrelevant how “nice” certain customs may look. Remember, we are told in 2 Corinthians 4:4 that there is a “god of this world” — Satan the devil — who has “blinded” the minds of those who don’t believe the gospel, “lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ… should shine on them.” If wrong, then Christmas lights would be a pitiful substitute for the true light of the gospel. Also, we are being told in 2 Corinthians 11:14, that “Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.” What he offers does look nice and good and bright. In fact, sin has “passing pleasures” (Hebrews 11:25).

When researching the origin of Christmas and its customs, it becomes very soon abundantly clear that Christmas has absolutely nothing to do with the birth of Christ and the purpose for His First Coming. We discover that virtually every custom celebrated at Christmas time is of pagan origin, which had been used to worship pagan gods. Many of those who have studied the origin of Christmas have decided not to keep it any longer. Still, they are bombarded with Christmas customs, wherever they go. They may catch themselves, if they are not careful, humming or singing along with the Christmas tunes played in a supermarket. On the other hand, even professing Christians who strongly support Christmas celebrations are forced to admit the pagan origin of Christmas. They argue, however, that it does not matter. One article states:

“The true Origin of Christmas is filled with controversy and compromise. A quick study will reveal a number of disturbing roots… in short, the Christmas holiday we celebrate today is indicative of Christianity’s willingness to absorb the world’s customs and traditions, and forget its simple roots in the historical reality of Jesus Christ. Christmas should be nothing more than a simple, yet wonderful reminder of Christ’s humble beginning as a human child in this world… Whether it’s December 25th, sometime late in September, or any other day of the year, we should use each and every opportunity to reflect on Jesus Christ and His message of hope for all of us.”

But is this true? Should we use every opportunity, even if this means, embracing pagan customs? Is that the teaching of the Bible?

In this special Update on Christmas, we are addressing these important questions. Please be sure to carefully study the material, and read or re-read the booklet mentioned in this publication. Whether to celebrate Christmas or not, is man’s choice. However, to decree whether it is right or wrong to do so, is God’s prerogative.

To Tell a Lie…

We have published a comprehensive booklet, titled, “Don’t Keep Christmas,” in which we explain, in detail, why Christmas celebrations are wrong and prohibited in Scripture. This booklet includes many quotes from historical records, proving that Christmas celebrations took place long before the birth of Christ. They were kept to honor pagan deities, such as the Persian sun god Mithras, who was born on December 25. By contrast, as our booklet proves on pages 23-25, Christ was not, and could not have been, born on December 25, or anywhere near that date.

Note the following quote regarding Mithras from pages 13 and 14 of our booklet, “Don’t Keep Christmas,” citing excerpts from an article of a popular magazine:

“Mithras is the name of that transcendent being from whom they expect salvation. And each year in the winter they celebrate his birthday: in the night of December 25 with a sort of service, which we could call today midnight mass… The birthday of Jesus was declared [by Emperor Constantine and the Council of Nice in 325AD] to be on the same day on which Mithras was supposedly born… Until then, Christians had not celebrated Christmas.”

In fact, early Christians refused to celebrate Christmas, as they considered it to be a pagan feast. Quoting from page 3 of our booklet, “Don’t Keep Christmas”: “Religion in Geschichte und Gegenwart, Vol. 3, concurs: ‘The celebration of Christmas on December 25 in the church begins only in the middle of the 4th century. Until then, the opposition against it was in some cases very severe…, since it was considered a pagan custom to celebrate with festivities the birthdays of kings.'”

Our booklet presents historical evidence that Christmas carols, Christmas gifts, Christmas candles and Christmas cakes, as well as the Christmas tree, are all of pagan origin, and had been used to worship pagan gods and goddesses. In regard to the Christmas tree, note this quote from page 22 of our booklet, “Don’t Keep Christmas”:

“Let’s also notice Jer. 10:2-5: ‘Thus says the Lord: ‘Do not learn the way [Note in the Lamsa Bible: ‘Religion’] of the Gentiles; do not be dismayed at the signs of heaven, for the Gentiles are dismayed at them. For the customs of the peoples are futile; for one cuts a tree from the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the ax. They decorate it with silver and gold; they fasten it with nails and hammers so that it will not topple. They are upright, like a palm tree, and they cannot speak; they must be carried, because they cannot go themselves. Do not be afraid of them, for they cannot do evil, nor can they do any good.’

“Here we find a description of the Christmas tree. Some have said, however, that Jer. 10 only talks about a wooden idol that was carved out of a tree, but that it does not refer to decorating a Christmas tree per se. Remember, though, that the pagans believed that their gods — Attis, Osiris, Dinosus — lived as tree spirits in pine trees. They believed that their gods actually changed into those trees, and they carried these sacred trees to a certain place of worship, decorated them, and adored them as deities.

“Jer. 10 condemns any kind of religious worship that includes the decoration of a pine tree or a ‘green tree’ (1 Kings 14:23), as well as the religious doctrines associated with such customs. Lamsa continues Jer. 10:8 as follows: ‘But altogether the vain doctrines of wooden image worship shall be utterly destroyed and consumed.'”

Our booklet also explains how gradually the Roman Catholic Church “adapted” those pagan customs to make the Christian faith more attractive to Gentiles. Quoting from Earl W. Count, 4000 Years of Christmas, it is stated on page 12 of our booklet: “‘The [Roman Catholic] Church finally succeeded in taking the merriment, the greenery, the lights, and the gifts from Saturn [a Roman sun god patterned after the Persian sun god Mithras] and giving them to the Babe of Bethlehem.'”

The age-old question is, however, why is it so important to know that Christmas and its customs were a pagan invention? What is wrong with “Christianizing” those pagan customs? We might not be able to bring Christ BACK into those customs (as He was never part of them in the first place), but why can’t we bring those customs to Christ and use them to worship Him in that way?

Simply, because the Bible prohibits us to do so. The concept of adding pagan practices to godly worship, known as “syncretism,” is condemned throughout Scripture. Again, we encourage our members, subscribers and friends to read or re-read our booklet, “Don’t Keep Christmas,” for a more comprehensive analysis of this important question.

In short, we read in Deuteronomy 12:29-32, that God commanded Israel that “you do not inquire after their [pagan] gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise.’ You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way…”

What could be clearer? God commands us NOT to worship Him in the way that the Gentiles did. Christmas was a pagan festival in honor of pagan gods. God FORBIDS us to worship Him in that way. We read in Matthew 15:7-9 that we worship Christ IN VAIN when we teach “as doctrines the commandments of men” or pagans. The Ryrie Study Bible comments regarding the passage in Deuteronomy 12:30: “The Israelites were not even to inquire about the worship of the Canaanites, lest they be tempted to INCORPORATE ASPECTS OF IT INTO THEIR WORSHIP OF GOD.”

That is, exactly, what the Roman Catholic Church did. That is exactly what God PROHIBITS His people from doing!

Throughout the Bible, God tells us NOT to ADD to God’s Word (Deuteronomy 4:1-2; Proverbs 30:5-6). This prohibition includes adding customs to our worship of God, which God did not prescribe, but which were used to honor pagan gods. Note this final quote from page 26 of our booklet, “Don’t Keep Christmas”:

“So if we contend that Christmas is a festival that honors God, then we add to God’s Word, which has nothing to say about the celebration of Christmas… Let’s also note how the apostle Paul approached the Christians in Corinth… he tells them in 1 Cor. 4:6: ‘… Do not go beyond what is written’ (NIV). A similar reminder is recorded in the second letter of John. He states in verse 9: ‘For if you wander beyond the teaching of Christ, you will leave God behind; while if you are loyal to Christ’s teachings, you will have God too’ (Living Bible). Those who do celebrate Christmas ‘go beyond what is written,’ and ‘wander beyond the teaching of Christ,’ thereby leaving ‘God behind.'”

We have published a comprehensive booklet, titled, “Don’t Keep Christmas,” in which we explain, in detail, why Christmas celebrations are wrong and prohibited in Scripture. This booklet includes many quotes from historical records, proving that Christmas celebrations took place long before the birth of Christ. They were kept to honor pagan deities, such as the Persian sun god Mithras, who was born on December 25. By contrast, as our booklet proves on pages 23-25, Christ was not, and could not have been, born on December 25, or anywhere near that date.

Note the following quote regarding Mithras from pages 13 and 14 of our booklet, “Don’t Keep Christmas,” citing excerpts from an article of a popular magazine:

“Mithras is the name of that transcendent being from whom they expect salvation. And each year in the winter they celebrate his birthday: in the night of December 25 with a sort of service, which we could call today midnight mass… The birthday of Jesus was declared [by Emperor Constantine and the Council of Nice in 325AD] to be on the same day on which Mithras was supposedly born… Until then, Christians had not celebrated Christmas.”

In fact, early Christians refused to celebrate Christmas, as they considered it to be a pagan feast. Quoting from page 3 of our booklet, “Don’t Keep Christmas”: “Religion in Geschichte und Gegenwart, Vol. 3, concurs: ‘The celebration of Christmas on December 25 in the church begins only in the middle of the 4th century. Until then, the opposition against it was in some cases very severe…, since it was considered a pagan custom to celebrate with festivities the birthdays of kings.'”

Our booklet presents historical evidence that Christmas carols, Christmas gifts, Christmas candles and Christmas cakes, as well as the Christmas tree, are all of pagan origin, and had been used to worship pagan gods and goddesses. In regard to the Christmas tree, note this quote from page 22 of our booklet, “Don’t Keep Christmas”:

“Let’s also notice Jer. 10:2-5: ‘Thus says the Lord: ‘Do not learn the way [Note in the Lamsa Bible: ‘Religion’] of the Gentiles; do not be dismayed at the signs of heaven, for the Gentiles are dismayed at them. For the customs of the peoples are futile; for one cuts a tree from the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the ax. They decorate it with silver and gold; they fasten it with nails and hammers so that it will not topple. They are upright, like a palm tree, and they cannot speak; they must be carried, because they cannot go themselves. Do not be afraid of them, for they cannot do evil, nor can they do any good.’

“Here we find a description of the Christmas tree. Some have said, however, that Jer. 10 only talks about a wooden idol that was carved out of a tree, but that it does not refer to decorating a Christmas tree per se. Remember, though, that the pagans believed that their gods — Attis, Osiris, Dinosus — lived as tree spirits in pine trees. They believed that their gods actually changed into those trees, and they carried these sacred trees to a certain place of worship, decorated them, and adored them as deities.

“Jer. 10 condemns any kind of religious worship that includes the decoration of a pine tree or a ‘green tree’ (1 Kings 14:23), as well as the religious doctrines associated with such customs. Lamsa continues Jer. 10:8 as follows: ‘But altogether the vain doctrines of wooden image worship shall be utterly destroyed and consumed.'”

Our booklet also explains how gradually the Roman Catholic Church “adapted” those pagan customs to make the Christian faith more attractive to Gentiles. Quoting from Earl W. Count, 4000 Years of Christmas, it is stated on page 12 of our booklet: “‘The [Roman Catholic] Church finally succeeded in taking the merriment, the greenery, the lights, and the gifts from Saturn [a Roman sun god patterned after the Persian sun god Mithras] and giving them to the Babe of Bethlehem.'”

The age-old question is, however, why is it so important to know that Christmas and its customs were a pagan invention? What is wrong with “Christianizing” those pagan customs? We might not be able to bring Christ BACK into those customs (as He was never part of them in the first place), but why can’t we bring those customs to Christ and use them to worship Him in that way?

Simply, because the Bible prohibits us to do so. The concept of adding pagan practices to godly worship, known as “syncretism,” is condemned throughout Scripture. Again, we encourage our members, subscribers and friends to read or re-read our booklet, “Don’t Keep Christmas,” for a more comprehensive analysis of this important question.

In short, we read in Deuteronomy 12:29-32, that God commanded Israel that “you do not inquire after their [pagan] gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise.’ You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way…”

What could be clearer? God commands us NOT to worship Him in the way that the Gentiles did. Christmas was a pagan festival in honor of pagan gods. God FORBIDS us to worship Him in that way. We read in Matthew 15:7-9 that we worship Christ IN VAIN when we teach “as doctrines the commandments of men” or pagans. The Ryrie Study Bible comments regarding the passage in Deuteronomy 12:30: “The Israelites were not even to inquire about the worship of the Canaanites, lest they be tempted to INCORPORATE ASPECTS OF IT INTO THEIR WORSHIP OF GOD.”

That is, exactly, what the Roman Catholic Church did. That is exactly what God PROHIBITS His people from doing!

Throughout the Bible, God tells us NOT to ADD to God’s Word (Deuteronomy 4:1-2; Proverbs 30:5-6). This prohibition includes adding customs to our worship of God, which God did not prescribe, but which were used to honor pagan gods. Note this final quote from page 26 of our booklet, “Don’t Keep Christmas”:

“So if we contend that Christmas is a festival that honors God, then we add to God’s Word, which has nothing to say about the celebration of Christmas… Let’s also note how the apostle Paul approached the Christians in Corinth… he tells them in 1 Cor. 4:6: ‘… Do not go beyond what is written’ (NIV). A similar reminder is recorded in the second letter of John. He states in verse 9: ‘For if you wander beyond the teaching of Christ, you will leave God behind; while if you are loyal to Christ’s teachings, you will have God too’ (Living Bible). Those who do celebrate Christmas ‘go beyond what is written,’ and ‘wander beyond the teaching of Christ,’ thereby leaving ‘God behind.'”

Our new booklet, titled, “Are You Already Born Again?”, is finished and will be on its way to everyone on the mailing list shortly. If you would like to preview it, you can do so on our Website at: http://www.eternalgod.org/lit/booklets/bornagain.htm

In addition to several new German articles, two German booklets, titled, “Evolution — ein Märchen für Erwachsene,” and, “Deutschland in der Prophezeiung,” and a French booklet, titled, “Dieu est une Famille,” have been placed on our Website.

On Saturday, December 13, 2003, Rene Messier will be presenting the sermon, “The Armor of God.”

The services can be heard at www.cognetservices.org at the appropriate time, just click on “Connect to Live Stream.”

As we approach the end of 2003, I feel that it is appropriate to review the last twelve months in the light of our UK activities. It has, in many ways, been a positive and fruitful year although, by comparison with activities when Mr. Herbert Armstrong was alive, our efforts and success are small indeed. But that is the way of the Church of God, organizationally, at this time.

In conjunction with our associates in the USA and Canada, 4 new booklets have been produced, two of which were printed in the UK. Another new booklet will be printed in the UK very soon. A number of further booklets are currently being considered for publication during 2004. We have advertised a number of booklets in different publications and have received many thousands of replies. Interestingly, the return to this office of booklets sent out has been very small and many requests for other booklets have been received. We also have a growing list of those, not church members, who have asked to be on our mailing list to automatically receive new booklets. This is hardly surprising as the quality of booklets produced is of a very high standard indeed and we really appreciate all the hard work in comprehensively covering each subject in minute, but very interesting detail.

Our web-site, www.globalchurchofgod.co.uk has been continually updated and improved and we are grateful to Mr. Paul Harris for his excellent work in this area. The site now has French and German sections which give it an international flavor and there are many sections that can be accessed including audio sermons, editorials, weekly questions and answers, prayer requests, booklets, member letters, the Feast sites and many other items.

The Feast of Tabernacles this year was held in the historic Pump Rooms in Royal Leamington Spa and the elegant Regency style complete with beautiful chandeliers provided a superb setting for Feastgoers from Bermuda, Canada, Portugal, the USA as well as the UK and the Republic of Ireland. The consensus of opinion was that the spiritual food was of a very high order indeed.

After much consideration, prayer and fasting, the decision has been made to take up the option we had for the Feast at Chatsworth House for 2004. Feast packs will be sent out in the near future and we look forward to returning to what is perhaps the most millennial site possible in the UK.

During the course of this year, the development of speakers has been pursued and this has paid handsome dividends with new speakers being encouraged and some men visiting different church areas to speak. This has not only encouraged the local groups but has assisted in developing the skills of those involved.

We now have circulation lists for people to receive audio sermon tapes (tapes from both the USA and those recorded in the UK), new booklets, weekly updates and member letters. If any recipient of this update does not receive any of these items and would like to do so, please let us know and we will be happy to include you on our circulation list(s).

We are pleased to be able to work closely with the Church of the Eternal God in the USA and the Church of God, a Christian Fellowship in Canada, who have been extremely supportive, encouraging, cooperative and helpful in our efforts and activities this year. Mr. Norbert Link from San Diego, California, will be visiting his parents in Germany in late January 2004 and will stop off in the UK and visit Derby on January 31st where he will give the sermon. All who want to meet up with Mr. Link and attend services that day will be made most welcome.

The year 2004 promises to be another interesting, and probably traumatic one with world events racing ever faster to the conclusion of man’s rule on this earth. We are, unquestionably, experiencing times more than ever before when society calls evil good and good evil (Isaiah 5:20).

Those with true Christian values are becoming more and more isolated in a society which has engaged in behavior and attitudes that strip away any pretence to its Judeo-Christian heritage as it engages in an “anything goes” society. One senior UK politician close to the Prime Minister rather famously, but shockingly and disparagingly remarked earlier this year: “We don’t do God.” This he said in spite of the Prime Minister’s public utterances that he is a Christian. Robert Knight, director of Concerned Women for America’s Culture and Family Institute, was quoted by Christianity Today, as follows: “Christians are sure to be targets of persecution for their beliefs if ‘gay’ marriage is given legal backing.” The article concluded, “In any case, this decision is huge news, both in itself and in its implications.” How much more will we, who keep the law of God and His weekly and annual Sabbaths, be a target for persecution in the months and years to come?

Much has been written about the appalling evils in society today and the evidence surrounding us in the UK. Films, videos, music, radio, television and newspapers in this area of the world are all party to a society that has surely just about cast off all restraint with much of the public baying for more. In our society’s ever accelerating downward spiral, the norms of yesteryear are now considered old fashioned as boundaries are pushed further and further back. We are instructed in Luke 21:36 to “Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.” This means that we have to watch world events which will help us to primarily, and most importantly, watch over our spiritual condition, as verses 34 and 35 emphasize. We have to be watchful ensuring that the cares of the world don’t affect us in any adverse way and that its ways don’t rub off on us. With the tests and trials that we experience, this may often be easier said than done but it is an essential element of our Christian calling.

Whatever happens during 2004, let us all resolve to continue to “grow in grace and knowledge” as we move forward in our Christian walk towards the Kingdom of God.

Zimbabwe Resigns From Commonwealth

IRAQ WAR OPPONENTS BARRED FROM BIDDING

As Associated Press reported on December 9, 2003, “The Pentagon has formally barred companies from countries opposed to the Iraq war from bidding on $18.6 billion worth of reconstruction contracts… The ruling bars companies from U.S. allies such as France, Germany and Canada from bidding on the contracts because their governments opposed the American-led war that ousted Saddam Hussein’s regime.”

Reuters added the following in their report of December 9, 2003:

“The move is likely to anger France and Germany and other traditional allies in NATO and the U.N. Security Council who are being blocked out of prime contracts after their opposition to the war.” Procurement specialist Prof. Steven Schooner from George Washington University was quoted as saying, “This kind of decision just begs for RETALIATION and a TIT-FOR-TAT RESPONSE from countries (such as Germany, France and Russia).” The article also explained that there are “more than 60 countries eligible for contracts funded by the $18.6 billion appropriated by Congress to rebuild Iraq. The list included Britain, Australia, Poland, Japan, Italy, Norway, Spain, Turkey, Jordan, Egypt, South Korea, the Philippines, Romania and Saudi-Arabia.”

As could be expected, the European press of barred countries reacted furiously. Der Spiegel Online reported: “Governmental officials condemned the decision and announced resistance.” The German government spoke of an unacceptable decision and of “extremely selfish economic interests” of the United States. Associated Press added that Joschka Fischer said, “We will be speaking about it with the American side.” Russia reminded the United States of their promise to allow the entire international community to help reconstruct Iraq, according to Der Spiegel Online.

Associated Press added that it will be “difficult for [Canada] to give further money for the reconstruction of Iraq.” Canada has contributed so far $225 million to the rebuilding effort. The article also pointed out that “The White House… said Wednesday that countries wanting a slice of that lucrative pie must participate militarily in the post-war effort. Responding to the ANGRY RESPONSE FROM GERMANY, CANADA AND OTHER U.S. ALLIES, White House spokesman Scott McClellan said the policy was ‘appropriate and reasonable.'” Earlier, U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz had cited “national security reasons” for the decision.

Associated Press reported on December 11, 2003: “A conference of companies seeking $18.6 billion in reconstruction costs in Iraq has been delayed by eight days until December 19… The delay comes amid a FUROR over a Pentagon memo barring countries that didn’t support the U.S.-led war from bidding on the reconstruction contracts… [The government] declined to comment on whether the delay was linked to the dispute over the Pentagon directive.”

In a related article, Associated Press stated on December 11, 2003: “Europe’s foreign affairs chief… called the U.S. decision… ‘ [extremely] unhelpful.’… But the British government said Washington was fully entitled to limit construction contracts in Iraq to countries that were part of the U.S.-led coalition. The White House said THE BAN WAS NOT UP FOR RECONSIDERATION… The European Commission called the contract ban a ‘political mistake,’ and said it would examine the contracts to see if Washington had violated its commitments to the World Trade Organization… French President Jacques Chirac, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and Russian President Vladimir Putin all raised the contracting issue during previously scheduled telephone calls with President Bush on Wednesday… [The] conservative French newspaper Le Figaro said Thursday the exclusion was ‘bordering on PROVOCATION.’ ‘For the United States, it is truly a shame that the politics of George W. Bush be presented, once again, in such a petty manner,’ the newspaper said. ‘THE ANTI-AMERICANISM THAT NEEDS TO BE COMBATED IS GOING TO BE REVIVED.’… Russia signaled it would take a hard line on reconstructing after being excluded from the contracts. ‘Iraq’s debt to the Russia Federation comes to $8 billion and as far as the Russian government’s position on this, it is not planning any kind of a write-off of that debt,’ [the Russian government stated]… [It] suggested the CONTRACT BAN COULD UNDERMINE THE INTERNATIONAL CAMPAIGN AGAINST TERRORISM.”

Der Spiegel Online published several articles on December 11, addressing the worldwide reactions to Washington’s decision. German politicians spoke of “REVENGE AND BLACKMAIL.” The magazine pointed out that German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder would like to see “constructive conduct” in accordance with “international law.” U.N. General-Secretary Kofi Annan, who was visiting Germany, asked the U.S. government to REVISE their decision. The magazine reported, too, that China is “angry,” and that they have voiced their concern. It added, “Pentagon Spokesman Larry Di Rita said that ‘this is not a final list. It might perhaps include additional countries.'”

Reuters reported on December 11 that President Bush rejected European criticism. He was quoted as follows: “It’s very simple. Our people risked their lives. Friendly coalition folks risked their lives, and therefore the contracting is going to reflect that, and that’s what the U.S. taxpayers expect.”

Not everyone in the United States agreed with the Pentagon’s ruling. As A.P. reported, “Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean… cited the policy as an example of the Bush administration’s ‘confrontation’ approach ‘all over the world.'” He added, “We are now the most feared country on the face of the earth but no longer the most respected.”

As God’s Church has announced for decades, the relationship between the United States and Europe WILL deteriorate. Some, who once understood this truth, have forgotten it and have looked for and begun to preach “alternative” end-time scenarios. However, there is NO ALTERNATIVE for the truth of the Bible.

UPDATE ON EUROPEAN CONSTITUTION

As FT.com reported on December 5, 2003, “The European Union risks falling apart if heads of government put in place a flawed constitution next week, according to Valery Giscard d’Estaing, the former French president who was the architect of the draft constitution.” The article continued: “Mr. Giscard d’Estaing told the European parliament: ‘History teaches us that bad constitutions, those which are felt to be unjust or ineffective by citizens, lead to revolution or rebellion.’… Should EU leaders fail to overcome their differences next week, Mr. Giscard d’Estaing suggested they should then allow ‘time for reflection,’ possibly until after the June parliamentary decisions, rather than rush into a new round of talks: ‘If there is no political will today… there would be nothing to expect from pushing the negotiations.'”

The article pointed out that “Germany is leading to push to have a system where voting clout is closely tied to population size… On the size of the future European Commission…, [Mr. Giscard d’Estaing] reiterated his belief that the EU’s executive could not operate effectively with as many as 31 commissioners… The draft constitution proposes having 15 commissioners with full voting powers.”

Associated Press reported on December 8 that “European Union foreign ministers admitted defeat Monday in their efforts to find a constitutional compromise between countries seeking greater integration and those who fear a European superstate. Their failure after nearly two months of arduous negotiations diminished hopes for a deal on a first-ever EU constitution despite a weekend deadline for action. The ministers said the issue was so divisive it could only be resolved by EU leaders, who arrive Friday for a two-day summit.”

The article continued:

“The countries also remained at odds over how to bolster the EU’s defense policy without endangering s
ecurity ties with the United States or trampling on some countries’ cherished neutrality. In an eleventh-hour appeal, neutral EU nations Sweden, Ireland, Finland and Austria objected strongly to a proposed mutual defense pledge, similar to NATO’S, stating that if one EU member is attacked, the others are obliged to provide assistance… Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini, who chaired the talks, said he would revise the clause for a new proposal… De Villepin [of France] WARNED Frattini NOT TO WATER IT DOWN… ‘The solidarity as expressed in this clause must not be downgraded,’ he told reporters.”

Der Spiegel Online reported on December 10, 2003, that “Great Britain’s Prime Minister Tony Blair is apparently concerned that he will be treated less than equal by Germany and France regarding the battle for the EU constitution.” The two countries stated, according to the article, that they would work together more closely if a EU Constitution should not become reality at this point.

In an additional article, Der Spiegel Online reported on December 10 about the “European Fear of ‘Francallemagne.'” It pointed out: “A new German-French power bloc is developing in Europe. Smaller nations are looking at this development with concern.” The article continued: “It’s all about power in Europe… Joschka Fischer declared that there would be smaller groups in Europe if a European Constitution should not be adopted… Especially Britain looks with suspicion at the new love between the former arch-enemies, Germany and France… The message: Be aware of a powerful Germany, and be even more aware of a powerful Germany together with an already powerful France… Former German Chancellor, Helmut Schmidt, is also not supportive of a German-French power bloc. ‘We need a new agreement for a greater Europe, and not one for France and Germany,'” he was quoted in the article.

Associated Press reported on December 11, 2003, that “a new draft constitution has failed to resolve divisions among European Union governments on a voting system for the enlarged union, with growing signs leaders will miss their weekend deadline for agreement. Instead nations hardened their positions as they prepared for the summit of EU leaders starting Friday to debate the union’s first-ever constitution. EU officials have said about 100 issues remain to be decided, including whether God should be mentioned in the charter and whether there should be a majority voting on foreign policy.”

Der Spiegel Online quoted Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi as saying, “If we reach an agreement, that would be a MIRACLE. But sometimes, miracles happen.” The magazine stated, too, that Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski announced that he does not agree with the current draft EU constitution. Jean-Claude Juncker, Prime Minister of Luxembourg, warned that a failure would be catastrophic for Europe. He was quoted as saying that this was the last chance for Europe to reach a political union for all European member states. Otherwise, he added, the core states of the EU might go their separate ways. This would then place a grave responsibility on the countries which originally founded the European Community in 1957, i.e., Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg.

Prophecy is marching on. The Bible reveals that ultimately, ten nations or groups of nations will lead Europe. It is exciting to see how this will work out on the political scene. It is important to watch these world events, as their fulfillment indicates the imminent return of Jesus Christ.

US RETREATS FROM GERMANY

Associated Press reported on December 8 that “the United States briefed NATO allies Monday on plans for an overhaul of American forces in Europe that may see tens of thousands of troops transferred from Cold War-era bases in Germany to new bases closer to potential trouble spots.” The article pointed out that “U.S. officials have previously said the realignment is likely to close or scale down many of the permanent bases set up in Germany and other NATO nations to face the Soviet threat. Instead troops will be shifted to smaller, lightly equipped centers ready for rapid deployment to places like the Middle East, the Balkans or Central Asia.”

AUSTRALIA JOINS U.S. MISSILE DEFENSE

Reuters reported on December 4, 2003, that “Australia has decided in principle to join a U.S.-led missile defense system, strengthening military ties with Washington.” The article pointed out, too, that “Australia has also joined the U.S. Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program to develop an advanced stealth fighter-bomber.” Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer was quoted as follows: “Our long and vigorous alliance with the United States benefits the security of both countries and will be strengthened by our participation in missile defense.” The article continued: “Canberra’s decision to join the U.S. program could spark renewed accusations by some Asian neighbors that Australia is playing ‘deputy sheriff’ for Washington in the Asia-Pacific region.”

ZIMBABWE RESIGNS FROM COMMONWEALTH

As Der Spiegel Online reported on December 8, 2003, the African state of Zimbabwe, formerly known as Rhodesia, resigned from the Commonwealth of Nations, after Zimbabwe’s membership had been suspended last year, due to alleged governmental election fraud and a refusal of President Mugabe to open the country to democratic reforms. During a Commonwealth summit in Nigeria, the vast majority of especially Western countries voted for a continuation of the suspension, while eight African countries were asking to revoke the suspension.

The Commonwealth of Nations represents one-third of the world population. It is a loose and voluntary confederation of currently 53 independent sovereign states, formed mostly by the United Kingdom and most of its former colonies. It was formerly known as the British Commonwealth, and many still call it mistakenly by that name.

As nationmaster.com explains, the Commonwealth is the successor of the British Empire and has its origins in the Imperial Conference of the late 1920s. After World War II, the Empire was gradually dismantled, “partly owing to the rise of independent movements in the then subject territories (most importantly India…), and partly owing to the British Government’s straitened circumstances resulting from the cost of the war. Burma (now Myanmar) (1948) and South Yemen (1967) are among the only former colonies that did not join the Commonwealth on independence. Ireland was a member, but left the Commonwealth upon becoming a republic in 1949.”

The article continued:

“India is the most populous member, with a billion people at the 2001 census, while Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nigeria each contain more than 100 million people. Tuvalu, in contrast, has only 11,000 inhabitants… One member of the present Commonwealth was never attached to the British Empire [i.e.,] Mozambique. [It] applied for and received membership in 1995… Fiji and Pakistan have had their memberships suspended in recent years because of military coups… South Africa’s membership was effectively suspended during the apartheid era… but was reinstated… in 1994. Nigeria was suspended between 1995 and 1999. Pakistan had earlier left on January 30, 1972… but rejoined in 1989. Zimbabwe was suspended in 2002 over concerns with the electoral and land reform policies of Robert Mugabe’s… government. Charles de Gaulle once suggested that France, though it was never a member of the British Empire (even if for centuries English/British monarchs claimed the title ‘King of France’), should apply for Commonwealth membership. This never happened.”

The current Commonwealth Members and their membership dates are as follows:

Antigua and Barbuda (1981); Australia (1931); The Bahamas (1973); Bangladesh (1972); Barbados (1966); Belize (1981); Botswana (1966); Brunei (1984); Cameroon (1995); Canada (1931); Cyprus (1961); Domini
ca (1978); Fiji (1970, left in 1987, rejoined in 1997); The Gambia (1965); Ghana (1957); Grenada (1974); Guyana (1966); India (1947); Jamaica (1962); Kenya (1963); Kiribati (1979); Lesotho (1966); Malawi (1964); Malaysia (1957); Maldives (1982); Malta (1964); Mauritius (1968); Mozambique (1995); Namibia (1990); Nauru (1999); New Zealand (1931); Nigeria (1960, was suspended in 1995, but readmitted in 1999); Pakistan (1947, left in 1972, rejoined in 1989); Papua New Guinea (1975); Samoa (1970); Seychelles (1976); Sierra Leone (1961); Singapore (1965); Solomon Islands (1978); South Africa (1931, left in 1961, rejoined in 1994); Sri Lanka (1948); St. Kitts and Nevis (1983); St. Lucia (1979); St. Vincent and The Grenadines (1979); Swaziland (1968); Tanzania (1961); Tonga (1979); Trinidad and Tobago (1962); Tuvalu (1978); Uganda (1962); United Kingdom (1931); Vanuatu (1980); Zambia (1964).

As mentioned above, Ireland left in 1949; Pakistan has been suspended since 1999; and Zimbabwe was suspended on March 20, 2002, and left on December 8, 2003.

From the above-mentioned Commonwealth Member states, the following 17 member states recognize the Queen of England, represented by a governor-general, as their Head of State, according to Swishweb.com, 2002:

Antigua and Barbuda; Australia; Bahamas; Bangladesh; Barbados; Belize; Canada; Grenada; Jamaica; New Zealand; Papua New Guinea; St. Kitts and Nevis; St. Lucia; St. Vincent and the Grenadines; Solomon Islands; Tavula; and Mauritius.

It may also not be widely known or commonly recognized that the following 20 member states are still monarchies, according to the Commonwealth of Learning, June 1999:

Antigua and Barbuda; Australia; The Bahamas; Barbados; Belize; Canada; Grenada; Jamaica; Lesotho; Malaysia; New Zealand; Papua New Guinea; St. Kitts and Nevis; St. Lucia; St. Vincent and the Grenadines; Solomon Islands; Swaziland; Tonga; Tuvalu; and the United Kingdom.

At one time the Commonwealth of Nations, formerly called the British Commonwealth, was a very powerful group of nations under British control. This is no longer the case, as nationmaster.com points out:

“With the mutual decline of interest in each other as former British colonies forge closer relationships with non-Commonwealth trading partners and close geographical neighbors, the Commonwealth’s direct political and economic importance has declined.”

Both Great Britain’s rise to power and the influential formation of a British-controlled Commonwealth, as well as Britain’s and the British Commonwealth’s political and economic decline were prophesied to occur thousands of years ago in the Bible. We will continue to inform our readers about these startling developments, as they are happening in front of our very eyes.

The term “key of David” is only mentioned once in the New Testament, in Revelation 3:7, and a deviation of the term, i.e., “key of the house of David,” is only mentioned once in the Old Testament, in Isaiah 22:22.

Before analyzing the meaning of the phrase, “key of David,” or, “key of the house of David,” let us review Scriptures first which use the term, “key.” In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word for “key” (in the phrase, “key of the house of David”), is “maphteach” It is defined by Young’s Analytical Concordance of the Bible, as, “key, opener” or “opening.” In addition to Isaiah 22:22, the word is only used two more times, in Judges 3:25, and in 1 Chronicles 9:27. In both cases, the word describes a literal key that opens a literal door to a literal building or room.

In the New Testament, the Greek word for “key,” as used in Revelation 3:7, is “kleis.” It is a female word and defined by Young’s as, “a key.” It is used 6 times in the New Testament. In addition to Revelation 3:7, we find it three more times in the book of Revelation, i.e., in Revelation 1:18; 9:1; and 20:1. We also find it used in Matthew 16:19 and in Luke 11:52.

Revelation 9:1 and Revelation 20:1 speak about “the key of the bottomless pit.” The “bottomless pit” is the location where Satan and his demons will be bound for a thousand years, after Christ’s return (compare, too, Luke 8:31, where the word is translated as, “abyss.”). The bottomless pit or abyss describes a (spiritual) future prison for fallen angels, and the “key” to the bottomless pit describes a (spiritual) key to open and shut this prison. The concept of “key” is used in a similar fashion here, as it is used in Judges 3:25 and 1 Chronicles 9:27.

In addition, we read in Matthew 16:19 that Christ gave Peter “the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” The context shows that He was revealing to Peter and the other disciples the KNOWLEDGE as to how to enter the Kingdom of God. (For more information, please study our free booklet, “The Gospel of the Kingdom of God.”) In Luke 11:52, Christ clarifies this, by saying: “Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of KNOWLEDGE. You did not enter in, and those who were entering in you hindered.” (The parallel scripture in Matthew 23:13 shows that Christ was talking about entering the Kingdom of God).

Turning to the book of Revelation, Christ said in Revelation 1:18 that He has the “keys of Hades and Death.” In other words, He has the KNOWLEDGE to bestow on us, of how to escape death. Psalm 68:20 tells us: “Our God is the God of salvation; and to God the LORD belong escapes from death.” Further, Christ decides, of course, who will be found worthy to enter into eternal life.

We have seen so far that a key opens and shuts a literal building or room, and that it unlocks or opens to our understanding the knowledge of how to escape death and how to enter the kingdom of God.

Turning to Revelation 3:7-8, we find that the word, “key” is used in exactly the same way, when it talks about the “key of David.” The passage reads, “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, “These things says He who is holy, He who is true, He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens: ‘I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name.'”

Christ reveals that it is He who has the key of David, and that it is He who opens and shuts. We also read that Christ gave “the church in Philadelphia” (Revelation 3:7) “an open door.”

Our Update # 107 discusses in detail the concept of the “open door.” One of the meanings is the ongoing obligation and ability of God’s Church to preach the gospel of the kingdom of God. In the process of preaching the gospel message, some will be called and obtain the knowledge of how to enter the Kingdom. The key of David, then, has to have some kind of nexus with the preaching of the gospel message and the response by some to the message.

As we explain on pages 39-42 of our booklet, “And Lawlessness Will Abound,” God made a covenant with David and his descendants. According to that covenant, there would always sit a descendant of David on the throne of David. This throne exists today on earth, and Jesus Christ will return to an existing throne, and He, as a descendant of David, will then sit on that throne and rule from it. Therefore, the “key of David” is associated with the knowledge of where the throne of David is today, and who are today the modern nations of the houses of Israel and Judah (as the throne of David would always rule over “Israel.”). The booklet also explains that God made His covenant with David because David kept God’s Law. In Isaiah 55:3, the new or “everlasting” covenant is described as “the sure mercies of David.”

We are told in Scripture that we will rule on this earth, with and under Christ, sitting on thrones (compare Matthew 19:28). The rule of the saints on this earth is clearly part of the gospel message. In fact, only when we have entered the Kingdom of God as Spirit beings, will we be able to rule with Christ on this earth. We will then be part of the Kingdom or Family of God, ruling – as God beings – over man. King David will be in the Kingdom of God. He, too, will be a member of the God Family at that time. Jeremiah 30:9 prophesies: “But they shall serve the LORD their God, And David their king, Whom I will RAISE UP for them.” (Compare, too, Hosea 3:5).

God’s covenant with David makes it possible that Christians, when they are born again as Spirit beings, can rule, with and under Christ, in the Kingdom of God. Christ came as a human being to qualify so that God the Father would “give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end” (Luke 1:32-33). We will share in Christ’s rule in Jerusalem (Daniel 7:27; Isaiah 2:1-4), which will be established first over the modern houses of Israel and Judah. We understand, of course, that God’s government and rule “upon the throne of David and over His kingdom” (Isaiah 9:7) will increase and finally include all nations (compare Isaiah 66:18-20).

Turning to Isaiah 22, we find a description of the judgment on Shebna, a scribe and steward over the king’s house. Although Shebna was a historical figure (Isaiah 36:3; 2 Kings 18:37), this judgment could very well also be directed at an end-time personality, as the context of the prophecy is the Day of the Lord (verses 8, 12 and 20 speak of “that day,” a prophetic reference to the Day of the Lord). This end-time “Shebna” could be an unworthy political leader over the modern house of Israel or Judah, or it could perhaps refer to a religious figure in the spiritual house of God – the Church. Isaiah 22 prophesies that “the LORD will throw you [Shebna] away violently, O mighty man, And will surely seize you. He will surely turn violently and toss you like a ball Into a large country; there you shall die, and there your glorious chariots Shall be the shame of your master’s house. So I will drive you out of your office And from your position he will pull you down” (verses 17-19).

This remarkable prophecy continues in verses 20-25: “Then it shall be IN THAT DAY That I will call My servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah; I will clothe him with your robe And strengthen him with your belt; I will commit your responsibility into his hand. He shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem And to the house of Judah. The key of the house of David I will lay on his shoulder; So he shall open, and no one shall shut, And he shall shut, and no one shall open. I will fasten him as a peg in a secure place, And he will become a glorious throne to his father’s house. They will hang on him all the glory of his father’s house, the offspring and the posterity, all vessels of small quantity, from the cups to all the pitchers. IN THAT DAY, says the LORD of hosts, the peg that is fastened in the secure place will be removed and be cut down and fall, and the burden that was on it will be cut off; for the LORD has spoken.”

Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah, was a historical figure who became the steward or prefect over the palace, as had been foretold by Isaiah (compare 2 Kings 18:18; Isaiah 36:3, 22; 37:2). Since the prophecy in Isaiah 22:20 talks about the Day of the Lord, it seems to refer to an additional “Eliakim” who is still to appear. The context of the passage deals with the rulership of the house of David over Israel. Originally, Shebna had been in a trustworthy position in the king’s rule. The Nelson Study Bible explains that “the steward had the key that gave him an audience with the king.” Scripture foretold that Shebna would be replaced by Eliakim, and that Eliakim was to become “a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah.” Eliakim would receive the key of the house of David, so “he shall open, and no one shall shut, And he shall shut, and no one shall open.” We know from Revelation 3:7 that Jesus Christ is in possession of that very key. It is therefore obvious that the “end-time” Eliakim is none other than Jesus Christ Himself.

Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, Commentary on the Whole Bible, points out:

“‘key’ — emblem of his office over the house; to ‘open’ or ‘shut’; access rested with him. Upon… shoulder – So keys are sometimes carried in the East, hanging from the kerchief on the shoulder. But the phrase is rather figurative for sustaining the government on one’s shoulders. Eliakim, as his name implies, is here plainly a type of… Christ, the Son of ‘David,’ of whom Isaiah (9:6) uses the same language as the former clause of this verse. In Revelation 3:7, the same language as the latter clause is found.”

In reference to Revelation 3:7, Jamieson, Fausset and Brown states:

“…he that hath the key of David – the antitype of Eliakim, to whom the ‘key,’ the emblem of authority ‘over the house of David’ was transferred from Shebna, who was removed from the office of chamberlain or treasurer, as unworthy of it. Christ, the Heir of the throne of David, shall supplant all the less worthy stewards [or one particular steward, perhaps a political or religious figure, see discussion above] who have abused their trust in God’s spiritual house, and ‘shall reign over the house of Jacob,’ literal and spiritual (Luke 1:32, 33), ‘for ever,’ ‘as a Son over His own house’ (Heb. 3:2-6). It rests with Christ to open or shut the heavenly palace [the heavenly Jerusalem, verse 12, which will come down to this earth; Revelation 21:9-10], deciding who is, and who is not, to be admitted: as He also opens, or shuts… ‘having the keys of hell (the grave) and death (ch. 1:18).”

The New Bible Commentary: Revised, adds the following:

“Jesus is true in the sense of ‘true to His word’, i.e. faithful. This is spoken in connection with His possessing the key of David, a phrase that recalls 1:18 but actually quotes Is. 22:22; it claims for Christ the power of admitting individuals or shutting them out from the city of David, the new Jerusalem, the Messianic kingdom.”

The Nelson Study Bible agrees: “The key of David represents authority as the One who opens and shuts the door in the Davidic kingdom (see Is. 22:22), a prerogative that is Christ’s as the rightful ‘Son of David’ (see Matt. 1:1).”

The Broadman Bible Commentary concurs: “To say that Christ is the one who has the key of David is to affirm his messianic authority to admit or exclude from the messianic kingdom. The Old Testament passage to which this refers (Isa. 22:22) indicated that Eliakim held the keys to David’s house… The figure of keys was used elsewhere ([Revelation]1:18) and reference to David is at the close of the book ([Revelation] 22:16).”

In conclusion, Isaiah 22 and Revelation 3 confirm, in light of all the Scriptures quoted herein, that the “key of David” has to do with the knowledge that Christ, the “Son of David,” will rule over the nations of Israel and Judah, as well as over the entire earth. It includes the understanding as to who the modern houses of Israel and Judah are, where they are located today, and where the throne of David can be found. It includes the knowledge that only Christ has the power to give us access to, or reject us from entering God’s Kingdom (compare Acts 4:12). It reveals to us how we can avoid paying the death penalty for our sins (compare Romans 6:23; John 8:24); how we can inherit eternal life by entering and becoming members of the Kingdom of God; and how we can qualify to rule, with and under Christ, over the houses of Israel and Judah, and the entire earth.

A new Standing Watch program, titled, “Who Are You?”, has been posted on the Website.

A new member letter was sent out this week. You can find a version of the letter at: http://www.eternalgod.org/lit/letters/brethren-20031210.pdf

Our new booklet, titled, “Are You Already Born Again?”, is finished and on its way to the printer in the United Kingdom. It has been placed on our Website at: http://www.eternalgod.org/lit/booklets/bornagain.htm