Quarantine in US States

As of Sunday night, a statewide lockdown was declared in New York (after the governor had stated for days and weeks that he would NOT issue such an order) California (in a convoluted order by the governor), Illinois, Connecticut, New Jersey, Ohio and Louisiana.

Subsequently, Massachusetts, Texas, Florida and others joined the club of panic-stricken governors as well who have severely limited the individual freedoms of US citizens.

The Guardian reported on March 22 that this means that “Nearly one in three Americans was under orders on Sunday to stay home.”

 This is totally insane.

Ending the Pain of the Shutdown?

Reuters reported on March 23:

“President Donald Trump is… expressing concern at the damage the coronavirus shutdown is doing to the U.S. economy and is debating whether it can be safely reopened…

“In a tweet late on Sunday, Trump tweeted: ‘We cannot let the cure be worse than the problem itself,’ adding that at the end of the 15-day shutdown period [by the end of March], ‘we will make a decision as to which way we want to go.’…”

Breitbart added:

“On Monday, the president also shared messages on Twitter thanking him for the suggestion. ‘If Trump saves us from the Depression everyone else was leading us into by reversing the country’s course on this, I am going to build a statue to him in my front yard…,’ lawyer Robert Barnes [see the article from Barnes below] wrote on Twitter. Trump wrote: ‘Robert, we will end up stronger than ever before. Thank you!’”

Newsmax wrote:

“Axios pointed out that such a policy would almost certainly result in strong disagreement with the health experts, who are expected to push for a longer period of social distancing and quarantining across the nation…”

On March 23, Trump repeated publicly in a press conference that he is thinking of easing the restrictions soon. He said: “Our country wasn’t built to be shut down…”

When asked whether he had received the endorsement of physicians for his plan, he answered that they are in consultation, but if it were up to the doctors, the whole world would stay in quarantine for two years and they would never open the world. He repeated the same assessment on Tuesday and said he would like to open it up by Easter so that Churches could have live assemblies again. Medical “experts” and the mass media reacted with anxiety, rejection and sometimes even with furor.

Others, politicians and doctors alike, have likewise expressed their objections to the lockdowns and have been heavily attacked by the mainstream press as a consequence. Let us hope and pray that President Trump will carry out what he expressed and make an end to the unconscionable measures of quarantining healthy people, leading to their personal destruction and the sure destruction of the entire economy.

Shutting Down our Economy

On March 24, Newsmax published the following article by Patrick Buchanan, which was titled, “Can We Afford Killing the Economy to Kill the Virus?”

“… all ‘nonessential businesses’ are being closed and their workers sent home to shelter in place and to keep ‘social distance’ from friends and neighbors to minimize the risk of spreading this easily transmissible virus. Unfortunately, what is ‘nonessential’ to some – bars, restaurants, hotels, stores, cruise ships, tourist sites, shops, malls – are places of employment and indispensable sources of income for millions of other Americans.

“Close the businesses where these Americans work and you terminate the paychecks on which they depend to pay the rent and buy the food and medicines they and their families need to shelter and live. And if the salaries and wages on which workers depend are cut off, how are these millions of newly unemployed supposed to live?…

“Many Americans can survive on what they have on hand for two or four weeks. Far fewer can survive without income for two or four months. If we shut down the economy, what will we have when the medical crisis passes, be that in May, June, July, August or September?…

“At some point, the country is going to have to open up the supply chains and take the risks to let the market work to provide food – or people will engage in panic buying, hoarding and using any means to get what they need for themselves and their families. Reports of folks in this heavily armed nation stocking up on guns and ammunition suggest a widespread apprehension of what may be coming…”

And if we don’t get back to “normal” pretty soon, we will have destroyed our economy completely.

Many Negative Reactions in USA

AP wrote on March 20:

“Solar Tactical… urged customers to call local police to protest the effort to close… ‘Your 2nd Amendment right is no longer considered essential during forced shelter in place,’ the shop said…”

This is just one example of many others who are VERY upset about the stay at home orders. As we mentioned in the previous Update, the sale of firearms has astronomically increased, and there is a REAL DANGER of civil unrest and civil war breaking out in the USA.

When Breitbart published the stay home order by Governor Newsom in California (the first US state declaring a lockdown), readers responded with furor. Here are some excerpts:

“California is a New Venezuela in the making… Politicians don’t have the authority to violate your Constitutional rights, period. Once you give up your rights it takes guns to get them back… The street people and illegals have more rights than working Americans apparently, so Newsom is locking up the working public to do more unnecessary damage to the economy… the incarcerated are being freed while law-abiding citizens are being locked in their homes. Sounds like Communism to me…

“Thousand are killed & raped each year by illegals – He sets killers loose on streets in his sanctuary state, yet he’s worried about Corona?… Most of us need to go out to work just to keep the roof over our heads. Staying home and waiting for things to get better is guaranteed homelessness… I need to take care of my family… He did announce the abortions will continue… 22,000 DEAD! In the USA! Oh wait. That’s just the normal flu since last August. Never mind…”

US Constitution Quarantined

On March 22, the Drudge Report linked to an article of RT in which they published an opinion piece by Robert Barnes, an American constitutional lawyer (mentioned above), as follows:

“Do we really think ‘it can’t happen here’ in America? Could we quarantine the constitution? Are we doing it already?

“Panics from pandemics unleash unchecked governmental power. The very premise of popular films like V for Vendetta reveal this: a group uses a virus to seize power and create a totalitarian society. Anyone could witness this from far-off lands, watching the news about China locking people up in their own homes and then removing them screaming from those homes whenever the state wanted. World War I and the Great Depression birthed virulent forms of governments with leaders like Hitler, Mao, Mussolini and Stalin.

“Governments across America already used the pandemic, and the media-stoked panic around the pandemic particularly, to limit, restrict or remove First Amendment freedoms of speech and free association, with officials complaining about the potential restraints the freedom of religion imposed upon them. Others denied or declared the right to deny Second Amendment rights of gun purchase for personal safety… They want to coordinate with tech companies to surveil and spy on your everyday movements and activities, in violation of the Fourth Amendment and potentially waive, unilaterally, your medical right to privacy in multiple contexts. Stay-at-home orders deprive you of your profession, occupation, business and property, without any due process of law at all beyond an executive fiat in violation of the Fifth Amendment right to due process.

“Governments request the authority to involuntarily imprison any American on mere fear of infection without any probable cause of crime or clear and present danger of harm by that person’s volitional conduct, deny access to personal counsel in an unsupervised, un-surveilled manner in violation of the Sixth Amendment, and act as judge, jury and executioner in violation of the Seventh Amendment right to a trial by jury, as jury trials themselves get suspended around the country in the nation’s quieted courts and fear-muted public…

“Our founders were intimately familiar with pandemics, viruses and plagues, yet they did not allow any to suspend our Constitutional liberties. Not one word in the Constitution about plagues or pandemics to exempt the government from any of our Bill of Rights. Why do our current courts allow it? Because the public is asleep at the wheel. Think the pandemic threatens to kill us all? A review of the data shows the pandemic is more panic than plague.

“Time to wake up… Only when an awake public asserts their human liberties to protest the loss of their liberties will, then, governments quit using public health crises to seize power that does not belong to them…”

Very well expressed and VERY true. We see the deprivation of individual liberties and freedoms all over the world.

Trampling on the Constitution  

Fox News reported on March 26:

 “… growing segments of the U.S. population say state and federal governments are trampling on freedoms central to American life in the name of protecting public health… Laws spelling out what steps a state can take during a pandemic can be complex and difficult for judges to sort through.

“Some haven’t been updated in decades… And they also differ state to state…

 “A few Americans are already fed up and have taken their grievances to court by suing their respective states. But a relative trickle of legal challenges will likely become a flood if lockdowns drag on for weeks and frustrations mount…”

Totalitarianism in “Democratic” Societies—UK Becomes Totalitarian

The Sun wrote on March 20:

“PEOPLE suspected of being infected with Covid-19 could be held for up to six weeks under new powers being proposed by the Government. Patients would be initially detained for 14 days, but that can be extended if doctors still have concerns…

“The sweeping laws give the [government the] power to order [people] not to attend work or to stay in isolation, or ban them from travelling. And they will face a £1000 fine if they don’t comply… Officials will be able to suspend all plane and ship arrivals at airports or ports… The emergency powers will be able to be ‘switched on’ and ‘switched off’ if and when needed – for up to two years…

Deutsche Welle reported on March 24:

“The UK imposed a three-week lockdown, with the possibility of an extension. People may only leave their homes to go to work, buy groceries, visit the doctor, or for exercise. Gatherings of more than two people are not allowed.”

Upday added on March 26:

 “Places of worship for services [are prohibited], with the exception of funerals, which are to be attended only by the immediate family… Police will be given the power to impose fines on people who do not adhere to the new measures…” 

Live in Sin to Fight Coronavirus

BuzzFeed News wrote on March 24:

“Couples in the UK have been told they must either start living together or not see each other in person for what is potentially several weeks… deputy chief medical officer Jenny Harries said couples should consider the ‘strength of their relationship’ and commit to either spending the lockdown period together or apart…”

Pleading for a World Government

 Breaking Israel News wrote on March 26:

 “The United Kingdom’s former Prime Minister Gordon Brown has called on world leaders to form a ‘temporary’ global government to resolve both the medical and economic crises caused by the coronavirus pandemic… that could enjoy executive powers to execute the response…

 “Highlighting the differences between the 2008 economic collapse that he dealt with and the current crisis, Brown added ‘This is first and foremost a medical emergency and there has to be joint action to deal with that. But the more you intervene to deal with the medical emergency, the more you put economies at risk.’”

Totalitarianism in Australia, France and Spain

Deutsche Welle reported on March 24:

“In Australia, traveling to foreign countries will be banned. Weddings can go ahead with no more than five people and funerals can go ahead with no more than 10 people.

“In France, people exercising may still go outside, but runners and walkers may only go out for up to an hour a day and must remain within a kilometer of their homes. Most marketplaces have been required to close. Since French President Emmanuel Macron put the country on lockdown a week ago, people have only been allowed to leave home for necessary reasons, as in the UK.”

“Spain also closed its external borders with its European neighbors. People are limited to only leaving their homes to go to the pharmacy and grocery shopping. [The same is true for Italy.] Outdoor exercise is also banned, except for taking a dog on a walk. Hundreds of thousands of police and military personnel are enforcing the lockdown.”

Dictatorships on the rise… in our “free” world. But not in Sweden… for now.

Deutsche Welle wrote on March 24:  “While other European countries are adding to growing lists of restrictions on public life, Sweden has kept schools, bars and restaurants open and is encouraging its citizens to go out for some exercise. Gatherings of up to 500 people are still allowed in Sweden…  Swedish authorities believe harsher restrictions aren’t worth the impact on society…”

What does Sweden understand that most other countries don’t? But it may not last for long.

Sweden “Re-Thinks”

 The Daily Mail wrote on March 26:

 “Sweden is considering cutting off Stockholm from the rest of the country after a spike of coronavirus deaths in the city… Sweden has so far  resisted following other European countries – including neighbours Norway and Denmark – into full lockdowns, but the latest figures have spooked politicians into a re-think… Now there are concerns that people living in the city could spread it to previously-unaffected parts of the countryside as they visit holiday homes during the Easter break…

 “As a result, ministers are drawing up plans to isolate Stockholm from the rest of the country to try and contain the spread. However, state epidemiologist Anders Tegnell advised these are only plans and stressed ‘we are not there yet.’ It marks a dramatic shift from where Sweden was just 24 hours ago – with schools and bars open, and people being encouraged to go outside for fresh air.

 “Prime Minister Stefan Lofven, in a televised speech on Sunday, urged people to ‘take responsibility’ and follow the government’s recommendations.

“Those include working from home if you can, staying home if you feel sick, practice social distancing, and stay home if you belong to a risk group or are over the age of 70. Gatherings of more than 500 people have been banned – compared to more than two people in Britain and Germany – and the government has advised secondary schools and universities to close their facilities and conduct classes online.”

Germany Becomes Totalitarian

Deutsche Welle wrote on March 20:

“The mounting coronavirus crisis has led to speculation that the German government will impose a state of emergency (“Notstandsgesetze”) for the first time ever…

“The German government… is already using powers… to limit some constitutionally-mandated freedoms during an epidemic: Namely, the freedoms of movement, assembly, and the inviolability of the home.

“However, if stronger powers are deemed necessary, then a state of emergency can be implemented… it also allows for the restriction of certain freedoms… citizens may be obliged by law to join ‘civilian services for defense purposes, including the protection of the civilian population.’… the right to the privacy of mail and telecommunications can also be restricted… the federal government can… effectively take over their police forces. As in a natural disaster, a threat to the free democratic order may also be used as a reason to deploy the armed services.”

Deutsche Welle wrote on March 19:

“The German military is preparing for a long-term operation inside the country… soldiers may also be used to maintain public order. Germany has around 180,000 soldiers in its standing army, plus 120,000 military reservists…”

In addition, the German media points out that police officers may be used more and more to enforce Merkel’s new convoluted “social-distancing” restrictions (see below), demanding for example of citizens walking on the street to identify themselves, which might constitute a violation of the German Constitution (compare t-online, dated March 22). But will the government care about this breach of the law? Note the next article.

Deutsche Welle wrote on March 22:

“The northwestern state of Lower Saxony has instituted a new wave of restrictions, including a ban on social contact, to hinder the spread of the coronavirus. Police in Hanover, Oldenburg, Braunschweig, Goslar and Göttingen have increased police presence to enforce the new restrictions.”

The ”free state” of Bavaria (“Freistaat Bayern”) became the first German state to impose lockdown measures. Other German states such as Saarland followed.

It has been reported that after a public debate in recent weeks on the authority of the German federal government vs. the German states, German Health Minister Jens Spahn (who has ambitions to become chancellor and whom Merkel praised as doing a good job) wants to get a law enacted to the effect that the federal government will take over the authorities of the German states in the attempt to fight the coronavirus. The German states would have to agree to voluntarily surrender their powers and to give their authority to the German federal government under the lead of Spahn.

Merkel in Self-Quarantine after Announcing New Convoluted Restrictions

npr wrote on March 22:

“German Chancellor Angela Merkel has put herself under self-quarantine after learning that her doctor who had vaccinated her against pneumonia on Friday has tested positive for COVID-19… The news of Merkel’s quarantine came soon after her government imposed new social-distancing rules that limit public gatherings to two people, not including families. [That’s the interpretation of what Merkel announced, which was in really poor German and also as equally convoluted as the announcement by the Governor of California.]…

“From now in Germany, when people do go outside, they are being told to keep a distance of four feet (1.5 meters) from anyone else… Germany is just one of many countries limiting crowds… The U.S. government has said that no more than 10 people should gather in one place [but some US states have been restricting this further], while Switzerland says people in groups of fewer than five must stay at least two meters apart or face a fine.”

Deutsche Welle wrote on March 24:

“Unlike other European countries, Germany has so far stopped short of ordering its over 80 million population to remain at home — instead opting for strict social distancing measures which were issued on March 22. Public gatherings of more than two people are banned, except for families and those who live together…”

Deutsche Welle added:

“In the event that [Merkel] becomes too ill to work, her cabinet would continue to function without her. There are plans for such an event, too. Article 69 of the Basic Law, or constitution, features a simple sentence: ‘The federal chancellor nominates a minister from the cabinet as deputy.’”

It was subsequently announced that Merkel tested negative initially, but that more tests are needed to establish that she did not contract the coronavirus.

And the People Want It So

Politico wrote on March 20:

“Despite having the most severe restrictions imposed on their liberty since World War II, polling suggests that people across Europe are largely behind their leaders…

“In times of crisis, leaders often benefit from a ‘rally around the flag’ effect, meaning that support for government rises, provided the situation is not obviously mishandled…

“In Italy, which was the bloc’s first country to introduce a nationwide lockdown on Tuesday last week, two-thirds of citizens said this week they are satisfied with the government’s response… In Belgium, which this week also imposed far-reaching restrictions on public life… 66 percent of participants… said they back the measures…

“[In] Germany… almost half of people are satisfied with the crisis management of their federal state… In Austria… [s]upport increased from 63 percent last week to 88 percent this week…”

Due to ongoing propaganda to the effect that certain measures must be taken to save lives, the approval ratings from European citizens for the dictatorial methods of their governments and the apparent unquestioned willingness to surrender their individual liberties and freedoms are frightening. When the beast arises in Europe, the same thoughtless reaction will be seen… and much worse.

Totalitarianism in Hungary

The Tiroler Tageszeitung reported on March 20 that the Hungarian government placed 140 companies under military supervision. According to n-tv, Hungary is also preparing for enacting emergency laws.

Totalitarianism in Israel — Netanyahu Uses Coronavirus to Stay in Power

The AP wrote on March 20:

“In recent days, Netanyahu and his surrogates have shut down the court system, approved the use of sophisticated phone-surveillance technology on the general public and temporarily suspended the activities of parliament… He has ordered people to stay indoors, ordered tens of thousands of people into home quarantine and virtually sealed its borders

“… his hand-picked justice minister all but closed the court system in a middle-of-the-night order just two days before Netanyahu’s trial on corruption charges was to begin. In another overnight move, Netanyahu’s Cabinet authorized the Shin Bet security agency to use phone-tracking technology to retrace the movements of infected people and identify those who had come into contact with them…

“Then, on Wednesday, Parliament Speaker Yuli Edelstein abruptly suspended activities at the Knesset… Edelstein rejected the public uproar and said he was committed to reconvening parliament.”

Subsequently, Israel’s Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein resigned rather than accede to a Supreme Court order to call a vote on his replacement.

Breaking Israel News wrote on March 23:

“The Israeli Army is preparing for an increased role in assisting the national effort to stem the spread of the Coronavirus. If a nation-wide quarantine [lockdown] goes into effect, Israeli troops in tandem with police units are readying to patrol the streets and enforce regulations.”

Austria’s Sebastian Kurz thanked Benjamin Netanyahu for his radical measures in his fight against the coronavirus, stating that this prompted him to do the same in Austria.

Now Billions in Lockdown

 AFP wrote on March 24:

“India ordered its billion-plus population on Tuesday to stay inside for three weeks, bringing a third of the world under lockdown as the coronavirus pandemic forced Japan to postpone the Olympics until next year… Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘total lockdown’ call doubled the number of people around the globe under some form of movement restriction to more than 2.6 billion people…

“Nearly 130 million Americans, or 40 percent of the population, are under or will soon come under some lockdown order, including in the largest state of California…

“The extraordinary measures being imposed around the world have radically altered daily life and have also revealed horrifying tales. Soldiers in Spain reported finding abandoned elderly people — some dead — at retirement homes. Younger people have been warned not to visit elderly loved ones to avoid spreading the virus to the most vulnerable.”

This is indeed a horrible testimony of man’s incompetence.

Coronavirus—Overwhelmingly Only Mild Symptoms and Mass Recovery

The Associated Press wrote on March 20:

“For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. It can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, for some people, especially older adults and those with existing health problems. [This is true for every flu.] Most people recover — those with mild illness in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks…”

Of the currently 530,000 pending cases of people who had been diagnosed with the virus, about 24,000 have died (many times of or in combination with other underlying illnesses), while about 121,500 have totally recovered (as of bing.com, March 26, 2020).

By comparison, the World Health Organization has determined that the flu kills between 250,000 to 500,000 people each year. About 10% of U.S. residents get influenza each year. About 36,000 Americans die each year from complications of the flu. So far, about 700 Americans have died of the coronavirus. The world’s deadliest infectious disease is tuberculosis. Each year, on average, 1 million people die of it.

The Week wrote on March 25:

“A plurality of COVID-19 cases in New York City are among those aged 18 to 44… 95% of people who have died so far [worldwide] had an underlying health condition.”

Downfall of the Economy

The Hour wrote on March 20:

“The U.S. economy is deteriorating more quickly than was expected just days ago, as extraordinary measures designed to curb the coronavirus keep 84 million Americans [by now, the number is even much higher] penned in their homes and cause the near-total shutdown of most businesses… Already, it’s clear that the initial economic decline will be sharper and more painful than during the 2008 financial crisis.

“Next week, roughly 3 million Americans will file first-time claims for unemployment assistance, more than four times the record high set in the depths of the 1982 recession… That’s just the start of a surge that could send the jobless rate spiking to 20 percent from today’s 3.5 percent… Estimates of the pandemic’s overall cost are staggering. Bridgewater Associates… says the economy will shrink over the next three months at an annual rate of 30 percent.

“… keeping friends and co-workers apart is a recipe for crippling the consumer spending that drives 70 percent of the $21 trillion economy… The sudden turnaround in U.S. economic fortunes is without historic parallel. As 2020 began, the U.S. had been growing without interruption since the middle of 2009… Now, the economy is screeching to a halt…”

The Atlantic wrote on March 20:

“No one alive has experienced an economic plunge this sudden…

“… we’re in a recession and everyone knows it. And what we’re experiencing is so much more than that: a black swan, a financial war, a plague…  What is happening is a shock to the American economy more sudden and severe than anyone alive has ever experienced… the unemployment rate seems certain to reach heights not seen since the Great Depression or even the miserable late 1800s…

“None of that is surprising. Planes have been grounded, conferences canceled, millions of Americans told not to leave their homes except to get groceries and other necessities. Because of the emergency measures now in place, businesses have had no choice but to let workers go. The list of employers laying off workers en masse includes cruise lines, airlines, hotels, restaurants, bars, cabinetmakers, linen companies, newspapers, bookstores, caterers, and festivals…

“The markets are not normal, either. The stock market lost 20 percent of its value in just 21 days–the fastest and sharpest bear market on record, faster than 1929, faster than 1987, 10 times faster than 2007. The financial system has required no less than seven emergency interventions by the Federal Reserve in the past week…

“Yet in the real economy, everything has halted, frozen in place. This is not a recession. It is an ice age.”

CNBC wrote on March 20:

“The Dow is down more than 24% for March and is currently on pace for its biggest one-month fall since September 1931.”

It picked up on Tuesday in response to Trump’s declaration of intent to lift the lockdown shortly, and with hope that a stimulus package would be approved soon. But the roller-coaster will continue. This man-made Satan-inspired catastrophe is without precedence.

UK Agriculture in Big Trouble without EU Workers

Forbes wrote on March 24:

“The U.K. organization for farmers, landowners and businesses in rural England and Wales has said labor shortages caused by coronavirus could be devastating for this years’ harvest. They are calling for a ‘land army’ of local labor to be recruited to assist the sector, which expects to see its labor supply cut by 75% as EU workers who normally come to the U.K. to work for the harvest season are prevented from coming.

“The U.K. agriculture sector was already in trouble, heavily reliant on EU workers as it is. Since the Brexit referendum in 2016, when the U.K. voted to leave the European Union, labor supply from the mainland has been dwindling, and the government’s recent immigration stance emphasizing high-skilled migration has provided little comfort.

“… the agriculture sector usually uses around 60,000 seasonal laborers per year to complete the harvest, and they expect only around 25% of that amount this year. Factor in a 20% coronavirus infection rate… they estimate some 80,000 people will need to be mobilized to protect Britain’s harvest…

“Crucially the government have classified agricultural workers as ‘key workers’, meaning under the new lockdown measures announced by Prime Minister Boris Johnson, they will be allowed to travel to work. But first you need to find them… without EU labor, the situation is dire for U.K. agriculture…”

Another example of how a country destroys itself.

US Nuclear Bombs to Stay in Germany

Deutsche Welle wrote on March 26:

“The US has stored nuclear bombs across Europe… including in Germany…”

“In the case of a nuclear strike, the American soldiers who guard the bombs located on the German air base… would attach the bomb to German fighter jets and activate the code. Then German crews would embark upon what insiders refer to as a ‘strike mission’ — delivering the American bombs to their destination… This agreement — American bombs guarded by American soldiers on a German base but flown by crews and planes of Germany’s military forces, the Bundeswehr — dates back to the Cold War and NATO’s nuclear deterrence strategy aimed at keeping the Soviet Union at bay…

“While the precise number of American bombs stored in Europe is unknown, estimates put them at roughly 150. Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and Italy are all part of the sharing agreement. With the exception of those on Italian soil, all of the bombs are located within a few hundred kilometers of each other…

“In March 2010, Germany’s parliament, the Bundestag, passed a cross-party resolution urging the government to ’emphatically’ work towards getting its American allies to withdraw all nuclear weapons from Germany… But, a decade on, that goal seems ever more elusive, following Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and investment in nuclear-capable medium-range missiles. Now, rather than working towards the bombs’ withdrawal, the US military is set to modernize and upgrade them…

“For now, however, despite a clear majority of its citizens firmly opposed to nuclear weapons, Germany seems unlikely to withdraw from the deal any time soon. Rather, it is set to receive modernized bombs… The modernization program, which will see the old bombs being dismantled and new ones delivered to American military sites in the US and across the world, is extremely expensive…

“The new bomb — the B-61-12 — will have ‘significantly enhanced capabilities‘… It is equipped with a tail kit, which enables it to be delivered and hit its target much more accurately… The current bombs are simply dropped from the plane, rather than like ones with tail kits, which guide themselves once released…

“It remains unclear when Germany will actually receive the bomb, as there has been a delay in the production of the bombs in the US, due to problems reproducing components… But… first tests for the integration of the weapon onto German Tornado jets are set to happen this year…”

Quite remarkable in the light of biblical prophecy.

Religious Nonsense

Deutsche Welle wrote on March 20:

“The Vatican has announced that the sins of faithful Catholics who have been struck down by the coronavirus will be forgiven… provided they say a certain number of prayers and read the Bible ‘for at least an hour.’”

Words fail…

Acknowledgement and Disclaimer

These Current Events are compiled and commented on by Norbert Link. We gratefully acknowledge the many contributions of news articles from our readership. The publication of articles in this section is not to be viewed as an endorsement or approval as to contents or accuracy of the selected articles, but they are published for the purpose of pointing at worldwide developments in the light of biblical end-time prophecy and godly instruction. Our own comments are provided in italics.

Worldwide Lack of True Leadership

Politico wrote on March 16:

“Welcome to politics’ darkest hour. If the coronavirus outbreak has taught us anything beyond the necessity of careful hygiene, it’s that the first victim of a pandemic is leadership. At no time in the past 75 years… have global leaders so utterly failed to deliver.

“… Few may have expected inspired leadership from U.S. President Donald Trump… Even so, his fumbling of a national address on the emergency, followed by his trademark blame-shifting… will be remembered as a low point in American political leadership…

“Boris Johnson… has sounded more like the Grim Reaper. ‘Many more families are going to lose loved ones before their time,’ he said in a televised address on Friday, insisting that his government has ‘a clear plan.’ Trouble is, the strategy underlying that plan… appears to have unnerved more people than it has reassured, fueling fears that Johnson has no plan at all…

“The German chancellor [Angela Merkel]… left management of the pandemic to her youthful health minister, Jens Spahn… The government’s response to the crisis has been marked by crossed wires and confusion…”

The leaders of this world have been failing miserably.. .and not only in regard to the coronavirus. Very soon, a strong charismatic political military dictator will arise in Europe… and the world will blindly follow and even “worship” him.

Worldwide Economic Destruction

Newsmax wrote on March 17:

“Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Morgan Stanley economists… declare[d] that the coronavirus has triggered a global recession, with the debate now focusing on its likely length and depth… The outlook could darken even further if the virus lasts longer than anticipated, or wields greater economic pain — given factories, schools, restaurants and shops are closing around the world…”

Reuters wrote on March 17:

“As governments in the United States and Europe start shutting restaurants and schools, as well as asking people to stay home, several investors are concerned the current crisis could snowball into something bigger than a recession, including a credit crisis, or even a depression.”

We have warned of the possibility of a coming global depression for quite some time.

Destruction of U.S. Economy

Politico wrote on March 16:

“The early signals from the coronavirus crisis point to a scale of damage unseen in the modern U.S. economy: the potential for millions of jobs lost in a single month, a historic and sudden plunge in economic activity across the nation and a pace of sharp market swings not seen since the Great Depression…”

The Drudge Report wrote on March 18 that the Dow Jones closed at 19,804 on the day when Trump was sworn into office, and that the index crashed below that on March 18, meaning all the gains since the Trump inauguration were wiped out.

Restrictions of Free Movement of Americans

CNN wrote on March 16:

“The White House advised all Americans to avoid groups of more than 10 and urged older people to stay at home altogether in a set of new guidelines… ‘We’ll see what happens, but they think August, could be July, could be longer than that,’ Trump said of the time when life might return to normal in the United States… The guidelines… will remain in place for 15 days, officials said.

“Included in the new guidance was a recommendation for all Americans to stay away from bars, restaurants and food courts and to avoid discretionary travel. The guidelines also suggest closing schools and canceling all social visits in homes. Some officials have warned that further attempts to limit Americans from traveling domestically could have a dire effect on the economy. Those arguments have been countered by health officials… Still, the guidelines issued on Monday were only recommendations and not mandates…”

Politicians follow the guidance of “health experts,” who have been admitting time and again that they really don’t know anything specific about the virus either. When the blind follow the blind…

Martial Law in the USA

Newsmax wrote on March 18:

“President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he will invoke a federal provision not used since the Korean War that allows the government to marshal the private sector in response to the coronavirus pandemic…

“Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau jointly announced that the U.S.-Canada border would be closed, except for essential personnel and for trade…

“Trump likened the effort to the measures taken during World War II and said it would require national ‘sacrifice.’”

ABC7 wrote on March 16:

“Gov. Gavin Newsom is calling for all California bars to close amid the coronavirus emergency and asking all Californians age 65 and older and those with chronic conditions to isolate themselves at home… Newsom’s call for the shutdowns was described as ‘guidance‘ rather than a legal order by the government…”

What an incredible “guidance” or, as other papers termed it, “encouragement” by a governor.

But it may get much worse. Fox News reported on March 18 that California is preparing for the worst case scenario, considering imposing martial law which “would take the extraordinary step of replacing the usual laws with military authority, with the possible suspension of civil liberties like freedom of association and movement.”

Our world is becoming—quite literally—a global prison camp. Spiritually, we have been imprisoned or held captive by Satan from the time of Adam and Eve’s sin.

Schools to Stay Closed

Politico wrote on March 17:

“California’s schools will likely stay closed for the rest of the academic year over coronavirus concerns, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Tuesday in a jaw-dropping prediction for families barely settling into new weekday routines with children at home… If it holds true, more than 6 million California public school students would remain home for an unprecedented length of time unless the state finds alternatives.

“Nearly 99 percent of the state’s schools have closed, though Newsom has not issued a state mandate requiring them to do so, citing concerns about the impact on low-income families… Earlier Tuesday, Kansas became the first U.S. state to officially close schools for the remainder of the academic year.”

It can be expected that the rest of the country will follow these panic-stricken examples. What a nightmarish scenario.

Hopeless Ignorance

Daily Mail wrote on March 18:

“The Surgeon General [Jerome Adam] warned on Wednesday that it could take longer than 15 days to slow the spread of coronavirus but that Americans must ‘pitch in’ and do their part now to stay home and self-isolate if they want the deadly disease to die… Some… are calling for harsher action, like a two-week national shutdown to force people indoors.

“There has not been a clear cut answer on how long Americans will have to continue living in this current state of crisis. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has said the current state of crisis could last nine months, whereas experts overseas say it could even longer…”

This is just one example to show the hopeless ignorance when it comes to the virus, and the futile attempts to deal with it.

Americans Prepare for Social Unrest and Civil War

The Guardian wrote on March 16:

“Sales of guns and ammunition are soaring across the US as fears of possible social unrest amid the coronavirus crisis are prompting some Americans to turn to firearms as a form of self-protection…

“Larry Hyatt, owner of one of the country’s largest gun shops… the Guardian that the scenes of mass buying at his store were virtually unprecedented. ‘This is only the second time in my 61 years of business that we’ve seen anything like this,’ he said, adding that the first occasion was the aftermath of the mass shooting at Sandy Hook elementary school in Connecticut in 2012.

“Hyatt said that the type of guns being bought was reflective of the fear prevalent among customers. There was almost no interest in hunting rifles. Instead, people were opting for target guns and there was big demand for AR-15 semi-automatic assault-style rifles. Asked why he thought the spike was happening, Hyatt replied: ‘Financial meltdown, pandemic, crime, politics … you throw it all into the pot, and you have one hell of a mess.’…

“Firearms are already the second most prevalent killer of children in the US after car crashes. In the 14- to 17-year-old bracket, gun injuries are the highest single cause of death…”

It seems like, people are getting mad in an attempt of self-destruction.

Restriction of Free Movements of Brits

Express wrote on March 15:

The Sun reported on June 17 that Boris Johnson, in employing “war-time” measures, asked that “OVER a million people should stay inside their homes for 12 weeks and everyone else must avoid going out… The over 70s, those who are pregnant, and anyone with underlying health conditions (around 20million Brits) should try not to leave their homes if they can, and avoid crowded spaces immediately.”

The website of ageuk.org reported:

“People aged over 70, pregnant people, and people with underlying health conditions are being asked to stay at home and avoid unnecessary, close contact with other people for up to 12 weeks by 21-22 March.”

Europe Closes External Borders

Deutsche Welle wrote on March 18:

“All 27 EU member states on Tuesday evening committed to implementing travel restriction measures… EU member states have said they will temporarily restrict non-essential journeys to travelers from [other] countries to the bloc… The purpose of the new restrictions is to keep individual EU states from closing their national borders…

“Several EU member states have already closed their national borders. The commission hopes the new restrictions will encourage them to lift internal border control measures.”

This is such a juvenile approach, and it is also, in part, in obvious retaliation of Trump’s European travel ban directed towards the European Schengen zone as well as the UK and Ireland. In response, on March 19, the US State Department issued the highest (level four) international travel warning and urged Americans not to travel abroad under any circumstances and to return home if they are already abroad.

Frightening Developments in Europe

The Guardian wrote on March 17:

“The EU has endorsed the strictest travel ban in its history as France joined Italy and Spain in full lockdown… some member states, including Austria, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Poland, unilaterally began imposing border checks… Charles Michel, the president of the European council, said: ‘We are confronting… a long and difficult crisis…’

“Emmanuel Macron… said on Monday night the country was ‘at war’, announcing that the army would help move patients to hospitals and 100,000 police would check the new regulations were being observed…  Anyone leaving their home must complete a legal document downloaded from the interior ministry’s website, or written out by hand, declaring on their honour that they are out for one of the permitted reasons…

“The struggle against the coronavirus was an ‘economic and financial war’ that will last for some considerable time, [French finance minister Bruno] Le Maire said. ‘It will be lengthy and it will be violent … this war will require us to mobilise all our forces,’ he said.”

Terrible images of dictatorial countries and their inhumane actions from the past and present are coming to mind.

Also, the following was reported by Breitbart on March 18:

“The Prime Minister of France warned that if the United Kingdom doesn’t enact stricter measures to combat the spread of the COVID-19 virus, Britons will be banned from travelling to France.”

Europe’s hostility towards the UK will increase.

Nation of Israel Asks Vatican to Restore Temple Vessels

Breaking Israel News reported on March 15:

“… the Nation of Israel requests that the Vatican immediately return to Jerusalem the Temple vessels that have been stored in Rome for nearly 2000 years… Josephus Flavius, a first-century Roman-Jewish scholar of priestly descent, reported that the Temple artifacts were indeed taken to Rome and placed in Vespasian’s Temple of Peace, completed in 75 CE.

“Since that time, there have been several unverified sightings of the Menorah in the Vatican… In the second half of the 12th century, a Spanish Jew known as Benjamin of Tudela… claims in his journal that the Jews of Rome knew that the Temple vessels were hidden in a cave in the Vatican…

“It should be noted that on Sunday, the Waqf (Muslim authority) ordered the silver-domed al Aqsa Mosque and the gold-domed Dome of the Rock closed until further notice. Jews are still visiting their holiest site, the Temple Mount.”

The relationship between Israel and the Vatican, which was never good, will dramatically deteriorate.

Israel Government Still in Limbo

Times of Israel wrote on March 16:

“Blue and White chairman Benny Gantz vowed on Monday to cobble together a coalition ‘within days’ after President Reuven Rivlin tasked the centrist alliance leader with forming a government…

“The ceremonial tapping of Gantz to form the government came hours after Rivlin hosted the Blue and White leader along with Netanyahu for a three-way summit Sunday evening in an effort to encourage the two men to form an emergency unity government amid the coronavirus outbreak… Rivlin’s proposal this time was based on the previous offer, but reportedly gives Netanyahu a full year as prime minister before handing the baton to Gantz…”

Much could happen within a year. Also, Netanyahu announced on March 19:  “The government will approve tonight emergency regulations to limit movement. You are ordered to stay at home… This isn’t a request, this isn’t a recommendation, but a binding requirement that will be enforced.”

This emergency declaration has been strongly condemned  in Israel, as have been newly-rolled out regulations that allow the government to track mobile phones of individuals with coronavirus or suspected of being infected.. 

Syrian War Has Caused Death, Misery and Ruin

Deutsche Welle wrote on March 15:

“… the ongoing war in Syria entered its tenth year to little fanfare on Sunday… the decade-long conflict has displaced 11 million people, killed more than 384,000, including 116,000 civilians, and created an international humanitarian crisis with no end in sight… Last week, the UN wrote on Twitter that ‘a decade of fighting has brought nothing but ruin and misery. There is no military solution…’’

While the world is occupied with the coronavirus, millions of people suffer from displacement, ruin, misery and death in war. The world ignores this serious problem and stands idly by.

The Jerusalem Post wrote on March 17:

“Turkey sends flights to evacuate its own citizens [from the EU] while it denies health care to [140,000] asylum seekers who flee to Greece amid unprecedented EU closures.”

Locust Plague Coincides with Coronavirus

Times of Israel wrote on March 16:

“A plague of locusts the likes of which have been unseen for over 30 years is about to hit Africa and the Middle East. Adding to the perfect biblical storm, the current coronavirus pandemic is affecting travel of international experts and in-country gatherings for training to combat the locust threat…

“The Desert Locust… ‘is the most destructive migratory pest in the world,’ according to the Locust Watch website. As depicted in the Book of Exodus, when the highly mobile swarms of Desert Locust form, ‘they are ravenous eaters who consume their own weight per day, targeting food crops and forage’…

“The current widespread breeding in Kenya, Ethiopia, and Somalia represents ‘an unprecedented threat to food security and livelihoods at the beginning of the upcoming cropping season,’ writes the Locus Watch website… It appears that the hardest hit countries will include Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia, Iran, Pakistan, and Sudan…

“Not all regions of the Middle East will be affected, however. Despite the proximity to the Jewish holiday of Passover… it appears that the swarms will not hit Israel or the country’s crops.”

Pandemics and worldwide famine are prophesied.

What Religious “Scholars” (Don’t) Know

The Washington Post wrote on March 17:

“This is not the end of the world, according to Christians who study the end of the world… Could this be a sign of the apocalypse? It sure might feel apocalyptic. But not if you ask Christian writers and pastors who have spent years focusing their message on the Book of Revelation — the New Testament’s final book.

“… many evangelical leaders interpret it to mean that Jesus will return to Earth, believers will be raptured to heaven and those left behind will suffer seven dreadful years of calamities… Jeff Kinley, a writer of books on biblical prophecy… pointed… to Jesus’ words about the events before the end times in Luke 21:11: ‘There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.’ ‘I think he’s referring to a future time,’ Kinley said. ‘I don’t think this is an actual fulfillment of that.’ The Bible is very specific about what will happen before the End Times, Kinley says, and those events haven’t all unfolded yet. For one major thing, the ancient temple in Jerusalem is supposed to be rebuilt first.

“Gary Ray, a writer for the prophecy website Unsealed, agreed: He and his fellow evangelical End-Times writers are focused on what is happening with holy sites in Israel, not disease… In Ray’s opinion, these portents should send non-Christians rushing toward the Bible, so they can convert while there is still time before the Christians are raptured and everyone else has to endure the wretched seven years…

“One reason for all these relatively rosy assessments from people who might otherwise be doomsday prophesiers? It might be… the president, who is very popular among evangelical Christians…

“James Beverley, a professor at Tyndale Seminary in Toronto, said he found… that charismatic and Pentecostal prophets, who normally think the End Times are near, have been less likely to forecast doom during the Trump administration. ‘Some are saying that Satan is the source of evils like the virus, but the doom and gloom message is missing. There is such a positive view on Trump and such strong wishes for his reelection that there is deep hope that the virus will die out, a strong economy will return and Trump will defeat the Democratic nominee,’ Beverley wrote in an email. ‘It is stunning how optimistic charismatic prophets are since Trump won in 2016.’”

As it is almost always the case, the article reflects the opinions of biblical “scholars” which might include some few parcels of truth with a whole big bag of errors. Try to pick out for yourself where you can find the small pieces of truth and the many huge errors in the article.

Mind Control in Our “Free” Societies

Daily Mail published on March 14 the following article by one of their journalists:

“It was a bright, cold day in Oxford and everywhere I looked, rainbow flags flapped and fluttered in the sharp wind. They flew from the ancient colleges along the High Street. They flew from the Town Hall…

The mere act of suggesting that there is anything oppressive about these banners will ensure that I am convicted of ‘homophobia’… It is startling to recall walking down the same street more than 50 years ago, when nobody had ever thought of rainbow flags and this was still a free country…

“A huge change in sexual morality of all kinds was cleverly presented as mainly being the liberation of homosexuals from persecution… Britain is full of people who have never wholly agreed with the great sexual revolution which has overtaken us in the past 30 years, and is now embraced by the Conservative Party and the churches.

“But even in private they hesitate to say so… For they know a terrible thing. If they are denounced, they could lose their livelihoods… We also have an embryonic Thought Police patrolling Twitter. And we have increasingly ferocious official lying…

“Some sort of national emergency – a major terror attack, an economic collapse, perhaps even a devastating epidemic – will at some point speed up our descent into a semi-totalitarian dusk. The Civil Contingencies Act already gives government astonishing powers to rule by diktat if it can think of a good enough excuse…

“There is no barricade of law which stands between us and the introduction of an unfree society. There is no major party which can be relied [on] to oppose such a change, provided it can be dressed up as being in the interests of ‘security’, of ‘equality and diversity’ or of not offending people…

“How long before students all over Britain will note the appearance of rainbow flags each February, and think that it has always been so, and that there never was another opinion?”

Biblical standards are disappearing in our societies… and woe to those who want to uphold them.  

Acknowledgement and Disclaimer

These Current Events are compiled and commented on by Norbert Link. We gratefully acknowledge the many contributions of news articles from our readership. The publication of articles in this section is not to be viewed as an endorsement or approval as to contents or accuracy of the selected articles, but they are published for the purpose of pointing at worldwide developments in the light of biblical end-time prophecy and godly instruction. Our own comments are provided in italics.

Trump Bans Travel from Europe, but…

The messages from the White House and the Trump Administration have been as confusing as ever.

The Week wrote on March 11:

“In an address to the nation Wednesday night from the Oval Office, President Trump said because of the coronavirus pandemic, he is suspending all travel from Europe to the United States for 30 days, with the restrictions not applying to the United Kingdom. The action will go into effect Friday at midnight. Trump did not say why the UK, which has 460 confirmed cases of the COVID-19 coronavirus, is exempt. Trump… criticized the European Union, saying it ‘failed to take the same precautions and restrict travel from China and other hotspots. As a result, a large number of new clusters in the United States were seeded by travelers from Europe.’

“After Trump’s address, Acting Homeland Security Deputy Secretary Ken Cuccinelli said the travel suspension does ‘not apply to American citizens or legal permanent residents or their families.’”

But consider this, from ABC News, dated March 11:

“The new travel restrictions affecting Europe… will include exemptions for the United Kingdom and Americans who have undergone appropriate screenings.”

And then, here is this “clarification,” as reported by the AP, dated March 11:

“Trump said… the U.S. would monitor the situation to determine if travel could be reopened earlier.

“Homeland Security officials later clarified that the new travel restrictions would only apply to most foreign nationals who have been in the ‘Schengen Area’ at any point for 14 days prior to their scheduled arrival to the United States [see below].”

The Sun wrote on March 11:

“He singled out the UK as an exemption to the ban – but there was confusion as a later statement from the Department of Homeland Security said only countries in the Schengen area of free movement would be barred, therefore meaning Ireland was also exempt.

“The Schengen Area is the term given to the 26 European states which allow passport-free travel through their borders. The Department of Homeland Security subsequently issued this statement:

“‘Several countries in the Schengen Area will be impacted by the travel ban.

“‘President Donald J. Trump signed a Presidential Proclamation, which suspends the entry of most foreign nationals who have been in certain European countries at any point during the 14 days prior to their scheduled arrival to the United States.

“‘These countries, known as the Schengen Area, include: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland. This does not apply to legal permanent residents, (generally) immediate family members of U.S. citizens, and other individuals who are identified in the proclamation.’…

“DHS Acting Secretary Chad F. Wolf said… he intends to implement a Notice of Arrivals Restriction which requires that US passengers who’ve been in the Schengen Area ‘to travel through select airports’ for enhanced screening procedures.”

Deutsche Welle added that, allegedly, the restrictions do not apply to “Any lawful permanent resident of the US and any foreign national who is the spouse of a US citizen or lawful permanent resident. Foreign nationals who are parents or legal guardians of a US citizen or lawful permanent resident. Foreign nationals who are siblings of a US citizen or lawful permanent resident, and who are under 21 years old and unmarried. Foreign nationals who are foster children of a US citizen or lawful permanent resident. Any member of the US armed forces.”

Panic at the Airports

Reuters wrote on March 12:

“Bleary-eyed and stressed, travellers scrambled at European airports to board flights to the United States on Thursday after U.S. President Donald Trump announced sweeping travel restrictions… Trump’s announcement has disrupted the travel plans of tens of thousands of people and hit airlines already reeling from the coronavirus outbreak… ‘It caused a mass panic,’ said 20-year-old Anna Grace, a U.S. student at Suffolk University who was on her first trip to Europe…

“A Delta crew member said Trump’s travel ban had caught the airline off-guard. ‘It’s going to be a big mess,’ said the crew member, who asked not to be named. ‘We were not expecting something like that…’”

Trump’s New Travel Ban Condemned

Daily Mail added on March 12:

“Vice President Mike Pence said on Thursday morning that all Americans returning from Europe would be asked to quarantine [for 14 days] when they return…

“The State Department also warned Americans against all non-essential travel abroad, raising the prospect of mandatory quarantines and further bans that could leave people stranded…

“The announcement was quickly met with criticism from a range of industries. Dr Margaret Harris from the World Health Organisation was among those criticizing the travel ban…

“The Association of Flight Attendants was also quick to criticize Trump, branding his travel ban ‘irresponsible‘ and saying it is ‘about politics, not public safety’. ‘There is no explanation for how this will help fight the spread of the virus,’ a statement said. ‘It makes little sense when the virus is already in the United States. The President expressly stated the United Kingdom is not included in the travel ban and yet the UK health minister herself has the virus.’”

It’s all politics… sadly. The Bible warns us that figurative “children” would run the USA.

Trump Has Declared War on Europe

CNBC wrote on March 11:

“Calling coronavirus a ‘foreign virus,’ Trump attacked Europe for not taking the same actions to control the disease that he had…

“Trump… later clarified in a tweet [the Daily Mail calls it an “astonishing clarification”] that cargo and goods would not be affected by the ban.”

He had originally said in his speech that the ban would apply to people AND CARGO. The White House later “clarified” that he had “misspoken.”

Reports alleged that the speech was written by right-wing hardcore anti-immigration guru and senior advisor to the President, Stephen Miller, and that Trump, unusually nervous as he was backtracking virtually everything that he had said earlier about the virus, gave the address by just reading from the teleprompter, without seemingly understanding himself WHAT he was saying (hence the subsequent numerous clarifications). His words of “foreign virus” sound like Miller’s handiwork. But this does not excuse Trump for what he said.

Those who are familiar with the history of the Worldwide Church of God after Herbert W. Armstrong’s death are reminded of the sermons and “speeches” by successor Joseph W. Tkach, who had received the scripts written by Mike Feazell and read those, without comprehending what he was saying, only to clarify later what he “meant,” but by that time, the damage had already been done.

Europe Responds

The Guardian wrote on March 12:

“The EU has condemned Donald Trump’s unilateral ban on travel from 26 European countries… In a joint statement, the presidents of the European commission and European council defended Europe’s record in managing the pandemic and sharply criticised the White House for its failure to consult its allies.

“… global markets reeled after Trump imposed sweeping restrictions on travel from the passport-free Schengen zone on Wednesday night, battering airlines and further straining ties with Europe.”

Trump’s action could be compared with that of an autocratic dictator. A NUCLEAR WAR between the US and Europe is prophesied!

Trump Failed Completely

AFP wrote on March 12:

“President Donald Trump had one job to do in a primetime address on coronavirus: reassure an anxious nation, a panicking stock market and divided world. Instead, he left many confused and more scared… Trump’s short speech late Wednesday featured a tired-sounding president responding to the global coronavirus pandemic and resulting economic fallout with a mix of bluster, blaming and a jaw-dropping error [regarding cargo and goods]…

“If Americans watching television might have been confused, investors were in shock. The White House quickly issued a clarification that no, trade was not being halted between the European Union and the United States. But the damage was done. The first sign that things were going wrong was when Wall Street stock futures nosedived the minute the cameras switched off. Less than 12 hours later, on Thursday morning, trading had to be stopped when the Dow Jones plummeted seven percent, mirroring 10 percent falls in European markets…

“Also, what Trump did not explain in his speech was that only European countries in the EU Schengen visa-free area are on the list. He said it wouldn’t include Britain, but this also means that 22 other non-Schengen countries are exempted. Questions were immediately raised over how this would prevent spreading of a virus already present in the United States. And why would travelers from Britain, for example, be any less likely to be infected?… As Politico noted drily, there was another ‘convenient side effect’ to Trump’s partial travel ban. ‘They exempt nations where three Trump-owned golf resorts are located.’”

Trump Sounded Incompetent and Markets Are Freaking Out

The Money Week wrote on March 12:

“Markets are having another bruising day. The specific catalyst today is Donald Trump’s somewhat garbled and last-minute decision [and “panicky pronouncement”] to shut the US to passenger air traffic from Europe… Basically, he sounded incompetent…

“Are all these things we’ve been vaguely worrying about – carry trades, exchange-traded funds backed by illiquid underlying assets, massively overvalued private companies – going to blow up? And when and if they do blow up, what else might they take with them? Coronavirus might be the pebble (OK, the massive boulder) that starts an avalanche elsewhere in markets. That’s why markets are freaking out…”

Trump—a Lethal Combination

The Guardian wrote on March 12:

“Trump in a time of coronavirus is a lethal combination. Everything about the president… make him the worst person imaginable to hold the world’s most powerful job in the face of pandemic.

“Confronting the threat requires global cooperation, perhaps more than at any time since the second world war. But Trump and his junior imitators around the world have taken a sledgehammer to the very notion of international solidarity.

“America’s closest allies were given no [prior] notice… The EU mission in Washington only found out about it when journalists started calling.

“The president has dealt with coronavirus the same way he approached every other challenge in his administration, first trying denial – and when that failed, blaming outsiders… It came as little surprise that his speech had been written by Stephen Miller, the author of the administration’s cruelest anti-immigration policies.”

One can only imagine what will happen under Trump when a military challenge develops between Europe and the USA, which is prophesied. 

Man’s Attempts to Deal with the Coronavirus Outbreak

The Associated Press wrote on March 9 about events PRIOR to Trump’s convoluted announcement:

“Stocks took their worst one-day beating on Wall Street since the global financial crisis of 2008 as a collapse in oil prices Monday combined with mounting alarm over what the coronavirus could do to the world economy… The drop was so sharp that it triggered the first automatic halt in trading in more than two decades…

“Together, the sell-offs reflected growing anxiety over the potential global economic damage from the coronavirus… prompting factory shutdowns, travel bans, closings of schools and stores, and cancellations of conventions and celebrations big and small…

“The market slide came as Italy, the hardest-hit place in Europe, began enforcing a lockdown against 16 million people in the north, or one-quarter of the country’s population, and then announced that travel restrictions would be extended nationwide [affecting 60 million people—an absolutely unparalleled and “unprecedented step for a democratic country” (The Week, dated March 9), and a highly controversial and extremely dubious measure with no guarantee for success] … The turmoil in Italy… is expected to push the country into recession and weigh on the European economy.

“Elsewhere around the world, Ireland went so far as to cancel St. Patrick’s Day parades, and Israel ordered all visitors quarantined [for 14 days] just weeks before Passover and Easter, one of the busiest travel periods of the year.”

The government of India has “strongly advised” to refrain from traveling to France, Spain and Germany. Saudi Arabia banned all travels to such countries.

Breitbart added on March 11, 2020 that on Wednesday, the Dow Jones plummeted again by 5%, and that “Many investors worry that a delay of several weeks could mean any economic stimulus could come too late to keep the U.S. economy growing. Some economists think that we may already be in a recession.”

As mentioned above, the Dow Jones and stock markets in the USA and Europe plunged again on Thursday, following Trump’s speech. A worldwide economic upheaval was prophesied, but it is amazing how man’s panic-stricken shortsightedness contributes to such catastrophic developments. Many times, our economic downfall is man-made. The reaction to the coronavirus is a prime example. Even prior to Trump’s ill-conceived speech, conflicting messages from governments, with advising against air travel or cruising (thereby completely destroying the airline and the cruise ship industries), combined with radical measures of cancellations of schools and universities and prohibitions of gatherings (such as sports events and music festivals) in the USA and in European countries led by Italy and now France and Germany (as well as Spain, for example, which closed all schools in and around Madrid) do little to install confidence and instead accelerate uncontrolled catastrophes and economic upheavals.

German Health Minister Jens Spahn (39), perhaps far too young and inexperienced to make such drastic decisions (but “old age does not protect against foolishness” either), asked for cancellation of all events with more than 1,000 participants. This includes soccer games. With that, Spahn sacrificed Germany’s “holy cow.” Bild Online wrote, “A soccer game without fans is a dead game. It is no more a soccer game. Without fans in attendance, soccer will die.” And that means, politicians recommending or ordering such measures may not survive either.

Spahn also said people should refrain from unnecessary travel to Italy, and also North Rhine-Westphalia, in the west of Germany. Angela Merkel said that 60 to 70% of Germans will be infected by the virus. German health experts say that this is unlikely and that in any event, the symptoms for most would be mild or negligible. Merkel also praised Spahn, saying that he does an excellent job. Austria closed all schools. France prohibited visits to all state health-care facilities for the elderly and recommended against visits to all such private institutions. Axios reported that “Google issued one of the most sweeping cautionary edicts, recommending on Tuesday that all its employees in North America work from home until at least April 10 amid the novel coronavirus outbreak.”

The NBA announced it had called off the rest of its season after Utah Jazz player Rudy Gorbert tested positive for the virus just before tip-off. Teammate Donovan Mitchell has also tested positive. Oregon and California have also banned gatherings of more than 250 people state-wide, with smaller gatherings only permitted if a minimum distance of 6 feet can be guaranteed between people.

A Mad World Held Captive by Satan Is Shutting Down

Here are some more highlights from news articles which appeared on March 12:

CNBC wrote: “Stocks plummeted once again on Thursday after President Donald Trump and the Federal Reserve both failed to quell concerns over the economic slowdown stemming from the coronavirus, leading to a historic drop for the U.S. markets. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed 2,352.60 points lower.”

 AP wrote:

“France, Ireland, Denmark, Norway, Lithuania,  Algeria and Slovakia joined the growing list of countries shutting down their school systems, and Europe’s most successful soccer team, Real Madrid, put all its players into quarantine after one tested positive… A rite of spring, college basketball’s NCAA tournament was canceled, while the NBA and NHL (National Hockey League) also decided their pros won’t play at all for now. Major League Baseball canceled spring training and postponed opening day for at least two weeks.”

The MLS (major league soccer) season has also been suspended. All of this will have an additional MAJOR impact on the economy.

The Week wrote:

“Starting Thursday, [Norway] announced measures… which involve practically shutting down the entire country.”

 Sacramento Bee wrote:

“The governor of Kentucky, a Bible belt state, has asked churches and other religious institutions to temporarily cancel services.”

Deutsche Welle wrote:

“Walt Disney Co will close its Disneyland and California Adventure theme parks in California through the end of March over coronavirus fears… The Vatican ordered all Catholic churches in Rome to be closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. The measure has been described as unprecedented in the modern era.”

 It was also reported that Maryland and Ohio are closing all schools. France closed all schools. Spain closed all harbors. Princess Cruise cancelled all cruises for 60 days.

The Guardian reported:

“Spain became Europe’s second worst-affected country with 2,968 cases and 84 deaths. Both houses of parliament are suspended and every cabinet member is being tested… Slovenia, Norway and Austria suspended teaching at schools and colleges, although the Austrian chancellor, Sebastian Kurz, said working parents will still be able to drop off children for supervision. The Netherlands banned gatherings of more than 100… The Canadian prime minister, Justin Trudeau, is self-isolating while his wife Sophie Gregoire Trudeau awaits results from a coronavirus test. India… has barred all foreign tourists for one month… The Philippines halted domestic travel to and from the capital, Manila, and banned mass gatherings and closed schools for a month.”

Project Syndicate wrote on March 6: “[President Trump] and his supporters don’t trust experts, and the man appointed to lead the fight against the coronavirus, Vice President Mike Pence, is skeptical about science. But science, not prayers, will be needed to contain a disease that threatens the globe.”

With this kind of an arrogant and blasphemous recommendation of trusting “experts” rather than God, the way into the abyss would be unavoidable.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, a member of the White House’s coronavirus task force, stated that the coronavirus is allegedly 10 times more lethal than the ordinary flu. Fauci also advised older people not to fly anymore at all. 

Human Race in Grave Danger

The Daily Star wrote on March 11:

“The human race is in grave danger. Thousands of people are showing severe symptoms already and there is no known cure. No, not coronavirus, but sheer… stupidity. Never have so many brain cells been sacrificed on the altar of toilet paper fever…

“Those efficient German types actually have a word for panic buying – hamsterkauf… Hamsters hoard stuff in their cheeks. They also have very small brains. Go figure… if you’re one of those… who have cleared the shelves of stuff to decontaminate your hands with, you’re depriving everyone else. Which means they’ll be wandering around happily infecting us all…

“Even worse are those who have purchased every painkiller they can get… people are ill with other stuff, especially little kids… this applies to almost every aspect of this latest panic pandemic. Rather than all the deliberately scaremongering headlines and ­reports I’d love to see a story telling me how many people who have contracted coronavirus survive. Thousands.

“Respiratory diseases are responsible for killing thousands of Brits every year. In 2017-18 the Office for National Statistics recorded 50,100 excess winter deaths in England and Wales which they attributed to the strain of flu that year, an ineffective vaccine and weather. Yet did that send you into a tailspin of bog roll and pasta? No. So can we all stop being hysterical… and get a grip. Just wash your hands first, okay?”

This convincing article shows indeed the absolute stupidity man is able to display.

The Fear of the Black Death

New Statesman America wrote on March 6:

“When a ship sailed into one of the ports along England’s south coast in the summer of 1348, its unwitting crew also delivered ashore the most deadly cargo to ever reach the British Isles: Yersinia pestis, a bacterium causing bubonic plague. Having erupted out of Asia, the disease had travelled along the Silk Road and torn through Europe via rats roaming merchant ships.

“The symptoms of such a virulent infection, which would devastate England’s infrastructure, were as dramatic as its spread. First a fever, cold and general flu-like symptoms, followed by blackening buboes forming in the joints, most commonly the groin or the armpits. It was these buboes that would later give the disease its nickname: the Black Death. Sometimes people survived this stage, but usually the infection would reach the bloodstream and death was inevitable – and swift.

“Over the next few months the highly infectious disease ravaged the south of England, wiping out entire towns such as Bristol, and reaching London in November 1348. By New Year’s Day 1349, the mood was apocalyptic. The panic, fear and hysteria surrounding the Black Death were unprecedented…

“Following the 1348 Black Death, three decades of recurrent epidemics halved the British population from around five million to 2.5 million, until the infection eventually slowed in 1377. There was no cure for the Black Death… The plague returned in varying degrees over the next three centuries, until its final shattering year in 1665, when it devastated England yet again, acquiring the name the Great Plague. In London alone, almost 70,000 people died…

“After 800 years of enlightenment, medical advancement, antibiotics, vaccines and information, coronavirus has resurrected our dormant fear of the Black Death.”

These 800 years of so-called “enlightenment” have not prevented ancient and modern pandemics. The Bible indicates that even the Black Death will return.

Global Arms Trade Helps Destroying the World

Deutsche Welle wrote on March 9:

“The world is in turmoil, and the global arms trade is flourishing. No country exports more military equipment than the United States. And no country buys more weapons than Saudi Arabia… since 2015, 61% more weapons have been sold to the Middle East than in the preceding five years… more than a third of all weapons traded worldwide are now manufactured in the US…

“Russia is still the second biggest arms dealer in the world, but the gap is increasing…  France has established itself as the third-biggest arms dealer, exporting 72% more military equipment from 2015-2019 than in the previous five-year period…

“Germany continues to rank fourth among the world’s most important suppliers of arms, making it one of the five countries whose exports account for more than three-quarters of global trade in military equipment. Despite this, the German government likes to say it pursues a ‘restrictive’ arms export policy. However, between 2015 and 2019 Germany’s exports rose by 17%… NATO-member Germany is also supplying significant quantities of arms to non-NATO countries, or so-called third countries…”

Shame on those who profit from killing others. God’s intervention is coming soon, and His retribution will be swift and just.

Biden’s Victory

The Associated Press wrote on March 11:

“Joe Biden decisively won Michigan’s Democratic presidential primary, seizing a key battleground state that helped propel Bernie Sanders’ insurgent candidacy four years ago. The former vice president’s victory there, as well as in Missouri, Mississippi and Idaho, dealt a serious blow to Sanders and substantially widened Biden’s path to the nomination…

“Now it is Sanders… who must contemplate a path forward. He said at a news conference in Vermont on Wednesday afternoon that he will stay in the race and plans to appear at the Democratic debate against Biden on Sunday. The Democratic National Committee also said that Sunday’s debate between Sanders and Biden would be conducted without an audience.”

 It appears that Biden will become the Democratic nominee, but he will be defeated by Trump.

Why Netanyahu Won… and Still Might have Lost

Breaking Israel News wrote on March 8:

“As last week’s third round of elections approached, it became clear that every mandate was crucial to form a majority coalition. It seemed clear that fringe right-wing Otzma Yehudit was not going to pass the minimum threshold to earn a seat in the Knesset but their votes could earn Likud another vital two seats. With that in mind, Netanyahu tried to persuade Otzma Yehudit’s leader, Itamar Ben Gvir, to drop out of the race in January…

“Less than one week before Israelis headed for the ballot boxes, Ben Gvir [revealed] the condition that would persuade him to drop out of the race and put his power behind Netanyahu.  Most prominent among those conditions was the removal of the Waqf’s authority on the Temple Mount, thereby paving the way for a Jewish return to their holiest site.

“Netanyahu refused and Likud went on to win 36 seats. Their rival, Blue and White, won 33. As expected, Otzma Yehudit did not pass the threshold, winning a mere 20,000 votes. But those votes, if applied to other right-wing parties or to Likud, would have enhanced Netanyahu’s ability to form a right-wing coalition. It now seems doubtful that this will happen…

“Netanyahu admitted that his rejection of Ben Gvir’s offer hurt the party… But Netanyahu revealed that the Temple Mount condition was indeed the deal-breaker that led him to reject Ben Gvir’s offer. ‘But he had one condition that I permit Jewish prayer on the Temple Mount… this would have ignited the Middle East and brought down the anger of one billion Muslims on us…’

“The Sanhedrin weighed in… ‘The People of Israel were commanded by HaShem, the Creator of the universe, God of Israel to sacrifice the Passover lamb on the appointed time according to the Torah and on the very site designated to do so according to our traditions,’ wrote Rabbi Dov Stein, Secretary of the Sanhedrin… ‘The Deal of the Century signed between Israel and the United States contains a pledge to support the protocols of each religion on the Temple Mount…

“‘Thus, the Jewish People, represented here by the Court of the Sanhedrin, are expecting you, Mr. Netnayahu, to allow us to sacrifice our Passover lamb on the 14th day of Nisan (April 4, 2020) in the afternoon on a suitable altar we will build on-site near the site where the Jewish Temples once stood. This is in the hope that at some time in the future the Temple itself will be built in its full glory and the entire Jewish Nation can celebrate according to the Passover Laws.’…

“‘Mr. Netanyahy turned his back on the Temple Mount knowing that it would be his downfall. And it was. The only hope Mr. Netanyahu has is to act as a leader of Israel should and to open the doors to the Temple Mount… The same will be true of Donald Trump. His ability to resist all of the forces that have come up against him is to continue to pave the way for the Third Temple.’”

The Third Temple is at the forefront of the minds of many in Israel and elsewhere. And it appears that Trump will help in building the Third Temple, and THEN, Christ will return.

Catholic Church in Germany Supports Ecumenism  

CAN wrote on March 10:

“The new president of the German bishops’ conference [Bishop Georg Bätzing] has emphasized his support for… intercommunion with Lutherans… Bishop Bätzing also claimed Pope Francis supported the controversial process…

“Asserting that ecumenism is ‘on the right track’ in Germany, Bätzing reiterated his support for a document [promoting] non-Catholics receiving the Eucharist at Catholic Mass. Bätzing also suggested in future, Christians of any denomination should simply decide on their own, individual accord if – and when to receive [communion].

“Cardinal Kurt Koch, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, has dismissed the document, saying it was based on [a wrong] ‘assumption… that the Catholic Eucharistic celebration and the Protestant last supper are identical.’”

The position of the Pope is less than clear, seemingly playing to both sides of the “debate.”

Acknowledgement and Disclaimer

These Current Events are compiled and commented on by Norbert Link. We gratefully acknowledge the many contributions of news articles from our readership. The publication of articles in this section is not to be viewed as an endorsement or approval as to contents or accuracy of the selected articles, but they are published for the purpose of pointing at worldwide developments in the light of biblical end-time prophecy and godly instruction. Our own comments are provided in italics.

New Invasion of Refugees Threatens Europe

Reuters and Algemeiner wrote on February 28:

“Refugees in Turkey headed towards European frontiers on Friday after an official declared that borders had been thrown open in response to the escalating war in Syria, a day after 33 Turkish soldiers were killed by Russian-backed Syrian government troops… ‘We have decided, effectively immediately, not to stop Syrian refugees from reaching Europe by land or sea,’ a senior Turkish official told Reuters on condition of anonymity… ‘All refugees, including Syrians, are now welcome to cross into the European Union,’ the official said, adding that police and border guards had been stood down…

“Greece and Bulgaria said they were immediately reinforcing their frontiers. Bulgaria’s prime minister said the prospect of a new migration crisis was even more of a threat when European countries were struggling to respond to the coronavirus…

“A million civilians have been displaced since December inside Syria near the Turkish border in desperate winter conditions, perhaps the worst humanitarian crisis of a war that has already made half the country homeless. Turkey, already home to 3.7 million Syrian refugees, says it cannot take more…”

The Revival of the European Migration Crisis?

The Associated Press wrote on March 1:

“Thousands of migrants and refugees massed at Turkey’s western frontier Sunday, trying to enter Greece by land and sea… Greek authorities said they stopped about 10,000 crossing attempts Saturday, and another 5,500 on Sunday…

“In Istanbul, a steady stream of buses, taxis, cars and minibuses were ferrying hundreds more throughout Sunday to Edirne, a town near the border with Greece. The vehicles weren’t part of any regular bus route. Those boarding the buses — the vast majority Afghans — said they were heading to Greece and eventually hoped to get to Germany…”

Deutsche Welle wrote on March 3:

“The images from the Greek-Turkish border are shocking… Some refugees hold signs asking for help from German Chancellor Angela Merkel. After all, the chancellor rescued refugees in Hungary from a similar situation by letting them come to Germany. Refugees on the border with Greece are now hoping for the same.

“But Germany in 2020 is not the country it was in 2015. Looking back, Merkel acknowledges there was a ‘loss of control.’ The chancellor has since described the open borders that allowed hundreds of thousands of people to pour into the country as a ‘mistake’ that should not be repeated.

“Many things have happened since 2015. The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) has become increasingly popular in Germany and right-wing terrorism appears to be on the rise… ‘We are seeing refugees and migrants who are being told on the Turkish side that the route to the EU is now open — and of course it is not,’ Merkel’s spokesman Steffen Seibert underscored at a press conference on Monday in Berlin…

“Friedrich Merz, who is gunning to lead Merkel’s center-right Christian Democrats (CDU), spoke out against accepting more refugees from Turkey. He said Berlin needs to send a clear signal: ‘There is no point in coming to Germany. We cannot take you in.’… The AfD [called] for the immediate closure of Germany’s borders.”

And so, refugees at the border are again becoming pawns in a political game of the mighty. But this could prove costly for the survival of Germany’s grand coalition. Note the next article.

German Protestors for Open Borders

Deutsche Welle wrote on March 4:

“Thousands of protesters gathered in Berlin on Tuesday in front of German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s official residence to demand the opening of the border between Turkey and the European Union… similar protests were held in Hamburg and Potsdam…

“The protests come as German politicians are put under increased pressure to deal with the situation at the Greek border… The German chancellor (Angela Merkel, CDU) has so far remained firm that the EU’s borders are closed… German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer (CSU) also tweeted on Tuesday evening in Arabic… ‘Europe’s borders are not open to refugees from Turkey, and this applies to our German borders as well.’”

“More protests are planned for later in the week.”

Major Companies Cancel Conferences in the USA

MSN wrote on February 29:

“Major companies are beginning to cancel conferences and travel plans within the United States due to the coronavirus, which analysts warn will have cascading impacts on the country’s hotels, airlines and convention centers.

“International travel — particularly to Asia — has so far been the hardest-hit part of the industry, though analysts say that could soon change as fears of the coronavirus spread to Europe and North America. Hotels around the country have begun reporting a rise in group cancellations…

“Workday called off a sales conference in Orlando scheduled for next week, while Google and Facebook canceled multiple events in California and Nevada between March and May. Amazon this week told employees to put off ‘nonessential travel’ in the United States…

“Shares of hotel companies and airlines plunged this week, as coronavirus-related fears led global markets to post their worst weekly losses since the Great Recession. Shares of Marriott and InterContinental Hotels Group fell about 9 percent apiece, while American Airlines and Jet Blue posted declines of more than 20 percent.”

Airlines Being Hit

USA Today wrote on February 29:

“The Trump administration is urging Americans to avoid travel to parts of Italy and South Korea amid growing concern about the spread of coronavirus… Vice President Mike Pence announced that the U.S. has raised the travel warning to level 4 – its most severe warning – regarding travel to affected areas of Italy and South Korea…

“American Airlines late Saturday announced plans to cancel its flights to Milan through April 24…”

The Sun wrote on March 1 that “DELTA is suspending its daily flight between New York’s JFK airport and Milan Malpensa Airport for two months amid coronavirus fears.”

AFP wrote on February 29:

“Due to the ‘accelerated spread of the coronavirus’ [Lufthansa] said it would have to cut the numbers of its short- and medium-haul flights by up to a quarter and ground 23 of its long-haul planes. [This also includes a 40% reduction of flights to Italy]…[The German press reported that Lufthansa will cancel more than 7,000 flights in March. This includes at least 3,700 flights from and to the Frankfurt  Airport.]

“Lufthansa’s share price plummeted by close to 21 percent on the Frankfurt stock exchange this week as investors panicked over the effects of the virus. The International Civil Aviation Organization has said that the virus outbreak could mean a $4-5 billion drop in worldwide airline revenue…”

British Airways announced that they will cancel all return-flights during the month of March from England to Italy and some Asian countries. Deutsche Welle wrote on March 2 that “the airline industry is facing the worst downturn since the 2008 financial crisis.”

Italy announced that until mid-March, all schools and universities will be closed. German Health Minister Jens Spahn said on Wednesday that the coronavirus has become a “global pandemic,” warning that “worse was still to come” (The Local, March 4), and that there would be “restrictions on everyday life,” according to Deutsche Welle. The article added that “earlier on Wednesday, the German government had banned the export of medical gear and adjusted a national travel advisory to warn of an ‘elevated quarantine risk’ associated with cruise ship travel.”

Israel Severely Restricts Entry from Europe

 AFP wrote on March 4:

 “Israel on Wednesday imposed tough new travel restrictions on five European nations due to fears of coronavirus, barring entry to almost all non-residents of the Jewish state arriving from these affected countries.

“Israel had earlier in the day ordered all citizens and residents returning from the five countries — France, Germany, Spain, Austria and Switzerland — into 14-day home quarantine upon entering the country.

“The measures come on top of restrictions previously imposed on arrivals from mainland China, Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore, Macau, South Korea, Japan and Italy.

“Guidelines issued by the health ministry on Wednesday afternoon declared that foreigners from the affected European countries ‘will not be able to enter Israeli territory unless they can prove they have a place to stay in quarantine’.

“The interior ministry issued a statement in the evening saying tourists from these countries ‘will not be able to enter Israel from Friday at 8:00 am (0600 GMT)’.”

Gloomy Prediction for Global Economy

The Week wrote on February 28:

“The end of a very rough week for U.S. markets brought a worrying prediction… Nouriel Roubini, a New York University business professor and market prognosticator who foretold the housing bubble burst, told Yahoo Finance on Friday to expect ‘severe’ consequences as the coronavirus continues to rattle markets… predicting ‘global equities to tank by 30 to 40 percent this year.’

“He said people… don’t realize the ‘simple math’ tells us that realistically, a squeezed Chinese economy will mean downturns around the globe. ‘This crisis will spill over and result in a disaster,’ said Roubini.

“Though the week just saw a 3,500-point drop for the Dow Jones Industrial Average, Roubini warned: ‘It is far from being over.’”

The Week reported on March 2:

“The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed up 1,293 points for a 5.1 percent gain on Monday, rebounding from a slump stemming from coronavirus fears. It’s the Dow’s biggest points gain of all time and its biggest percentage gain since 2009. The rise comes ‘on hopes that central banks will take action to shelter the global economy’ from the coronavirus’ effects, The Associated Press reports… Last week was the Dow’s worst since the 2008 financial crisis with a loss of more than 3,000 points.”

The Associated Press wrote on March 3:

“Fear and uncertainty continue to control Wall Street, and stocks fell sharply Tuesday after an emergency interest-rate cut by the Federal Reserve failed to reassure markets wracked by worries that a fast-spreading virus will cause a recession.

“The Dow Jones Industrial average sank 785 points, or 2.9%. It had surged 5% a day earlier on hopes for aid from the Fed and other central banks.”

The Dow Jones did very well on Wednesday, following the “Super Tuesday” results, but as fears of the coronavirus continued, notice what happened on Thursday:

CNBC wrote on March 5: “Dow tanks more than 950 points [on Thursday] as Wall Street’s roller-coaster week continues.”

Our shaky economy is built on hopes and dreams… which seem to change by the day. Roubini might be right with his prognostication regarding the disastrous financial consequences of the virus. He also said that because of it, Trump will not be reelected. On that he is dead wrong. Trump will be reelected for sure.

Sound Advice

Deutsche Welle reported on March 1:

“Four years ago, the Bonn-based Federal Office of Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance (BBK) published a checklist of long-lasting foods it recommends stockpiling for emergencies… It advises Germans to stockpile food and drink for about ten days.

“Specifically, the checklist states that one person needs 14 liters of liquid a week, and recommends stocking mineral water and fruit juice in particular. Even so, the BBK warns against panic buying, advising Germans to stockpile only foods and drinks ‘that you and your family would consume anyway’…

“Bulgarian daily 24 Tschassa… praised the advice provided by German authorities, saying that in most cases ‘consumers just hoard all kinds of products – without a proper idea how long they will come in useful or whether they might need them at all.’ The paper said… ‘it makes no sense to buy excessive amounts of supplies.’”

“Stop Buying Face Masks, but Follow Other Recommendations!”

CNN wrote on March 2:

“The United States’ top doctor has one simple request: Stop buying face masks. US Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams’ message, posted to Twitter on Saturday, was a response to face mask shortages as people stocked up due to coronavirus concerns. ‘Seriously people,’ he began, and though it’s a tweet, you can almost hear the exasperation in his plea. ‘STOP BUYING MASKS!’ ‘They are NOT effective in preventing general public from catching #Coronavirus, but if healthcare providers can’t get them to care for sick patients, it puts them and our communities at risk!’ he continued…

“The tweet comes during what has become a mask boom… [But] if these masks run out, they won’t be available to the medical professionals who are at the highest risk for disease transmission… Meanwhile, stores across the country have run out of masks…

“The CDC recommends the following to prevent the spread of any respiratory disease:

“Avoid close contact with people who are sick. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. Stay home from school or work when you are sick. Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash. Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe. Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom, before eating, and after blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing. If soap and water are unavailable, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. Always wash hands with soap and water if hands are visibly dirty.”

This advice should be heeded.

Obscure Sect Partially Responsible for Coronavirus Outbreak in South Korea

Christianity Today wrote on March 2, 2020:

“An apocalyptic sect whose leader claims he is an angel of Jesus [or, according to other reports,  that he is Christ Himself or the Second Coming of Christ, and that he is immortal] has become the biggest cluster of coronavirus infections in South Korea, which now leads the world in cases of COVID-19 disease outside of China… More than 400 of those infected have been directly linked to a single house of worship, a Daegu branch of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony—viewed as a cult by mainstream Korean Christian organizations—where a woman in her 60s attended two services before testing positive for the virus…

“A petition asking Korea’s president to dissolve Shincheonji gathered more than 750,000 signatures in four days… However, church leaders worry such a move could give the government an excuse to do the same to regular religious groups later…”

It was also reported that “Seoul’s city government has asked prosecutors to press charges, including murder, against the founder of a secretive religious sect for failing to cooperate in containing the spread of the deadly coronavirus” (ibtimes, dated March 2). This charge has been strongly denied by the group, claiming that they cooperated with governmental agencies from the time they found out about the sick member.

Worldwide Devastating Pandemics Coming!

The Week wrote on February 29:

“Picture a new viral disease like the Wuhan coronavirus, now called COVID-19, that passes easily from person to person and spreads rapidly around the globe. But unlike COVID-19, which kills perhaps 2 or 3 percent of its victims, this virus kills 20 percent of those infected. Or 40 percent. It might sound like a disaster movie premise… but viral disease experts are in wide agreement that such a pandemic is coming, and that it will inflict unimaginable devastation. The only question is when it will hit…

“The most likely scenario is a pathogen that jumps from animals to humans and can spread through the air. The outbreak of COVID-19 was traced to a live-animal market in Wuhan, China, where a bat virus appears to have added some genetic material from a soldierfish. Many viral diseases have been traced to animals, including HIV (which originated in chimpanzees), MERS (camels), SARS (probably bats and civet cats), and Ebola (unknown, but probably bats). Last year researchers at Johns Hopkins ran a simulation of a hypothetical coronavirus emerging from a Brazilian pig farm: The result was 65 million dead within 18 months. Another concern is a familiar very deadly virus that mutates, allowing it to spread more easily… The intentional or accidental release of a manmade pathogen is another threat; new genetic engineering tools have made them far easier to create…

“Human population growth. People are encroaching on previously wild areas where unknown viruses and bacteria lurk in animals; those who become infected carry the pathogens back to densely packed cities, where disease is easily spread. The 1998 emergence of the Nipah virus, for example, was linked to deforestation in Malaysia that displaced fruit bats and put them near pig farms. Pigs became infected, and the virus then spread to farmworkers. In the past 50 years, more than 300 pathogens have emerged or re-emerged, including Zika and yellow fever…  The surge in international travel allows viruses to spread around the globe quickly…

“Are we prepared for a major pandemic? Not at all. A report released last October by the Global Health Security Index found glaring gaps in readiness; out of 195 countries surveyed, not one was judged fully prepared to handle a major event… Experts say the U.S. and other countries need to spend vastly more money on pandemic preparedness…

“Epidemics have been a fact of life… The earliest on record dates to 430 B.C., when a pestilence that may have been typhoid fever took root in Athens, killing up to two-thirds of the city’s population. In A.D. 541, the Justinian plague spread through the Mediterranean world; recurrences over the next two centuries would kill more than 25 percent of the world’s population. In the 14th century, another outbreak of plague, called the Black Death — driven by fleas that live on rats but can bite humans — claimed over 75 million lives, including some 60 percent of the population of Europe, whose cities were piled with reeking corpses. In the 16th and 17th centuries Native Americans were ravaged by smallpox and other diseases brought by European conquerors and colonists; in some areas as much as 90 percent of native populations were wiped out. The pandemic with the greatest number of casualties in history was the Spanish flu of 1918. It infected some 500 million people worldwide — a third of the population — and killed as many as 100 million.”

Worldwide pandemics are prophesied to happen very soon.

A Nightmare Scenario

The Week wrote on March 2:

“Here is a scenario… President Trump… uses the threat of a pandemic to severely restrict international travel to the United States and institutes stringent new limits on U.S. citizens’ ability to travel abroad — perhaps mandatory medical testing, biometric data collection, or vaccination before you leave; extended interviews with Customs agents to vet the reasons for your trip; or even a near-complete embargo on visits to China and other countries where coronavirus outbreak coincides, in Trump’s mind, with an economic threat to America…

“This would not be the first time a crisis has been used to fundamentally change global mobility: Just over a century ago, the passport system we now take for granted did not yet exist. In the decades before the first World War, international travel was generally unhindered… A train might cross multiple borders in Europe within a single day… travelers could typically travel whenever, wherever, and for whatever reason they wanted.

“During World War I, the Triple Alliance nations (Austria-Hungary, Germany, and Italy) began requiring passport use, and both Triple Entente states and neutral countries soon followed suit. After the war, the United Nations’ precursor, the League of Nations… held the first passport conference in Paris. Its aim… was to restore the pre-war regime of freedom of movement… That aim was not achieved… Further attempts to return to pre-war travel freedoms also failed…

“Permanent, serious strictures on our freedom to travel may seem unlikely at the moment… wouldn’t such repressive measures, particularly those affecting U.S. citizens, be widely unpopular? Yes, but what would people do about it?… And anyway, passports were once widely unpopular, too. The 1926 passport conference observed that the public desired ‘a resolution contemplating the abolition of passports at the earliest possible date.’ It was a desire unmet.

“… as the coronavirus crisis is used to curtail international travel — there’s already a ban on U.S. entry by foreign nationals who have been in China in the previous two weeks and a mandatory quarantine for U.S. citizens returning from Hubei province — we would do well to take care from the outset that measures are as minimal as possible and firmly bounded by expiration dates.

“Draconian travel restrictions are not an inconceivable outcome here, and, if history is any guide, once done, they won’t be easy to undo.”

It is interesting that Germany, Austria/Hungary and Italy invented the passport system. And prophetically, the concerns raised in the article are not out of the realm of possibility.

Four More Years of Trump—Europe’s Security At Risk

Project Syndicate published on February 27 an article by Joschka Fischer, former German Foreign Minister and Vice Chancellor from 1998-2005:

“The re-election of President Donald Trump could spell the end of the liberal world order and the system of alliances that America has fostered since the 1940s… Should Trump win in November, he will have a mandate to wreak havoc for another four years…

“Make no mistake: it makes a big difference whether Trump is in office for eight years rather than just four. In addition to Americans, Europeans would be the first to feel the consequences of a second Trump term…

“In 2020, no one will make the same mistake again. But nor can anyone claim not to know what they are getting with Trump. He… has stayed mostly true to his campaign promises.

“… If Trump is re-elected, he will most likely behave even more radically and without restraint. He will be fully convinced that he is the ‘chosen one.’

“… Europeans should be preparing for the worst… Europe’s very security and sovereignty are now at risk. The EU must ask itself if it is prepared to do what is necessary to remain an independent player, united in the common interest of all Europeans…”

And all of this is exactly what is prophesied.

The Democrats’ Super Tuesday

Drudge Report linked on March 3 to the following article by “Reason”:

“As Super Tuesday finally transfigures the Democratic presidential nomination process into a binary choice between two old, occasionally problematic white men whose enduring popularity is consistently underrated by a baffled mainstream press, it’s worth reflecting on just how poorly the media’s preferred candidates performed in the 2020 race.

“In the end, The New York Times‘ dual Democratic presidential endorsements—bestowed upon both Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D–Mass.) and Amy Klobuchar (D–Minn.)—… just didn’t matter.

“Nor did the media’s fawning over South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, early flirtation with Beto O’Rourke, and absolute worship of Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) resonate with the millions of Americans living outside the Acela corridor.

“Instead, Democratic voters indicated over and over again that they were most interested in the popular former vice president and the iconoclastic but well-respected runner-up from the 2016 Democratic race. Before the actual primaries, Biden consistently led in polls and Sanders performed well—and then the eventual voting followed this pattern, with early wins for Sanders and a comeback surge from Biden. The idea that any other candidate had a particularly likely shot at the nomination was always pundit-driven misdirection from a class of commentators demanding more interesting, intersectional characters, because the commentators themselves are more interested in identity-based diversity than the rest of the country.

“Indeed, the media stumped for Warren so hard that Vox‘s Matt Yglesias recently had to write a post explaining to people why she was losing… outside the Vox bubble, there was little interest in the kind of cultural progressivism represented by Warren.

“At present, Biden and Sanders are locked in a battle for delegates. Both men have a good shot at the nomination. But this was true a year ago as well. They were both better-known and better-liked than many in the media seemed to grasp, and an endless series of magazine covers, fluff pieces, and editorial board endorsements aimed at other candidates couldn’t make any difference whatsoever.”

NPR wrote on March 4:

“The Democratic presidential contest is now a two-man race. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders went into Super Tuesday the front-runner, but it was Joe Biden’s night. The former vice president rode a surge of momentum out of his big win in South Carolina on Saturday and established himself squarely as the principal alternative to Sanders.

“Biden won a majority of states, including Texas, Tuesday night. Sanders is projected to win California, but with votes still being counted there it’s unclear which candidate will emerge with a delegate lead. That sets up what looks to be a sharp fight over the next two months between candidates with very different ideologies — Sanders paints in bold colors and wants radical change; Biden believes in progress accomplished by working with Washington’s competing interests.”

Axios reported on March 4 that “Michael Bloomberg, who spent hundreds of millions of dollars to self-fund his 2020 presidential run, announced Wednesday that he is suspending his campaign after a poor performance on Super Tuesday  and will endorse Joe Biden.”

JTA wrote on March 5:

 “Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who drew strong support from Jewish progressives, has dropped her bid for the Democratic presidential nomination.”

At this point, she has not endorsed Biden or Sanders. But no matter who the Democratic nominee will be, he will not become the next President.  

“Peace Treaty” Between USA and Taliban?

The Associated Press wrote on February 29:

“The United States signed a peace agreement with Taliban militants on Saturday aimed at bringing an end to 18 years of bloodshed in Afghanistan and allowing U.S. troops to return home from America’s longest war.

“Under the agreement, the U.S. would draw its forces down to 8,600 from 13,000 in the next 3-4 months, with the remaining U.S. forces withdrawing in 14 months. The complete pullout, however, would depend on the Taliban meeting their commitments to prevent terrorism.

“President George W. Bush ordered the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan in response to the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. Some U.S. troops currently serving there had not yet been born when the World Trade Center collapsed on that crisp, sunny morning that changed how Americans see the world.

“It only took a few months to topple the Taliban and send Osama bin Laden and top al-Qaida militants scrambling across the border into Pakistan, but the war dragged on for years as the United States tried [to] establish a stable, functioning state in one of the least developed countries in the world. The Taliban regrouped, and currently hold sway over half the country.

“The U.S. spent more than $750 billion, and on all sides the war cost tens of thousands of lives lost, permanently scarred and indelibly interrupted. But the conflict was also frequently ignored by U.S. politicians and the American public…

“The Taliban harbored bin Laden and his al-Qaida network as they plotted, and then celebrated, the hijackings of four airliners that were crashed into lower Manhattan, the Pentagon and a field in western Pennsylvania, killing almost 3,000 people…

“Trump has repeatedly promised to get the U.S. out of its ‘endless wars’ in the Middle East, and the withdrawal of troops could provide a boost as he seeks re-election in a nation weary of involvement in distant conflicts…

“The prospects for Afghanistan’s future are uncertain. The agreement sets the stage for peace talks involving Afghan factions, which are likely to be complicated. Under the agreement, 5,000 Taliban are to be released from Afghan-run jails, but it’s not known if the Afghan government will do that. There are also questions about whether Taliban fighters loyal to various warlords will be willing to disarm…”

To think for one moment that one can make a successful peace treaty with terrorists is absolutely illusionary and ludicrous. We don’t think that even the Trump administration seriously believes in its success either. The main reason for this treaty is a justification to withdraw American troops from Afghanistan, with a view to the elections in 2020, but as a consequence, Afghanistan will continue to experience further and even more violence and chaos.

“Bibi Is Back”—Netanyahu’s Strong Win

“The Jerusalem Post wrote on March 2:

“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu succeeded in winning [58] seats for his bloc of right-wing and religious parties in Monday’s election…

“Netanyahu spoke to the heads of the parties in his camp immediately after the exit polls were announced and agreed to form a strong nationalist government as soon as possible.”

However, lacking the needed majority of 61 seats, Netanyahu is forced to enter into difficult coalition talks with other parties.

Times of Israel wrote on March 5:

“… the Central Elections Committee on Thursday confirmed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s party as the largest after Monday’s general election, with final results giving it 36 seats to rival Blue and White’s 33. The full results… confirmed, however, that the right-wing bloc of parties supporting Netanyahu had won 58 seats, three short of a majority needed to form a coalition.“

Reuters added:

 “That could spell further deadlock and another snap election to follow Monday’s vote, which was Israel’s third in a year.”

Jordan-Israel Peace Treaty at Risk

JNS wrote on March 4:

“Relations between Jordan and Israel are at their lowest ebb since the signing of the 1994 peace treaty between the two countries, and the treaty itself is now ‘at risk,’ Jordanian Prime Minister Omar Razzaz said on Monday…

“According to Razzaz, Jordan is angry about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s pledge to extend Israeli sovereignty to the Jordan Valley and parts of Judea and Samaria as set forth in the US ‘Prosperity to Peace’ plan, and about Israeli ‘violations of the sanctity of Muslim and Christian endowments in Jerusalem.’

“In January, Jordan’s King Abdullah told France 24 News that Israel’s relationship with his country ‘has been on pause for the past two years’…”

Third Temple Could Have Been Built already in 1967

Breaking Israel News wrote on March 3:

“Rabbi David Katz, the author of ‘Laws of Ger Toshav,’ notes… ‘The Temple could have been built in 1967. The objective reality was that there were IDF soldiers on the Temple Mount.

“The Third Temple could have been built but the rabbis decided not to. In 1967 we had everything we need to move forward for everything, the Third Temple, the Kingdom of David, and we still do.’”

And this time, it will be built very soon.

Putin: Marriage between a Man and a Woman

Deutsche Welle wrote on March 3:

“Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday submitted a proposal to establish a ban on same-sex marriage in the country’s constitution. The draft amendment enshrines the mention of Russians’ ‘faith in God’ and states that marriage is between ‘a man and a woman’… The Russian president has long aligned himself with the Russian Orthodox Church and actively promoted distancing his country from liberal Western values. Last month, he said Russia would not legalize same-sex marriage as long as he remains president.

“Putin has said he is not prejudiced against gay people, but has asserted that homosexuality and gender fluidity are out of step with traditional Russian values. A federal law signed by Putin in 2013 already considers the ‘public promotion of homosexuality’ as a crime. Currently, only heterosexual couples can adopt children. Prior to that, homosexuality in Russia was officially criminalized until 1993 and considered a mental illness until 1999.”

Insofar as his definition of marriage is concerned, Putin is right. Note, by contrast, the following article.

Outlawing Conversion Therapies in the USA

ABC News wrote on March 4:

“Virginia became the 20th state in the country to outlaw conversion therapy for LGBTQ minors… ‘Conversion therapy sends the harmful message that there is something wrong with who you are,’ [Governor] Northam said…  The other states that have banned conversion therapy for minors are California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Maine, Nevada, New Jersey, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont and Washington.

“The Virginia bill outlaws any health care provider in any profession licensed by a regulatory board of the Department of Health from engaging in conversion therapy… Del. Patrick Hope, who sponsored the bill, called the practice dangerous and destructive. ‘We should be supporting and celebrating our LGTBQ youth, not putting them in harm’s way,’ he said.”

God in His Word condemns the practice of homosexuality. But in this evil world ruled by Satan, God’s Word means nothing to most people.

Germany’s Mandatory Measles Vaccinations

Deutsche Welle wrote on March 2:

“A law requiring mandatory measles vaccinations  came into force on Sunday in Germany. The law, which was passed last year, stipulates that kindergartens and schools can only accept new children if they have been vaccinated. Under the new law, kids must be ‘verifiably’ inoculated against measles. If the child’s immunization is not documented, schools will be required to notify the local public health office.

“For children already enrolled in schools, proof of vaccination will have to be presented by July 2021, while parents who refuse to vaccinate their children will face fines of up to €2,500 ($2,760).”

These kinds of governmental mandatory measures are just the beginning and do have a bearing on the biblical warning that an authoritarian power bloc will arise in Europe, led by Germany, dictating to the people how to live, how and when to buy and sell, and how and when to work and to cease from working.

The Popes and Fascism

The Guardian wrote on March 1:

“New light will be shed on one of the most controversial periods of Vatican history on Monday when the archives on Pope Pius XII— accused by critics of being a Nazi sympathizer—are unsealed. A year after Pope Francis announced the move, saying ‘the church isn’t afraid of history’, the documents from Pius XII’s papacy, which began in 1939 on the brink of the second world war and ended in 1958, will be opened, initially to a small number of scholars.

“Critics of Pius XII have accused him of remaining silent during the Holocaust, never publicly condemning the persecution and genocide of Jews and others. His defenders say that he quietly encouraged convents and other Catholic institutions to hide thousands of Jews, and that public criticism of the Nazis would have risked the lives of priests and nuns…

“David Kertzer, an American expert on the relationship between the Catholic church and fascism… said there were ‘signs of nervousness’ at the Vatican about what would emerge from the archives… ‘On the big question, it’s clear: Pius XII never publicly criticised the Nazis for the mass murder they were committing of the Jews of Europe – and he knew from the very beginning that mass murder was taking place. Various clerics and others were pressing him to speak out, and he declined to do so. Although there is a lot of testimony showing that the church did protect Jews in Rome, when more than 1,000 were rounded up on 16 October 1943 and held for two days adjacent to the Vatican [before deportation to the death camps], Pius decided not to publicly protest or even privately send a plea to Hitler not to send them to their deaths in Auschwitz…’

“Pius – whose birth name was Eugenio Pacelli – was Vatican secretary of state under his predecessor, Pope Pius XI, and a former papal nuncio, or envoy, to Germany. In 1933, he negotiated a concordat between the Catholic church and Germany. After he was elected pope, six months before the outbreak of war, the Vatican maintained diplomatic relations with the Third Reich, and the new pontiff declined to condemn the Nazi invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939.

“In December 1942, Pius XII spoke out in general terms about the suffering of the Jews, although he had known for several months about the Nazi extermination plans. In 1943, he wrote to the bishop of Berlin, arguing that the church could not publicly condemn the Holocaust for fear of causing ‘greater evils’.”

An interesting work by the above-quoted author, David I. Kertzer, titled, “The Pope and Mussolini” (copyright 2014), shows the inner workings of the Vatican and the close cooperation and sometimes infighting between the Catholic Church under both popes (Pius XI and Pius XII) and Mussolini and Hitler. The Hitler-Mussolini era constituted, in collaboration with the Roman Catholic Church, the sixth revival of the “Holy Roman Empire”–the “woman riding the beast.”

Acknowledgement and Disclaimer

These Current Events are compiled and commented on by Norbert Link. We gratefully acknowledge the many contributions of news articles from our readership. The publication of articles in this section is not to be viewed as an endorsement or approval as to contents or accuracy of the selected articles, but they are published for the purpose of pointing at worldwide developments in the light of biblical end-time prophecy and godly instruction. Our own comments are provided in italics.

The Temple Tax—Preparing for the Third Temple

Breaking Israel News wrote on February 21:

“In preparation for the upcoming holiday of Purim, Jews around the world will be reading the section of the Torah that describes the giving of the sanctified half-shekel silver coin to the Tabernacle… From the time of the Tabernacle until well after the Temple was destroyed, every Jewish man was required to give one half-shekel weight of silver, approximately eight grams of silver (worth about $4 today), as a mandatory tax to support the Temple… Each man was obligated to give the same amount, regardless of his economic condition, with collection beginning on the first day of the month of Adar…

“Rabbi Hillel Weiss, spokesman for the Sanhedrin, explained… ‘As the preparations for the Temple move forward, the need for that tax is reemerging. Without the half-shekel right now, there can be no Third Temple.’

“It is towards that end that the Sanhedrin minted a coin specifically for the current era. Mordechai Persoff who established the Mikdash Educational Center, a non-profit organization for education about the Temple, is marketing the coin… ‘[We are minting a series of coins to reflect a prophetic process that is unfolding right now,’ Persoff said. ‘Just as Cyrus paved the way that enabled the Jews to build the Second Temple, President Trump began a similar process’…

“Rabbi Weiss noted that the first coin issued by the Sanhedrin featuring Donald Trump and an image of King Cryus was wildly popular. ‘Unfortunately, that popularity came at a price,’ Rabbi Weiss said. ‘Other sources began minting and selling counterfeit versions of the coin… ‘Most of the counterfeiters were from China and Asia where the copyright laws are not as stringently enforced,’ Rabbi Weiss said. ‘It is no wonder that the coronavirus plague originated in a region that stole from the holy half-shekel.’

“Proceeds from the sale of the coin will be used in reenactments of Temple services as well as in other educational and practical endeavors that help prepare for the Third Temple. Should the need arise, the proceeds will be used for the actual building of the Temple.”

On one side of the new coin, it pictures Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu with the American and Israeli flags, including the words in English and Hebrew, “War of the Sons of Light against the Sons of Darkness,” and on the coin’s reverse side, it pictures King Cyrus, the second Temple, a lion with a sword and under it the words “Persian Empire,” and the words, “The Temple Coin” in Persian, Hebrew and English, together with the words “Half Shekel 2020”; and “Cyrus is My Anointed King Isaiah 45” in English and Hebrew.

Final Destination—the Third Temple

Haaretz wrote on February 22:

“Once annexation is achieved, the messianic prize awaits: the gradual takeover of the Temple Mount, in stages. First by allowing Jewish prayer on the Mount and ultimately by establishing a holy temple and renewing ritual sacrificial slaughter.. the final destination of this train is the Temple Mount…

“From the Temple Mount blows a fascist wind unique to Jewish nationalism, and it will not be calmed until the injustice of Al-Aqsa is obliterated and a holy temple is rebuilt…”

While Haaretz is against all of this, their statements are nevertheless revealing.

Eating Unclean or Living Animals!

Breaking Israel News wrote on February 19:

“Many of the early headlines in the international press link the appearance of the virus to the sale, in food markets in China, of many kinds of non-kosher animals, including live foxes, crocodiles, wolf pups, salamanders, snakes, rats, peacocks, porcupines and live koalas… Eating part of a living creature is one of the most severe sins from the Torah, even for non-Jews…

“In Jewish thought, the prohibition against eating from a live animal teaches a deeper lesson. If we tear a limb from a live animal to eat, not only is it cruel, but it also reflects another base character trait. Someone who grabs what they want and eats immediately is focused only on their animal desires. They lack the willpower and refinement to properly prepare their meal before indulging in it.”

Even the very thought of eating such unclean animals like the ones described above or eating parts of a living animal (clean or unclean) is absolutely revolting, disgusting and appalling.

Coronavirus a Serious Problem

Deutsche Welle reported on February 23 [the numbers in the article have been changed as to reflect the status on Wednesday evening]:

“Several Italian towns have taken urgent measures to stop the virus from spreading following the deaths of [by now at least 11] people and more than [320] infections.

“Venice has called off its Carnival celebrations due to the outbreak… The spike in cases also prompted regional authorities to order the closure of schools, businesses and restaurants in Veneto and Lombardy, as well as the cancelation of religious services until further notice…

“Iran has reported [at least 139 infections and 19] deaths, and now Turkey and Pakistan have responded by closing their borders with the Islamic Republic. Afghanistan has suspended air and ground travel to Iran.”

Newsmax added on February 23:

“Concern about the reach and rapid spread of the coronavirus also grew in Europe and the Middle East… Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq and Turkey imposed travel and immigration restrictions on Iran, while Oman on Sunday urged its citizens to steer clear of countries with high infection rates and said arrivals from those nations would be quarantined.”

The Guardian wrote on February 23:

“The world is fast approaching a ‘tipping point’ in the spread of the coronavirus, according to experts who warn that the disease is outpacing efforts to contain it… experts say the situation will soon reach a critical threshold.”

The Drudge Report linked an article of the Associated Press on February 25 with the headline, “World on Lockdown.” Bild wrote: “Mailand (Italy) is becoming a ghost town.” ARD stated that the German Bundespost (German mail) has suspended deliveries to affected areas in Italy.

In the meantime, more cases in Austria, Croatia, Spain and Switzerland have been reported as well, while three infected tourists from Germany, Italy and Britain were detected in the Canary Islands and in Mallorca. As of Wednesday, there are 19 cases in Germany, 13 cases in Great Britain and 12 cases in France, amongst others. [It was reported on Wednesday that one person died of the virus in France.]  China has reported more than 80,000 infections, but the actual figure might be much higher.

The death toll in China as of February 26 was over 2,700. Some experts have stated that it is already too late to avoid a pandemic, and that the pandemic is already here. The WHO seems to want to downplay the matter, stating that the virus has “pandemic” potential, but is not here yet. The WHO seems to be terribly wrong. And the USA might not be spared. See the next articles.

Here are some further updates as of Thursday evening:

Deutsche Welle reported on February 27:

“Italian cases surge… [Italy’s number now stands at 650, and 17 people have died from the respiratory virus.] EU countries said borders will remain open. Germany’s health minister said the country is facing a ‘coronavirus epidemic.‘”

 The Associated Press wrote on February 27:

“The testing in western Germany came after a 47-year-old man with the virus was hospitalized in serious condition in Duesseldorf. The man’s wife, who works in a kindergarten, was also confirmed to have contracted the virus. A soldier in the German air force who had contact with the hospitalized man also has tested positive… [He is the] acting head of the German military hospital in Koblenz.”

Bild Online reported that in Germany, the confirmed cases of people who are infected with the virus have tripled within the last 24 hours, and that over 1,000 people are in quarantine.

The Week wrote on February 27:

 “More than [8,400 people] are being monitored for the coronavirus in California, and 33 people have tested positive… The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday that a person who tested positive for the coronavirus in California might be the first U.S. case of community spread, as they hadn’t recently traveled out of the country or come into contact with anyone who had the virus.”

USA in Danger

Breitbart wrote on February 25:

“As of Tuesday, 57 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in the U.S., which includes the 40 American citizens repatriated from the virus-stricken Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan.”

The Washington Post wrote on February 25:

“Health officials in the United States warned Tuesday that the spread of the novel coronavirus in the country appears inevitable… as global travel disruptions continued to worsen…”

The Sun added on February 25 an article with the following headline:

“Killer Virus Chaos. Americans warned ‘bad’ coronavirus outbreak [a] case of ‘when not if’ as San Francisco declares emergency.”

The article continued:

“The move comes as officials predict hospital overcrowding and less cops on the streets… [The official] cited widespread school closures, a decrease in cops, overloaded hospitals, and deaths as possible outcomes of the outbreak…

“Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex M. Azar II… said the US will need as many as 300 million masks for health care workers, as well as more ventilators for hospitals to prepare for the deadly disease – but the country only stockpiled 30 million N95 surgical masks.”

Our whole health-care system, fragile as it is anyway, can break down in a heartbeat when confronted with a pandemic for which no one is prepared and no vaccines exist.

How the Virus Spreads

MSN wrote on February 24:

“Italy’s experience… shows how the virus can slip onto a new continent undetected, only to then erupt as a sudden crisis, while bringing with it the interruptions and fears that once seemed far away.  Four days ago, Italy had only three confirmed cases of the virus. Now, it has the largest known outbreak outside Asia, pushing the world closer to a pandemic, in which epidemics spread across multiple countries and continents at the same time…

“Some infectious-disease experts have speculated that the virus was already in Italy for weeks, carried by one or more people with negligible symptoms, before it was detected… ‘Half of Italy in quarantine,’ a headline in one of the country’s major newspapers, La Repubblica, said Monday.”

Despite so-called “precautions,” the global spread of the coronavirus is unstoppable. This will have terrible consequences for air travel, and could also adversely affect members and ministers of the Church of God for the upcoming Passover season.

At the Brink of Recession?

CNN wrote on February 23:

“Markets closed out last week on an anxious note. It’s not difficult to see why: the coronavirus continues to spread, and there are signs that some of the world’s top economies could slide into recession as the outbreak compounds pre-existing weaknesses.

“Take Japan: The world’s third-largest economy shrank 1.6% in the fourth quarter of 2019 as the country absorbed the effects of a sales tax hike and a powerful typhoon. It was [the] biggest contraction compared to the previous quarter since 2014.

“Then there’s Germany. The biggest economy in Europe ground to a halt right before the coronavirus outbreak set in, dragged down by the country’s struggling factories…

“Hong Kong is in recession and Singapore could soon suffer a similar fate. Fourth quarter GDP data from Indonesia hit a three-year low, while Malaysia had its worst reading in a decade… Meanwhile, engines of growth like China and India slowed in 2019…

“All of this brings to the fore concerns about the global economy’s ability to withstand a shock from the coronavirus. [It] is poised to make matters worse…

“Even the United States may not be in as strong a position as previously thought… [The] US services sector contracted in February, with the reading hitting a 76-month low. It’s the first time the sector has contracted in four years.”

The Dow Jones dropped by more than 1,000 points on Monday morning, because of fear of the spread of the virus. This was its worst day in two years. On Tuesday, February 25, the Dow dropped a little bit under another 900 points. The 10-year Treasury yield fell to a record low as coronavirus fears of a global pandemic will slow the world economy.

The Week reported on February 27: 

“The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed Thursday down almost 1,200 points [the worst point drop in US history, according to CNN], or over 4.4 percent, while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite were each off 4.4 percent and 4.6 percent, respectively. President Trump has sought to reassure investors that the coronavirus outbreak, which has affected countries around the world, is only a small worry for the stock market… The Dow has lost more than 3,000 points this week.”

All of this shows how quickly our entire somewhat artificial economic system can collapse because of widespread fears and uncertainties.

Tomb of Romulus Found?

AFP wrote on February 21:

“An ancient tomb thought to belong to Rome’s founder Romulus was presented to the world on Friday… The 6th century BC stone sarcophagus, with an accompanying circular altar, was discovered under the Forum in the heart of Italy’s capital over a century ago — but experts could not agree on whether or not it belonged to the fabled figure.

“According to legend, Romulus founded the city after killing his twin brother Remus. The brothers had been raised by a she-wolf — the symbol of Rome shows them sucking at her teats — but later fell out over where to build the new metropolis. Historians have long been divided not only over whether the pair actually existed, but if so where Romulus’ body — which was reportedly dismembered after his death by angry senators — may have been buried.

“… archaeologists called for caution, saying it was impossible to scientifically confirm — and no bones were found inside the sarcophagus… Legend has it he went on to establish the Roman senate and rule as the city’s first king for nearly 40 years… Romulus acquired a cult following, making it more than plausible that the ancient city built a shrine to its beloved — and possibly mythical — founder.”

Regarding the history of ancient Rome, Herman L. Hoeh wrote the following in the Good News magazine in April of 1958:

“Nimrod was the first who totally turned aside after the flood… Later, Nimrod was killed, so they introduced the custom of mourning 40 days in his honor… The ancient Romans celebrated Nimrod’s birthday on December 25…

“After years of oppressing the people for his selfish interests, Shem (according to ancient records) forced Nimrod to flee… to [what became known as] ROME! The ancient name of Rome was ‘Saturnia’… It means the dwelling place of ‘Saturn.’ And the inhabitants of ancient Italy called Nimrod ‘Saturn,’ meaning ‘the hiding one’ — because he ‘lay hid’ from his pursuers… A pagan shrine was later set up on Vatican hill to commemorate this event…

“And the birthday of Nimrod — December 25 — was called the Saturnalia by the Romans. Saturnia fell into decay. A new city, Rome, was later built on the same site — named after Romulus, according to Latin writers.”

The Catholic Church and the Vatican… Compromise upon Compromise

Breaking Israel News wrote on February 21:

“A meeting between the Chinese Foreign Minister and his Vatican counterpart last week resulted in a ‘secret agreement’ that will bring the Chinese government into the process of appointing Catholic Bishops… the agreement… was initiated and approved by Pope Francis… The agreement allows for the Chinese government to pre-approve the Vatican’s appointment of Chinese Bishops… ‘With a view to sustaining the proclamation of the Gospel in China, the Holy Father Pope Francis has decided to readmit to full ecclesial communion the remaining ‘official’ Bishops, ordained without Pontifical Mandate,’ [the Vatican announced]… in return, Beijing would recognize some, though not all, of the bishops previously appointed by the Vatican…

“Retired Hong Kong cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun has long been a critic of Pope Francis’ relations with the Chinese government… Zen issued a statement criticizing the deal, accusing the Vatican of ‘selling out’ mainland Chinese Catholics in order to normalize ties with Communist China. ‘With a totalitarian regime, there’s no possibility of any talk or bargaining…,’ [Zen said].”

This reminds us of the compromise of the Catholic Church when entering into covenants (“concordats”) with Hitler and Mussolini. And as the Church lost in the aftermaths of the bargain, so they will lose again with trying to make a bargain with China.

Trump in Office Beyond 2024?

Inqusitr wrote on February 21:

“At a rally in Las Vegas on Friday, Trump for at least the 28th time said that he planned to remain in office beyond the end of his term… Trump twice alluded to what appears to be his desire to remain in the White House… beyond 2024 — the last full year of his second term…

“In what seemed to be an off-the-cuff monologue in which he congratulated himself for his role in bringing the 2028 Olympic Games to Los Angeles, California… Trump said that there was a ‘distinct possibility’ that he would still be in office by the time of those Olympics.”

We have been saying that Trump will be reelected in 2020 and that he will be the last President of the USA. But this does not have to mean that he could only stay in office until the end of 2024. Note the next article.

The Atlantic wrote on February 22:

“If he is reelected, then, barring other circumstances…, his administration will terminate… in 2025… Trump would cease to be president immediately upon the expiration of his term. But what if he won’t leave the White House?

“The American Constitution spells out how the transfer of power is supposed to work. Article II provides that the president ‘shall hold his office for the term of four years.’ The 20th Amendment says that the president’s and vice president’s terms ‘shall end at noon on the 20th day of January … and the terms of their successors shall then begin.’ Of course, a president may be reelected to a second four-year term, but under the 22nd Amendment, ‘no person shall be elected to the office of president more than twice.’

“… the former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee tweeted, President Trump ‘will be eligible for a 3rd term due to the illegal attempts by Comey, Dems, and media , et al attempting to oust him as [President] so that’s why I was named to head up the 2024 re-election.’… Huckabee is not the first person to suggest that Trump might not leave when his presidency ends.

“In May, the faith leader Jerry Falwell Jr. tweeted an apparent reference to the completed investigation of Special Counsel Robert Mueller into Russian election interference. ‘I now support reparations,’ he wrote. ‘Trump should have 2 yrs added to his 1st term as pay back for time stolen by this corrupt failed coup.’ Trump retweeted Falwell’s post.

“One of Trump’s former confidants, Michael Cohen, has suggested that Trump won’t leave. In his congressional testimony before heading to prison, Trump’s former attorney said, “Given my experience working for Mr. Trump, I fear that if he loses the election in 2020, there will never be a peaceful transition of power.”

“Trump himself has joked about staying in office beyond his term, and even for life. In December, Trump told a crowd at a Pennsylvania rally that he will leave office in ‘five years, nine years, 13 years, 17 years, 21 years, 25 years, 29 years …’ He added that he was joking to drive the media ‘totally crazy.’ Just a few days earlier, Trump had alluded to his critics in a speech, ‘A lot of them say, “You know he’s not leaving”… So now we have to start thinking about that because it’s not a bad idea.’ This is how propaganda works. Say something outrageous often enough and soon it no longer sounds shocking.

“Refusal to leave office is rare, but not unheard of. In the past decade, presidents in democracies such as Moldova, Sri Lanka, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Gambia have refused to leave office, sometimes leading to bloodshed. In 2016, Joseph Kabila decided not to step down after three five-year terms as the president of Congo, announcing that he would delay the election for two years so that a census could be conducted. His decision was met with mass protests in which 50 people were killed by government security forces. Still, he followed through and an election took place in 2018. He left office thereafter.

“Elected officials in the U.S. have also refused to step down, albeit from lower offices than the presidency… The closest thing to a refusal to leave office that the U.S. presidency has experienced was Franklin D. Roosevelt’s break with tradition by seeking a third term. Roosevelt rejected the norm set by George Washington, and followed by successive presidents, to step down after two terms. FDR was elected to a third and even a fourth term, but concern about a permanent executive led to the ratification of the 22nd Amendment in 1951, limiting presidents to two terms…”

“… if Trump should fail in his final duty as president to transfer power peacefully, the nation’s laws, norms, and institutions will be responsible for carrying out the will of the electorate. Should those fail too, then the American experiment’s greatest achievement will come to a grinding halt…”

Of course, the Constitution can always be amended. In a time of war, when a president in power is perceived as strong, while his “successor” would be looked upon as weak and timid, everything could be possible.

Democratic Primary Race a Mess

The Huffington Post wrote on February 26:

“Most of the Democratic field stepped into the debate hall here Tuesday night needing a clear win to upend a messy 2020 presidential primary race. None of them got it.

“In less than a week, South Carolina voters will cast their ballots in the fourth election day of the 2020 presidential cycle — the first race in which African American voters will make up the majority of the electorate. And in exactly a week, 14 states, American Samoa and Democrats abroad will follow suit on Super Tuesday, by the end of which 40% of the American population will have voted.

“But no candidate stepped up to claim a victory, and instead the five men and two women on the debate stage engaged in a shambolic mess of a debate that seems unlikely to have a significant effect on the state of the race, which currently favors Sen. Bernie Sanders. The other candidates chasing him…  didn’t deliver the type of major moment necessary to vault themselves past Sanders in polling. 

“Sanders was the debate’s center of gravity, but the candidates also took plenty of time to jab at candidates who weren’t leading the race ― a telling sign of just how divided the field remains and a look at how Sanders can continue to exploit that division to rack up delegates without becoming a clear front-runner.”

During this chaotic debate, some of the candidates shouted that Sanders and others could not beat President Trump. We agree. None of the candidates will beat Trump. It is a given and pre-ordained that Trump will be reelected. One reason is that he will be used to help in building the prophesied Third Temple. Another reason is to bring this country down, perhaps to the point of civil war, and to totally destroy America’s formerly somewhat friendly relationship with its European allies, which will lead to World War III and the beginning of the Great Tribulation. Note the next article.

USA and Europe … Worlds Apart

CNN wrote on February 17:

“What will a second Donald Trump presidential term look like…? That was the thought in many delegates’ minds as they gathered over the weekend in the southern German city of Munich for a security conference…

“Attacking Trump has become something of a hobby at this annual Bavarian gathering. It is symptomatic of how many in Europe feel that America, and Trump in particular, is withdrawing from the post-World War II world order… Germany in particular has drawn Trump’s ire…

“But for anyone thinking a Democrat may be different… America’s isolation is not a Trumpian thing… it had begun under Obama, the last President’s policies in the Middle East being an example of that… Europe may find America has grown out of love with its Western roots and moved on…”

Controversial US Ambassador to Germany new US Intelligence Chief

The Local wrote on February 21:

“US President Donald Trump’s administration insisted Thursday that new US intelligence chief and Germany ambassador Richard Grenell would serve without a partisan agenda…

“The 53-year-old former political advisor, who has no directly relevant background or top-level management experience, will supervise 17 agencies including the CIA. He has been unusually outspoken for an ambassador in criticizing the country where he serves… His outspoken behaviour… has led some German politicians to demand his expulsion…

“The longtime media commentator and former US spokesman at the United Nations will be the first openly gay US cabinet official… Avoiding a potentially contentious confirmation fight, Trump named him acting director, meaning he can serve for 210 days without approval from the Senate…

“Grenell has cheered on the rise of right-wing populists in Europe, including hailing Austria’s ultra-conservative chancellor, Sebastian Kurz, as a ‘rock star.’ He previously drew controversy as a spokesman for Mitt Romney’s 2012 presidential campaign…

“Senior congressional Republicans were muted in their response to the nomination. But Representative Matt Gaetz, a conservative who backs gay rights, praised the historical importance of the appointment. ‘Fifty years ago a gay man or woman couldn’t work in the intelligence community,’ he said.”

The New York Post added on February 22:

“[His] new job… makes Grenell the highest serving openly gay man to hold federal office in United States history.”

Some achievement! Grenell has been extremely unpopular in Germany, but his “sexual orientation” had nothing to do with it.

Brexit News

 Bloomberg wrote on February 27:

 “U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson told the European Union he’ll walk away from the negotiating table in June if it’s not clear he’s going to get a Canada-style trade agreement with the bloc…”

 The Guardian added:

 “The UK is to abandon a crucial tool used to speed up the transfer of criminals across borders with other European countries. Acting against the warnings of senior law enforcement officials, the government said it would not be seeking to participate in the European arrest warrant (EAW) as part of the future relationship with the European Union… The UK’s loss of the EAW became inevitable after Brexit; the treaty only applies to EU member states…

 “When Britain left the EU on 31 January, three EU countries – Germany, Austria and Slovenia – announced they would stop surrendering their nationals to British law enforcement…”

It is feared that Britain may become the harbor for European criminals.

Trump Administration Enforces Public Charge Rule against Legal Immigrants!

Breitbart wrote on February 24:

“President Trump’s administration on Monday started implementing the federal regulation geared toward stopping likely welfare-dependent legal immigrants from permanently resettling in the United States.

“After the U.S. Supreme Court gave the green light for the regulation, the Trump administration has now begun applying what is known as the ‘Public Charge’ rule—a rule whereby legal immigrants are less likely to secure a permanent residency in the U.S. if they have used any forms of welfare in the past, including any cash benefits for income maintenance, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)– otherwise known as food stamps, Medicaid, and certain taxpayer-funded housing programs.

“The rule will now apply nationwide…”

A horrible and ungodly rule, and even though many in this country might support it, as Breitbart claimed in their article,  it only shows why God is so angry with America’s government and its people. The next article shows even more why we are saying this.

Incredible US Supreme Court Decision

npr wrote on February 26:

“A sharply divided [U.S. Supreme] court first ruled that the parents of a Mexican boy shot and killed by a U.S. border patrol agent cannot sue the officer who killed their son… In 2010, 15-year-old Sergio Hernandez and his friends were playing chicken at the U.S. Mexican border, running up and touching the border fence and then running away and hiding. Video of the scene shows Sergio peeking out from behind a railroad trestle on the Mexico side, as Agent Jesus Mesa Jr. points a gun, fires, and kills the boy.

“When the U.S. government declined to prosecute the agent or turn him over to Mexican authorities to face murder charges there, the boy’s parents sued the agent for damages, contending that he violated the U.S. Constitution by depriving Hernandez of his life. The suit was brought under a 1971 Supreme Court ruling that allowed such damage claims against officers who act in bad faith.

“The panel of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals found that no reasonable officer would have done what Agent Mesa did under the circumstances, but the full appeals court said that it didn’t matter whether Mesa had acted unreasonably because Hernandez was standing on the Mexican side of the border when he was shot, his parents couldn’t sue.

“On Tuesday, the Supreme Court threw out the suit entirely and went much further… The vote was 5-to-4 with the court’s conservative justices refusing to allow damage suits for cross-border shootings…

“Mexico filed a brief in the case saying the U.S. should ‘hold the agents accountable’ and pointing out that the U.S. ‘would expect no less if … a Mexican government agent, standing in Mexico and shooting across the border, had killed an American child standing on U.S. soil.’”

No matter what the legalese and the concocted arguments, if there are any, the Supreme Court came up with, this ungodly decision decries any sense of justice. We are facing a grim future of our country with these kinds of unconscionable decisions of our highest court.

Mubarak Died

Deutsche Welle reported on February 25:

“Former president of Egypt, Hosni Mubarak, has died at the age of 91… Mubarak, who had ruled Egypt for three decades and was ousted by mass protests in 2011, died of health complications at a Cairo hospital where he had undergone an unspecified surgery… The former strongman and his two sons were convicted to a three-year sentence and ordered to pay millions of dollars in fines for embezzlement of state funds… Egypt’s current president, Abdel Fattah el-Sissi, mourned the death of ousted Mubarak as a ‘military leader and war hero’ and offered the government’s condolences to his family…

“A former bomber pilot, Mubarak came to power after his predecessor Anwar Sadat was gunned down standing next to him at a military parade. Throughout his rule, Mubarak was a staunch US ally, fought back against Islamic militancy and promoted Egypt’s peace with Israel. But in 2011, tens of thousands of young Egyptians rallied against him for 18 days of unprecedented street protests in Cairo’s central Tahrir Square that drew the participation of millions of people.

“Mubarak’s downfall was a stunning development that marked the Arab Spring movement. But his overthrow plunged Egypt into years of instability and set the stage for a power struggle between the country’s military and the Muslim Brotherhood.”

The Algemeiner added on February 25:

“‘On behalf of the citizens and government of Israel, I would like to express deep sorrow on the passing of President Hosni Mubarak,’ Netanyahu said in a statement. ‘President Mubarak, my personal friend, was a leader who led his people to peace and security, to peace with Israel.’…

“Mubarak… was widely respected in Israel for his preservation of the peace treaty signed in 1979 by his assassinated predecessor Anwar Sadat.”

The Week reported:

“Mubarak was Egypt’s longest-serving leader in 150 years, and his violent crackdown on the protests led to his arrest and life imprisonment. He was released in 2017 after a higher court acquitted him of most charges.”

Some might recall Herbert W. Armstrong’s highly publicized friendly relationship with Anwar Sadat and his visit with Mubarak after Sadat’s murder.

Germany’s Uncertain Political Future

According to new polls, only every 5^th German would like to see Angela Merkel stay in power. Local elections in the city of Hamburg (the second-biggest city of Germany), which has been traditionally SPD-friendly, have also shown another defeat for Merkel’s CDU, with the historically lowest numbers of only about 11.2%. The Green party gained, while the AfD barely made the 5% hurdle. The FDP did not even qualify. The SPD has maintained its status as the biggest party in Hamburg, but it too registered substantial losses. The CDU wants to elect their new leader on April 25. This leader would then also normally become the successor to Angela Merkel as the candidate for Chancellorship.

Germany Allows Assisted Suicide

Deutsche Welle reported on February 26:

“Germany’s highest court has overturned a section of the criminal code forbidding all forms of assisted suicide… The law was adopted in 2015 by Germany’s parliament, the Bundestag, to prevent associations or individuals from turning suicide into a kind of business. Specifically, the law states that ‘anyone who, with the intention of assisting another person to commit suicide, provides, procures or arranges the opportunity for that person to do so and whose actions are intended as a recurring pursuit incurs a penalty of imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years or a fine.’

“Legal experts have since hotly debated whether the law also criminalizes consultations — or merely mentioning, for example, that one may end one’s life by foregoing food… The Protestant and Catholic churches in Germany reject all forms of assisted suicide…

“The country‘s top court on February 26 ruled that paragraph 217 is incompatible with the constitution, making assisted suicide once more possible in Germany… The verdict opens the door to legislation that would allow doctors to counsel patients about this option and provide them with lethal drugs, yet not administer them. The court found that individuals have a right to ‘self-determined’ suicide, including the freedom to take one’s own life and to enlist organized services provided by third parties…”

Suicide is always wrong. It violates God’s commandments. In German, the word for suicide is “Selbstmord”—that is, murdering oneself. And so, assisted suicide is helping another person to kill or murder him- or herself, which is of course also wrong. Even though man’s courts and laws might allow such conduct, this does not mean that a Christian should or could engage in such practices.

Daredevil Wanted to Prove that the Earth Is Flat and Died in the Process

The Los Angeles Times wrote on February 22:

“Mike Hughes, the self-made engineer who billed himself as the ‘world’s greatest daredevil,’ was killed Saturday outside Barstow during a launch of a homemade rocket gone wrong… Hughes, who went by the nickname ‘Mad Mike,’ was captured on video as he rode a rocket into the sky, failed to activate a parachute and then plummeted to his death… The daredevil had been hoping to use Saturday’s launch to reach a height of 5,000 feet… None of Hughes’ backup parachutes activated, either…

“Before that launch, Hughes told the Associated Press that he believed Earth is flat – or, in his words, ‘shaped like a Frisbee’ – and that he wanted to fly into space to make sure… the flat Earth argument helped drum up publicity and sponsors for Hughes, who made his rockets at his home in Apple Valley… [Hughes also] did have some governmental conspiracy theories…”

Bild Online added that he wanted to reach space “high-up” with a self-made rocket to “prove that the earth is a disc.” The flat earth theory is total nonsense. We don’t know whether any relationship exists between some of his stupid ideas and his death.

Acknowledgement and Disclaimer

These Current Events are compiled and commented on by Norbert Link. We gratefully acknowledge the many contributions of news articles from our readership. The publication of articles in this section is not to be viewed as an endorsement or approval as to contents or accuracy of the selected articles, but they are published for the purpose of pointing at worldwide developments in the light of biblical end-time prophecy and godly instruction. Our own comments are provided in italics.

Europe’s “Need” for Military Power

Deutsche Welle wrote on February 14:

“German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas… called on his country and all of Europe to take on a greater international security role… ‘For too long, we Europeans have shut our eyes to the uncomfortable reality of what a withdrawal of the US from military engagement and from international treaties means for us,’ Maas said… Mass called for the ‘construction of a European security and defense union…’

“Striking a similar tone earlier in the day as he opened [this year’s three-day Munich Security] conference, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier criticized the US for neglecting its international duties and warned of an ‘increasingly destructive dynamic in world politics.’…

“Macron pushing for Europe to become more independent from the United States…”

And this is exactly what will happen… and not in a peaceful way.

Needed—European Strength

Deutsche Welle wrote on February 15:

“The French president projected a vision of a Europe with new military power… As the only nuclear power in the EU, he also foresaw greater European sovereignty. ‘We cannot always go through the United States, no, we have to think in a European way as well,’ French President Emmanuel Macron said… as he continued a theme of his presidency: projecting bold European sovereignty onto the international stage.

“He was referring specifically to Europe’s nuclear assets… Macron has already invited Germany to take part in a strategic dialogue over France’s nuclear weapon policy… Macron said he was ‘convinced that we need a much stronger Europe in defense.’

“… he said it was clear that Europe and the US also had different interests… ‘Mediterranean policy: that is a European thing, not a trans-Atlantic thing, and the same goes for Russia — we need a European policy, not just a trans-Atlantic policy.’

“The theme of European strength was taken up in Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer’s speech on Saturday. The German defense minister said she ‘completely agreed’ with Macron. She even proposed one way in which this might be brought about: a joint EU military strategy for the Strait of Hormuz, independent of the US policy of ‘maximum pressure’ on Iran… German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas also insisted that now, with the growing confrontation between the US and China, it was more vital than ever that the EU ‘speak with one voice’…”

While everybody seems overly anxious to emphasize the need and importance for Europe to act within NATO and to be a pillar of NATO, the reality is that Europe is striving to become a military power on its own—with or without NATO and especially without China, Russia or the USA.

Newsmax wrote on February 16: “Europeans are already feeling uneasy about the state of NATO.”

On February 14, Wallstreet Online wrote about the former SPD-Chief and President of the EU Parliament, Martin Schulz, as saying that while he is supporting NATO, Germany must become more active militarily in foreign countries. He also criticized strongly the conduct of US President Donald Trump, stating, “The US is not willing to enter into a covenant.” He said that Trump takes the position, “Who is not with me, is against me. And those who are against me will be neutralized.” He said that Europe has to free itself from the embrace of a president who is able to cause chaos for the entire world. He also criticized Macron who had rejected the concept that European partners have a say in the French use of nuclear weapons.”

Just don’t forget Martin Schulz! He was not termed the “German Donald Trump” without a reason.

US and Europe… No longer Friends

Deutsche Welle wrote on February 16:

“Friend or foe?… Tensions had been simmering for a long time, and now they’ve come to the fore: At the Munich Security Conference, the deep cracks in the trans-Atlantic relationship have become more apparent than ever. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s reply to German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier’s opening speech showed that Europe — or at least Berlin, and even more so Paris — is further away from Washington than ever…

“One thing is certain: There will be no return to the heyday of close trans-Atlantic ties… There is much talk of Europe becoming a sovereign, strategic, political power. There are demands that Germany once again learns the language of power…

“With regard to future trans-Atlantic relations, three positions have emerged. Firstly, the French vision of European independence. Secondly, the prevailing position — especially in Eastern Europe — that one should be closely connected to Washington, no matter what. And thirdly, Germany’s indecision between these positions. However, one can predict with some certainty that if Donald Trump wins a second term in the White House in November, the French vision will get a massive shot in the arm — including from Berlin.

“President Emmanuel Macron… brings incredible dynamism to the European debate. He fights for European independence. He wants a common foreign and defense policy. And if that does not work for all 27 remaining EU members after Brexit, then Paris would be happy to work with those that do support the idea repeatedly advocated at the conference, to create a Europe capable of action in the face of the ‘rivalry of the great powers.’”

And so, the concept of a core Europe or a Europe with two speeds is again brought to the forefront. And that is exactly what is prophesied to happen. The Bible speaks of ten nations or groups of nations under a powerful leader. Please view our new StandingWatch program, “Europe and America–No Longer Friends.” 

US and EU in Parallel Universes

Politico wrote on February 16:

“For decades, the Munich Security Conference served as a powerful symbol of the strength of the Western alliance. The 2020 installment offered a testament to its accelerating decline.

“If the three-day event, which drew to a close on Sunday, illustrated anything, it was that the divergence between the U.S. and the dominant European powers — Germany and France… — is greater than ever…

“The two sides aren’t just far apart on the big questions facing the West (threats from Russia, Iran, China), they’re in parallel universes. Most alarming: The biggest disconnect concerns the U.S. commitment to Europe, the very essence of the transatlantic alliance itself.

“In speech after speech, whether in public or private, European leaders lamented what they perceive as the U.S.’s disengagement from both the region and the world at large…”

The relationship between the USA and the EU will not be cured, but will get worse and worse.

The EU-USA Fight Over China

“On February 16, Newsmax published the following article:

“The fight between the U.S. and Europe over Chinese technology is threatening to split the transatlantic military alliance.

“With the U.S. defense establishment identifying China as its No. 1 priority, a bi-partisan delegation headed by Secretary of State Michael Pompeo and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi rammed home their concerns about the use of equipment from Huawei Technologies Co. at the Munich Security Conference over the weekend. The officials warned that installing Huawei kit could undermine cooperation with U.S. allies as Donald Trump’s hardball trade tactics started to infect his administration’s relationships on defense. ‘Republicans and Democrats agree on this,’ said Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a close ally of President Donald Trump. ‘If you go down the Huawei road you are going to burn a lot of bridges.’

“European leaders have been hunkering down amid the Huawei storm as they try to maintain their critical relations with both sides in the U.S.-China trade war… Europe’s exports to China have become a critical plank in its economic model and the Chinese have threatened retaliation on European companies if the bloc follows Trump in banning one of its flagship technology companies.

“The U.S. was on the back foot throughout because their strong arm tactics have conspicuously failed to bring the Europeans into line… Even the U.K., which has been energetically courting the White House as it begins life outside the EU, opted to use Huawei kit. ‘We have a tech Cold War right now that’s on display…,’ said Ian Bremmer, president and founder of political risk consultancy Eurasia Group. ‘There’s never been such a rift with how Americans and Europeans define the security threat as right now.’…”

Axios added on February 16:

“Pelosi’s hawkish stance marks a rare area of agreement with the Trump administration, which believes Huawei is a national security threat because the Chinese government may be capable of accessing its equipment for espionage.”

And if that would not be enough, note the article below about another bone of contention.

The Fight for and against the Nord Stream 2 Gas Pipeline

Bloomberg wrote on February 15:

“President Donald Trump’s top energy official [U.S. Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette] said he’s confident that Russia won’t be able to complete the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea — and signaled that the U.S. will press forward with its opposition to the project… ‘It’s going to be a very long delay, because Russia doesn’t have the technology,’ Brouillette said…

“The pipeline, which would pump as much as 55 billion cubic meters of natural gas annually from fields in Siberia directly to Germany, has become a focus for geopolitical tensions across the Atlantic. Trump has assailed Germany for giving ‘billions’ to Russia for gas while it benefits from U.S. protection. Nord Stream 2’s owners had invested 5.8 billion euros ($6.3 billion) in the project by May 2019…

“U.S. sanctions in December forced Switzerland’s Allseas Group SA, which was laying the sub-sea pipes, to abandon work, throwing the project into disarray…

“Even as he spoke, signs emerged that Gazprom’s attempts at completion may be underway. A Russian pipe-laying vessel, the Akademik Cherskiy, left the port where it had been stationed in Nakhodka on Russia’s Pacific coast last Sunday. Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak last year mentioned that vessel as an option to complete the pipeline in Denmark’s waters. The vessel is now expected to arrive in Singapore on Feb. 22…

“One of the pipeline’s financial backers, Austrian gas and oil company OMV AG has predicted that the Russians will follow through… The pipeline was just weeks away from completion, with 94% already constructed, when U.S. sanctions halted work. There’s a small section in Denmark’s waters that needs to be finished. Before the halt, Nord Stream 2 hoped to finish construction by the end of 2019 or in the first few months of this year. That would allow gas deliveries in time to supply Europe by winter 2020-2021. Besides OMV, Nord Stream 2’s other European backers are Royal Dutch Shell Plc, Uniper SE, Engie SA and Wintershall AG.”

Whatever the final outcome, strong frictions between the USA and especially Germany over the issue will continue.

“EU and Britain Will Rip Each Other Apart”

The Guardian wrote on February 16:

“Britain and the European Union are going to rip each other apart in talks over a future trade deal, the French foreign minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian, has predicted… He added that on his desk in his office he had massive files showing the issues of contention between the UK and France, including over fishing rights…

“France and several other countries want to be able to keep fishing in British waters, while London wants full autonomy and limited access for European fishermen… Nearly 30% of the turnover of French fishermen relies on access to British waters.”

Much more than just fishing rights is involved. The EU and Britain will turn out to become bitter enemies.

EU Warns Israel and Rejects Trump’s Peace Plan

Breaking Israel News wrote on February 14:

“The European Union’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, sent a message to Israel on Tuesday not to annex the Jordan Valley in the West Bank or else Palestinians could resort to violence. ‘This may happen. … You can be sure it’s not going to be peaceful,’ Borrell told the European Parliament…

“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Tuesday that he plans to annex the valley if he wins re-election in the March 2 elections.

“Borrell also made clear his rejection of parts of U.S. President Donald Trump’s new peace plan… ‘The proposals… clearly challenge the internationally agreed parameters. It is difficult to see how this initiative can bring both parties back to the table,’ Borrell said…”

It is to be anticipated that Israel will annex the valley, and Europe might react strongly.

Far-Right Terrorist Attack in Germany

Deutsche Welle wrote on February 20:

“A gunman… is thought to have killed nine people and injured at least four in two shisha bars in the city of Hanau, not far from Frankfurt. [The clientele at the bars were thought to be predominantly Kurdish.] He then went home where he is suspected of killing his mother before killing himself…

“Ahead of the attack, he is suspected of having spread racist, xenophobic and anti-Semitic hate speech and conspiracy theories online. Federal prosecutors are now investigating whether he had any contact with other far-right terrorists…

“The attack is a clear indication: Far-right terrorism is on the rise in Germany…

“Just last week, German police conducted raids on 13 apartments across the country and dismantled a terror cell that was allegedly planning to plunge Germany into a ‘state of civil war’ by committing ‘as yet undefined’ attacks on politicians, asylum-seekers and Muslims. Four suspected would-be attackers were arrested, as well as another eight individuals suspected of supporting them.

“At first glance, it would seem that the police, security services and prosecutors were able to stop a terrorist group with fixed plans. But the challenge facing investigators is now to provide evidence that is sufficiently convincing that the suspected plotters are put on trial. The difficulty of doing so is well illustrated in the case of Franco A., a lieutenant in the Bundeswehr, Germany’s armed forces. Franco A. was suspended and arrested in 2017 after being charged with the ‘preparation of a serious act of violent subversion.’ He spent seven months in pre-trial custody, accused of wanting to commit attacks on famous politicians, including now-Foreign Minister Heiko Maas and Vice-President of the German Bundestag, Claudia Roth.

“Although there was evidence that he had stockpiled weapons and explosives and the names of potential victims were known, the Frankfurt Higher Regional Court dropped the charge that he was planning a terrorist attack on the basis that there was ‘insufficient evidence.’ The court found that he had a ‘racist ethno-nationalist and anti-Semitic attitude’ but said that it was also ‘highly probable’ that he had not yet made a ‘firm decision’ to carry out any attacks.

“The Federal Court of Justice — Germany’s highest criminal court — has since instructed the Frankfurt Higher Regional Court to open criminal proceedings, but no trial date has been set. The tug-of-war shows how high the legal hurdles can be in Germany despite numerous adjustments to the law. It is thus not at all certain that the 12 detained last week will end up on trial…”

This is a terrible dilemma. When you act too early, the suspected criminals might go free. If you act too late, many innocent victims might be killed. Only the just government of Jesus Christ, after His Return, will end such nonsense.

Satanic Possession?

The Guardian added on February 20:

“Angela Merkel has said the murder of nine people in a shooting rampage by a suspected rightwing extremist has revealed the ‘poison’ of racism and hate in Germany. The man… carried out attacks at two shisha bars in Hanau… before killing his mother, bringing the death toll up to 10, and himself, police said.

“Investigators said he [has] a ‘deeply racist mindset’, citing a video and a lengthy manifesto he had posted on social media. Authorities said they were treating the attacks as an act of domestic terrorism…

“In a 24-page manifesto and a video, Rathjen outlined his racist theories including his belief that certain races should be eliminated and foreigners who could not be deported from Germany should be ‘destroyed’. He said he had been driven by voices in his head since birth and followed by secret agents…

“One expert said domestic intelligence agents believed there were 24,000 rightwing extremists in Germany, 13,000 of whom were considered potentially dangerous…”

This seems to be a case of serious mental sickness and of demonic influence, if not possession.

The Algemeiner wrote on February 20:

“In a statement on Thursday, World Jewish Congress President Ronald Lauder said his organization was ‘extremely concerned about the rising threats against minorities in Germany from both sides of the political landscape in Germany.’”

This reminds us of the situation in Germany after the first World War, when right- and left- extremists were fighting each other. 

Merkel and German Government Heavily Criticized

Deutsche Welle wrote on February 16:

“A leading contender to succeed German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Sunday criticized her for taking too long to respond to a French proposal on a post-Brexit reform of the European Union. ‘We take too long to react,’ Armin Laschet, North Rhine-Westphalia’s state premier, said at the Munich Security Conference. ‘I would like to apologize on behalf of the German government,’ the co-vice-chair of the ruling Christian Democrats (CDU) added…

“A day earlier, Macron said that he was ‘impatient’ with Germany’s reluctance to take up his offer to cooperate on implementing EU reforms. He added that Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU)- and SPD-led government has not lived up to the promise in their 2018 agreement to create a ‘fresh start; for Europe’…

“Laschet, who is seen as a compromise figure between the CDU’s conservative and centrist wings, is one of three [now four] potential contenders [the other two are Friedrich Merz and Jens Spahn, and now Norbert Roettgen, see below] to lead the party and become its candidate for the chancellery…”

Merkel has become a lame duck… nationally and internationally.

A Fourth Candidate for German Chancellorship—Dr. Norbert Roettgen

Business Day wrote on February 18:

“As head of the parliamentary foreign affairs committee, Roettgen has carved out an international profile, speaking out on issues from Brexit to China’s Huawei. However… few political analysts rate his chances.

“Merkel sacked him as environment minister in 2012 after he lost an election in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany’s most populous state…

“Other CDU leadership contenders are right-wing health minister Jens Spahn, and Armin Laschet, premier of North Rhine-Westphalia, a centrist widely seen as a continuity candidate although he sharply criticised Merkel’s Europe policy on Sunday [as well as former parliamentary group leader Friedrich Merz].”

Dr. Roettgen studied law in Bonn and subsequently worked as an attorney before entering politics. He is Roman Catholic, married, with two sons and one daughter. His biggest defeat was in 2012 when his party scored the worst results ever in a state election and was dismissed by Merkel as environment minister. Shortly thereafter, he also lost his office of vice-president of the CDU. His surprise announcement of his candidacy resulted in an unexpected approval of Bild Online readers. In an initial poll, Roettgen received more votes than Merz, and he also received more votes than Spahn and Laschet combined.   

Is Germany Ready for Spahn?

On February 15, Bild Online published an article about Jens Spahn (39) with the following headline: “Are we ready for a male Mrs. Chancellor?” (“Sind wir bereit für ’ne männliche Kanzlerin?“)

In the article, they said that the future belongs to Spahn, but that he has to become more likeable; that he stands for a departure from Merkel’s asylum policy; that as Health Minister, he introduced compulsory measles vaccination [for children and employees of kindergarten and schools and a ban of a “therapy” to convert homosexuals under 18 or “coercing, deceiving or threatening anyone older into such treatment”]; that he is a friend of Austria’s Chancellor Sebastian Kurz; and that he is supported by President of Parliament Wolfgang Schäuble. The article also points out that Spahn, [who is a Roman Catholic and openly gay], is “married” since December of 2017 with Burda-Manager Daniel Funke (38). Both may consider adopting a child in the future.

Spahn had to face several defeats and strong criticism in his political career.

Wikipedia writes: “ In 2018, Merkel stated her intention not to seek re-election for the CDU party leadership. Immediately, Spahn announced his intention to stand for election as her successor in December 2019, but he was eliminated in the first round of voting…

“In April 2008 Spahn voiced his opposition to grand coalition plans to increase pensions… This brought him strong criticism, especially from the Senior Citizens Union (Senioren-Union). Spahn received many insults and threats in the form of anonymous letters, inter alia, and complained of this in the media. The Senior Citizens Union announced it would do everything to prevent his re-election, but Spahn received the support of former president of Germany Roman Herzog.”

Major Pete Buttigieg vs. Rush Limbaugh on Homosexuality

The Huffington Post wrote on February 16:

“Pete Buttigieg on Sunday shrugged off Rush Limbaugh’s… remarks regarding his marriage, saying he isn’t going to ‘take lectures on family values’ from the right-wing radio host… ‘Well, I love my husband,’ Buttigieg told [CNN]… ‘I’m faithful to my husband,’ he continued…

“Limbaugh referred to the openly gay Democratic presidential candidate kissing his husband Chasten Buttigieg at least five times during his show on Wednesday… ‘A gay guy, 37 years old, loves kissing his husband on debate stages,’ Limbaugh said…

“Limbaugh… announced earlier this month that he has advanced lung cancer… Limbaugh also promoted the… conspiracy theory that former President Barack Obama was not born in the U.S…. also embraced by Trump in 2011… Trump earlier this month awarded Limbaugh the Presidential Medal of Freedom― the highest civilian honor given by a U.S. president…”

We omitted the hate-filled anti-Limbaugh polemic in the article, but rather chose to quote where we can agree with Limbaugh. The Bible terms the practice of homosexual relationships an abomination; and there are still many lingering unanswered questions about Obama’s birthplace.  

Finland to Prosecute for Biblical Statement on Homosexuality

The Jerusalem Post wrote on February 19:

“The head of an Evangelical Lutheran diocese in Finland and a member of the Finnish parliament could face criminal charges after police began investigating them last week regarding the publication and distribution of an [24-page] anti-LGBTQ booklet… which was published in 2004… Helsinki Police questioned them for five hours as part of the investigation.

“According to the state prosecutor-general,… the booklet ‘incites hatred’ against the LGBTQ community… As a result, both [the author and the publisher] could face charges of ‘ethnic agitation,’ a crime of racism in the Finnish Penal Code. Despite intending to only cover ethnic and racial discrimination, legislation in 2011 added discrimination against sexual orientation to the charge…

“[The publisher] said that the LGBTQ lifestyle ‘is contrary to God’s order of creation and a transgression against His will. If one is not allowed to teach this publicly, the message of sin and grace will be left without a foundation, and freedom of religion will decline.’…

“This is not the first time that [the author] – a former Finnish interior minister, leader of the Christian Democratic Party and a sitting MP since 1995 – has made headlines for anti-LGBTQ controversy. He is well-known for being a Conservative voice outspoken in defending traditional Christian views on numerous ethical issues such as abortion and marriage.”

This is Satan’s world, and Satan will do everything he can to destroy Christian values. We can expect worse things to happen until his power will be broken through the return of Jesus Christ.

Did the Coronavirus Start in a Chinese Laboratory?

Daily Mail wrote on February 16:

“Did [the] coronavirus originate in [a] Chinese government laboratory? Scientists believe [that the] killer disease may have begun in [a] research facility … [which] is just 300 yards from the seafood market and is adjacent to the hospital… [one of the 605] bats [kept in the facility] – which are linked to coronavirus – once attacked a researcher and ‘blood of bat was on his skin.’”

We suggested from the outset that it might be possible that the virus was created in Chinese laboratories. There is no end to the stupidity of man.

Axios wrote on February 19:

“We may be ‘at the brink’ of a global pandemic, warns a top U.S. public health official, as cases continue to spread despite containment efforts. Meanwhile, the global economy is being affected, including the tech manufacturing industry.

“COVID-19 has now killed more than 2,000 people and infected over 75,000 others, mostly in mainland China, where… 136 new deaths [were announced] since Tuesday.”

Locust Plague Impossible to Stop

AFP wrote on February 19:

“… millions of yellow locusts rise into the northern Ugandan sky, despite hours spent spraying vegetation with chemicals in an attempt to kill them…  The locusts arrived in South Sudan this week after hitting Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya, Djibouti, Eritrea, Tanzania, Sudan and Uganda…

“One swarm in Kenya reached around 2,400 square kilometres (about 930 square miles) — an area almost the size of Moscow — meaning it could contain up to 200 billion locusts… A swarm that size can consume food for 85 million people per day…”

“[A tragedy for especially South Sudan is in the making, with] concerns already high of a humanitarian crisis in a region where 12 million are going hungry… One swarm of 40 to 80 million can consume food for over 35,000 people in a day… eggs laid across the migratory path will hatch in the next two months, and will continue breeding as the rainy season arrives in the region… Since 2018 a long period of dry weather followed by a series of cyclones that dumped water on the region created ‘excessively ideal conditions’ for locusts to breed…”

We hear more and more about unparalleled plagues, earthquakes, volcanoes, bad weather conditions, as well as wars and rumors of wars, with one nation rising against another nation, and one kingdom against another kingdom.

Second Storm Hammers Britain

ABC News wrote on February 16:

“Storm Dennis hammered Britain Sunday, bringing a month’s worth of rain in just 48 hours to parts of South Wales, which bore the brunt of the country’s second severe storm inside a week. Rivers across Britain burst their banks… Dennis has been so intense that England posted a record number of flood warnings and alerts and a rare ‘red warning’ for extremely life-threatening flooding was announced for South Wales… Flood warnings could remain in place for a while since much of Britain is still saturated from last week’s Storm Ciara, which left eight people dead across Europe…

“There were transport disruptions too, with hundreds of flights cancelled due to the high winds while train services were repeatedly disrupted by flooding. Tens of thousands of passengers were being affected on what is a major travel weekend for British families as many schools close for a mid-winter break.”

Neanderthals Buried Their Dead

The Guardian wrote on February 18:

“A Neanderthal skeleton unearthed in an Iraqi cave… is providing fresh evidence that they buried their dead… and conducted funerary rites with flowers.

“Neanderthals inhabited Eurasia from the Atlantic coast to the Ural Mountains… The two species [allegedly, the Neanderthal man and modern man or homo sapiens] interbred, with modern non African-human populations bearing residual Neanderthal DNA.”

Business Insider added:

“‘In recent years we have seen increasing evidence that Neanderthals were more sophisticated than previously thought, from cave markings to use of decorative shells and raptor talons,’ [archeologist Emma] Pomeroy said. ‘If Neanderthals were using Shanidar cave as a site of memory for the repeated ritual interment of their dead, it would suggest cultural complexity of a high order,’ she added.”

Much nonsense has been written and taught in schools about the Neanderthal man. For the truth, please read our free booklet, “Heavens and Earth… Before and After the First Man.”

Acknowledgement and Disclaimer

These Current Events are compiled and commented on by Norbert Link. We gratefully acknowledge the many contributions of news articles from our readership. The publication of articles in this section is not to be viewed as an endorsement or approval as to contents or accuracy of the selected articles, but they are published for the purpose of pointing at worldwide developments in the light of biblical end-time prophecy and godly instruction. Our own comments are provided in italics.

Turmoil in Germany

MSNBC wrote on February 8 about the AfD’s role as kingmaker by supporting a FDP candidate in Thuringia:

“‘A pact with fascism,’ one headline screamed. Another gasped about ‘a coup.’ Protesters gathered spontaneously in major cities across the country, chanting anti-fascist slogans. Even the chancellor weighed in from afar during a visit to South Africa: ‘It was a bad day for democracy,’ she said darkly.

“Three years after the Alternative for Germany (AfD) became the first far-right party to enter Germany’s national parliament since World War II, the events underscored how the country’s beleaguered traditional parties are still struggling to deal with the new disruptive force… For many Germans, allowing the far right to be kingmakers conjures up dark memories… It did not help that Thuringia is precisely where, in the dying days of the Weimar Republic more than 90 years ago, the Nazis first won power locally, before going on to win nationally — with the help of conservative parties. This history echoed loudly across the country…

“The taboo of not collaborating with the AfD, while sacred, is at risk of crumbling in an increasingly fragmented political landscape. So far, no German state governor has been elected with support from the Alternative for Germany. But the Alternative for Germany has steadily broadened its presence in state legislatures. Especially in eastern states, it has in recent elections been among the top finishers.

“The events in Thuringia were all the more symbolic — and significant — because it is the fief of the AfD’s most notorious far-right leader, Björn Höcke… The photo of Mr. Höcke shaking hands with the victorious center-right candidate, Thomas Kemmerich, prompted particular outrage. ‘Handshake of shame’ the front page headline of the tabloid Bild read. The new governor ‘gets elected by neo-Nazi Höcke.’

“But even beyond Thuringia, enforcing a ban on cooperating with the AfD is proving to be tricky… Some fear it is only a question of time before it arrives on the federal level, where the AfD is the leading opposition party in the national parliament…

“The AfD, meanwhile, has enjoyed accusing mainstream parties of distorting democracy by ignoring the will of voters. For it, the week’s events served as a case in point.”

And that is very true. The more the mainstream and the social media and the mainstream, as well as left-wing, politicians rail against the AfD—even sabotaging and trying to circumvent and silence the declared will of the voters–the more the popularity of the party will increase, as voters are very dissatisfied with the perceived lack of accomplishment by their “established” parties.

As Bloomberg reported on February 8, “Merkel in an unusual step fired a government official from her party who had congratulated Kemmerich for his election. The official, Christian Hirte, is the federal government’s top liaison for the eastern German states and the CDU’s deputy leader in Thuringia.”

Merkel’s overreaction will harm her. Kemmerich announced on Saturday that he was quitting immediately after he had previously announced his immediate resignation, only to subsequently revoke it. Still, as premier, he is obligated to continue in a caretaker capacity until a successor takes up office.

This might require new state elections.

In fact, it might even require new federal elections very soon. Note the next articles.

Another Big Blow in Germany—AKK to Resign

Deutsche Welle wrote on February 10:

“Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer surprised fellow members of the Christian Democrats (CDU) on Monday by announcing that she would step down from her position as the head of the party and would not run for chancellor. She said the candidate for chancellor should also lead the party. Kramp-Karrenbauer intends to stay on as defense minister… She spoke of the need to create a strong CDU, saying that recent events in the eastern state of Thuringia had weakened the party…

“AKK, as she is commonly known, has struggled through a series of scandals that have sowed doubt about her ability to lead the country effectively…

“In 2018, Kramp-Karrenbauer had emerged victorious in the first grassroots contest for CDU leadership… winning against [Friedrich] Merz, who is currently vice president of the business council of the CDU, and Health Minister Jens Spahn… Members of an ultraconservative wing of the CDU came out in favor of Merz as party head. The parliamentary group leader of the Greens… responded to the news by warning the CDU against shifting to the right… AfD parliamentary group head Alexander Gauland… said the decision created an opportunity for the two parties to improve their relations. Kramp-Karrenbauer had ‘plunged the CDU into chaos with her policy of exclusion,’ Gauland said.”

Who Will Succeed Merkel?

The Local wrote on February 10:

“The race to succeed Angela Merkel as Germany’s chancellor became more unpredictable than ever Monday after her protegee Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer threw in the towel as leader of the centre-right party. Here’s a look at four possible candidates for the chancellery from Merkel’s CDU/CSU conservative bloc…

“Friedrich Merz, 64, has never forgiven Merkel for driving him out as head of the party’s group of MPs in the Bundestag in 2002… He was narrowly beaten in the vote for party leader by Merkel’s preferred successor Kramp-Karrenbauer in December 2018, and has been waiting in the wings ever since…

“State premier of Germany’s most populous region North Rhine-Westphalia, 58-year-old Armin Laschet could emerge as the compromise candidate… He has won plaudits for his tough stance against criminal gangs in his state, while his liberal leanings make him acceptable to Merkel’s centre-left coalition partner, the Social Democratic Party (SPD)…

“At just 39 years old the youngest potential candidate, the ambitious [and openly gay] Health Minister Jens Spahn is seen by many as the ‘anti-Merkel’. Highly critical of Merkel’s decision to open the door to an influx of asylum seekers in 2015, he is liked by the CDU’s more right-wing faction. ‘Spahn would represent a new start,’ the conservative Frankfurter Allgemeine daily said, seeing in him ‘a brave party leader’ and ‘potent’ possible chancellor…

“The 53-year-old leader of Merkel’s Bavarian CSU sister party [Markus Söder] is seen as having a more distant shot at the chancellery — and may not even want to throw his hat in the ring…”

The choice of AKK’s successor could be decisive for the survival of the CDU and the grand coalition. It could also open the door for closer cooperation between the CDU and the AfD. In addition, calls for Merkel’s resignation—even within her own party—are getting louder.

Bild Online asked the pointed question about Jens Spahn: “Would Germany be ready for a gay chancellor?“ Spahn already announced that he has always said that he is ready to accept “responsibility.” AKK stated that a new chancellor candidate would be recommended by her party (CDU) in the summer and confirmed in December. Whether the CDU has time to wait that long is questionable.

Is Merkel Destroying Her Party?

The conservative mass tabloid, Bild Online, wrote on February 10:

“The life-threatening crisis of the CDU is primarily due to one person who has just now clearly shown that she still sees herself as the party chairperson: Chancellor Angela Merkel (65). From South Africa, she told her party to ‘reverse’ the Thuringia election results.

“Angela Merkel created a pseudo-successor to herself – who was not supposed to shine brighter than her and who never had the power and influence to fix the damage that Chancellor Merkel has done within the CDU. Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer (57), on the other hand, lacked the power instinct necessary for quickly bringing problem cases… back under control. Under AKK, everybody could do what they want.

“Now the CDU is swinging suicidally between the Greens and the AfD, because Merkel as the party leader slept through, ignored, and gave away the two big issues of migration and climate. Instead of shaping the future, the major party CDU is trying to keep up with the Greens and the AfD – without winning back any of the voters it has lost.

“In the big cities, the Greens are about to become a major party. In Germany’s east, it’s the AfD. At the same time, the CDU is tumbling through the country without leadership. Chancellor Merkel is restricting herself to working on her own personal popularity. She is concerned with shaping her own image for the history books and leaves the party to fend for itself. She doesn’t even show up in the election campaigns, because she knows she is no longer wanted there.

“The AKK debacle has shown: With Angela Merkel in the chancellery, a new beginning for the CDU is not possible – even less so with candidates that are popular in the country, but despised by Merkel. As long as Merkel is governing, the CDU will not win over new voters. If this comes to pass, the political centre would – following the near-demise of the SPD – finally collapse.

“If the Chancellor does not realize this, her legacy could be that she ruined her own party and that, with the AfD and Greens, she created two new major parties. One will then look at the CDU as pitifully and nostalgically as one does today at the SPD.”

And this is exactly what might happen.

Waiting for German Leadership

The New York Times wrote on February 11:

“The resignation of the chancellor’s preferred replacement threatens to extend a lack of German leadership… ‘Germany is the elephant in the room,’ said Jan Techau, director of the German Marshall Fund’s office in Berlin. ‘Today Germany and its leadership in the security realm are once again foremost on everyone’s mind,’ he said. ‘Everyone is waiting for Germany.’…

“The uncertainty over who will succeed Ms. Merkel means that Germany will be… extending the sense of paralysis that is frustrating Germany’s allies in the European Union and Washington… even as China, Russia and President Trump’s America seem to circle Europe like predators on issues ranging from trade and competition to Ukraine and Huawei, the political leadership to translate this into policies that German voters support has been missing…

“Who will lead Germany next is by no means clear, with general disappointment in the visible alternatives… ‘Germany is sleepwalking,’ Professor Enderlein said… ‘When Trump took office, we talked of Merkel as the leader of the West, but who would say that now?’ asked Anna Wieslander, a Swede and director for Northern Europe of the Atlantic Council… ‘We want Germany to lead, because it tries to unite Europeans while France is more disruptive, but Germany is not there.’”

Not yet, but a mighty powerful leader will arise, and then things will change dramatically. The comment about France is interesting. See the next article.

France to Lead Europe?

The Associated Press wrote on February 7:

“French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday advocated a more coordinated European Union defense strategy in which France, the bloc’s only post-Brexit nuclear power, and its arsenal would occupy a central role. Macron outlined France’s nuclear strategy… one week after Britain, Europe’s only other nuclear-armed state, officially exited the EU.

“The French leader said… he refused to sign any treaties at this time to further reduce the size of France’s nuclear arsenal and announced an increase in military spending. Macron also positioned himself as the driving force for a united EU, using France’s military clout to make his point… The central idea in the speech, however, was that of a boosted Europe-wide role for the French nuclear arsenal in a more coordinated European defense policy.

“Macron said… the strategy would prevent Europe ‘confining itself to a spectator role’ in an environment dominated by Russia, the United States and China… His remarks come at a time when NATO allies, who would ordinarily look to the United States for help in a nuclear standoff, worry about Washington’s retreat from the multilateral stage. This could create new tensions within NATO, where Macron ruffled feathers last year by saying the lack of U.S. leadership is causing the ‘brain death’ of the military alliance…

“Friday’s speech was part of Macron’s long-running push for a stronger European defense, as U.S. President Donald Trump has pulled away from European allies and admonished them to pay more for their own protection…”

France would love to play the leading role but ultimately, it will be Germany which will lead Europe.

Brexit Transition… the Fight Goes On

Bloomberg wrote on February 5:

“European authorities are hatching an offensive to weaken the Brexit-addled City of London. Officials in Berlin, Brussels and Paris are looking to amend the post-crisis financial rulebook known as MiFID II by walking away from concessions they made to the U.K. in the six years it took to complete the regulations.

“Policies governing research spending, record keeping and trading in stocks, derivatives and commodities are likely to be revised and could make Brexit tougher to negotiate for international banks such as Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and JPMorgan Chase & Co. Changes would also be aimed at bolstering Deutsche Boerse AG’s dominance against the London Stock Exchange Group Plc in futures and other listed derivatives…

“London financial services firms’ access to the EU will depend on a process known as equivalence — under which Britain would have to prove to Brussels that its rules are at least as stringent as the bloc’s. The equivalence system that will govern finance gives the EU unilateral power to decide if British rules are tough enough to create a level playing field…

“Germany and France are already talking about reversing key parts of the finance law that were backed by the U.K. when it was a member of the EU…”

It will be an eventful transition period, with bad headlines topping each other.

Ireland on New Course?

Deutsche Welle wrote on February 8:

“Millions headed to vote in Ireland on Saturday, with an initial exit poll showing a virtual three-way tie for the major parties. The poll show a huge resurgence for the left-wing Sinn Fein party… Frustration with economic austerity and an ongoing housing crisis have fueled the rise of Sinn Fein, which is committed to the reunification of Ireland and is still sidelined by the political establishment for its links to the IRA…

“[Before the election,] both major parties [had refused] to work with them…”

But this may change. Note the next article.

The Guardian wrote on February 10:

“Sinn Féin has declared victory in Ireland’s general election and called for talks with other main parties to form a coalition government… Sinn Féin won 24.5% of the first-preference vote in Saturday’s election, almost doubling its share from 2016… Fine Gael slid to 20.9% and the main opposition party, Fianna Fáil, slipped to 22.2%… The Greens, independents and small leftwing parties accounted for the rest…

“The fragmented results will produce a hung parliament with no party close to 80 seats – the number for a majority and stable government in the 160-seat chamber, which includes a speaker…

“Sinn Féin said it wished to promote its defining issue – a united Ireland – in any future government. An exit poll found that 57% of people supported Sinn Féin’s desire to hold referendums on unity on both sides of the border in the next five years.”

Express wrote on February 9:

“A UNITED IRELAND would automatically rejoin the EU, unlike an Independent Scotland, whose ministers would have to go through a long ‘accession process’, one of Britain’s foremost constitutional experts told Express…”

It is entirely possible that the UK will fall apart, and that a united Ireland will rejoin Europe.

Lessons from Leprosy

NPR wrote on February 7:

“… past efforts to isolate disease show that such moves — as well-intentioned as they might be — don’t always go as planned…

“When the federal government sought to identify all the leprosy cases in the country in the early 1900s, it found only 278. But public health investigators told Congress there likely were many more in hiding out of fear… the assistant surgeon general announced that there were ‘1,200 lepers at large’ in the country… When Americans feared a potential leprosy pandemic in the late 1800s, people of Asian descent were also unjustly stigmatized…

“Throughout history, those believed to have leprosy, now called Hansen’s disease, were among the most reviled members of society, outcasts sometimes believed to be sinners who brought the illness upon themselves. Even today, the threat of leprosy is used to demonize immigrants and people living in homeless encampments as potential carriers of the disease — although there’s no evidence that’s true.

“About 200,000 people around the world are diagnosed each year with Hansen’s disease. Many of them still prefer not to make their diagnosis public for fear of how they’ll be treated by the rest of society…”

The Bible clearly advocates isolation and even quarantine for those who are suffering from a serious contagious disease—not because those who suffer from it are cursed and guilty of sin, but because of love for our fellow man. But in this world ruled by Satan, most don’t care about God’s laws. They may not reveal their sickness because of selfish reasons and lack of love for others, or because of fear of the abominable condemnations from their ignorant and self-righteous fellow men. And so, contagious diseases will spread.

Africa Unprepared for the Coronavirus

The Associated Press wrote on February 8:

“At a Chinese-run hospital in Zambia, some employees watched as people who recently returned from China showed up with coughs but were not placed in isolation. A doctor tending to those patients has stopped coming to work, and health workers have been ordered not to speak publicly about the new virus that has killed hundreds around the world.

“The virus that has spread through much of China has yet to be confirmed in Africa, but global health authorities are increasingly worried about the threat to the continent where an estimated 1 million Chinese now live, as some health workers on the ground warn they are not ready to handle an outbreak.

“Countries are racing to take precautions as hundreds of travelers arrive from China every day. Safeguards include stronger surveillance at ports of entry and improved quarantine and testing measures across Africa, home to 1.2 billion people and some of the world’s weakest systems for detecting and treating disease. But the effort has been complicated by a critical shortage of testing kits and numerous illnesses that display symptoms similar to the flu-like virus…

“Those growing worried include employees at the Sino-Zambia Friendship Hospital in the mining city of Kitwe in northern Zambia, near the Congo border. Chinese companies operate mines on the outskirts of the city of more than half a million people. One company is headquartered in Wuhan, the city at the center of the virus outbreak. Hundreds of workers traveled between Zambia and China in recent weeks…

“Several African nations such as Ghana, South Africa and Ethiopia have announced their precautions, including updates on negative test results for suspected cases and demonstrations of surveillance and quarantine capabilities. Ethiopian Airlines, however, faces questions by some in Africa about why it continues to operate more than 30 China flights a week while other African airlines have suspended theirs…”

The virus is spreading much faster than scientists had originally contemplated. It has been reported that even IF a vaccine was to be found NOW, it would ALREADY be too late. But we are told it might take up to eighteen months to find a vaccine. 

Newsmax wrote on February 13:

 “The total deaths in mainland China since the outbreak began in December stood at 1,367 (1,491 worldwide, according to Axios) with the total number of confirmed cases mounting to 52,526.” This brings the total to more than 60,000 worldwide. 

Axios wrote on February 13: “There are more than 500 cases in 27 other countries and territories.”

How China “Deals” with the Virus

The Washington Post wrote on February 6:

“The Chinese Communist Party has once again proved that authoritarianism is dangerous — not just for human rights but also for public health.

“Confronted with the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak, the CCP has instinctively reverted to its familiar tool kit: It immediately staged a large-scale lockdown of people and information at the expense of the public good…

“All you need to do is look at the images and words of brave citizens in Wuhan who have responded by passing on firsthand information about the epidemic to their compatriots and the outside world. They are doing this at great risk to themselves. They know they potentially face reprisal for the heroic act of simply sharing the truth…”

China is an absolutely totalitarian country. It has been reported that those who are suspected of being infected are being violently dragged out of their homes, arrested, and transported into “isolation.”

Massive Death Toll Possible

The Guardian wrote on February 11:

“The coronavirus epidemic could spread to about two-thirds of the world’s population if it cannot be controlled, according to Hong Kong’s leading public health epidemiologist. His warning came after the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said recent cases of coronavirus patients who had never visited China could be the ‘tip of the iceberg.’…

“‘Sixty per cent of the world’s population is an awfully big number,’ Leung told the Guardian in London… the death toll would be massive…”

Man’s Unwillingness to Learn!

AFP wrote on February 12:

“Bats, rats and snakes are still being sold at an Indonesian market known for its wildlife offerings, despite a government request to take them off the menu over fears of a link to the deadly coronavirus.

“Vendors at the Tomohon Extreme Meat market on Sulawesi island say business is booming and curious tourists keep arriving to check out exotic fare that enrages animal rights activists…

“A wildlife market in Wuhan, the epicentre of the virus, is thought to be ground zero and there is suspicion it could have originated in bats… [Indonesia’s] grubby stalls feature a dizzying array of animals including giant snakes, rats impaled on sticks and charred dogs with their hair seared off by blowtorches — a gory scene described by some critics as ‘like walking through hell’.”

This is SICK and DISGUSTING. God calls it a terrible abomination!

The Unforeseen Consequences of the Coronavirus Outbreak

CCN wrote on February 10:

“… the coronavirus epidemic is one big threat that could cause the U.S. housing market bubble to burst at last…

“The Chinese have already been pulling back their investments in the U.S. housing market as regulations have tightened in China to control the outflow of cash from the country. The trade war between the U.S. and China is another reason why their housing market investments have declined. But now, the coronavirus epidemic could deal yet another blow to Chinese investments in the U.S. housing market…

“The travel ban by President Trump on foreign nationals who have been to China in light of the coronavirus outbreak is going to further complicate things for anyone from that country looking to invest in the U.S. housing market. So, don’t be surprised to see a drop in home sales as the Chinese reportedly account for 20 percent of the foreign buyers who buy homes in the U.S.

“… the housing market inventory in the U.S. was down 13.6 percent in January. This was the largest annual decline seen in four years. What’s more, the report states that the listing volume of new properties was also down 10.6 percent year over year…

“As it turns out, homes in the U.S. are getting more and more expensive with each passing month. The median price of a home listed for sale went up by 3.4 percent in January to $299,995…

“At the same time, the pull-out by Chinese buyers on account of the coronavirus outbreak will be another headwind for the market… These two factors could… spark a potential crisis in the market.”

A collapse of the housing market in the USA is certain.

“US Navy Wants More Ships but Can’t Afford Them”

Defense News wrote on February 10:

“The US Navy’s fiscal year 2021 budget slashes 10 planned ships over the next five years…

“That would leave the Navy scrambling to add 50 ships to the battle force over five years starting in 2026, just as the Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine enters serial production and is expected to eat as much as 40 percent of the Navy’s shipbuilding account.”

Crazy–Californians Compelled to Vote?

The Los Angeles Times reported on February 6:

“… a [Democratic] California lawmaker is pushing to require voters to cast a ballot in future elections. The proposal, introduced in the state Assembly on Tuesday, would be unprecedented and probably challenged in court should it ultimately become law. It would place the burden for determining the civil penalty and the ultimate punishment on the secretary of state, California’s chief elections officer…

“As many as 30 countries have compulsory voting laws on the books, including Australia, Belgium and Brazil… Assembly Bill 2070… would require every Californian who registers to vote to ‘cast a ballot, marked or unmarked in whole or in part, at every election held within the territory within which the person resides.’ AB 2070 has yet to be referred to a policy committee and is unlikely to be considered until the spring…

“Opponents… have said that mandatory voting could be in conflict with the right to free speech guaranteed under the U.S. Constitution.”

What absolute utter nonsense… but it is dangerous as, again, the state wants to control the people and limit, if not abolish, their individual rights. Compelling people to serve on a jury would fall into this same category, and so would be the institution of a draft.

Pope Removes German Archbishop Georg Gänswein

LifeSiteNews wrote on February 5:

“Pope Benedict’s secretary, Archbishop Georg Gänswein, has been put on administrative leave indefinitely by Pope Francis… Gänswein has been the private secretary of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger since 2003. He remained at his side after Ratzinger’s election to the papacy. Only a few months before Benedict resigned in 2013, he made Gänswein the Prefect of the Papal Household, as well as an archbishop.

“Since then, the German prelate has spent part of his day with the Pope emeritus, while fulfilling his duties as Prefect of the Papal Household during the remainder of his day. Die Tagespost speculates that the administrative leave is related to the rollout of the book From the Depths of Our Hearts on clerical celibacy by Cardinal Robert Sarah, to which Benedict XVI contributed… Vatican-based journalist Antonio Socci had claimed that Pope Francis was ‘furious’ over Benedict’s contribution to the book on celibacy, demanding he retract his name from the work.”

The liberal and conservative factions within the Catholic Church and the Vatican become more and more embittered adversaries. But it seems that for now, Francis who is sometimes very difficult to read, has bowed to conservative pressure. Note the next article.  

Francis: No Ordination of Married Men as Priests… for Now!

The Australian Associated Press wrote on February 12:

“Pope Francis, in one of the most significant decisions of his papacy, has dismissed a proposal to allow some married men to be ordained in the Amazon region to ease an acute scarcity of priests. The recommendation, put forward by Latin American bishops last year, alarmed conservatives in the deeply polarised 1.3 billion-member Roman Catholic Church, who feared it could lead to a change in the centuries-old commitment to celibacy among priests.

“Francis delivered his response in an Apostolic Exhortation on Wednesday, three months after the proposal passed by 128 votes to 41 at a contentious Vatican assembly, or synod, of Roman Catholic bishops. Apostolic Exhortations are used to instruct and encourage the Catholic faithful but do not define Church doctrine.

“Wednesday’s 32-page document did not even mention the proposal, which was for older married deacons who are proven leaders of remote Catholic communities and have stable families to be ordained as priests. Conservatives balked, fearing that even a circumscribed change would be a slippery slope leading to a married priesthood throughout the Church. They branded a pre-synod working document as heretical.

“In what some viewed as a strategically timed appeal to Francis not to approve the Amazon proposal, a book published last month by Church conservatives defended the tradition of priestly celibacy… Vatican officials said the pope completed the document on December 27, before the book controversy, and handed it in for translations. They said no changes were made after that.”

While conservatives may be pleased, liberals will not be.

Pope Pushes One-World Religion

Breaking Israel News wrote on February 11:

“Historically, the Vatican was no friend to the Jews but its new initiative aligns the Catholic Church with Islam in a one-world religion that may be the biggest threat ever to the Jewish People. A major event to advance the project will take place on the anniversary of the birth of the State of Israel…

“The date of the global educational summit is May 14, precisely 72 years after Israel proclaimed its independence. Rabbi Winston suggested that this could have a deeper meaning, indicating the inherent conflict between the Jewish People and universal religion… ‘Are they trying to get rid of the Jews and the Torah by creating one world religion? Anyone who wants a one-world order has to get rid of the Jews because all of human history has proven that the core of Torah Judaism doesn’t change, even, when necessary, and the cost of death…’”

The Bible prophesies an end-time worldwide persecution of the Jewish people.

The Brutal Origin of Valentine’s Day

The Sun wrote on February 12:

 “Valentine’s Day hasn’t always meant a cosy, candlelit dinner… The Roman festival of Lupercalia – one of the earliest instances the date became synonymous with ‘love’ – was launched to promote fertility in women, but its barbaric acts were distinctly un-romantic. … Here are the bloody beginnings of Valentine’s Day…

 “The ancient pagan festival Lupercalia began in a dark, sacred cave as far back as the 6th century BC. A group of Roman priests would gather and strip naked before slaughtering a goat, as a representation of sexuality, and then a dog – for purification. Two of the priests would then have the animals’ blood smeared on their foreheads with the same knife used for the slaughters, before wiping it off with a piece of milk-soaked wool. Once the sacrifices were complete, things took an even darker turn.

“The priests, known as the Luperci – meaning ‘brothers of the wolf’ – would cut the animals’ skins into strips and dip them in the sacred blood. They’d then take to the streets, where women would be voluntarily lining up to get whipped by the pieces of hide… If you were struck by a Lupercus, one of the priests, it was considered that you would give birth to more children…

“Once the beatings were complete, a Love Island-style matchmaking ceremony would take place… All of the unmarried women would reportedly add their names to a large urn, before it was passed around any single Roman men – who would each pick out a name.

“The couples who were matched up would remain together throughout the festival… Some retellings suggest the new couples would be forced to have sex throughout the remainder of the festival and perhaps even beyond, as the man tried to give his woman a baby.

“Pope Gelasius made it a Christian holiday in the fifth century, historian Noel Lenski told NPR. ‘It was a little more of a drunken revel... That didn’t stop it from being a day of fertility and love.’

“The Roman festival has long been linked to February 14… as the day that birds mate, signifying love.”

For further information on Valentine’s Day, see our free booklet, “Man’s Holidays and God’s Holy Days.”

Lesbians and Gays in Leadership Positions of the Episcopal Church

The Associated Press wrote on February 8:

“The Michigan diocese of the Episcopal Church has its first female and openly lesbian bishop. [She] was ordained Saturday during a ceremony in the Detroit suburb of Dearborn… [Another woman] was the church’s first lesbian bishop in 2010 in Los Angeles…

“[Another woman] became its first female bishop when she was ordained in 1989 in Massachusetts. [A man] became the Episcopal Church’s first openly gay bishop in 2004… ‘If you look at scripture, Jesus said absolutely nothing about homosexuality,’ [the lesbian bishop from Michigan] said…”

It seems one can try to justify everything, even though the Truth should be blatantly obvious.

Israel Prepared to Annex Parts of the West Bank

The Jerusalem Post wrote on February 8:

“Israel has begun preparing a precise map of the parts of the West Bank it will annex in accordance with the new US peace plan, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Saturday… ‘It won’t take much time… Within a few weeks, it will happen.’…

“Earlier this month, US President Donald Trump presented his peace plan, by which the US will approve of Israel annexing some 30% of the West Bank, including all settlements and the Jordan Valley…

“Netanyahu remarked on the historic change of the Trump administration recognizing Israel’s right to Jerusalem and the West Bank – as opposed to the world, including previous administrations, which did not. ‘I’m happy that American policy changed under [Trump’s] courageous leadership, starting with [canceling] the Iran Deal, recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, moving the US embassy, recognizing our sovereignty in the Golan and recognizing the legality of settlements in Judea and Samaria,’ he stated.”

Such action would result in an uproar in the Middle East.

Only Israel Approves of Trump’s Foreign Policies

Breaking Israel News wrote on February 9:

“Israel was the only one of 33 non-U.S. countries included in a new Pew Research Center survey where a majority of respondents expressed approval of U.S. President Donald Trump’s foreign policies.

“Some 55 percent of Israelis in the spring 2019 poll, released on Monday, expressed net approval of Trump’s international policies—meaning they approved of more policies than they disapproved of. The second non-U.S. country with the highest net approval was Poland at 34 percent, and Germany had the lowest net approval at 6 percent.”

America and Israel become more and more isolated from and rejected by the rest of the world.

No Freedom of Speech for the Truth in England

Daily Mail wrote on February 8:

“The preacher son of US evangelist Billy Graham is threatening to sue eight British arenas that cancelled his shows after protests from the LGBT community. Franklin Graham, 67, a vocal supporter of US President, Donald Trump, describes homosexuality as a ‘sin’ and is in favour of ‘gay conversion therapy’.

“The ACC Liverpool conference centre was the first to cancel one of his planned events saying last month that his views were ‘incompatible’ with their values and the Sheffield Arena followed soon after. Since then venues in Glasgow, Newcastle, Cardiff, Birmingham, Milton Keynes and London have all followed suit. But Graham… remains unrepentant on his ‘homophobic’ views and even claimed that the Queen would agree with him…

“He told Premier Christian News: ‘I believe the Bible teaches that marriage is between a man and a woman. That’s the Church of England’s position… This is what the Bible teaches and that’s what I believe.’… Graham… has previously described gay marriage as a ‘sin‘… Graham claimed the LGBT community were threatening free speech… ‘If a small group of people can force a cancellation of an event where thousands of Christians are participating, I think there is no question about the danger in the future to others.’”

Shameful.

No Freedom of Speech for the Truth in Switzerland

Deutsche Welle wrote on February 9:

“Switzerland has voted strongly in favor of banning discrimination against gay people… Sunday’s referendum decided on legislation that specifically outlawed hate speech and discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation with jail terms of up to three years… However, the right-wing Swiss People’s Party (SVP) — the strongest party in parliament — opposed the law… The change was first passed by Swiss parliament in 2018, but it was forced to a referendum after critics said it would stifle free speech…

“SVP lawmaker Eric Bertinat told the Agence France-Presse news agency that he believed the law was ‘part of an LGBT plan to slowly move towards same-sex marriage and medically assisted reproduction’ for gay couples. Marc Frueh, head of the Federal Democratic Union of Switzerland (EDU), a small Christian party called it a ‘censorship law.’… Green, left-leaning and centrist parties support the law.”

The Associated Press wrote on February 9:

“Supporters said the addition is needed but that it would not stifle legitimate public debate as long as the views expressed don’t stray into fomenting hate or discrimination… Opponents argued that protections against denigration were already enshrined in Swiss law. The nationalist Swiss People’s Party, the biggest single party in parliament, opposed the change and said the backers must now show it was ‘not a pretext for handing down politically motivated verdicts and silencing unwelcome opinions and voices.’

“[Justice Minister Karin] Keller-Sutter said ‘freedom of expression remains guaranteed.’ She added that courts have been ‘restrained’ in their application of the existing law and ‘anyone who remains respectful need have no fear of being convicted.’”

However, the accuracy of the concerns of the SVP is only too clear.

Major Winter Storm Hits Europe

Deutsche Welle wrote on February 10:

“A major winter storm — named both Ciara and Sabine — has passed through large swaths of Europe, resulting in a number of deaths across the continent…

“Hurricane-force winds and heavy rains grounded flights, canceled trains and shut down operations at major ports across western Europe from Sunday… Gusts measuring over 170 kilometers (106 miles) per hour were reported in the Black Forest in southern Germany Monday morning… Germany issued its second-highest storm warning level for the entire southern half of the country. In parts of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, the highest-level warning, No. 4, has been issued.”

The Associated Press reported on February 11:

“Ferocious winds, with gusts over 200 kph (125 mph), lashed Corsica and whipped up a forest fire that flared overnight on the French Mediterranean island on Tuesday, after a storm with hurricane-force winds and heavy rains battered northern Europe for days, killing at least eight people and causing severe travel disruptions…

“Deaths due to the fierce storm were reported in Poland, Sweden, Britain, Slovenia, Germany and the Czech Republic… In northern Bavaria, where a gust of over 160 kph (100 mph) was recorded, the storm produced a record amount of electricity being fed into the German grid from wind turbines, equivalent to almost 44 nuclear power plants.

“The German Weather Service said strong winds would keep blasting much of the country on Tuesday but the brunt of the storm had moved to the southeast. In northeastern Germany, a new storm was expected to reach the Baltic coast… In England and Scotland, the Met Office national weather agency still had 85 flood warnings in force as torrential rains caused numerous rivers to overflow their banks.

“In the Czech Republic, more than 40,000 households remained without electricity Tuesday morning, down from some 300,000 on Monday afternoon. Around 20 train routes were still blocked because of fallen trees on the track…”

Deutsche Welle wrote on February 12:

“A swell caused by storm Sabine flooded Hamburg’s iconic fish market. Fish could now be swimming through the stalls where they are usually sold.”

This winter storm might also be viewed as a preview of the major political storm which will be hitting Europe very soon.

Acknowledgement and Disclaimer

These Current Events are compiled and commented on by Norbert Link. We gratefully acknowledge the many contributions of news articles from our readership. The publication of articles in this section is not to be viewed as an endorsement or approval as to contents or accuracy of the selected articles, but they are published for the purpose of pointing at worldwide developments in the light of biblical end-time prophecy and godly instruction. Our own comments are provided in italics.

Britain’s Look Towards a Glorious Future?

The Sun wrote on January 31:

“ON THE stroke of 11pm our nation’s course changes for ever — and for the better. We will finally be out of the EU. Forty-seven years and 30 days after we joined. Three decades since the rot set in with the drive towards a United States of Europe… It is hard to exaggerate the magnitude of this moment… at 11pm Brexit becomes irreversible. We will be the first country to leave the EU. And… we will never rejoin, never again surrender our independence.

“Instead we will be firing the… birth of a new Britain, setting our own laws, controlling our borders and trading independently with the entire world…”

This is one view. Here is the other view.

Little Britain Drifts into Insignificance

Deutsche Welle wrote on January 31:

“The divorce proceedings with the EU have been tortuous, but they’re likely to pale in comparison with what lies ahead for the UK…

“It doesn’t take rocket science to figure out why leading carmakers are shutting plants and moving to mainland Europe, or why key financial operators are moving to Paris and Amsterdam [and] when EU nationals who have been working in science and education pack their bags and leave…

“Brexit will leave Britain broken, a disunited kingdom. Geographically it has always been removed from continental Europe. That distance will become increasingly palpable politically, economically and socially.”

In any event, for most observers, the future is far from certain.

Future Far From Certain?

The Associated Press wrote on January 31:

“The two sides have agreed to strike an ‘ambitious, broad, deep and flexible partnership,’ including a free trade deal, by Dec. 31…

“Britain says it wants a ‘Canada-style’ free trade agreement with the EU covering both goods and services. But it is adamant it won’t agree to follow the EU’s rule book… The bloc insists there can be no trade deal unless Britain agrees to a ‘level playing field’ and does not undercut EU regulations…

“The EU is willing to extend Britain’s transition period for up to two years if a trade agreement hasn’t been reached, but Conservative British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says he won’t agree to that… The EU-Canada deal that the British government cites as a model took seven years to negotiate.

“If there is no deal by the end of 2020, and the U.K. refuses to extend the negotiating period, Britain faces… severe economic disruptions, the pound would plunge and Britain could tip into recession…”

An Epic Opportunity or a Grave Mistake?

Newsmax wrote on February 1:

“The United Kingdom finally cast off from the European Union on Friday for an uncertain Brexit future… in its biggest geopolitical shift since losing its global empire…

“U.S. President Donald Trump has long supported Brexit. His Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Britons wanted to escape the ‘tyranny of Brussels.’…

“Cast either as an epic opportunity or a grave mistake, Brexit… also diminishes the EU… the bloc lost 15% of its economy, its biggest military spender and the world’s international financial capital, London…

“For proponents, Brexit is ‘independence day’ — an escape from what they cast as a German-dominated project… Opponents say Brexit is a folly…

“Johnson has promised to strike a broad free trade agreement with the EU, the world’s biggest trading bloc, though Merkel and Macron have warned that leaving will be harder than staying…

“Brexit… has tested the very fabric of what now looks a disunited kingdom: England and Wales voted to leave but Scotland and Northern Ireland wanted to stay. The strains could hasten another referendum on Scottish independence and even a push for a united Ireland.”

BBC News wrote on February 2:

“Britain will ‘not be aligning with EU rules’ in any post-Brexit trade deal, the foreign secretary has said. Dominic Raab argued agreeing to stick strongly with EU regulations would ‘defeat the point of Brexit’. But Irish PM Leo Varadkar said the UK needed to commit to a level playing field to get a free trade deal.”

Further disagreements between Britain and Ireland emerge.

The Guardian wrote on February 3:

“The pound fell on Monday after Boris Johnson warned that Britain would not accept alignment with the EU rules in any Brexit trade deal, while Brussels threatened to put tariffs on UK goods unless he complies…

“The currency dropped by more than 1.3% to trade at $1.30 against the dollar and by about 0.9% to just below €1.18 versus the euro… The EU is the largest source of UK food imports and largest destination for UK food exports in the world…”

Britain’s Productivity Decline the Worst in 250 Years

Bloomberg wrote on February 3:

“The U.K.’s worst productivity slump in a quarter of a millennium may be caused by a ‘perfect storm’ of three factors… Productivity was almost 20% below its pre-2008 path in 2018 — the worst slowdown since 1760-1800, as the Industrial Revolution took hold.

“The present-day malaise may have been caused by the end of the information and communications technology boom, the financial crisis, and Brexit.”

Brexit was foreordained. Britain never fit into the EU. Some other EU members don’t either. It is also interesting that Britain had been described as the “sick man of Europe.” Maybe the entire UK will split apart, while in time soon, a core Europe, consisting of ten nations or groups of nations, will arise.

The Battle Begins—Over Gibraltar

The Guardian wrote on February 1:

“The EU will back Spain over its territorial claims to Gibraltar in the next phase of Brexit negotiations by giving Madrid the power to exclude the British overseas territory from any trade deal struck with Brussels…

“Boris Johnson will be presented with the choice of reaching agreement with the Spaniards about Gibraltar’s future or exposing its citizens to economic peril by pushing it outside any EU-UK trade deal…

“The development highlights the pitfalls Downing Street faces as it moves into negotiations on the future relationship with Brussels. The UK is now a ‘third country’ to the EU…

“British sovereignty over Gibraltar was formalised by the treaty of Utrecht in 1713 but Spain has always bristled at the idea of UK ownership. As an EU member state, the UK had been able to resist Spanish claims over the territory but Madrid will now have the full support of the other 26 countries in the bloc.”

As we have stated for a long time, the UK will ultimately lose Gibraltar as one important sea gate.

Huge Political Scandal in East Germany

Deutsche Welle wrote on February 5:

“A huge political upset in Germany’s eastern state of Thuringia on Wednesday sparked a widespread outcry across the country as the ruling coalition saw its candidate for state premier lose by a single vote to the pro-business Free Democrats (FDP), who had barely cleared the 5% support hurdle to join the regional parliament. What was even more cause for concern, however, was the role of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in the victory of FDP candidate Thomas Kemmerich.

“Thuringia held its state election all the way back in October, with the ruling Left party winning the highest share of the votes at 31%. At the same time, however, the AfD more than doubled its own support to come in second at 23.4% of the vote.

“… the AfD decided not to support the independent candidate it had previously supported, and throw all of its weight behind Kemmerich… The outrage on social media over the AfD’s role as kingmakers was swift and resounding. Ordinary Germans, public figures, and politicians all expressed their consternation, saying the FDP and CDU had gotten into bed with ‘fascists.’…

ABC News wrote on February 5:

“[In order] to contain the damage… the national leadership of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s center-right Christian Democratic Union… suggested that new elections be held in Thuringia. Its general secretary, Paul Ziemiak, said Wednesday’s decision ‘divides our whole country’ and was made all the worse by the fact that CDU lawmakers made it possible for a governor to be elected ‘with the votes of Nazis as well.’…”

Deutsche Welle added the following opinion:

“This notable day should be one that shakes Germans to the core… [It] has shown just how much of their history Germans have forgotten… It also reminds us that no one in Germany should kid themselves into thinking history cannot repeat itself.”

Mannheimer Morgen spoke of a “fiasco for the democracy.”

Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung wrote: “Germany is in a deep, extremely dangerous crisis. Our society is divided. It becomes radicalized.”

Bild described Kemmerich’s conduct as “pitiful” and said that he brings shame on his own party by accepting his appointment under such conditions.

Bowing to pressure, Kemmerich subsequently resigned. It is interesting that Angela Merkel and others wanted to reverse a democratic vote and a democratic coalition. Even if you don’t like the result of a vote and even if you think that it is a heinous political crime to vote in such a way, in democracy, the vote is supposed to be the will of the people.  

 We saw the same developments in the UK with the Brexit referendum.  Those who espoused democracy were the first to cry aloud when the vote did not go their way and they wanted another vote to achieve the result which THEY wanted.

Of course, the entire circus of the impeachment procedure against Trump was initiated by Democrats who did not like and wanted to overturn the result of the last Presidential election.

The more the mass media is speaking against the AfD, the more the party will rise in popularity.

Germany’s Schäuble Calls for Expansion of Military Operations

Deutsche Welle wrote on January 31:

“Bundestag President Wolfgang Schäuble said on Friday that Germany needed to take more responsibility in military affairs with its allies. ‘We can’t hide. If Europe is to play a stronger role, then we must play our part,’ Schäuble said. ‘We cannot leave everything to… the Americans.’

“The veteran lawmaker and long-time minister in Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Cabinets said he supported German Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer’s plans to streamline the Bundeswehr and boost defense spending to reach NATO’s target of 2% of GDP…

“Germany has come under growing pressure from within the NATO military alliance as well as fellow EU member states to take a more active role in defense matters.”

As Germany is being pushed, it will become more and more involved in military endeavors, and a EU Army under German leadership is prophesied.

Europe Destined to Obtain Great Power Status

Project Syndicate published on January 30 an article by Joschka Fischer who was German Foreign Minister and Vice Chancellor from 1998-2005:

“Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union on Christmas Day in 1991, the US became the world’s only superpower – and quickly overextended itself. The unipolar moment ended with the senseless US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 – a country from which the US has been trying to extricate itself for more than a decade.

“But the global order cannot exist in a vacuum, because other powers will always step in to fill the void… The election of US President Donald Trump marked the beginning of America’s active renunciation of the global order that it helped build…  America’s retreat is forcing Europe to become a power in its own right… Europeans [are left] with no choice but to pursue great-power status…”

And Europe will, as the Bible clearly prophesies.

Going Way Overboard–US Restricts or Bars Entry of Travelers from China

The Associated Press reported on January 31:

“The United States on Friday declared a public health emergency and took drastic steps to significantly restrict entry into the country because of a new virus that hit China and has spread to other nations.

“President Donald Trump has signed an order that will temporarily bar foreign nationals, other than immediate family of U.S. citizens and permanent residents, who have traveled in China within the last 14 days. The new restrictions…  take effect at 5 p.m. EST on Sunday…

“Americans returning from China will be allowed into the country, but will face screening at select ports of entry and required to undertake 14 days of self-screening to ensure they don’t pose a health risk. Those returning from Hubei province, the center of the outbreak, will be subject to up to 14 days of mandatory quarantine…

“At the same time, federal health authorities were recognizing that the test they’re using to detect the virus isn’t always dependable. [They]  said when it was used on some of the people currently in isolation, they’d test positive one day and negative another… putting a large number of people under quarantine ‘is virtually unprecedented in modern American history.’…

“Meanwhile, U.S. health officials issued a two-week quarantine order for the 195 Americans evacuated earlier this week from the Chinese city of Wuhan, provincial capital of Hubei province. It was the first time a federal quarantine has been ordered since the 1960s, when one was enacted over concern about the potential spread of smallpox…

“The Dow Jones Industrial Average skidded more than 600 points Friday as the outbreak continued to widen, stoking fears that the travel restrictions and other uncertainties caused by the health emergency in the world’s second-largest economy could dent global growth…

These developments are deeply distressing, as they show how even democratic countries resort to autocratic and dictatorial methods “in the pursuit and defense of public safety and national security.” German President Steinmeier was right when he recently spoke of the poison of nationalism. God’s Church has always understood that nationalism (our country against everybody else)—as distinguished from the right kind of patriotism (the love for our country)—is ungodly and unbiblical.

Dangers for Global Economy

The Associated Press wrote on February 2:

“Travel restrictions and business closures aimed at stopping the spread of a new virus… could end up causing ripple effects that harm the global economy… ‘When you stop planes and ships, trains and motor vehicles from moving, it starts to shut down the economy — and that can have a cascading effect throughout society,’ Dr. Eric Toner, senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, said Saturday, after multiple airlines announced that they would suspend or cut back on flights to and from China…

“It’s not just airlines that have cut back on business in China. Apple Inc. announced Saturday that it was temporarily clos[ing] all of its offices and its 42 stores in mainland China. Google, Amazon and Microsoft previously announced plans to temporarily shutter offices, and Starbucks and McDonald’s have closed some chains… ‘Travel restrictions can cause more harm than good by hindering info-sharing, medical supply chains and harming economies,’ World Health Organization Secretary-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.

“Toner said governments are ultimately ‘trying to do something that has very little benefit but [causes] very real harm.’ ‘It’s been shown over and over again that putting up barriers to travel doesn’t stop contagious infectious diseases,’ he said, pointing to past outbreaks of Ebola, Zika and even influenza.”

This shows how quickly, in part caused by a panic-stricken overreaction, our entire world system can become eroded and how our economic system can crash. Either one is too slow in acting or one is going far overboard. Sadly, the human mind has a hard time striking a proper balance.

How China Suppressed Knowledge of the Coronavirus

MSNBC wrote on February 2:

“Chinese officials were beginning to grasp the threat of a new contagious disease in Wuhan [in early December] but did little to inform the public…

“Medical professionals who tried to sound an alarm were seized by police. Key state media omitted mention of the outbreak for weeks… as the crisis worsened…”

The New York Times added on February 2:

“A doctor tried to warn his medical school classmates… In the middle of the night, officials from the health authority in the central city of Wuhan summoned [him]… Three days later, the police compelled him to sign a statement that his warning constituted ‘illegal behavior.’

“… At critical moments, officials chose to put secrecy and order ahead of openly confronting the growing crisis to avoid public alarm and political embarrassment.

“A reconstruction of the crucial seven weeks between the appearance of the first symptoms in early December and the government’s decision to lock down the city… points to decisions that delayed a concerted public health offensive.

“In those weeks, the authorities silenced doctors and others for raising red flags. They played down the dangers to the public, leaving the city’s 11 million residents unaware they should protect themselves…”

It was subsequently reported by Newsmax, dated February 4, that the “Chinese doctor who was targeted by the police after warning about the coronavirus in the first days of the outbreak before it had been made public has been quarantined in his hospital with a SARS-like illness.” He has since died.

This reveals typical behavior of human governments. First, many countries suppress, and when exposed, they move into the opposite direction.

No Vaccine against AIDS

CNN wrote on February 3:

“A clinical trial for an HIV vaccine has been discontinued since the vaccine was not found to prevent infections of human immunodeficiency virus, the virus that causes AIDS…

“The vaccine trial… began in 2016 and enrolled 5,407 HIV-negative volunteers at 14 sites across South Africa… Those volunteers were sexually active men and women ages 18 to 35 who were randomly assigned to receive either the vaccine or placebo injections.

“An analysis of the study showed no significant difference in subsequent HIV infections among the volunteers in the vaccine group versus placebo group… 129 HIV infections occurred among the vaccine recipients and 123 HIV infections occurred among the placebo recipients.”

This entire trial strikes us to be just sick.

Trump’s Peace Deal is Akin to Decree of King Cyrus Paving Path for Third Temple

Breaking Israel News reported on January 29:

“While people on both the Arab and the Israeli side are still considering the possible implications of President Trump’s ‘Deal of the Century’ revealed on Tuesday, one insightful Israeli declared it to be ‘the declaration of Cyrus [for the Jews to build the Second Temple] in our time.’… [Dr. Rafael Minnes worked for the internal security service and is a professor of physics.]

“‘The first thing that is similar between Trump’s Deal of the Century and King Cyrus’ proclamation is that both of them are non-Jewish political figures who are coming in the name of the God of Israel in order to advance the divine plan incumbent upon the Jewish nation,’ Dr. Minnes [wrote]…”

“This isn’t the first time Trump has been compared to King Cyrus. This expectation regarding Trump was first expressed by the Sanhedrin after his election…

“Rabbi Yosef Berger, the rabbi of King David’s Tomb on Mount Zion explains: ‘Like Cyrus… [Trump] will pave the way for building the Third Temple…”

Trump will stay in office and be re-elected. He will play an important role regarding the building of the Third Temple. On February 3, Germany’s mass tabloid Bild Online published an article with the headline:

“That is why Trump will become President again,” adding, “None of his challengers has a chance.”

The Week reported on February 4 that “President Trump’s job approval rating reached an all-time high… Forty-nine percent of Americans said they approve of the job Trump is doing as president… Trump’s approval rating rose six points among Republicans to 94 percent, as well as five points among independents to 42 percent… a majority of Americans — 52 percent — said they support acquitting Trump…”

The Hill wrote on February 4 that “Trump’s acquittal… was largely preordained. A GOP-majority Senate was never likely to convict a Republican president… Everyone understood that acquittal was inevitable…”

Why then did the Democrats start the impeachment circus, knowing that they would thereby commit political suicide? The answer is clear—they had to do this so that Trump will be reelected.

Regarding the Third Temple, much misinformation is being disseminated, including the false idea that the First and Second Temples did not stand on the Temple Mount. Some claim that famous Israeli Archaeologist Eli Shukron has claimed that “the Temple stood not atop Mount Moriah, but rather along the southern slopes in the City of David,” as reported by Israel Today on December 13, 2019. However, the paper explained that this claim was a hoax, quoting Shukron as follows:

“‘There is no evidence that the Temple was in the City of David,’ Shukron told us adamantly. ‘The Temple known as Solomon’s Temple was absolutely on the Temple Mount… on top of Mount Moriah. I have no doubt about that,’ he told me.”

Palestinians Cut Ties with USA and Israel

Reuters wrote on February 1:

“The Palestinian Authority has cut all ties with the United States and Israel, including those relating to security, after rejecting a Middle East peace plan presented by US President Donald Trump, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said on Saturday. Abbas was in Cairo to address the Arab League, which backed the Palestinians in their opposition to Trump’s plan…

“Israel and the Palestinian Authority’s security forces have long cooperated in policing areas of the occupied West Bank that are under Palestinian control. The PA also has intelligence cooperation agreements with the CIA, which continued even after the Palestinians began boycotting the Trump administration’s peace efforts in 2017.

“Abbas also said he had refused to discuss the plan with Trump by phone, or to receive even a copy of it to study it… Abbas said he did not want Trump to be able to say that he, Abbas, had been consulted… The Arab League foreign ministers meeting in Cairo said [it] would not cooperate with the United States in implementing it…

“Foreign ministers from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon, and others said there could be no peace without recognizing Palestinian rights and a comprehensive solution…”

It is interesting how the front between most Arabs and the USA and Israel is hardening… So is the relationship between the EU and the USA, as well as Israel, as the next articles show.

EU vs. USA and Israel

Deutsche Welle wrote on February 4:

“The European Union slammed US President Donald Trump’s Middle East peace plan on Tuesday, arguing that it ‘departs from’ international agreements on the Israel-Palestine conflict… The response, however, triggered an angry response from Israel, which backs the plan…”

The Jerusalem Post added on February 4:

“The European Union on Tuesday warned Israel against annexing West Bank settlements. ‘We are especially concerned by statements on the prospect of annexation of the Jordan Valley and other parts of the West Bank,’ EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said in a statement issued by his office.

“‘In line with international law and relevant UN Security Council resolutions, the EU does not recognize Israel’s sovereignty over the territories occupied since 1967,’ Borrell said. ‘Steps towards annexation, if implemented, could not pass unchallenged,’ he added. He spoke after holding meetings in Iran and Jordan.

“Israel’s Foreign Ministry tweeted: ‘The fact that the High [Representative] of the EU, Josep Borrell, chose to use threatening language towards Israel, so shortly after he assumed office [and] only hours after his meetings in Iran, is regrettable [and], to say the least, odd. ‘Pursuing such policies [and] conduct is the best way to ensure that the EU’s role in any process will be minimized,’ the Foreign Ministry continued.”

A Worldwide Wind of Madness

The Associated Press wrote on February 4:

“U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned Tuesday that ‘a wind of madness is sweeping the globe,’ pointing to escalating conflicts from Libya and Yemen to Syria and beyond. At a wide-ranging news conference, he said, ‘All situations are different but there is a feeling of growing instability and hair-trigger tensions, which makes everything far more unpredictable and uncontrollable, with a heightened risk of miscalculation.’

“The U.N. chief also expressed great frustration that legally binding U.N. Security Council resolutions ‘are being disrespected before the ink is even dry.’

“Guterres singled out Libya where he called the current offensives by the warring parties ‘a scandal’ — coming soon after world powers and other key countries adopted a road map to peace in Berlin on Jan. 19 that called for respect for a U.N. arms embargo, an end to foreign interference in the fighting by rival governments and steps toward a cease-fire. Libya has been in turmoil since 2011, when a civil war toppled longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi who was later killed…

“On the decades-old conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, the secretary-general said the U.S. peace plan… doesn’t comply with U.N. General Assembly and Security Council resolutions and international law. The resolutions support a two-state solution based on 1967 borders and call all Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal.”

The whole world is opposed to Israel and the USA.

“Pope Francis and the Germans”

Catholic Herald wrote on February 3:

“The German bishops’ conference has been on a collision course with Rome… Pope Francis himself wrote a letter to the whole Church in Germany, warning against a false synodality, one rooted in making the Church conform to modern secular morals and thought… Undeterred, the German bishops began the first session of their synodal process in Frankfurt yesterday… the German agenda touches every major issue on the papal desk this year.

“The issue of clerical celibacy has been a contested topic in Rome… An end to mandatory celibacy is widely touted as one of the expected outputs of the German synodal process… Bishop Franz-Josef Bode, vice-chairman of the German bishops’ conference, said in a 2018 interview that if the ordination of married men is authorized for the Amazon, the Germans will insist on the same authorization…

“At the heart of the dispute over clerical celibacy, and the other changes being mooted in the German synodal process, is a mounting power struggle between Rome and the Church in Germany. While Pope Francis and his curia have been clear that the Vatican alone can treat issues of universal Church teaching and discipline, the Germans have been equally clear that they see a very different future for the Church.

“On Jan. 27, the secretary of the German bishops’ conference gave a pointed interview insisting that it is ‘unacceptable’ that Rome continue to have full discretion over universal teaching and discipline… Francis may find that all roads lead through Berlin in 2020.”

An interesting dilemma. And while the German bishops are more left-wing and liberal than Pope Francis, former Pope Benedict and his followers are more right-wing and conservative. So, Francis is confronted with two incompatible battles.

Ancient Carnival Procession in Spain

The Associated Press wrote on February 2:

“In one of the most ancient carnival celebrations in Europe, dozens of people don sheepskins, lace petticoats and conical caps, sling cowbells across their backs and parade through two Spanish towns…

“The annual procession stems from ceremonies held to ward off evil spirits and bless the harvests to come. The celebration, traditionally held at the end of January, is believed to date from before Roman times.”

This is a prime example to show the real pagan, dangerous and demonic origins of Carnival.

Locust Plague Widens

Deutsche Welle wrote on February 1:

“Pakistan‘s government declared a national emergency on Saturday in response to swarms of desert locusts in the eastern part of the country… facing the worst locust infestation in more than two decades… The desert locusts… arrived in Pakistan from Iran in June and have already ravaged cotton, wheat, maize and other crops.

“… Currently, locust swarms are affecting neighboring India and countries in East Africa.

“On Sunday, Somalia declared its locust infestation a national emergency. The locust invasion has swept over the Horn of Africa, devastating crops in one of the most vulnerable regions in the world…”

Vatican News added on January 31:

“The worst locust outbreak that parts of East Africa have seen in 70 years… now threatens to spread to South Sudan and Uganda and new rains in the weeks to come will fuel fresh vegetation and a new wave of breeding. The outbreak might not be under control until June when drier weather arrives… But by then the number of locusts, if left unchecked, could grow 500 times…

“An Ethiopian representative [said] that some farmers in Africa’s second most populous nation have lost 90% of their production. The locusts have been moving steadily toward Ethiopia’s Rift Valley, the country’s breadbasket…

“A single swarm can contain up to 150 million locusts per square kilometer of farmland, an area the size of almost 250 football fields… One especially large swarm in northeastern Kenya measured 60 kilometers long by 40 kilometers wide (37 miles long by 25 miles wide)… [Capable of eating their own weight each day, a swarm as large as between 40 and 80 million locusts could devour more than 190 million kilos of plants on a daily basis, according to Deutsche Welle].

“Even before this outbreak, nearly 20 million people faced high levels of food insecurity across the East African region long challenged by periodic droughts and floods.”

RT wrote on February 3:

“Residents in Saudi Arabia and Yemen have been faced with the bewildering sight of a truly gargantuan swarm of roughly 360 billion locusts, which can block out the sun at times… Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Environment has warned residents not to eat any of the locusts as they are likely contaminated with toxic pesticides… To make matters even worse, another, even larger swarm is expected in April, which could grow up to 500 times in size by June.”

One can’t help but wonder about the four horsemen of the apocalypse riding… false religion, war, famine and disease epidemics.

Donald Trump Jr’s Trophy Hunt

The Guardian wrote on February 4:

“A week-long ‘dream hunt’ with the US president’s son Donald Trump Jr is being auctioned at an annual trophy hunting convention in Reno, Nevada alongside expeditions to shoot elephants, bears and giraffes.

“The four-day event… advertised as a ‘hunters’ heaven’, will culminate on Saturday with an auction for a week-long Sitka black-tailed deer hunt in Alaska with Trump Jr, his son and a guide… Other prizes include the chance to shoot an elephant on a 14-day trip in Namibia, an all-inclusive hunt package to Zimbabwe to kill buffalo, giraffe and wildebeest, and a 10-day crocodile hunting expedition in South Africa…

“Thousands of hunters from around the world are expected to attend the convention which begins on Wednesday, where Trump Jr, an avid trophy hunter, is set to give a keynote address…

“The regulations around importing hunting trophies has been loosened under Donald Trump, though he has previously described the practice as a ‘horror show’ despite his sons’ affection for big-game hunting. In 2018 the administration moved to make it easier to import trophies from exotic big-game animals such as elephants and lions.”

Only two words can describe this “horror show”: ABSOLUTELY SICK!

Acknowledgement and Disclaimer

These Current Events are compiled and commented on by Norbert Link. We gratefully acknowledge the many contributions of news articles from our readership. The publication of articles in this section is not to be viewed as an endorsement or approval as to contents or accuracy of the selected articles, but they are published for the purpose of pointing at worldwide developments in the light of biblical end-time prophecy and godly instruction. Our own comments are provided in italics.

The New Coronavirus

The Sun wrote on January 25:

“[Surgeon] Dr Liang Wudong, 62, passed away today after becoming struck down with the deadly virus on January 16… Dr Wudong [was]  the 41st person to die from the disease with [almost 6,000] cases reported in China alone [and with 56 million people now on lockdown]. [Internationally, almost 10,000 cases have been reported.] [It was also reported a second doctor, Jiang Jijun died from a heart attack while treating the afflicted. It is not yet known if the infectious disease specialist died as a result of the coronavirus or from exhaustion. Reportedly, a doctor in France died of the disease as well.]

“Vietnam, Singapore, Saudi Arabia and Hong Kong all now have confirmed cases — alongside the US, China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand. France yesterday confirmed three cases and Australia one – with all patients returning from Wuhan… experts have now warned Britain is on the brink of an epidemic… [In the meantime, at least four cases have surfaced in Germany. The disease has been identified in at least 18 countries. Over 200 people have died so far.]

“And the bleak prediction reveals [that] by February 4, the number of infected people in Wuhan [which has a population of 11 million] could hit [in excess of 350,000]. Preliminary research suggested the coronavirus [originated] at Wuhan’s seafood market… which sold live koalas, snakes, rats and wolf pups to locals to eat. [It]has since been shut down while an investigation is carried out.”

The Daily Mail added on January 25:

“Disturbing footage shows [a] diner calmly dipping a baby MOUSE in a bowl of sauce before eating it alive as part of [a] banned Chinese delicacy known as ‘Three Squeaks’.”

Absolutely disgusting!

In another article, the Sun wrote on January 25:

“The killer coronavirus was spread from bats to snakes to humans, experts have claimed.

“A new study published in the China Science Bulletin this week claimed that the new coronavirus shared a strain of virus found in bats. Previous deadly outbreaks of SARS and Ebola were also believed to have originated in the flying mammal…

“Meanwhile, scientists at Peking University also claim that the deadly virus was passed to humans from bats – but say it was through a mutation in snakes… It meant that they likely provided a ‘reservoir’ for the viral strain to grow stronger and replicate. Snakes are sold at the Huanan Seafood Market in central Wuhan and may have jumped to other animals before passing to humans, they claim… The expert believes that the new strain was an RNA virus, meaning that its mutation speed was 100 times faster than that of a DNA virus such as smallpox.”

Some irresponsible articles in the mass media try to minimize the dangers of the new virus, suggesting that it only affects older and weak people. This is demonstrably not the case, and such denial is not only unhelpful and ignorant, but very dangerous.

Will 65 Million People Die of Coronavirus Pandemic?

Business Insider wrote January 23:

“Health experts issued an ominous warning about a coronavirus pandemic 3 months ago…

“Eric Toner, a scientist at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, wasn’t shocked when news of a mysterious coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan, China, surfaced in early January. Less than three months earlier, Toner had staged a simulation of a global pandemic involving a coronavirus…

“Toner’s simulation imagined a fictional virus called CAPS. The analysis… looked at what would happen if a pandemic originated in Brazil’s pig farms… The virus in Toner’s simulation… would be deadlier than SARS, but about as easy to catch as the flu.

“The pretend outbreak started small: Farmers began coming down with symptoms that resembled the flu or pneumonia. From there, the virus spread to crowded and impoverished urban neighborhoods in South America. Flights were canceled, and travel bookings dipped by 45%… A year later, it had killed 65 million people. The Spanish flu pandemic of 1918, by contrast, claimed as many as 50 million lives.

“Toner’s simulated pandemic also triggered a global financial crisis: Stock markets fell by 20% to 40%, and global gross domestic product plunged by 11%… [Toner said] that the Wuhan coronavirus could also have significant economic effects if the total number of cases hits the thousands…

“In the CAPS simulation, scientists were unable to develop a vaccine in time to stop a pandemic. That’s a realistic assumption: Even real coronaviruses like SARS or MERS… still don’t have vaccines… ‘It’s part of the world we live in now,’ Toner said. ‘We’re in an age of epidemics.’”

The Bible predicts that in the end time, millions upon millions will die of pandemics. See our new Q&A in this issue.

Allowing the Alteration of Germs

In light of the recent developments, the following older article by the New York Times, dated December 19, 2017, gains horrible morbid importance:

“Federal officials on Tuesday ended a moratorium imposed three years ago on funding research that alters germs to make them more lethal… Some scientists are eager to pursue these studies because they may show, for example, how a bird flu could mutate to more easily infect humans, or could yield clues to making a better vaccine [that is always the excuse for such horrible conduct]. Critics say these researchers risk creating a monster germ that could escape the lab and seed a pandemic…

“In October 2014, all federal funding was halted on efforts to make three viruses more dangerous: the flu virus, and those causing Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). But the new regulations apply to any pathogen that could potentially cause a pandemic. For example, they would apply to a request to create an Ebola virus transmissible through the air…

“There has been a long, fierce debate about projects — known as ‘gain of function’ research — intended to make pathogens more deadly or more transmissible… In 2011, an outcry arose when laboratories in Wisconsin and the Netherlands revealed that they were trying to mutate the lethal H5N1 bird flu in ways that would let it jump easily between ferrets, which are used to model human flu susceptibility. Tensions rose in 2014 after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention accidentally exposed lab workers to anthrax and shipped a deadly flu virus to a laboratory that had asked for a benign strain. That year, the N.I.H. also found vials of smallpox in a freezer that had been forgotten for 50 years.

“When the moratorium was imposed, it effectively halted 21 projects… In the three years since, the N.I.H. created exceptions that funded ten of those projects. Five were flu-related, and five concerned the MERS virus. That virus is a coronavirus carried by camels that has infected about 2,100 people since it was discovered in 2012, and has killed about a third of them, according to the World Health Organization.”

It has been speculated and suggested that the Chinese new coronavirus had been manufactured in Chinese laboratories and then “escaped” by first infecting animals, such as bats or snakes. Sadly, this is a real possibility.

Powerful Earthquakes Strike

Deutsche Welle wrote on January 24:

“A powerful 6.8 [or 6.7] magnitude earthquake struck eastern Turkey on Friday, killing at least [41] people and injuring over [1,600] others… Some [390] aftershocks were recorded in the wake of the earthquake, with one clocking in at 5.4 magnitude…

“Turkey has a history of being rocked by powerful earthquakes. Thousands of people were killed and many more displaced when a 7.6 magnitude earthquake struck the western city of Izmit in 1999. In 2011, more than 500 people were killed by a 7.1 magnitude earthquake in the eastern city of Van.”

The death toll is expected to rise as rescuers search for survivors under the rubble in freezing winter conditions, as the temperature dropped to -8C (17.6F).

The Associated Press reported on January 27:

“An undersea earthquake with preliminary magnitude 5.2 occurred Tuesday off the Aegean Sea island of Karpathos… in an area close to the Greek resort islands of Rhodes and Crete.”

The Associated Press reported on January 28:

“A powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck in the Caribbean Sea between Jamaica and eastern Cuba on Tuesday, shaking a vast area from Mexico to Florida and beyond… the epicenter was… 10 kilometers (6 miles) beneath the surface.”

American Troops WERE Injured by Iran’s Attack

Reuters wrote on January 24:

“The Pentagon said on Friday that 34 service members had been diagnosed with traumatic brain injury following missile strikes by Iran on a base in Iraq earlier this month, a number higher than the military had previously announced. President Donald Trump and other top officials initially said Iran’s attack had not killed or injured any U.S. service members…

“[Pentagon’s] …handling of the injuries… has renewed questions over the U.S. military’s policy regarding how it deals with suspected brain injuries. While the U.S. military has to immediately report incidents threatening life, limb or eyesight, it does not have an urgent requirement to do so with suspected traumatic brain injury, or TBI, which can take time to manifest and diagnose… According to Pentagon data, about 408,000 service members have been diagnosed with traumatic brain injury since 2000.”

Several articles pointed out that the Pentagon has a “credibility problem,” in that they were very slow to admit these serious injuries. This could also pose a potential problem for Trump as he had said that the USA would retaliate militarily if American troops were to be injured or killed in Iran’s attack.

Newsmax added on January 28:

“The Pentagon on Tuesday raised to 50 the number of U.S. service members who suffered traumatic brain injuries in Iran’s missile strike earlier this month on an Iraqi air base, the third time the number of injuries has been increased.

“The new casualty total belies President Donald Trump’s initial claim that no Americans were harmed.”

Veterans Demand Apology from Trump

Newsmax wrote on January 24:

“Trump referred to the injuries as ‘headaches’ and ‘not very serious.’

“‘In light of today’s announcement from the defense department that 34 U.S. service members suffered traumatic brain injuries as a result of Iran’s retaliatory strike and President Trump’s remarks which minimized these troops’ injuries, the Veterans of Foreign Wars cannot stand idle on this matter,’ group national commander William ‘Doc’ Schmitz said in a statement. [Schmitz represents the largest Veterans organization in the USA.]

“‘TBI is a serious injury and one that cannot be taken lightly. TBI is known to cause depression, memory loss, severe headaches, dizziness and fatigue — all injuries that come with both short- and long-term effects. The VFW expects an apology from the president to our servicemen and women for his misguided remarks.’”

Trump needs the support and the votes of the Veterans.

Iraq Wants US Troops Out

The Associated Press wrote on January 23:

“Waving national flags and banners denouncing U.S. President Donald Trump, tens of thousands of Iraqis marched peacefully through Baghdad on Friday to demand the ouster of U.S. troops from their country in a protest organized by [Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, Iraq’s most revered Shiite cleric]…

“Al-Sadr, whose party won the most seats in the May 2018 parliamentary elections, had called the rally to demand the withdrawal of American troops following the Jan. 3 U.S. drone strike near Baghdad’s airport that killed top Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani and senior Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis. The killing drew the ire of Iraqi officials from across the political spectrum.”

 It is only a matter of time until America will withdraw its troops from Iraq and other Middle Eastern countries.

Standing Up to Iran

Times of Israel wrote on January 24:

“US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday vowed to maintain pressure on Tehran and announced fresh sanctions against firms based in China, Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates that conduct business with Iran… [by] operating in Iran’s oil and petrochemical sectors…

“US Vice President Mike Pence on Thursday in Jerusalem called for the world to stand up to Iran, drawing a parallel between the Islamic Republic and Nazi Germany… Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged action against ‘the tyrants of Tehran,’ comparing what he considers the Iranian threat to the one that was posed by the Nazis.”

JTA added on January 23:

“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed gratitude for the Allied war to defeat Nazi Germany, even as he claimed the world had ‘largely’ abandoned the Jews during the Holocaust… ‘I am concerned that we have yet to see a unified and resolute stance against the most anti-Semitic regime on the planet – a regime that openly seeks to develop nuclear weapons and annihilate the one and only Jewish state,’ Netanyahu said, referencing Iran.”

The “world” will abandon the Jews once again.

Trump’s Middle East Peace Plan… Dead on Arrival

The Jerusalem Post wrote on January 28:

“Three years in the making, the ‘Deal of the Century,’ US President Donald Trump’s peace plan, has finally been revealed…

“The Palestinians will have a capital in east Jerusalem based on northern and eastern neighborhoods that are outside the Israeli security barrier… Otherwise, Trump said Jerusalem will remain undivided as Israel’s capital…

“Israel will retain the Jordan Valley and all Israeli settlements in the West Bank in the broadest definition possible…

“Israel will be in control of security from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea…

“The plan does not include immediate recognition of a Palestinian state; rather, it expects a willingness on Israel’s part to create a pathway toward Palestinian statehood based on specific territory, which is about 70% of Judea and Samaria… The state will only come into existence in four years if the Palestinians accept the plan, if the Palestinian Authority stops paying terrorists and inciting terrorism and if Hamas and Islamic Jihad put down their weapons…”

This “plan” has not the slightest chance of success.

Deutsche Welle wrote on January 28:

“Massive criticism is expected from Arab and Muslim leaders, even though not all of it will be genuine. Extremist elements, meanwhile, will happily instrumentalize this plan to carry out terrorist attacks and perpetrate violence. None of this will do anything to bring peace to the Middle East.”

Those who worked on this peace plan for three years have been wasting their time. The Bible prophesies that they will say “Peace, peace,” but that there will be no peace.

Russia’s Persecution of Religious Minorities

The Associated Press wrote on January 23:

“A court in northern Russia on Friday fined two Jehovah’s Witnesses convicted of extremism related to their membership of the religious group… [They] were fined the equivalent of $4,850 and $5,600 for ‘carrying out activities of the religious organization by calling and holding meetings’ and ‘collecting money under the guise of fundraising.’

“Russia officially banned Jehovah’s Witnesses in 2017 and declared the group an extremist organization. The Kremlin has actively used vaguely worded extremism laws to crack down on opposition activists and religious minorities… Since 2017, Russian law enforcement have targeted hundreds of Jehovah’s Witnesses across the country, raiding their homes and arresting them on extremism charges. Thirty-four members of the group have been convicted and sentenced to prison terms so far, with almost 300 people currently being investigated…”

And again, the world stands idly by in silence in the face of Russia’s unconscionable atrocities, as it did when witnessing the horrors of Nazi Germany.

Britain to Leave

The Associated Press wrote on January 24:

“Britain’s delayed and disputed Brexit bill became law on Thursday, removing the last UK obstacle to the country leaving the European Union in just over a week… the Withdrawal Agreement Act… received royal assent from Queen Elizabeth II, the final formality in its legislative journey…

“The EU Parliament’s constitutional affairs committee voted by a large margin Thursday to approve the Brexit withdrawal deal, preparing the way for a vote of all European lawmakers in Brussels next Wednesday… [See next article below.]

“After the royal assent was announced, Scottish National Party lawmaker Ian Blackford said the UK was in a ‘constitutional crisis’ because the legislatures in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland did not back the Brexit bill… Guy Verhofstadt, the leading EU lawmaker on Brexit, said the bloc’s parliament would continue to scrutinize the way Britain implemented the divorce agreement — especially to ensure that the rights of EU citizens living in the UK are protected after Brexit.”

All of this will clearly create more trouble for the UK’s unity and its already fragile relationship with Europe.

Brexit Done—“History Made”

 Express wrote on January 30:

 “THE European Parliament last night brought the curtain down on Brexit, paving the way for Britain to leave the bloc on Friday.

“Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage celebrated the UK’s divorce… Of the deal, Mr Farage said: ‘… The most significant point is what happens at 11pm this Friday marks the point of no return. Once we’ve left we are never coming back and the rest frankly is detail. We’re going, we will be gone.’”

How Europe Threatens the UK

The Independent wrote on January 22:

“The UK’s access to the single market will be weakened if it does not continue to sign up to EU rules after Brexit, Ursula von der Leyen has said… the European Commission’s president warned of ‘more distance’ between the UK and EU if such a state of affairs came about… Her comments came as the chancellor, Sajid Javid, said there was ‘no point’ in leaving the EU unless the UK was going to ditch the Brussels rule book…

“The prime minister, Boris Johnson, has set himself a deadline of reaching a trade deal by the end of the transition period in December. If one is not secured by that point, UK firms will face tariffs and quotas that could wreck their businesses…”

The relationship between the UK and the EU will become much more hostile.

A Look Back at the Rocky Relationship between Europe and Britain

The Guardian wrote on January 26:

“Last week, with the end of the UK’s 47-year membership of the club of European nations just days away, I looked back at some newspaper cuttings from my time as a Brussels correspondent… ‘British beef banned in Europe. Cattle prices fall. School meals hit. EU “rules” broken.’ Among the many crises in British relations with the EU down the years – from Margaret Thatcher’s bust-up over the European budget in the early 1980s to the UK’s exit from the ERM in 1992 – the beef war between London and Brussels ranks among the biggest.

“It was 29 March, 1996, and the European commission had just announced a worldwide ban on the export of British beef. The EU’s executive opted for decisive action after the Tory government admitted there could be a link between ‘mad cow’ disease and the mutant strain of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease which could kill humans…

“When the European commission dropped its bombshell, France and Germany had already imposed their own unilateral bans on British beef. UK ministers had announced that millions of cattle across the UK would have to be slaughtered. Thousands of schools took meat off their lunch menus. Beef prices tumbled. Inevitably, in those testy post-Maastricht days of Tory rows over Europe, Eurosceptic MPs blamed the Europeans. The late Sir Teddy Taylor, a hardline anti-EU campaigner on the Conservative backbenches, urged retaliation in the form of a ban on French wine and French beef, while Bill Cash, still a Tory MP to this day, wanted to take the European commission to court.

“Throughout that spring and summer, the crisis widened. This was a time when the ambitions of the EU’s true believers in Brussels, Bonn and Paris were at their height. Helmut Kohl and Jacques Chirac were planning the launch of the euro… leaders were preparing also to admit several countries of former communist eastern Europe. The enlargement project was one of which the UK thoroughly approved…

“But John Major, who had launched his premiership in 1990 with a promise to put Britain ‘at the heart of Europe’, found himself trapped politically as the BSE disaster worsened. The rightwing tabloids were in full anti-EU cry, demanding he fight the beef ban… In an editorial at the end of March, the Sun warned that the survival of an independent UK, no less, was at stake: ‘If Brussels has the power to stop Britain from selling a product anywhere in the world, then we are no longer an independent sovereign nation with control over our own affairs,’ the paper said…

“On 21 May, Major… announced that the UK would refuse to co-operate in EU meetings until further notice. British non-co-operation with Europe – and its policies – had become official policy… In areas where British ministers had a veto in council meetings, non-co-operation meant they would effectively be blocking EU decisions, thwarting European plans for deeper integration…

“Non co-operation quickly took relations between London and Brussels to a historic low. For the first time in more than two decades serious questions were being asked about Britain’s membership, publicly, by senior British and European politicians. The beef crisis in itself was an isolated, very specific issue. But the way it had spiralled had highlighted deep faultlines in a relationship between a member state determined not to cede powers, and much of whose media was virulently anti-Brussels, and the proponents of a postwar European project that had as its entire purpose the unification of Europe, and the necessary surrender by participants of ever more sovereignty to the centre.

“EU leaders were beginning to wonder if the UK could continue as a full member if it was prepared to put spanners in the works of integration whenever it had a grievance…

“This coming Friday, 31 January, at midnight in Brussels, and 11pm UK time, it will all be over. The worst fears of the pro-Europeans here and on the continent will have been realised… The UK will be out… Could it have worked? If so, was the EU or the UK, or were both, to blame? Which British and EU leaders fell short? Or was it always doomed to failure?…

“As we prepare to leave, I asked diplomats, politicians, journalists on both sides of the channel why they thought Brexit had come to pass and they cited a multitude of reasons. The deep differences in postwar attitudes between the UK and its European partners; poor leadership in the EU and UK; a constantly hostile British media, and sheer bad luck and timing… The German MP Norbert Röttgen, who chairs the foreign affairs committee in the Bundestag, suggested the idea of the UK leaving was always so alien and nightmarish for EU leaders that they blinded themselves to the warning signals. By the time of the 2016 referendum the chance to find compromise had been lost… Röttgen knows, as does everyone, that it was the entire European political class that failed to stop the ‘unimaginable’ happening… These are perilous times…”

Brexit was inevitable. It had nothing to do with “sheer bad luck” or “bad timing,” but it was preordained to happen. The EU-UK cooperation was “doomed to failure.” The Bible says so, and we have been proclaiming this for decades.

For much more information, please view our new StandingWatch program, titled, “BREXIT DONE! The UK GONE! Was It Inevitable?”  

Billions of Locusts Devastate Parts of Africa

Deutsche Welle wrote on January 24:

“A locust invasion in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia has left crops devastated. It is the biggest swarm in decades, with [200] billions of the ravenous insects nibbling their way through the already climate-ravaged region…

“For Ethiopia and Somalia, the infestation is the biggest in 25 years, and for Kenya it is the greatest swarm in 70 years… A locust consumes their own weight in food every day… The insects could ‘reproduce rapidly and, if left unchecked, their current numbers could grow 500 times by June,’ spreading to Uganda and South Uganda…

“In an already vulnerable region with high levels of poverty, the locusts can further devastate crops, resulting in ‘a major food security problem’… The locusts… were the latest symptom of extreme weather conditions that also saw a 2019 drought end in one of the wettest rainy seasons in four decades in parts of East Africa, with mass floods killing hundreds. The year 2019 witnessed eight cyclones, the most in a single year since 1976.”

This most recent event has been described as an “unprecedented plague.”

No Carnival for Children in Germany’s Protestant Church

Bild Online reported on January 24 that Bishop Otfried July who is responsible for 1,200 congregations of the Protestant Church in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, cancelled carnival celebrations for their Kindertagesstätten (day-care centers), questioning the “compatibility between carnival and Christian values.”

Many parents were upset, and the Catholic Church voiced opposition to the prohibition, stating that they will continue celebrating carnival. Carnival is of course a Catholic invention based on pagan beliefs and practices.

Pope Francis vs. Pope Benedict

Express wrote on January 24:

“POPE FRANCIS has once again faced significant opposition after Benedict XVI slammed a new Vatican policy in a co-authored book before trying to remove his name from the text. Now, the current head of the Catholic Church is aiming to diminish his predecessor’s influence as he replaces a high-profile Benedict ally with one of his own backers… The New York Times reported yesterday that Archbishop Charles J. Chaput of Philadelphia, who was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI in 2011, has stepped down from his role.

“Archbishop Chaput has long been known as a traditionalist in the Catholic Church, and represented one of the many critics of Pope Francis in the US. The Argentine Pope announced this week that he had accepted the resignation and would take the opportunity to promote one of his backers in Philadelphia.

“Archbishop Chaput became a key figure in the traditionalist half of the Church, supporting the denial of communion to Catholic politicians who back abortion rights and opposing legalisation in support of gay marriage.

“Anti-Francis figures have launched numerous offensives on both his policy and his character, with one group of traditionalists even penning a book titled ‘The Dictator Pope’. Pope Francis also came under fire from Catholic Church critics when he welcomed Amazonian bishops to the Vatican last year. Following the visit, a letter was published by conservative rivals who scathingly referred to the Pope’s actions as ‘sacrilegious’. His critics took opposition to his proposed policy of allowing married men to become bishops in the Amazon.

“It read: ‘We respectfully ask Pope Francis to repent publicly and unambiguously of these objectively grave sins and of all the public offences that he has committed against God and the true religion, and to make reparation for these offences.’”

The Associated Press wrote on January 25:

“A Vatican cardinal [Cardinal Robert Sarah who heads the Vatican’s liturgical office] at the center of a storm over a book about celibacy and the Catholic priesthood is denouncing the ‘brutality’ of criticism directed at him and his collaborator, Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI…

“Sarah, a Guinean prelate who is a hero to the church’s conservative and traditionalist wing, has insisted he remains obedient to Francis. But the two have clashed repeatedly, and the Vatican under the progressive Francis has found itself in the unusual position of issuing public corrections of Sarah’s positions. The Holy See, for example, intervened in 2016 after Sarah told a London liturgical conference that it was ‘very important’ for the church to return ‘as soon as possible’ to its old practice of the priest celebrating Mass facing east, with his back to the faithful… A year later, Francis publicly reprimanded Sarah for misinterpreting a new instruction giving bishops’ conferences the right to translate Mass missals…

“Sarah is due to offer his resignation to Francis in June when he turns 75, the mandatory retirement age for Catholic bishops.”

The controversy in the Catholic Church will not end any time soon, and it might contribute to explosive events mirroring occurrences which happened in the past.

Corrupt Italy

The Local wrote on January 24:

“Italy is still seen as one of Europe’s most corrupt countries… Italy ranked alongside Saudi Arabia and Rwanda… when it comes to perceived corruption in an annual index by Transparency International… the study ranks perceptions of official corruption levels around the world… [Italy improved slightly since 2018, but] analysts say they’ll be watching Italy closely as they say the trend could easily go into reverse… the list does not make any claims as to the actual level of corruption in a given country, but rather how much corruption people believe there is…

“According to the report, Italians believe the two most corrupt institutions in the country are political parties and parliament itself. Italy once again comes in far behind its northern European neighbours in the corruption stakes. Scandinavia dominated the top spots, with Denmark once again considered the world’s least corrupt country. Together with New Zealand, Denmark received 87 points, making the two countries the best placed on the list. Finland is 3rd on this year’s list, with Nordic neighbours Sweden and Norway in joint 4th and 7th respectively. The United Kingdom came 12th and the United States 23rd. Neighbouring Spain also outdid Italy with a score of 62, as did Portugal (64), and Malta (54). At the bottom of the European table, Hungary scored 46, Greece 45, and Bulgaria came in last with 42…

“The index… does not relate to corruption in the private sector, including money laundering and tax fraud.”

The perception of Italy’s corruption might lead to the rise of a strong political figure who will falsely claim to bring back honesty and reliability to the people.

Right-Wing Extremism in the German Army

Deutsche Welle wrote on January 26:

 “The head of Germany’s military intelligence service has confirmed hundreds of new investigations into soldiers with extremist right-wing leanings. Germany’s elite special forces unit appears to be a particular hotbed. Numerous cases of extremism in the German military and among other security forces have been brought to light in recent years…

“An additional 360 cases of suspected right-wing extremism were registered in 2019… Cases of suspected extremism were particularly concentrated among an elite unit known as Special Forces Command or KSK… The number of cases in the KSK also doubled in comparison with the start of 2019, he added.”

These are alarming developments which should wake everybody up.

Learning from History?

Times of Israel wrote on January 23:

“German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said Thursday that his nation had not fully learned the lessons of the Holocaust, as Jew-hatred was still growing… Steinmeier expressed concern over continued anti-Semitism, noting a pattern of attacks on Jews in Germany, highlighting a shooting in October on a synagogue in the German city of Halle.

“‘I wish I could say that we Germans have learnt from history once and for all. But I cannot say that when hatred is spreading,’ he said. ‘I cannot say that when Jewish children are spat on in the schoolyard. I cannot say that when crude anti-Semitism is cloaked in supposed criticism of Israeli policy. I cannot say that when only a thick wooden door prevents a right-wing terrorist from causing a bloodbath in a synagogue in the city of Halle on Yom Kippur.’…

“Steinmeier vowed to combat anti-Semitism, as well as ‘the poison that is nationalism.’…

“Speaking before Steinmeier, French President Emmanuel Macron praised world leaders for coming together to remember the Holocaust… The French leader said: ‘After all that has passed, anti-Semitism and the scourge of anti-Semitism has returned, and with it, xenophobia and intolerance have also raised their ugly heads.’”

The German conservative mass tabloid Bild Online published a biting editorial stating that Germans have not learned anything at all from history, and that the silent reaction to Steinmeier’s words proves that.

Further, that it is a shame and manifestation of total disinterest that after all these years, we still do not know the names of most of the preparators who were responsible for the horrible Holocaust.

Doomsday Clock Moves within 100 Seconds of Midnight

npr wrote on January 23:

“Two years after moving the metaphorical minute hand of its Doomsday Clock to within two minutes of midnight — a figurative two-minute warning for all humanity — the science and security board…  revealed Thursday that it has moved that minute hand another 20 seconds closer to the midnight hour. ‘It is 100 seconds to midnight,’ declared the [board’s] president and CEO… Never since the clock’s 1947 Cold War debut has it come so close to the putative doomsday annihilation represented by the 12 a.m. hour.

“[There are] 13 Nobel laureates on its board. [It was] founded by scientists who worked on the atomic bomb-building Manhattan Project during World War II…”

We are much closer to the end of this present evil age than most people think.

March of Life

Breaking Israel News wrote on January 26:

“On Friday, President Trump stood before a crowd of an estimated 100,000 people and became the first U.S. president to address the 47th annual March of Life in Washington D.C., invoking ‘God’ eight times in his speech. His address was emphatically faith-based as he opened his speech by declaring that he and all those attending the March were there ‘for a very simple reason: to defend the right of every child, born and unborn, to fulfill their God-given potential.’

“‘Every child is a precious and sacred gift from God… When we see the image of a baby in the womb, we glimpse the majesty of God’s creation. When we hold a newborn in our arms, we know the endless love that each child brings to a family.  When we watch a child grow, we see the splendor that radiates from each human soul… Every person is worth protecting… And above all, we know that every human soul… is made in the holy image of Almighty God.’

“The address marks a personal turning point for the president as he used to support abortion in his pre-presidential days…

“The annual March of Life began in 1974 on the first anniversary of the controversial Supreme Court Case of Roe v. Wade which is cited as protecting a pregnant woman’s liberty to choose to have an abortion without excessive government restriction. Based on questionable jurisprudence that is still debated today, the decision infringed upon the rights of the states to set their own legislation as well as the humanitarian rights of the unborn. Presidents Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush addressed marchers remotely and Mike Pence became the first sitting vice-president to attend the rally in 2017.”

It is hoped that Donald Trump stated his honest opinion and that he did not adopt his revised position on abortion just to gain votes. However, even now, he is clearly not defending the right of EVERY child, as he still allows abortion in certain circumstances, and we must also point out that his immigration policy (see article below) belies his statements regarding the protection of every human soul.

Let us say very clearly that abortion is always wrong. It is always murder in the eyes of God. This means, a Christian must not support or engage in abortion of an unborn child for ANY reason.

Trump’s New Public Charge Rule Confirmed by US Supreme Court

Politico wrote on January 27:

“A narrowly divided Supreme Court on Monday allowed the Trump administration to begin enforcing a rule making it harder for poor immigrants to gain green cards. The justices in a 5-4 vote along ideological lines said they would let the controversial immigration rules go forward even as lower courts wrestle with multiple legal challenges against them.

“The policy in question would expand the government’s ability to refuse green cards or visas for legal immigrants determined to be a ‘public charge,’ or dependent on public assistance. Those using or likely to use Medicaid, food stamps and other safety net programs would face greater scrutiny from immigration officials.

“The rules… represent one of Trump’s strongest efforts to restrict legal immigration. Multiple federal judges blocked the rules before they were slated to take effect last October, after states and immigrant rights groups filed challenges. Federal judges in California, Maryland, and New York blocked implementation, but appeals courts later lifted all but New York’s freeze. That was removed by the Supreme Court on Monday, allowing the policy to take effect almost everywhere.

“Justice Neil Gorsuch… criticized federal judges who issue nationwide blocks on administration rules… Lower courts are expected to hear lawsuits on the public charge rules in the coming months. It’s possible the Supreme Court, which did not rule on the merits of those lawsuits Monday, will review the issue again…

“An analysis from the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation found applications for about 42 percent of legal immigrants could see their green card applications ‘weighed negatively’ as a result, while 94 percent could face extra scrutiny after using at least one of the public programs targeted by the Trump policy. Public charge denials of poor immigrants have spiked under the Trump administration even without this sweeping policy in place. The State Department disqualified more than 12,000 visa applicants on public charge grounds last year…”

ABC wrote on January 27:

“The rule is expected to have a broad impact on those applying for permanent legal status in the U.S. An analysis from the Migration Policy Institute last year found 70% of recent green card applicants would have been impacted had the rule been implemented earlier.”

It was to be expected that the Republican judges who are in the majority would rule in favor of the public charge rule. This is an entirely political decision with serious consequences for many immigrants and legal residents.

America’s Local Economy Keeps Shrinking

Axios wrote on January 24:

“Growth slowed for local economies virtually everywhere in the U.S. last year, and is declining again at the start of this year as consumers pare back spending and business growth stalls… So says business directory service Yelp, which used data from its more than 100 million users to track the number of businesses opening or closing and consumer demand…

“‘Yelp has information not only on millions of U.S. brick-and-mortar businesses but on the consumer demand expressed by the millions of consumers who view, review, and post photos of businesses on Yelp every day,’ the company said in a release accompanying the analysis…

“If Yelp’s data is correct, it shows economic prospects are deteriorating for brick-and-mortar businesses of all kinds. Even among the strongest major metro areas in Yelp’s report, eight of the top 10 show declining growth year over year. Retail, food and automotive businesses almost across the board fared poorly, with stores selling mobile phones, shoes and appliances seeing the worst losses. Food and nightlife businesses had declining business in every state except Wyoming, Nevada, the Dakotas and Vermont. Large states and metropolitan areas like California, Texas, Florida, New York City, Chicago and Seattle saw some of the worst scores.”

The US economy is BY FAR not as good as many are told to believe.

Unstable Worldwide Economy

Project Syndicate wrote on January 27:

“With the benefit of full-year data, only now are we becoming aware of the danger the global economy narrowly avoided in 2019… world GDP grew by just 2.9% last year – the weakest performance since the outright contraction in the depths of the global financial crisis in 2009 and far short of the 3.8% pace of post-crisis recovery over the 2010-18 period.

“On the surface, 2.9% global growth doesn’t appear too shabby. But 40 years of perspective says otherwise. Since 1980, trend world GDP growth has averaged 3.5%… For global business-cycle analysts, the 2.5-3.5% growth band is considered the danger zone. When world output growth slips to the lower half of that range – as it did in 2019 – the risks of global recession need to be taken seriously…”

Additional articles have pointed out that the situation in China pertaining to the coronavirus is threatening the already fragile world economy. Make no mistake—a worldwide economic crash IS coming. The question is, are you prepared for it?

Surprising Revelations about Muslims and the Third Temple

Breaking Israel News reported on January 27:

“On Sunday night, the Sanhedrin hosted a conference to discuss the role of the Arabs and Muslims in the Third Temple. The conference featured a lecture by Dr. Mordechai Kedar, a senior lecturer in the Department of Arabic at Bar-Ilan University. Dr. Kedar has frequently referred to the claim that Jerusalem is holy to the Muslims as ‘fake news.’ ‘Jerusalem is not mentioned in the Quran and there is not a basis to believe that Jerusalem had any significance for Muhammad,’ Dr. Kedar explained to Breaking Israel News. ‘In early Islam, we see that assigning holiness to the Temple Mount was criticized as an attempt to introduce Jewish concepts into Islam.’

“‘Jerusalem only took on any significance in Islam in the late 8th century when the Bedouin Muslims prevented the Damascus Muslims from making Haj (pilgrimage) to Mecca. As an alternative destination for Haj, the Damascus Muslims decided on Jerusalem, adding a Hadith (oral commentary) shifting the scene of Muhammad’s Night Journey to Jerusalem in order to justify their decision.’

“The source of the Muslim holiday of ‘Isra’ (journey) and ‘Mi’raj’ (ascension, literally ‘ladder’) and the entire Muslim claim to Jerusalem as a holy site is based on a story in the Quran. According to the Quran, Muhammad traveled from Saudi Arabia to ‘Al-Aqsa’ (the far mosque).  From there, he ascended to Heaven, returning to Earth the next day. Some Muslims claim Al-Aqsa is the silver domed mosque on the southern end of the Temple Mount compound…

“‘The entire area of the Temple Mount is known as al-Haram al-Sharif – “the holy and noble site”- but a change came about after the Six-Day War, when some Jewish leaders began calling for the establishment of a synagogue on the Mount. It was felt that the Muslims would not object, since al Aqsa was on the southern edge of the compound and the synagogue would not be nearby. The Muslims decided to announce that the al Aqsa mentioned in the Koran refers not only to the mosque on the southern end of the compound, but is the name for the entire Temple Mount area, abandoning the original name, al-Haram al-Sharif.’…

“Rabbi Hillel Weiss, the spokesman for the Sanhedrin [said:] ‘There are those from the Sons of Ishmael who recognize that the gold Dome of the Rock was built upon the once and future site of the Jewish Temple. It is part of the Muslim tradition…’”

And so, the Third Temple will be built on the Temple Mount at the exact place where the First and the Second Temples once stood.

Acknowledgement and Disclaimer

These Current Events are compiled and commented on by Norbert Link. We gratefully acknowledge the many contributions of news articles from our readership. The publication of articles in this section is not to be viewed as an endorsement or approval as to contents or accuracy of the selected articles, but they are published for the purpose of pointing at worldwide developments in the light of biblical end-time prophecy and godly instruction. Our own comments are provided in italics.

No UK Alignment with EU

Deutsche Welle wrote on January 18:

“British Chancellor of the Exchequer Sajid Javid dismissed calls from British businesses to align with European Union rules once the UK has left the bloc… ‘we will not be in the single market and we will not be in the customs union — and we will do this by the end of the year,’ Javid told the Financial Times…

“Javid fired back that businesses should ‘adjust’ to the reality of Brexit and that they’ve had three years to prepare for new trade arrangements… The sectors that are most likely to be impacted are the pharmaceutical, automobile, aerospace and food and drink industries….”

 The relationship between the UK and the EU is bound to deteriorate.

Growing Rift between US and Europe

Business Insider wrote on January 18:

“President Donald Trump’s decision to assassinate Iranian Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani has exposed a growing rift between the US and its historically closest allies in Europe. The attack was met with a remarkable level of criticism by European leaders.

“The UK threatened to cut back on its long-standing defense alliance with Trump, and Germany suggested openly that the importance of its relationship with the US was declining. Trump responded by threatening European leaders with a new trade war if they remained committed to the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal.

“Yet rather than bring US allies into line, Trump’s threats merely highlighted the declining importance that many European leaders now place in the transatlantic alliance…

“The attack, which damaged Germany’s policy of engagement with Tehran, has triggered open debate about the value of Europe’s alliance with the US. In recent days German Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke openly about the declining importance of Europe’s alliance with the US… In response, she said, ‘We in Europe, and especially in Germany, need to take on more responsibility.’… the French government quickly called on the Trump administration to step back from any further conflict.”

The relationship between the USA and the EU is bound to deteriorate even more. Note the next article.

“EU Doesn’t Take Orders from US on Iran”

Politico wrote on January 17:

“European Union Trade Commissioner Phil Hogan on Thursday defended the EU’s handling of relations with Iran, following a report that the Trump administration threatened to hit EU autos with a 25 percent tariff…

“‘We’re not an extension of the United States of America in the European Union,’ Hogan said… ‘We actually are the European Union and we will make our own decisions in member states about what our policies are going to be, whether that’s in trade or security or what other areas.’”

The leader of German Green Party, Robert Habeck, condemned Trump on January 21 for Trump’s speech in Davos, saying that Trump is the enemy.

European Naval Mission in Strait of Hormuz

Euractiv wrote on January 20:

“The creation of a future European Maritime Surveillance Mission in the Strait of Hormuz (EMASOH) has now gained the ‘political support’ of Germany, Belgium, Denmark, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, and France…The Strait of Hormuz is one of the key routes for global oil transit.

“… the eight European countries aim to contribute to the protection of oil tankers and cargo ships…[In 2018:] Tehran… threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz to international shipping… [In 2019:] Two oil tankers were attacked near the Strait of Hormuz while they transited the Gulf of Oman, followed by Iran shooting down an American surveillance drone in the Gulf of Oman.”

Europe is determined to play a much more active role in military matters.

Many Kings Appear in Jerusalem

Breaking Israel News wrote on January 20:

“On Thursday, Jerusalem’s role as a gathering place for kings will appear… The event marks the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp and International Holocaust Remembrance Day…. At least 47 world leaders, including 26 presidents, four kings (from Spain, Holland, Belgium and Luxembourg), and four prime ministers will represent their countries that include the U.S., Russia, England, Romania, Italy, Austria, Greece, Cyprus, Albania, Croatia, Georgia, Bulgaria, Sweden, Denmark, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Finland, Bosnia, Iceland, Armenia, Australia, Canada, and several others…

“The U.S. will be represented by Vice President Mike Pence and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The gathering will be addressed by Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, French President Emmanuel Macron, Prince of Wales HRH Prince Charles, Russian President Vladimir Putin, a senior leader from the US, and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier… Spain’s King Felipe VI will deliver an address on behalf of the world leaders. The Foreign Ministry called the event the third-largest gathering of international leaders in Israel’s history, after the funerals of Yitzhak Rabin and Shimon Peres…

“Rabbi Hillel Weiss, spokesman for the Sanhedrin, noted:… ‘Many of the nations that will be here in Jerusalem are the very nations that took part in the Holocaust. They are also the nations that want to take Jerusalem out of the world, take it away from the Jewish people. Many of these nations support the enemies of Israel who openly proclaim their intention to continue what the Nazis began.’”

Everyone wants to play a role in or pertaining to Jerusalem. The Bible says that ultimately, all nations will fight against Jerusalem (Zechariah 14:2).

The Coming Fight for the Al Aqsa Mosque

The Jerusalem Post wrote on January 20:

“Jerusalem will soon become the capital of a global caliphate, a Palestinian preacher has told a crowd of Muslim worshipers at the Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem’s Old City, before calling on them to seek martyrdom. Speaking at an event held by Hizb ut-Tahrir to mark the anniversary of the 1453 AD capture of Constantinople by the Ottoman Empire, Nidhal ‘Abu Ibrahim’ Siam said the date brought tidings that Rome will soon be conquered in the name of Islam.

“In a video recording of the event uploaded to the Internet on January 17… Siam can be seen telling the enthusiastic crowd that three prophecies would soon be fulfilled: that a rightly-guided caliphate will be established, that Jerusalem will be liberated and established as its capital, and that Islam ‘will throw its neighbors to the ground’ and achieve world domination.

“The real task of the Muslim faithful is to wage Jihad for the sake of Allah and make the word of the infidels inferior to the word of Allah, he said, before calling upon them to become martyrs for Allah. ‘Do not obey the followers of Satan [and] those who collaborate with America, Russia, and the West,’ he urged. In response, the crowd chanted: ‘This Al-Aqsa [Mosque] will be liberated… The caliphate was promised by Allah…”

The Al-Aqsa Mosque will become more and more the object of attention and controversy. The Bible shows that Arab nations will collaborate with Germany against Israel.

Italy’s Salvini to Recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s Capital

The Times of Israel wrote on January 19:

“Italian prime ministerial frontrunner Matteo Salvini has told an Israeli newspaper [the right-wing Israeli daily Israel Hayom] he would recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital if he were elected… [The next general election in Italy is scheduled for May 28, 2023.]

“Salvini’s interview was published Saturday, a day after Honduras’s President Juan Orlando Hernandez said his government would transfer its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem once Israel opens an embassy in the Honduran capital Tegucigalpa. So far, only the United States and Guatemala have moved their embassies to the capital…”

Breaking Israel News reported on January 21:

“On Monday, an Italian senate committee voted to remove Salvini’s immunity in a case in which he stands accused of allegedly illegally detaining migrants at sea last year. The committee decision follows a Sicilian court recommendation to try Salvini for blocking migrants on a coast guard boat last July. Salvini refused to allow 131 rescued migrants off the Gregoretti coast guard boat until a deal was reached with other European states to host them. The immigrants remained on board for almost a week. This was the second time Salvini detained illegal immigrants in this manner. If convicted, Salvini could be sentenced to up to 15 years in jail.”

It is very unlikely that he will be convicted. His party, Lega Nord, is currently polling in the lead with over 30% of the electorate. On the other hand, Hitler was sentenced to jail too, only to emerge much more powerful after his release.

World War II Caused by Anti-Semitism

Times of Israel wrote on January 20:

“World War II and the enormous catastrophe it brought upon mankind occurred ‘probably mainly’ because of anti-Semitism, according to Israel’s preeminent Holocaust scholar. Indeed, Adolf Hitler launched the war to a large extent to prevent ‘world Jewry’ from physically annihilating the German nation, Yehuda Bauer said. ‘Anti-Semitism is a cancer that eats the world, and World War II is proof of that,’ he told The Times of Israel during an hour-long interview in Jerusalem last week.

“Bauer, 93…. [mentioned] a secret memorandum Hitler wrote to Hermann Goering in August 1936, in which he spoke about the need for Germany to be ready for war within four years. Otherwise, Hitler argued, Jewish Bolshevism will ‘replace’ the German nation…”

One must not forget that both Hitler and Stalin were anti-Semitic. They both were preparing for war against each other.

Deutsche Welle added on January 21:

“Naftali Fürst (88) survived Auschwitz and Buchenwald… ‘I think it can happen again,’ he said… He says the situation is currently deteriorating again, and that’s why he speaks as a witness. ‘I have a duty to tell […my story].’ Because people shouldn’t believe ‘that it didn’t happen.’”

The Holocaust DID happen, and as horrible as it was, something similar, but much more devastating, will happen again… and this time, it will be directed against physical and spiritual Jews, as well as the modern descendants of the ancient House of Israel in the USA, the UK, and other English-speaking nations.

Turkey’s Plans for Libya and Israel

Breaking Israel News wrote on January 21:

“A new military incursion into Libya is part of a long-awaited dream by Turkish President Erdogan to return the Ottoman Caliphate, a global Islamic rule that subjugated Jews and Christians for six centuries… Turkish-backed Syrian mercenaries have begun arriving in Libya. Approximately 2,400 troops are already in Tripoli while another 1,700 are currently undergoing training in Turkey… Turkey intends to send a total of 6,000 troops to Libya… The Turkish government will pay each soldier a monthly stipend of $2,000, far more than the $50 they earned to fight back home in Syria. The Syrian troops are also fighting against the Kurds in Libya.

“Turkish intervention is a manifestation of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s aspiration to establish himself as the leader of a global Islamic nation… Erdogan’s Caliphate aspirations extend beyond the borders of Turkey and target Israel and, most specifically, Jerusalem. At a summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Istanbul last year, Erdogan called on all of the 57 Muslim member nations to join together against Israel to avenge the deaths of Palestinians killed while charging the southern border with Gaza.

“In 2015, Erdogan gave a speech commemorating 562 years since the Turks captured Constantinople (now known as Istanbul) from European Christians in which he called for the Muslim conquest of Jerusalem… Erdogan has also been suspected of aiding Hamas, allowing the terrorist organization to operate out of Turkey. The terrorist group is also reportedly in contact with the Turkish intelligence agency.

“The key to the Turkish incursion into Libya and the hidden motivation is actually quite straightforward. Two months ago, Turkey signed a maritime borders deal that gave Turkey a claim to parts of the eastern Mediterranean. In addition to its strategic military importance, the eastern Mediterranean has huge natural gas deposits. Turkey’s entrance into the eastern Mediterranean puts it into close proximity with Israel and its offshore natural gas facilities.”

A gathering of world leaders and their representatives in Germany to determine the fate of Libya was only of limited success, as nobody knows how to implement their peace “proposals.” While uncertainty remains, Turkey is stepping in. Ultimately, Turkey will be collaborating with Europe against Israel.

Human-to-Human Transmission of New Deadly Virus

The Associated Press wrote on January 20:

“The head of a Chinese government expert team said Monday that human-to-human transmission has been confirmed in an outbreak of a new coronavirus, a development that raises the possibility that it could spread more quickly and widely… The spread of the viral pneumonia comes as the country enters its busiest travel period, when millions board trains and planes for the Lunar New Year holidays. The outbreak is believed to have started late last month among people connected to a seafood market in Wuhan, a city in central China… The outbreak has put other countries on alert as millions of Chinese travel for Lunar New Year. Authorities in Thailand and in Japan have identified three cases, all involving recent travel from China [One case has now been identified in the USA as well.]

“Coronaviruses cause diseases ranging from the common cold to SARS, or severe acute respiratory syndrome. SARS first infected people in southern China in late 2002 and spread to more than two dozen countries, killing nearly 800. The Chinese government initially tried to conceal the severity of the SARS epidemic, but its cover-up was exposed by a high-ranking physician… Initial symptoms of the novel coronavirus include fever, cough, tightness of the chest and shortness of breath, and those seriously ill developed pneumonia.”

The Telegraph added on January 22:

“As many as 4,000 people in the city at the epicentre of an outbreak of a mystery new coronavirus could be infected with the disease, experts have warned. So far, Chinese authorities and state media say close to 500 people have fallen ill and 17 people have died from the disease, which was first identified in China at the end of last year and has now spread to five other countries…

“Experts say it is also ‘possible’ that a case could reach the UK. But disease modelling experts from Imperial College, London say the true figure in the city of Wuhan alone – the source of the outbreak – could be… as high as 9,700…”

Breaking Israel News wrote on January 23:

 “The deadly coronavirus disease… appears to have been caused by the consumption of a Chinese delicacy – bat soup… The Bible forbids the consumption of birds of prey and specifically mentions bats as one of those species as stated in Leviticus 11.”

Another source claims that the disease has been spread by the consumption of snakes purchased at a wholesale market. Snakes are of course unclean animals too.

The problem is that the symptoms are at first very similar to an ordinary flu, and don’t even show up until five or six days after infection. So, many can pass on the virus to others without even knowing that they are sick.

Hundreds of Thousands of Fish Dead in Australia

The Guardian wrote on January 17:

“Hundreds of thousands of fish are dead in northern New South Wales as bushfire ash washed into in the Macleay River…

“Rains have washed ‘tonnes and tonnes’ of debris into the Macleay River…  Species seen dead and reported… were Australian bass, eels, bullhead mullet, yellow-eye mullet, herring, gudgeons and catfish.”

Also, rain and dust have made a bad situation even worse.

The Guardian added on January 22:

“Temperatures have soared in New South Wales bringing renewed emergency bushfire warnings, while Melbourne has brown rain from dust in the air, causing pools to close and the Yarra River to turn brown. Despite heavy rain in parts of NSW over the past week, residents were warned the ‘bad old days’ of bushfires could return… The fire danger was classified as extreme in the southern ranges on Thursday, and severe in much of the rest of the state, including the fire-ravaged far south coast…

“Temperatures in parts of the south coast, Hunter, mid-north coast and Sydney were expected to pass 40C on Thursday, with 65 fires burning and 19 uncontained… There were still 12 fires burning in Victoria on Thursday morning…  The rain brought little relief to bushfire-affected regions; there was barely any east of Bairnsdale. The Victorian premier, Daniel Andrews, has said that the rains could bring new dangers for firefighters, including landslides.”

Breaking Israel News wrote on January 22:

“In the midst of raging wildfires, hailstones the size of baseballs pounded Australia in a mix of elemental opposites echoing the Egyptian plague. As if that reminder of the Exodus were not enough, a massive dust storm turned day into night… This year, a stark drought brought on devastating wildfires that have, so far, burned an estimated 46 million acres of land. The fires destroyed over 5,900 buildings including approximately 2,683 homes, and killed at least 30 people. An estimated one billion animals were also killed and some endangered species may be driven to extinction.”

Humans Responsible for US Wildfires

The Daily Mail wrote on January 22:

“The number of human-caused wildfires has increased in recent decades… The new study of wildfires in America between 1984 and 2016 has found that the leading cause is ‘shifting away from lightning and towards human activity’. In the past, the strongest fires were caused by natural ignition types, like lightning strikes or El Niño winds, which also tended to be seasonal and easier to predict. Human-caused, or anthropogenic, fires can be caused intentionally, by arson, or accidentally, for example by dropped cigarettes, fireworks or other negligence…

“Looking to the future, researchers say that regular fires caused by humans are likely to become even more frequent. Some of the most high-profile fires in recent years have been caused by humans. Last year, the Kincade Fire that swept across 78,000 acres of Sonoma County in California started when a faulty PG&E power line ignited the unusually dry landscape surrounding it and quickly spread. A report from the Wall Street Journal found that faulty PG&E equipment was responsible for starting more than 1.500 wildfires between 2014 and 2017 alone. In Oregon, a teenager started a wildfire in the forest around Eagle Creek when he set off some fireworks. The resulting fire burned over 48,000 acres and was actively smoldering for nine months, between September 2017 and May 2018.

“85% of wildfires in the US are caused by humans. Lightning is the next most common cause of wildfires… California has more than 2 million homes exposed to wildfire risk, almost three times more than any other state. Texas has the highest number of wildfires per year, with 10,541 in 2018…”

German Cardinal Reinhard Marx: Don’t Spread Fear of Hell

Life Site News wrote on January 10:

“Cardinal Reinhard Marx – the archbishop of Munich-Freising and the head of the German Bishops’ Conference – just made a statement, in which he argued against spreading fear, saying: ‘wherever someone spreads fear – of hell or whatever else – the Gospel cannot have an effect.’… His Protestant counterpart, the head of the Evangelical Church of Germany (EKD), Bishop Heinrich Bedford-Strohm,… added that, while in former times, the church had blessed weapons, but she is now, instead, known for her work for the protection of the environment. ‘I prefer the latter,’ he added…”

It is unclear whether Marx denies the existence of hell, or whether he is just saying that no fear should be spread… The German magazine Focus reported on January 21 about allegations that Bishop Marx and Bishop Ackermann prevented a meaningful investigation of thousands of cases where the clergy sexually abused children, in order to protect Marx and Pope Benedict. The fact is that several years after the revelation of the abuse cases in Germany, still no charges have been filed against any accused priest, according to the magazine.

Acknowledgement and Disclaimer

These Current Events are compiled and commented on by Norbert Link. We gratefully acknowledge the many contributions of news articles from our readership. The publication of articles in this section is not to be viewed as an endorsement or approval as to contents or accuracy of the selected articles, but they are published for the purpose of pointing at worldwide developments in the light of biblical end-time prophecy and godly instruction. Our own comments are provided in italics.