Austria Elects Hardliner Sebastian Kurz

The Washington Post reported on October 16:

“Austria became the latest European country to take a sharp turn right on Sunday, with the conservative People’s Party riding a hard-line position on immigration to victory in national elections and likely to form a government with a nationalist party that has long advocated for an even tougher stance.

“The result puts the 31-year-old foreign minister and People’s Party leader, Sebastian Kurz, in line to become Austria’s next chancellor after a campaign in which he emphasized the need to strengthen border controls, reduce caps on refugees and slash benefits for newcomers.

“Much of Kurz’s rhetoric echoed positions long held by the Freedom Party, which for decades has anchored the far right of politics in this nation of 8.7 million…

“Freedom Party backers were in a jubilant mood Sunday night, eating schnitzel, dancing to Austrian folk music and waving flags at the party’s election-night celebration. Heinz-Christian Strache, the party leader, said the results proved that ‘our message has reached the mainstream…’

“The elevation of Kurz to chancellor would put another young and charismatic leader at the helm of a European government, after the election of 39-year-old Emmanuel Macron in France.

“Kurz, though ideologically to the right of Macron, modeled much of his campaign after the Frenchman’s. The Austrian politician styled his run for the nation’s highest office as a movement, not a conventional election, and personalized his party, informally renaming it ‘the Sebastian Kurz List.’

“Kritzinger said Kurz’s opponents were flummoxed by how to counteract the charismatic People’s Party leader, who took the reins in the party this year and promptly remade it as his own.

“’From a rhetoric perspective, he’s an absolute talent,’ Kritzinger said. ‘The other parties didn’t know how to deal with him.’”

The Times of Israel commented on October 16:

“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday called to congratulate Sebastian Kurz on his victory in Austria’s elections, according to a statement from his office that made no mention of the success of the far-right Freedom Party.

“On Sunday, the 31-year-old Kurz’s  People’s Party (OeVP) swept to victory with a projected 31.7 percent of the vote, ahead of the Social Democrats (SPOe) at 26.9% and the anti-migrant Freedom Party (FPOe) at 26%, leading to the expectation that Kurz would turn to the far right party as a coalition partner…

“Kurz, for his part, told the prime minister of his interest in boosting Austria’s ties with Israel, the PMO said.

“The statement did not make any mention of the Freedom Party’s expected role as the junior partner in Kurz-led coalition. In 1999, Israel recalled its ambassador after the party, then under Jörg Haider, joined the government.

“The success of the FPOe, which was founded by former Nazis in the 1950s, has created a dilemma for Israel, whose government refuses to meet with members of the party. If senior party member Norbert Hofer were to become foreign minister, as is common for runners-up in Austrian coalition governments, Jerusalem would have to choose between ending its longstanding policy of not interacting with ultra-nationalist parties and boycotting a top diplomat of a friendly country.

Politico wrote on October 18:

“Regardless of whether it joins the next Austrian government, the far-right Freedom Party was the victor in the country’s election last Sunday. Like Geert Wilders in the Netherlands, the anti-immigration party has built the theater in which the mainstream parties are now performing.

“Sebastian Kurz — the 31-year-old leader of the Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP) — is set to lead a right-leaning coalition that includes the far-right Freedom Party. The last time Austria’s populists won more than a quarter of the vote and played kingmaker, in 1999, the other EU members isolated Vienna through bilateral sanctions. But what shocked EU leaders then is barely causing a stir now.

“In part, this is simply because the inclusion of the far right is not as shocking as it was 20 years ago. Since then, governments across Europe — from Hungary to Italy — have turned rightward and a host of mainstream political leaders have adopted anti-immigrant rhetoric in an effort to keep the political fringes at bay.

“Exclusion is no longer an option. The EU is too busy trying to figure out how to respond to the most blatant challenges to its rule of law and other key values — from self-proclaimed “illiberal” governments in Budapest and Warsaw.

“When it comes to Austria, the other European countries will be watching whether campaign slogans turn into action, particularly when it comes to migration policy.”

Kurz’s rise to power reflects the growing revolt across Europe over a seeming lack in answering the concern for Europe’s traditional values. Europe is turning to younger, charismatic leaders, and that opens the door for the emergence of a very powerful personality who is destined to emerge to lead a totally new kind of European nationalism!

Macron Calls for New Political Heroes

The Independent reported on October 15:

“Emmanuel Macron has said modern democracies need new political heroes and called for an end to the ‘European civil war’.

“The French President said he wanted to ‘renew the European dream and reawaken ambitions for it’ during an interview with German newspaper Der Spiegel.

“His comments come days after the fifth round of Brexit talks closed with the EU’s chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, claiming the EU and UK were in a ‘deadlock’ over Britain’s financial contribution.

“Giving his thoughts on modern democracy, Macron said: ‘I am a strong believer that modern political life must rediscover a sense for symbolism.

“‘We need to develop a kind of political heroism. I don’t mean that I want to play the hero. But we need to be amenable once again to creating grand narratives.’

“He went on to call on leaders to work together to achieve ‘sovereignty, unity and democracy’ in Europe.

“‘Let’s put an end to this European civil war, the existence of which we don’t want to admit, and stop constantly looking at whether we are better than our neighbouring country at this or the other thing.’”

Vatican Prepares Forum to Support European Union

Vatican Radio reported on October 14:

“‘Rethinking Europe’ is the title of a high-level Forum of Dialogue which aims to discuss the main challenges of the European Union and the ways the Church can support the European project in a moment in which Europe itself seems to be at a crossroads.

“Organized by COMECE (the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Community), in collaboration with the Holy See, the event will take place in the Vatican from 27 to 29 October.

“Presenting the Forum earlier this year, COMECE President Cardinal Reinhard Marx said: ‘Rethinking Europe will be the start of a process of dialogue between the Churches representatives (both bishops and seculars) and the politicians who have political responsibility and take decisions.’

“Participants will include hundreds of high-level Church and EU political representatives, together with other grassroots actors who will meet in a series of workshops and debates ‘in order to facilitate a frank and open discussion between stakeholders of different geographic, cultural, religious and linguistic backgrounds, putting in practice the motto of the EU: Unity in Diversity’.

“The date for the Forum has been chosen to fall on the 60th anniversary of the signature of the Treaty of Rome.

“Pope Francis, who has repeatedly reminded the EU of its role and responsibility towards the world and n citizens and encouraged EU representatives of their commitment to safeguard peace and the dignity of all women and men, will address the participants on Saturday, 28 October.

“Presenting the project for the Forum, COMECE stressed that ‘The main message of the Church is to put the human person back at the heart of the European public policy and the Dialogue of Rome will be a milestone of this process’.”

China Tightens Communism

The Washington Post wrote on October 18:

“For 3½ hours, China’s President Xi Jinping commanded the stage and the nation’s television screens as he set out a far-reaching agenda for the Communist Party, outlining a vision of total control, not only of the nation’s economy and the Internet but also of culture, religion and morals.

“The Communist Party already has a hand in just about every aspect of life here. But Xi’s speech Wednesday — opening a five-yearly congress of the party’s top leadership — cast the net even wider.

“His was a vision of a reinvigorated Communist Party, backed by a strong economy and a powerful, modern military taking an even more central role in the affairs of the nation and a more confident role on the world stage.

“‘Achieving national rejuvenation will be no walk in the park,’” Xi told more than 2,200 members of the party’s elite, speaking beneath gigantic red drapes and a huge hammer and sickle in the mammoth Great Hall of the People, a monument to Communist authoritarianism, on Beijing’s Tiananmen Square…

“The theme of the congress: that the party should remain true to its original aspiration, hold high the banner of socialism and secure a decisive victory in the battle to build a moderately prosperous society.”

Powerful Hurricane Pummels Ireland

CNBC reported on October 16:

“The Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland are experiencing some of the most extreme weather the island has seen in decades as the aftermath of Hurricane Ophelia strikes.

“Schools and hospitals are closed, many public transport and aviation services have ceased operations and the army has been sent to shore-up flood defenses in what has been called an “unprecedented storm” by Ireland’s meteorological office.

“Two people were killed in separate incidents when trees fell on their cars — a woman in her fifties in the southeast and a man on the east coast. Another man in his thirties died while trying to clear a fallen tree in an incident involving a chainsaw.

“Over 360,000 homes and businesses were without electricity with another 100,000 outages expected by nightfall, Ireland’s Electricity Supply Board said, describing it as an unprecedented event that would [a]ffect every part of the country for days.”

California Wildfires Prove Historic!

AP reported on October 17:

“The fires that swept through parts of seven counties were the deadliest and most destructive series of blazes in California history. At least 42 people died and 6,000 homes were lost.

“The flames were especially devastating in Sonoma and Napa counties on the northern edge of the Bay Area — a region that has seen housing prices skyrocket in recent years amid a technology industry boom. In San Francisco, an average one-bedroom apartment rents for more than $3,000 a month, and the median home price is about $1.5 million.

“Cities such as Santa Rosa, about 50 miles north of San Francisco, have offered more affordable housing for people willing to endure a longer commute. But that may not be the case anymore…

“An estimated 100,000 people were evacuated at the height of the fires, and about 22,000 remain under evacuation.”

As this report shows, the repercussions will last far past the time when these fires are quenched. Like so many disasters which have occurred in recent weeks, the challenge to survive and rebuild is simply overwhelming.

President Trump’s First Speech to the United Nations

On September 19, President Trump delivered his highly anticipated speech to the UN. We are bringing you the following pertinent excerpts:

“Our military will soon be the strongest it has ever been… we meet at a time of both of immense promise and great peril. It is entirely up to us whether we lift the world to new heights, or let it fall into a valley of disrepair…

“This institution [the UN] was founded in the aftermath of two world wars to help shape this better future… It was… exactly 70 years ago, that the United States developed the Marshall Plan to help restore Europe…

“This week… [we] are celebrating the 230th anniversary of our beloved Constitution — the oldest constitution still in use in the world today… In America, the people govern, the people rule, and the people are sovereign…

“As President of the United States, I will always put America first, just like you, as the leaders of your countries will always, and should always, put your countries first. (Applause.)… As long as I hold this office, I will defend America’s interests above all else…

“No one has shown more contempt for other nations and for the wellbeing of their own people than the depraved regime in North Korea. It is responsible for the starvation deaths of millions of North Koreans, and for the imprisonment, torture, killing, and oppression of countless more.

“… now North Korea’s reckless pursuit of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles threatens the entire world with unthinkable loss of human life. It is an outrage that some nations would not only trade with such a regime, but would arm, supply, and financially support a country that imperils the world with nuclear conflict. No nation on earth has an interest in seeing this band of criminals arm itself with nuclear weapons and missiles. The United States has great strength and patience, but if it is forced to defend itself or its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea. Rocket Man is on a suicide mission for himself and for his regime…

“We face this decision not only in North Korea. It is far past time for the nations of the world to confront another reckless regime [Iran] — one that speaks openly of mass murder, vowing death to America, destruction to Israel, and ruin for many leaders and nations in this room…

“The Iran Deal was one of the worst and most one-sided transactions the United States has ever entered into. Frankly, that deal is an embarrassment to the United States, and I don’t think you’ve heard the last of it — believe me…

“The United States is one out of 193 countries in the United Nations, and yet we pay 22 percent of the entire budget and more…

“We have also imposed tough, calibrated sanctions on the socialist Maduro regime in Venezuela, which has brought a once thriving nation to the brink of total collapse… The United States has taken important steps to hold the regime accountable. We are prepared to take further action if the government of Venezuela persists on its path to impose authoritarian rule on the Venezuelan people…

“The problem in Venezuela is not that socialism has been poorly implemented, but that socialism has been faithfully implemented. (Applause.) From the Soviet Union to Cuba to Venezuela, wherever true socialism or communism has been adopted, it has delivered anguish and devastation and failure. Those who preach the tenets of these discredited ideologies only contribute to the continued suffering of the people who live under these cruel systems…

“History is asking us whether we are up to the task…”

The sad answer from the pages of the Bible is, sadly, “No, we are not up to the task.” From its inception, the UN has been a failed body of bickering disgruntled and competitive countries; far too often driven by antagonism towards the USA; unable to come to any meaningful consensus; and most certainly unable to bring peace to the world. President Trump has put the world on notice as to what America is willing to do if the UN fails. However, God has declared beforehand how the future will look like… and it is a grim future.

The Father of All Bombs

Israel National News wrote on September 18:

“A senior official in Iran’s Revolutionary Guards claimed over the weekend that Iran is in possession of what he described as the ‘father of all bombs’. According to the official… Iran has produced a domestically-made 10-ton bomb with a high destructive power… The commander pointed to the ordnance as Iran’s ‘father of all bombs’ as compared with… MOAB…, also known as the ‘mother of all bombs,’ which the U.S. Air Force dropped on Islamic State (ISIS) targets in Afghanistan in April…

“It is difficult to determine whether Hajizadeh’s claims are true, but Iran often boasts of its military accomplishments. Earlier this year, the Islamic Republic claimed to have unveiled a domestically manufactured tank which ‘has the capability to fire missiles and precisely guide them.'”

Iran and North Korea belong to the most dangerous countries in the world, and they are apparently collaborating in their pursuit to advance their nuclear weaponry.

Closer than Ever to Nuclear Annihilation?

Sputnik wrote on September 17:

“Dr. Helen Caldicott, a well-known leader of the anti-nuclear movement in Australia and the United States during the Cold War, described the thinking behind the idea of a ‘limited nuclear war’ as ‘insane’… the activist warned that if the US goes ahead with the creation of new tactical nukes, other nuclear powers will be sure to go along…

“Caldicott described the policy of nuclear deterrence as ‘a policy of nuclear madness.’ ‘The fact that we have not yet experienced nuclear extinction is a matter of sheer luck. But considering the present political situation with volatile political leaders threatening each other with nuclear weapons, I think that we are closer to nuclear annihilation than we have ever been,’ Caldicott concluded.”

Sadly, the Bible prophesies a coming worldwide nuclear war, but it will be set in motion by powers, which will be a surprise to the world.

America’s Doomsday Planes

The Sun wrote on September 20:

“The four specially-designed secretive aircraft are called the E-4Bs. They are designed to allow US leaders and wartime hawks to issue orders and wage nuclear war from the sky… Known officially as National Airborne Operation Centres… they also feature a vast array of defence mechanisms, including the ability to withstand electromagnetic pulses… In operation since the 1970s, these airborne command posts were long considered the best chance for a Cold War president to survive a nuclear attack…

“Unlike the ceremonial and comfort-focused Air Force One, the E-4B airborne command posts are flying war-rooms—staffed by dozens of military analysts, strategists and communication aides who would guide the President through the first days of a nuclear war. The planes also include special gear like a five-mile-long trailing wire antenna that would ensure that the president could remain in contact with the nuclear submarine fleet even after ground-based communications had been destroyed.

“Through the final decades of the Cold War, an E-4B Nightwatch plane always stood on alert at Andrews Air Force Base, ready to whisk the president skyward with just 15 minutes’ warning. Even today, one of those four Doomsday planes, known to their crews as ‘Air Force One When It Counts,’ regularly travels with or near the President at all times. When the President is in the United States, an E-4B always remains on alert at Offutt Air Force Base in Omaha, Nebraska, its engines turning 24 hours a day, ready to launch and rendezvous with the President in the event of an emergency evacuation.”

The fact that these precautions exist should make all of us aware that the threat of nuclear war is real.

The Graham-Cassidy Proposals to Repeal and Replace Obamacare Will Fail, Of Course

The Week wrote on September 19:

“The best thing that can be said for the latest — and last — bill sponsored by Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.) is that it is of a piece with its forerunners. It would give the states (less) money to administer ObamaCare’s popular and successful federal expansion of Medicaid… It would cut subsidies for people buying health insurance in the individual market…

“It would also reduce, if not totally eliminate, protection for such pre-existing ‘conditions’… It would toss the individual mandate and presumably allow insurance companies to heap fees on those whose coverage has lapsed. It would be cruel, capricious, and unstable… There is simply no chance that it will pass the Senate, much less make it to President Trump’s desk and become law.”

Let us hope that analysis of the future proves to be correct, because this bill would indeed have terrible and inhumane consequences for many people.

Report Alleges that Obama Administration Wiretapped Trump’s Campaign

Breitbart wrote on September 18:

“U.S. investigators wiretapped President Trump’s campaign chairman Paul Manafort, according to a report by CNN that vindicates the president’s earlier claims, which were mocked as a conspiracy theory.

“President Trump had tweeted on March 4: ‘Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my “wires tapped” in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism!’…

“But a report Monday evening said U.S. investigators obtained a surveillance warrant on Manafort from a secret court and had monitored him before and after the election, including a ‘period when Manafort was known to talk to President Donald Trump.’… ‘The surveillance was discontinued at some point last year for lack of evidence,’ a source told CNN.

“However, the FBI then restarted the surveillance after obtaining a new FISA warrant that extended early into this year. The report notably does not say when the new warrant was obtained. Manafort joined the Trump campaign as its chairman in May 2016. The new warrant was ‘part of the FBI’s efforts to investigate ties between Trump campaign associates and suspected Russian operatives,’ according to the report.

“The report notes, ‘such warrants require the approval of top Justice Department and FBI officials’ — but doesn’t specify which top Justice Department and FBI officials had approved it.”

This report, if true, would indeed vindicate Donald Trump’s earlier claim of wiretapping, but it still would not be good news for him and his campaign, because surveillance warrants are not handed out easily.

Hurricane Maria Makes Landfall

The Huffington Post wrote on September 18:

“Hurricane Maria ‘rapidly’ intensified and slammed into the Caribbean island of Dominica as a powerful category 5 hurricane late Monday evening… with maximum sustained winds of 160 mph… Dominica’s Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit said the winds were ‘merciless’…

NBC News added on September 18:

“Hurricane Maria was strengthening fast into a monster storm Monday as it barreled toward Puerto Rico and other Irma-battered Caribbean islands… Puerto Rico has not been hit by a Category 4 or 5 hurricane since 1928…

“Maria, however, could be ‘catastrophic’ for Puerto Rico, which was largely spared by Hurricane Irma… It passed 50 miles north of the island and caused only wave damage, but even that was enough to knock out power to about 1 million people.”

NBC wrote on September 19:

“Authorities warned Puerto Ricans to evacuate or die on Tuesday as Hurricane Maria, the most powerful storm to threaten the region in almost 90 years, barreled toward the U.S. territory.”

Bloomberg wrote on September 19:

“Puerto Rico is facing an active hurricane season with little financial ability to navigate a natural catastrophe. It filed for bankruptcy in May after years of economic decline and borrowing to fill budget gaps. A series of defaults have effectively left it unable to raise money in the capital markets… Puerto Rico’s emergency fund stood at about $32 million before Irma passed through…

“Puerto Rico debt maturing in 2035 changed hands Tuesday at an average price of 56.7 cents on the dollar, the lowest level since Sept. 1…”

Maria’s Devastation in Puerto Rico

Deutsche Welle reported on September 21:

“Puerto Rico officials were weighing the damage inflicted by Hurricane Maria on Thursday, after the devastating storm destroyed buildings and knocked out power across the densely populated island…

“In the capital, San Juan, historic forts and buildings dating back to the Spanish colonial era were destroyed, leaving nothing but debris…

“Communication channels have been almost impossible to maintain, with roads destroyed and telephone towers knocked out across the island.

“US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that the hurricane  had ‘obliterated’ Puerto Rico and declared the island a disaster zone in a move that frees up federal relief funding.”

Powerful Earthquake Strikes Mexico

The Los Angeles Times wrote on September 19:

“A powerful 7.1 earthquake shook central Mexico on Tuesday, collapsing homes and bridges across hundreds of miles, killing at least [300] people and sending thousands more fleeing into the streets screaming…

“The epicenter was about 80 miles southeast of Mexico City in the state of Puebla. It struck on the anniversary of a 1985 temblor [with a magnitude of 8.0], which killed thousands of people and devastated large parts of Mexico City — a tragedy that President Enrique Peña Nieto had commemorated earlier in the day…”

Is it mere coincidence that the 7.1 earthquake struck exactly on the day of the anniversary of the 1985 temblor?

German Election on September 24–AfD in Third Place?

Deutsche Welle wrote on September 17:

“One week before the German election, the latest voter poll has put the far-right AfD barely ahead of the other ‘small parties.’… [The poll] showed support for the AfD at 11 percent, with the Left party just behind at 10 percent, followed by the business-friendly Free Democrats (FDP) at 9 percent and the Green party at 8 percent. Should the AfD’s double-digit polling numbers hold, the populist party would enter Germany’s national parliament for the first time after the September 24 election. Another poll carried out by the Infratest dimap research institute last Thursday showed the AfD polling at 12 percent…

“Support for Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and their Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), was at 36 percent. The SPD, under party leader and chancellor candidate Martin Schulz, was polling at 22 percent in the poll. When asked by pollsters about the success of the AfD, 58 percent said they believed Merkel’s policies were partially responsible for the rise of the nationalist party while 34 percent disagreed…

“The FDP and the Greens said on Sunday that the battle for third place was hardly over. FDP leader Christian Lindner… said the Greens didn’t have a chance of taking third place and that his party would need to step up as the main opposition voice should Merkel’s CDU form another grand coalition with the SPD. Lindner emphasized that the opposition shouldn’t be led by the AfD, a party he described as having ‘nationalist-authoritarian’ ideals…”

Germany’s Nightmare

Express wrote on September 18:

“Polls show Mrs Merkel is well on course to finish top of the polls but will have to negotiate a coalition with at least one other party. Her Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party had been in a grand coalition with the centre-left Social Democratic Party (SDP) but they are not keen on recreating the arrangement. That could leave Mrs Merkel scratching around for support in the hope of forming a ‘Jamaica coalition’ with the Free Democratic Party (FDP) and the Greens.

“But there has been hostility between the two potential coalition partners in recent days with the Greens accusing their pro-business rivals of being an ‘anti-party’ that stands against all they hold dear… A further obstacle could be caused by the FDP’s demands to get the finance ministry in exchange for joining a coalition. Current Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble, of the CDU, has held the post since 2009 and is the most high-profile member of Mrs Merkel’s cabinet.”

The Fate of Refugees in Germany

The Washington Post wrote on September 18:

“While Merkel has defended her decision to allow the refugees to come, she has also said Germany will not be accepting large numbers of new arrivals again any time soon. She and her chief rival… Martin Schulz agree that the pace of deportations needs to be accelerated among those whose asylum claims have been denied.

“The party in third place, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), says that even those with legitimate asylum claims should be sent back, in part because the predominantly Muslim newcomers do not fit into German culture… The party frequently uses incendiary rhetoric to attack immigrants and their descendants; the party’s deputy leader, Alexander Gauland, recently suggested that Aydan Ozoguz, the integration minister and one of the few nationally known politicians with an immigrant background, should be ‘disposed of’ in Turkey.”

The results will be really interesting, and no matter who wins, the coalition “discussions” will no doubt be quite challenging, while the role of the AfD should not be underestimated.

Political Structural Change in the Making in Europe

The EUObserver wrote on September 20:

“In many Western countries, party structures are dissolving… There is not much left of the once-defining role of classical parties…

“In France, the traditional party system has decayed. The Socialists, after being the governing party in Paris until spring, have practically ceased to exist…

“The US‘ once-lofty Republicans – the self-proclaimed ‘Grand Old Party’ – have now disintegrated into separate wings… And the party organisation is so weak that it could be captured by a non-politician like Donald Trump.

“Until recently in the UK, the Labour Party, which had been positioned in the pragmatic centre, has moved vehemently to the left. It was infiltrated by an influx of often young new members, who celebrate the party’s leader, Jeremy Corbyn – formerly a marginal figure in the political life of the island – as a pop star.

“In Italy, the populist Five Star Movement of former comedian Beppe Grillo has been unsettling the political system for some years. On the right, the former regional party ‘Lega Nord’ is expanding with new national-populist content…

“Still, there’s a prominent exception: Germany. Or so it would seem… At the top are well-tempered characters like Angela Merkel, the chancellor, and Martin Schulz, the Social Democratic contender. And, above all, both of them promise that as little as possible is going [to] change. But this is just the visible surface. In Germany, like elsewhere in Europe, the political system is being transformed. Anger and frustration are on the rise – sentiments which parties like the far-right AfD are only able capture to a small extent… Even the supposedly stable Germany is not immune to sudden changes… political structural change will not spare Germany. Simply wishing for it to vanish will not make it go away.”

We can expect future dramatic sudden changes in Germany. A charismatic powerful political leader will arise and surprise most people.

Interview with Germany’s Foreign Minister

On September 19, Bild Online conducted an interview with Germany’s foreign minister, Sigmar Gabriel. We are publishing the following comments by Herr Gabriel:

“‘North Korea’s dictator, Kim Jong-un, is not crazy at all. He is following a carefully developed strategy. He thinks that his regime will be safe if he has a nuclear bomb. Nobody will dare to threaten him… If North Korea achieves its aims, other states will follow its example and obtain nuclear weapons. Our children would then live in a very dangerous world…

“‘To this day, the CDU and Chancellor Merkel want to deliver a German arms factory to Saudi Arabia, where a quarter of a million German assault rifles could be produced. The same applies to tanks and other heavy weapons… Angela Merkel and the CDU/CSU hope to revive this arms deal after the federal election, together with the FDP…”

Such an arms deal with German weapons would indeed be appalling, as are all of these kinds of arms deals by every nation.

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.

Remembering 9-11

Fox News reported in September 11:

“President Trump commemorated the Sept. 11 attacks for the first time as commander-in-chief on Monday… sharing words of strength on the 16th anniversary of that tragic day… The president, a New Yorker, was joined by first lady Melania Trump to observe a moment of silence first at the White House in remembrance of the nearly 3,000 American lives lost in the attacks — when hijackers led by Usama Bin Laden crashed airplanes into New York City’s World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a field near Shanksville, Pa.

“The moment of silence at 8:45 a.m. commemorates the moment the first plane, American Flight 11, struck the north tower of the World Trade Center. The second plane, United Flight 175, struck the south Twin Tower at 9:03 a.m. 16 years ago…

“Trump went on to honor the ‘nearly 5 million’ men and women who have joined the ranks in the last 16 years to defend the United States of America. Since 9/11, nearly 7,000 service members have died. The president’s remarks come after the administration announced a renewed Afghanistan policy late last month. A senior U.S. official confirmed to Fox News that the president signed off on sending an additional 4,000 troops to Afghanistan…

“Meanwhile, Vice President Pence led the ceremony in Shanksville, where Flight 93 crashed into an open field at 10:03 a.m. 16 years ago. Many believe the passengers on that flight prevented a larger attack by fighting back…”

Incredibly, while totally denying overwhelming proof to the contrary, many still believe in conspiracy theories, claiming that the terrorist attack was an “inside” job.

Supreme Court Sides With Trump

The Week wrote on September 13:

“The Supreme Court on Tuesday blocked a federal appeals court ruling issued last week that would have let refugees with support from resettlement agencies enter the U.S., despite President Trump’s travel ban. About 24,000 people could be affected by the 5-4 ruling, which was issued without comment.”

Hurricane Irma Hits Florida

Fox News wrote on September 11:

“Irma weakened to a Category 1 storm as the massive hurricane zeroed in on the Tampa Bay region early Monday after hammering much of Florida with roof-ripping winds, gushing floodwaters and widespread power outages. The hurricane’s maximum sustained winds weakened to 85 mph…

“More than [6] million homes and businesses — and counting — have lost power in Florida as Hurricane Irma moves up the peninsula…

“Irma set all sorts of records for brute strength before crashing into Florida, flattening islands in the Caribbean and swamping the Florida Keys. It finally hit the mainland as a big wide beast, but not quite as monstrous as once feared. The once-Category 5 storm lost some of its power on the northern Cuba coast.”

The Week added on September 11:

“‘It’s the worst storm I’ve ever seen,’ National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration tropical weather program meteorologist Bill South told CNN.”

Thankfully, the hurricane lost some strength before hitting the US mainland. Otherwise, the devastation would have been much worse. We DO believe that the prayers of many asking God for intervention were heard.

The Week wrote on September 13:

“Days after Hurricane Irma made landfall in Florida, the state is starting to assess the damage and begin recovery efforts. On Tuesday, 2.3 million customers regained power, though millions remain without it. In the Keys, where 25 percent of homes were destroyed in devastating 130 mph winds and a 10-foot storm surge, residents are being allowed to return. An estimated 94,000 people remain in Florida shelters.”

Big Earthquake Rattles Mexico

Reuters wrote on September 7:

“At least 32 people [but the death toll is expected to be at least 80] were killed after a massive 8.1 magnitude earthquake, one of the biggest recorded in Mexico [and the biggest within a century] struck off the country’s southern coast late on Thursday… The quake was apparently stronger than a devastating 1985 temblor that flattened swathes of Mexico City…”

The quake struck as Mexicans were preparing for hurricane Katia.

Global Warming Responsible?

The Huffington Post wrote on September 8:

“There’s a bit of an apocalyptic vibe in the air… it has been alarming to watch hurricanes Harvey and Irma strike land in rapid succession. Now José, a Category 4 storm and Katia, a Category 3 storm, are not far behind.

“Harvey created unprecedented flooding in Texas, and Irma is the most powerful tropical cyclone ever to take shape in the Atlantic Ocean. The French island of St. Martin has been 95 percent destroyed…

“Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo declared on Thursday that Irma is a ‘concrete manifestation’ of global warming… But the connection between climate change and hurricanes is complicated, with several separate questions to consider. Is climate change causing more hurricanes?…

“To see what science has to say, HuffPost France interviewed Robert Vautard, a climatologist with France’s National Center for Scientific Research who specializes in the relationship between extreme events and climate change: … ‘it’s hard for the models to predict how rising temperatures will specifically affect storms… there are a lot of uncertainties… predictions can’t be relied upon at this point…’

“In short, even if scientists aren’t sure about the number and potency of future tropical storms, they are fairly certain these storms will cause more damage…

“Harvey caused historic flooding in Texas. Is this proof that global warming is already making hurricanes worse?… [Vautard:] ‘It’s too early to say…’”

Others, like Pope Francis, bowing to the god of “science,” are convinced that man-made global warming is the answer, and in voicing that unproven opinion, they deny any supernatural involvement. Note the next article.

Apocalyptic Thoughts Amid Nature’s Chaos

The New York Times wrote on September 8:

“Vicious hurricanes all in a row… Wildfires bursting out all over the West… off the coast of Mexico, a monster of an earthquake.

“You could be forgiven for thinking apocalyptic thoughts, like the science fiction writer John Scalzi who… declared that this… ‘feels like the End Times are getting in a few dress rehearsals right about now’… And just last month darkness descended on the land as the moon erased the sun…

“If you thought that, you would be wrong, of course… Spates of hurricanes, even major ones, are common in late summer and early fall, the height of hurricane season. Especially destructive hurricanes are not unknown either, and climate change may be making more of them…

“Wildfires have been happening out West for millenniums, though humans have made things worse. Climate change plays a role here, too…

“And earthquakes — they happen all the time, and the numbers of quakes, from weak to powerful, is unwavering when averaged over time. There is roughly one ‘great’ quake, of magnitude 8 or higher, per year. Mexico was the unlucky winner this time…

“In deeply religious communities, the recent sequence of catastrophic events and threats — terror and nuclear weapon tests, as well as natural disasters — can be understood more easily through prophecy than logic.

“Richard Hecht, a professor of religious studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara, said that many believers could indeed see this chaotic summer as a sign of the end of times. ‘End of times fantasies have been a central part of American religiosity since the beginning, so it shouldn’t be any surprise’ if many people sense its approach, Dr. Hecht said. ‘It’s one thing to believe the ministers’ or preachers’ calculations of the end of days. But now you have objective truths: Charlottesville, the solar eclipse, Hurricane Harvey, the earthquake in Mexico, Hurricane Irma. ‘These are events no one can dispute,’ he continued…”

The eclipse had nothing to do with any end-time “signs.” However, it would be foolish to just ignore the increasing natural disasters as just “bad luck.” Please view our StandingWatch programs, “Why Unprecedented Wildfires” and “False Endtime Predictions for 2017” .

North Korea’s Nuclear Test Much More Powerful than Originally Reported

The Huffington Post reported on September 13:

“New analysis of North Korea’s Sept. 3 nuclear test ― the regime’s sixth-ever and most powerful to date ― suggests it could have been twice as strong as previously thought.

“Initial estimates had put the blast’s yield at about 120 kilotons, but updated seismic data reveals it was likely around 250 kilotons ― approximately 17 times as powerful as the bomb used to decimate the Japanese city of Hiroshima during World War II…

“The United Nations Security Council approved fresh sanctions against Pyongyang in a unanimous vote on Monday, slashing the cap on crude and refined oil exports to the country by 30 percent. The sanctions also ban textile imports from North Korea ― a vital industry in the Hermit Kingdom. North Korea responded to the ‘vicious’ sanctions by vowing to inflict ‘the greatest pain’ the U.S. has ever suffered…”

The Daily Mail wrote on September 14:

“North Korea launches ANOTHER missile over Japan in the Pacific as regime taunts the world – and this time Seoul swiftly retaliates with its own test.”

Deutsche Welle added on September 14:

“This latest provocation came a day after the North threatened to destroy Japan.”

No Gay Marriage and Abortion Even in Case of Rape

The Daily Mail wrote on September 6:

“Jacob-Rees Mogg said his devout Catholic faith meant he could not support gay marriage. A potential candidate to replace Theresa May as Tory leader faced a furious backlash today after saying he ‘morally’ opposes abortion for women who have been raped… ‘I’m completely opposed to abortion. Life begins at the point of conception,’ he said…

“The teaching of the Roman Catholic Church on abortion has been consistent for nearly 2,000 years. It has always maintained that abortion is a grave sin comparable to murder… The Church regards rape as an evil crime inflicted on an innocent victim. However, in Catholic eyes, to follow rape with an abortion is to perpetrate a second crime against another innocent victim: the unborn child… Those who undergo or procure abortion suffer excommunication – a ban from attending church and receiving sacraments…”

Abortion is a sin, no matter what the circumstances. Please view some of our older StandingWatch programs on this topic, including, “When Is Abortion Allowed? and “Abortion… Right or Wrong?” and “Why Abortion Is Murder in God’s Eyes.” 

Brits and Canadians Uncertain about Evolution

Religion News Service wrote on September 7:

“According to a new survey published this week, the majority of Britons, including adherents of the major faiths, now accept evolutionary theory. Even so, 19 percent of religious people in Briton (and 29 percent in Canada) found it somewhat difficult, difficult or very difficult to accept evolutionary science.

“… significant numbers of British people without religious beliefs and even atheists do not find that evolution provides a satisfactory explanation for the development of human consciousness and the origins of what can be called spiritual aspects of human nature… Those surveyed included Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists and Sikhs.”

Even though the majority of Brits and Canadians believe in the ungodly concept of evolution, there are at least some who question what must be called the most ridiculous explanation for the existence of human life.

Who Dominates the EU Parliament?

The EUObserver wrote on September 11:

“MEPs from Germany and Italy continue to exercise the most influence in the European Parliament, while the British begin to slip in a ranking compiled by an NGO… The more obvious heavy-hitters still dominate with the EU parliament’s president, Antonio Tajani, ranking in first place. Italian socialist group leader Gianni Pittella and German centre-right group leader Manfred Weber share the second spot, followed by the liberal group leader, Belgian MEP Guy Verhofstadt…

“Despite having lost Martin Schulz, the former EU parliament president, the Germans still dominate – with large delegations in both the EPP and S&D groups. Their numbers mean they are able to jockey for key positions and take the lead, or so-called rapporteur positions, on policies floated by the European Commission. German MEPs chair five committees in the parliament.

“The Italians are also able to squeeze more influence than their French counterparts. Italians have the largest delegation in the S&D, but also manage to exert pressure in fringe groups…

“While the British may have dropped influence, given their eventual exit from the European Union, there are exceptions. Among them is Claude Moraes, a socialist MEP from the UK, who chairs the parliament’s civil liberties committee. Moraes ranks sixth in the list…”

It should come as no surprise that the Germans, the Italians and also (to some extent) the French are dominating the European Parliament.

A Stronger European Super-State

The EUObserver wrote on September 13:

“European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker… has argued for a more united and effective EU that is based on freedom, equality and the rule of law, and signalled that he wants all EU countries to become full eurozone and Schengen area members by 2019 – except those with opt-outs. He described a post-Brexit EU with all member states part of the banking union… He also wants to see the EU take on a stronger role internationally…

“One of his other key ideas is to merge the presidencies of the European Commission and the European Council into a single position, in order to have one clear leader of the EU. ‘Europe would be easier to understand if one captain was steering the ship,’ he argued.”

Juncker’s vision is partly right and partly wrong. While there WILL BE a European leader steering the ship, it will still be a Europe of two speeds…

The British mass tabloid, The Sun, wrote on September 14:

“ARROGANT Euro chief Jean Claude Juncker told Britain we’ll regret Brexit – before detailing his extraordinary vision of a Brussels-controlled EU super-state… [He] left critical MEPs open mouthed as he spelled out plans for an unprecedented power grab to ‘unite’ Europe…

“He signalled Brussels should… create a European ‘FBI’ and an EU Army by 2025… And while saying the door to Turkey joining the EU was closed ‘for the foreseeable future’ he said there would ‘always be an outstretched hand’ to the Turkish people…

“[He] said: ‘Europe was not made to stand still. It must never do.’… Name-checking France’s Jacques Delors – the godfather of the European project – he added: ‘Jacques Delors taught me that Europe only moves forward when it is bold.

“The single market, Schengen and the single currency were all written off as pipe dreams before they happened. And yet these three ambitious projects are now a reality.”

“He added: ‘The wind is back in Europe’s sails. We now have a window of opportunity but it will not stay open forever. ‘Now is the time to build a more united, stronger and more democratic Europe for 2025.’

“Former Cabinet Minister Iain Duncan Smith told the Sun: ‘This tells you why the vote last year makes sense… ‘It’s the future of the EU – the march of the super-state.’…

“Nigel Farage said:  ‘… It’s truly the most worrying speech I’ve heard in all my years. More Europe in every single direction, and all of it to be done without the consent of the people.’”

The following is the perspective of the World Socialist Website (wsws), dated September 14:

“[Juncker’s] address sent a clear message: amid the collapse of the EU’s relations to long-standing allies, above all Washington and London, it must prepare for global trade war and pursue a military policy independent of the United States…

“Juncker [called] for the accelerated formation of what would be an EU army… Juncker’s claim that NATO, including Washington and London, want the formation of an EU defense union is nothing more than an attempt to downplay the rapid rise of [a] US-EU conflict… military tensions are rising rapidly between Washington and the EU, and particularly the Berlin-Paris axis…

“After Britain’s exit from the EU… Germany and France have rapidly revived plans for an aggressive EU military policy independent of the United States…

“Remarkably, Juncker’s speech did not mention Russia…”

The viewpoint of the Socialists must be seen in light of their anti-Western propaganda and their attempts to white-wash an aggressive and war-mongering Russia. Nevertheless, some of the comments quoted above are quite interesting.

Sweden Prepares for War

Euronews reported on September 4:

“When Sweden’s centre-left government announced last month that it would boost military spending by 8.1 billion krona (851 million Euro) over the next three years – in addition to the 500 million krona already added last Spring – the country’s defence minister Peter Hultqvist said the move would send an ‘important signal’… Another sign of that intention was the reintroduction… of a partial draft…

“Why, then, is Sweden flexing its military muscles now and what, if any, are the new threats that the Scandinavian nation faces? There are three main explanations behind the boost in military spending… First, the deteriorating European security order, second a new pattern of military training emerging in Russia, and third the fact that the Swedish Armed Forces do not have sufficient funds to meet their own goals…

“Sweden could be pulled into a military conflict should one erupt in its neighbouring region… While Sweden is not a Nato member, the country actively cooperates with the US-led military alliance in peace and security operations. This month also marks the first stage of Sweden’s largest joint military drill with Nato in 20 years… “If a major crisis happens, Sweden will find itself in a tricky situation. The super powers will decide then.’”

All of this shows the need—in the European mind—for a powerful European army.

Russian Persecution of Christians Continuing…

Christian Headlines wrote on September 8:

“Concerns among Russian Christians that the government’s antiterrorism legislation, adopted last year, would take away their religious freedom have been proven true.

“The Yarovaya Laws, named for the lawmaker who sponsored them, ban proselytizing, preaching, and praying outside recognized religious institutions. Forum 18 counted 186 cases filed since enforcement began, with roughly half the charges against various Christian denominations and individuals or Christian-affiliated organizations. Officials later dismissed only about 20 percent of the cases. Punishments ranged from fines and confiscation of materials to orders for deportation.

“Since July 2016, authorities have prosecuted Christian churches and individuals for announcing an upcoming service, conducting home prayer meetings, distributing religious calendars, failure to fully display a church name, and organizing a concert.

“In one of the first cases against a Christian, officials in Noyabrsk charged Baptist Union Pastor Aleksei Teleus for allowing children to play on the playground outside his church, where they might overhear sermons and prayers or gain access to religious literature. Officials called it an ‘unsanctioned children’s camp’ and fined the pastor 5,000 roubles (about $85).

“Independent Baptist missionary Don Ossewaarde became the first American prosecuted under the law for holding a worship service in his home. Courts up to and including Russia’s Constitutional Court, the country’s highest, ruled against his multiple appeals.

“Authorities also targeted members of other religions, including Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hare Krishnas, and Jehovah’s Witnesses. In the most extreme example of persecution under the law, Russian officials labeled Jehovah’s Witnesses “extremists,” liquidated their property, and banned them entirely.”

We have continually warned that the persecution of religious minorities in Russia will continue, while the West stands idly by, doing absolutely nothing.

“Bones of Peter Found?” – Yeah, Right!

The Telegraph wrote on September 11:

“Bones attributed to St. Peter have been found by chance in a church in Rome during routine restoration work, 2,000 years after the apostle’s death. The relics of the saint, who is regarded as the first Pope, were found in clay pots in the 1,000-year-old Church of Santa Maria in Cappella in the district of Trastevere, a medieval warren of cobbled lanes on the banks of the Tiber River…

“[A worker] came across two Roman-era pots with inscriptions on their lids indicating that inside were not only bone fragments from St Peter but also three early popes – Cornelius, Callixtus and Felix – as well as four early Christian martyrs…

“It is not yet known how or why the relics came to be interred in the Church of Santa Maria in Cappella, which was consecrated in 1090. One theory is that they were transferred there from the Vatican by Pope Urban II at a time of schism within the Catholic Church.

“While Urban was generally recognised as the legitimate pope, he faced a challenge from an anti-pope, Clement III, who had set up a rival power base in Rome, backed by the Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV.  The church in Trastevere was closely linked to Pope Urban and may have been seen by him as a secure place in which to hide the bones…

“[Peter’s] remains were interred in a tomb on the Vatican Hill, where the Emperor Constantine later built a church, which in the 16th century was replaced by the current imposing basilica. During excavations under St Peter’s Basilica that began after the Second World War, archaeologists discovered a funerary monument with a casket built in honour of Peter and an engraving in Greek that read ‘Petros eni’, or ‘Peter is here’…

“The remains were forensically examined in the 1960s, with experts concluding that they belonged to a man in his early sixties who lived in the first century AD. That was proof enough for Pope Paul VI, in 1968, to declare them the bones of St Peter…”

So, now there are remains of Peter on the Vatican Hill AND in the church of Santa Maria? Of course, the whole idea that Peter was killed and buried in Rome and that his remains are still there is absolutely false and a complete hoax. For more information, please read our free booklet, “The Ten European Revivals of the ancient Roman Empire.”

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.

USA Responds to Most Recent North Korean Provocations

The Associated Press wrote on September 3:

“North Korea claimed ‘perfect success’ in an underground test of what it called a hydrogen bomb — potentially vastly more destructive than an atomic bomb… The precise strength of the underground nuclear explosion had yet to be determined. South Korea’s weather agency said the artificial earthquake caused by the explosion was five times to six times stronger than tremors generated by the North’s previous five tests.”

The Telegraph added on September 4:

“America has warned that North Korea is ‘begging for war’… Nikki Haley, the US Ambassador to the United Nations, on Monday afternoon told an emergency meeting of the Security Council that ‘enough is enough’…

“Military leaders in South Korea claim to have seen indications that the North is preparing an attack and believe it has successfully miniaturised a nuclear weapon to fit onto an intercontinental ballistic missile.”

According to The Associated Press, dated September 3, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said on Sunday that “the U.S. will answer any North Korean threat with a ‘massive military response.’”

However, most feel that such a military response would be devastating for all sides concerned.

Newsmax reported on September 7:

“President Donald Trump has given military orders for U.S. forces to shoot down and destroy any missile launched from North Korea and moving towards the continental United States, Hawaii and Guam.”

China and USA Destined to Fail?

The Guardian wrote on September 3:

“Experts say Beijing is wary of placing too much pressure on Pyongyang for fear of causing regime collapse and a calamitous regional crisis that might ultimately bring US troops even closer to Chinese soil…

“Shen Dingli, an international relations expert from Shanghai’s Fudan University, said Sunday’s test underlined the futility of both Washington and Beijing’s policies towards North Korea… ‘North Korea will get nuclear weapons just like China did in the 1960s … China is destined to fail.’”

But there is another important reason as to why China is unwilling to put too much pressure on North Korea, as the next two articles show.

China COULD Stop North Korea… But Won’t!

Piers Morgan wrote in The Daily Mail, dated September 4:

“Jong-un must be stopped in his nuclear tracks, that much is clear… North Korea needs to be attacked financially in a way so devastating it is rendered economically impotent, and the most lethal administer of such an attack is its biggest trading partner, China.

“A staggering 90% of all North Korea’s trade is done with China. China has thus become the great enabler of the world’s most despotic regime. It is Chinese money that pays for much of North Korea’s military and it is therefore Chinese money that de facto fuels North Korea’s nuclear weapons program…

“[China] should cut off his crude oil supply. No modern military can function without oil; it is the very lifeblood of any armed force. This dramatic move, which would need Russia’s assistance, would also cripple North Korea’s economy…

“Donald Trump yesterday ramped up the pressure on China by threatening to stop US trade with any country who continues doing business with North Korea. China’s foreign ministry issued a statement branding such a move ‘unfair’. It read: ‘We cannot accept a situation in which, on the one hand we work to resolve this issue peacefully, but on the other hand, China’s own interests are subject to sanctions and are damaged. This is neither objective, nor is it fair.’…

“What is neither objective nor fair is China’s on-going pathetically supine weakness in dealing with North Korea… The biggest threat to world peace right now is North Korea and the one country that can most effectively neutralise this threat is China.”

With or Without North Korea… No Trade with China!

Breitbart wrote on September 4:

“America cannot morally justify trade with China…

“Critics will contend that the scale of America’s business ties to China are so astronomical – $648.2 billion in 2016… – that ending trade with China is impossible without a devastating effect on both economies…

“China… is one of the most egregious human rights violators in the world… Strict population control laws force women who become pregnant after having two children to undergo forced state abortions. Dissidents have reported being used for medical experiments, cut open, and forced to sell their organs for the government’s profit.

“‘Torture, disappearances, imprisoning peaceful advocates, destroying religious communities, internet censorship – President Xi has plenty to answer for on these subjects,’ Sophie Richardson, China director at Human Rights Watch, asserted in April.

“Since then, the U.S. State Department has released reports finding that China severely limits freedom of worship for citizens who do not want to pray at state-controlled temples and churches, whether Buddhist, Christian, or Muslim…

“Christians… face arrest, torture, and beatings if they do not belong to the ‘Three-Self Patriotic Church,’ the state-approved Christian institution. Many are arrested and tortured for starting ‘house churches,’ underground assemblies to study the Bible without a government-approved clergyman adding communist interpretations to their readings. The government has begun… bulldozing churches they can no longer control. This week, video surfaced of Chinese police officers beating priests who attempted to prevent the demolition of a church building…”

In this evil world, money rules. Sadly, the same terrible violations occur in Russia as well… But greed and fraudulent money transactions can also be found in the USA. Note the next article.

Wells Fargo’s Problems Much Worse

CNN wrote on August 30:

“Wells Fargo’s problems are worse than the bank previously admitted… Wells Fargo… now says it has found a total of up to 3.5 million potentially fake bank and credit card accounts, up from its earlier tally of approximately 2.1 million… About 190,000 accounts were slapped with unnecessary fees for these accounts [and 528,000] customers were… enrolled in online bill pay without their authorization…

“Wells Fargo said it will now pay a total of $6.1 million to refund customers for unauthorized bank and credit card accounts… The bank also promised to pay $910,000 to refund customers for the… improper online bill pay enrollments… Additionally, Wells Fargo has agreed to a $142 million national class action settlement to cover fake accounts that were opened back to 2002…

“In late July, Wells Fargo admitted to forcing up to 570,000 borrowers into unneeded auto insurance. About 20,000 of those customers may have had their cars repossessed due to these unnecessary insurance costs…”

Dreamers under Attack

The Guardian wrote on September 5:

“Donald Trump thrust the fate of nearly 800,000 young, undocumented migrants into uncertainty on Tuesday by terminating the Obama-era program that protects the so-called Dreamers from deportation. In response, Barack Obama said the decision was ‘self-defeating’ and contrary to ‘basic decency’…

“The 2012 policy known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (Daca) will be phased out by 5 March 2018, leaving Congress with six months to enact new protections for Dreamers through legislation. New applications will no longer be accepted, while those currently in the program will all lose their status by March 2020, with the first permits expiring in March 2018 – unless Congress passes legislation allowing the young immigrants to stay… Trump… said he had advised the Department of Homeland Security that Daca recipients were ‘not enforcement priorities [for deportation] unless they are criminals, are involved in criminal activity, or are members of a gang’…

“There are around 800,000 Daca recipients living in the US, who qualified by having been under the age of 31 as of 15 June 2012. Those applying were vetted for any criminal history or threat to national security and had to be students or have completed school or military service. Their status must be renewed every two years…

“In a conference call with reporters on Tuesday, senior DHS officials said they would allow anyone with a Daca permit expiring between now and 5 March to apply for a two-year renewal, so long as the application is submitted by 5 October. But other Dreamers whose permits do not expire within the next six months would be poised to lose their status as early as 5 March, exposing them to the threat of deportation. The administration also declared that new applications for Daca dated after 5 September will not be considered, shutting down access to the program for those who are not already beneficiaries.

“The specifics of what legislation Trump would be willing to sign to protect Dreamers remained unclear…  Trump’s decision was swiftly condemned by immigration advocates, business leaders and Democrats, while attorneys general from New York and Washington state said they would take legal action against the administration… ‘This is a sad day for our country,’ Facebook co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a statement…

“House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi accused Trump of committing ‘a deeply shameful act of political cowardice and a despicable assault on innocent young people in communities across America… The president’s cruel and heartless decision to start deporting Dreamers in six months demands an immediate response from the Republican Congress,’ she said.

“Republican House speaker Paul Ryan, who in recent days expressed his hope that Trump would not terminate Daca, responded to Tuesday’s announcement by characterizing Obama’s policy as ‘well-intentioned’ but ‘a clear abuse of executive authority [and] an attempt to create law out of thin air… Congress writes laws, not the president, and ending this program fulfills a promise that President Trump made to restore the proper role of the executive and legislative branches,’ Ryan said in a statement…

“The highly partisan atmosphere in Congress will make the passage of any legislation to protect Dreamers an uphill battle…”

Bild Online wrote the following on September 6:

“The Catholic Bishops conference in New York condemned the decision, stating that it showed a lack of mercy. It emphasized that the immigrants are children of God and welcome in the Catholic Church… Several of Trump’s conservative evangelical advisors rejected the decision as well.”

The undocumented migrants under DACA are those who came with their parents to this country, being, on an average, six years old, who have lived in this country for about 19 years on an average. Paul Ryan had promised repeatedly in public, including in a town hall meeting, that under Trump, dreamers would not be deported. President Trump stated that he will “revisit” the issue if Congress cannot pass legislation within six months.

Republican Governor John Kasich (Ohio), whose parents were of Czech and Croatian descent, made a most impassionate plea on CBS on September 6, blasting the decision and encouraged reasonable Republicans and Democrats in Congress to pass legislation within six hours… not within six months, while encouraging political radicals on both sides to step aside.  He stated that President Trump should have taken on the threats of certain governors to sue him if he would not cancel DACA, elaborating that he should have fought them in court, rather than giving in to their demands.  He also invited all Dreamers to come to Ohio, as his state values their contributions.

According to Der Stern, dated September 6, economic and Internet giants such as Apple, Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Netflix, Wells Fargo and General Motors condemned the decision, pointing at massive economic repercussions for the country. JTA added that many Jewish groups rejected the decision.

Trump Suffers Another Setback on His Travel Ban

Newsmax reported on September 7:

“President Donald Trump suffered another setback on his embattled travel ban, with an appeals panel leaving in… place a lower-court ruling that forces the administration to accept people with grandparents, cousins and other relatives in the U.S. Thursday’s decision… further frustrates the Trump administration as it heads toward an Oct. 10 showdown before the U.S. Supreme Court over the broader legality of the president’s executive order temporarily barring travelers from six mostly Muslim nations. The Ninth Circuit panel also said Trump was wrong in how he interpreted an earlier order by [the] high court to apply restrictions to thousands of refugees seeking entry into the U.S.”

Trump Angers and Upsets Republicans

The Week reported on September 7:

“President Trump surprised Democrats and infuriated Republicans on Wednesday when he agreed to a Democratic proposal to attach $7.9 billion in Hurricane Harvey aid to a three-month spending package and debt-limit increase. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) reluctantly agreed to the deal and turned it into legislation Wednesday night… The Senate is expected to approve the package as early as Friday, then it would go back to the House…”

Newsmax reported on September 7:

“President Donald Trump and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer have agreed to work toward a permanent repeal of the debt ceiling [removing] the requirement for Congress to repeatedly raise the debt ceiling, or the limit on federal borrowing…

“Such a measure would be very difficult for many Republicans in Congress to swallow… House Speaker Paul Ryan said on Thursday he opposes any effort to do away with the role of Congress in approving increases to the federal debt limit.”

The Opinion Page of The Washington Post published the following article on September 7:

“Trump’s betrayal of the Republican leaders should surprise no one…  First, Ryan tells reporters that a short-term, three-month extension on the debt ceiling, tied to relief funds for Hurricane Harvey… was ‘ridiculous and disgraceful.’ Then, in the Oval Office meeting, Trump stuns everyone by endorsing the Schumer-Pelosi plan — and agrees to work with the Democrats on repealing the debt ceiling altogether…

“Trump is many things, but he is not, nor has he ever been, a committed Republican. He seized control of the party in a hostile takeover. His campaign positions on trade, health care, entitlements and other issues bore no resemblance to GOP orthodoxy…  Ryan, McConnell and many of their Republican colleagues in Congress convinced themselves that Trump could be a useful instrument — that he would sign whatever legislation they sent him…”

Largest Wildfire in Los Angeles’ History

Reuters reported on September 2:

“A wildfire on the northern edge of Los Angeles rapidly grew on Saturday into what the mayor called the largest blaze in the city’s history…

“Wildfires in the U.S. West have burned more than 7.1 million acres (2.9 million hectares) since the beginning of the year, about 50 percent more than during the same time period in 2016…”

“Florida Declares State of Emergency as Caribbean Girds for Hurricane Irma”

 AFP wrote on September 5:

“Hurricane Irma surged to a dangerous ‘Category Four’ storm Monday as it churned toward the Leeward Islands, sparking alarm and alerts from the Caribbean to Florida, which declared an emergency…

“A Category Four storm [which was subsequently upgraded to a Category Five storm, see next article]… is capable of doing widespread major structural and infrastructure damage… Category four strength was the maximum attained by Hurricane Harvey, which recently devastated parts of Texas and Louisiana…”

USA Today wrote on September 6:

“Hurricane Irma, the most powerful Atlantic Ocean hurricane in recorded history, made its first landfall in the Caribbean early Wednesday as the Category 5 storm rolled toward a likely strike on the south Florida coast this weekend.

“The eye passed over Antigua and Barbuda around 2 a.m. ET. Residents said over local radio that phone lines went down as the eye passed. ‘May God protect us all,’ local authorities said… Gaston Browne, the prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda, tweeted the islands may have been spared the worst.

“Michel Magras, senator on the small French-speaking island of St.Barts, sent a text describing the ‘monster that passes over us’… ‘It is apocalyptic, a lot of damage, a lot of roofs torn off,’ he texted…

“The National Hurricane Center said Irma was maintaining sustained winds near 185 mph as it lashed the Leeward Islands with exceptionally strong winds and heavy rain and was heading west-northwest on a path toward Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Cuba. It could reach Florida as early as Friday.”

Considering the wicked lifestyle of many people, we should not be surprised when we hear about terrible “natural” disasters. At the same time, many innocent people suffer as well. We need to pray to God to restore His Government on earth as soon as possible, which will ban Satan [the “monster” or the dragon, also called the serpent of old] and his demons—the real rulers of this present evil age—and which will end all misery and pain.

Brexit Negotiations… From Bad to Worse

Forbes wrote on August 31:

“The negotiations between the U.K. and the EU are going from bad to worse… the EU’s principal negotiator, Michel Barnier, lambasted the U.K.’s attitude…  he went on to complain about U.K. breaches of trust.

 “The first breach concerned citizens’ rights. Recently, the U.K.’s Home Office sent letters to over 100 EU/EEA citizens living in the UK, telling them to leave the country. As the UK has not yet left the EU, these letters were illegal. The Home Office quickly corrected its mistake, apologizing to the people concerned and telling them to put the letters in the bin. But according to M. Barnier, this is not the first time an incident like this has happened. ‘This reinforces the need to ensure that citizens’ rights are directly enforceable in front of national jurisdictions under the control of the European Court of Justice,’ he said. ‘This is a point on which we disagree today.’

“Today, and probably every day. Ending the direct jurisdiction of the ECJ in the U.K. is one of the U.K. Government’s ‘red lines.’ Its position paper on EU migrants is uncompromising: … ‘After we leave the EU, we will create new rights in U.K. law for qualifying EU citizens resident here before our exit. Those rights will be enforceable in the U.K. legal system and will provide legal guarantees for these EU citizens… The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) will not have jurisdiction in the U.K.’

“But M. Barnier’s comments are damning. They amount to condemnation of the entire U.K. justice system. If the U.K. courts cannot be trusted to enforce the rights of EU migrants living in the U.K., they cannot be trusted to enforce any other laws pertaining to the EU either…

“Barnier then went on to discuss what he regards as a second breach of trust, namely the U.K.’s behavior over the Brexit financial settlement:

“In July, the U.K. recognized that it has obligations beyond the Brexit date. But this week, the U.K. explained that these obligations will be limited to their last payment to the EU budget before departure…”

“The UK seems to have dug itself into a deep hole. This is not looking good…”

The Telegraph added on September 3:

“The EU’s chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier has [said] Brexit will be used to ‘teach the British people and others what leaving the EU means’. In highly inflammatory comments made to a conference in Italy on Saturday, Mr Barnier said it was his job to ‘educate’ the UK about the price of leaving the EU ‘club’. ‘There are extremely serious consequences of leaving the single market, and they haven’t been explained to the British people. We intend to teach people … what leaving the single market means.’”

The Brexit negotiations will indeed have devastating results for the UK.

Ditching “Boys” and “Girls” Labels to Avoid “Enforcing Gender Stereotypes”

The Daily Mail wrote on September 3:

“John Lewis has become the first major retailer to ditch ‘boys’ and ‘girls’ labels from its children’s clothing range. The chain has also removed ‘boys’ and ‘girls’ signs from its childrenswear departments to avoid ‘einforcing gender stereotypes’. Instead, new genderless labels say either ‘Boys & Girls’ or ‘Girls & Boys’, and are on all own-brand clothing from newborn to 14 years. Even floral dresses and skirts have unisex labels. The only exception is school uniforms, which will switch to unisex labels soon…

“Parents have praised John Lewis on social media for its move towards gender-neutral clothing… But the retailer faced accusations that it risked taking political correctness too far and was pandering to campaigners…

“Asda was pilloried for selling boys’ T-shirts with slogans such as ‘Future Scientist’, ‘Boys Will Be Boys’ and ‘Rock N Roll Star’ while putting logos such as ‘Ponies Rock’, ‘Pretty Rock’ and ‘Hey Cutie’ on its girls’ range. But critics pointed out that adult clothing sections differentiate between the sexes and questioned why childrenswear should not do the same.

“Tory MP Andrew Bridgen said: ‘I have no idea what would possess John Lewis to do this.’”

The use of the word “possess” is interesting. This is such blatant nonsense and ridiculous insanity, but it shows how stupid our Western societies have become.

Non-Voters in Germany

Deutsche Welle wrote on September 2:

“Like most democracies, Germany has a huge non-voting population. In 2009, more people didn’t vote at all than voted for Merkel’s conservatives… In Germany’s 1972 election, voter turnout was 91.1 percent. In the last two parliamentary elections in 2009 and 2013, only 70.8 and then 71.5 percent of citizens exercised their right to vote.

“… people were asked how they saw themselves, and one common trend among respondents was to reject the idea of being a ‘non-voter.’ Many claimed that they truly wanted to vote, but were taking an enforced break, waiting for a time when they could return to the urns…

“Peters [founder of the Non-Voters’ Party, stated:] ‘Merkel… has absolutely no concept of how to move forward. She lives this system, and she does very well in its confines. But it’s a case of a one-eyed king in the land of the blind.’”

To vote for a candidate in our corrupt political systems would indeed support the system, and even voting for a “lesser evil” means, giving our voice of support to something or someone evil. God’s people WILL vote or give their voice of approval to THE future true and righteous leader and KING when He sets up His Kingdom—Jesus Christ.

Merkel Wins TV Debate Against Schulz

Deutsche Welle wrote on September 3:

“Chancellor Angela Merkel made the more convincing case to lead Germany for the next four years… Forty-nine percent of viewers… viewed Merkel as more credible over the course of the debate, compared to just 29 percent who favored Social Democrat (SPD) candidate Schulz. More than half of those surveyed (55 percent) said the chancellor also outperformed her rival, compared to just 35 percent who thought Schulz came out on top.

“Merkel reportedly scored particularly high marks when it came to credibility, grasp of the issues and likability…

“Merkel [announced] that she will seek to end EU accession talks with Turkey… Merkel said ‘it is clear that Turkey should not become a member of the European Union.’ Merkel’s statement on Turkey came just minutes after Schulz said he would similarly move to halt Turkey’s EU membership talks were he elected chancellor. The chancellor said… that she didn’t ‘see (Turkey) ever joining and I had never believed that it would happen.’…

“Schulz said that US President Donald Trump’s ‘unpredictability’ made him the wrong person to deal with the rogue regime [of North Korea]. While she stressed that she disagreed with Trump on many issues, Merkel said the North Korean crisis was not something that could be solved with the US, adding that ‘one must say in the clearest terms that for us, there can only be a peaceful diplomatic solution.’…”

The Telegraph wrote on September 3:

“Angela Merkel was forced to defend her controversial decision to open Germany’s borders to more than 1m asylum-seekers on Sunday as she [came] under pressure in a televised election debate. Martin Schulz, the main challenger, accused the German chancellor of a ‘serious mistake’ with her ‘lone decision’ and said she should have worked with European allies to find a common approach.

“But a defiant Mrs Merkel insisted Germany had been faced with a ‘very dramatic situation’ and had no choice but to act… [While he] landed some telling blows against the long-serving chancellor, Mr Schulz failed to deliver the knock-out punch his campaign badly needed.”

Europe Unprepared for Russian Aggression

Politico wrote on September 3:

“The U.S. Army’s rapid reaction force in Europe is under-equipped, undermanned and inadequately organized to confront military aggression from Russia or its high-tech proxies…

“The analysis comes to light as Russia gears up for one of the largest military exercises in the post-Soviet era — a weeklong war game called Zapad that could involve as many as 100,000 troops and will be held later this month in Belarus…”

This is another reason why Europe will become more and more convinced in the “necessity” of creating its own army.

Catholic and Protestants Have Much in Common

On August 31, Christian Today wrote the following:

“Protestants and Catholics across the West now agree on so much… that Christians of past centuries would be shocked…

“In every European country surveyed, roughly nine-in-ten, or more, Protestants and Catholics say they are willing to accept members of the other tradition as neighbours, and large majorities of both groups say they would be willing to accept members of the other group into their families.

“For example, 98 per cent of German Protestants say they would accept Catholics as members of their family, and a similar share of German Catholics (97 per cent) say the same about Protestants.”

The Bible prophesies that the Protestant or Evangelical daughter churches will return to the fold of their “mother church”—the Roman Catholic Church.

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.

Historic Storm Hits Texas

The Associated Press wrote on August 27:

“Tropical Storm Harvey sent devastating floods pouring into the nation’s fourth-largest city [Houston] Sunday… ‘The breadth and intensity of this rainfall is beyond anything experienced before,’ the National Weather Service said in a statement… The system was the fiercest hurricane to hit the U.S. in 13 years and the strongest to strike Texas since 1961′s Hurricane Carla, the most powerful Texas hurricane on record.”

Deutsche Welle added on August 27:

“Waters are still rising in Texas as an unprecedented storm moves across the US state leaving thousands homeless. Damage from Hurricane Harvey may be as bad as Hurricane Katrina in 2005… It is the worst storm to hit the state in more than 50 years… The director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Brock Long, predicted that the aftermath would require FEMA’s involvement for years. ‘This disaster’s going to be a landmark event,’ Long said… It was the first big natural disaster for US President Donald Trump, who signed a disaster proclamation on Friday.”

These are strong descriptions of a terrible disaster. The damage and human suffering will be immense. Could it be that God allows these horrendous developments to strike the USA to wake all of us up?

Newsmax added on August 31:

“Soldiers and police in helicopters and high-water trucks rescued thousands of Texans stranded by floodwater from Hurricane Harvey on Thursday, which has killed dozens of people and displaced more than a million others as it drenches the Gulf Coast.

“Some 779,000 Texans have been ordered to evacuate their homes and another 980,000 fled voluntarily amid concerns that swollen reservoirs and rivers could bring new flooding…

“Gasoline futures soared more than 13 percent on Thursday, as almost a quarter of U.S. refining capacity had been knocked offline by the storm, raising fears of fuel shortages. About 189,000 homes and businesses remained without power.

“Moody’s Analytics estimated the economic cost from Harvey for southeastern Texas at $51 billion to $75 billion, ranking it among the costliest storms in American history…

“Early Thursday, explosions could be heard at a chemical plant in Crosby, Texas… failed in a truck storing volatile chemicals, which ignited as they warmed, sending smoke plumes 40-feet (12-meters) into the air…

“After the blasts, local and federal public safety officials, and company representatives insisted there was no risk to the public outside the 1.5-mile (2.4-km) safety perimeter, even though they said eight more trucks storing the same chemicals would eventually catch fire.”

Preventive Strike against North Korea?

The Week wrote on August 29:

“President Trump said ‘all options are on the table’ after North Korea fired three ballistic missiles over Japan on Monday. ‘The world has received North Korea’s latest message loud and clear,’ Trump said in a statement. ‘This regime signaled its contempt for its neighbors, for all members of the United Nations, and for minimum standards of acceptable international behavior.’

“Council on Foreign Relations President Richard Haass told Axios that North Korea’s test ‘raises the possibility that it cannot be assumed to act responsibly vis-a-vis anyone, including ourselves’ and ‘if we cannot make such an assumption, and if arms control fails to deliver, then a preventive strike becomes a serious option, notwithstanding its high risks and potential costs.’”

Living Paycheck to Paycheck in the USA

The website of msn.com wrote on August 24:

“Almost 8 out of 10 American workers say they live paycheck to paycheck to make ends meet… That can force people to take on debt or otherwise struggle when an unexpected bill arises. It also raises questions about the stability of the broader economy given that consumer spending accounts for more than two-thirds of activity…

“Inflation stood at 1.7 percent last month. That means workers’ ‘real’ wages were running only slightly ahead of inflation, another obstacle to putting money away…

“Almost one of 10 workers who earn more than six figures annually said they are living paycheck to paycheck… That may seem surprising, but families who live in regions with a high cost of living may feel almost as strapped as lower-income households…

“American households are still earning 2.4 percent below what they brought home at their income peaks in 1999. At the same time, expenses for food, fuel, education, housing and other costs have risen…

“Aside from the insecurity of living without a financial cushion, the phenomenon has another downside: It hampers Americans’ ability to save for retirement… more than half said they’d never cut back on their internet connection or mobile devices. That might seem like an extravagance to some, yet the truth is many Americans can’t work effectively without internet service at home or a smartphone, with employers increasingly expecting workers to check their email while they’re out of the office or be available for a call…”

Some problems result from a lack of financial education and management, as some spend too much instead of properly saving. On the other hand, it is a vicious and incurable cycle for many. The Bible prophesied that in these last days, “expensive times” will come.

Stock Market Loses Confidence

Newsmax wrote August 25:

“Spooked American investors pulled $2.6 billion from U.S. stocks during the last week as U.S. equity funds suffered their longest outflows streak since 2004, Bank of America Merrill Lynch data showed. Investors have been losing faith that President Donald Trump can deliver on his ambitious tax cut and spending campaign pledges…

“‘Since late June, investors have withdrawn $30 billion from U.S. funds while adding $36 billion to the rest of the world,’ said BAML’s analysts, citing inflows to emerging markets, Europe and Japan.”

The next economic crash seems to be inevitable.

No, Mexico Will NOT Pay for the Wall!

The Huffington Post wrote on August 28:

“In a statement released Sunday, Mexico’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the country would not ‘under any circumstances’ pay for the multibillion-dollar border wall. ‘As the Mexican government has always stated, our country will not pay, under any circumstances, for a wall or physical barrier built on U.S. territory along the Mexican border,’ the ministry said. ‘This statement is not part of a Mexican negotiating strategy, but rather a principle of national sovereignty and dignity.’

“The statement was released hours after Trump sent out a tweet asserting that Mexico, which he described as one of the ‘highest crime nations in the world,’ would pay for the border wall. This isn’t the first time he’s made such a claim. It’s unclear why Trump continues to insist that Mexico will pay for his wall when America’s southern neighbor has made it amply clear, on several occasions, that it has no intention of doing so. Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto has repeatedly said the country would not be footing the bill for the wall. And former President Vicente Fox has been even more explicit.

“While refuting Trump’s wall claim, the foreign ministry added in its statement that it had offered help to the U.S. government in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey. ‘The Mexican government takes this opportunity to express its full solidarity with the people and government of the United States as a result of the damages caused by Hurricane Harvey in Texas, and expresses that it has offered to provide help and cooperation to the US government in order to deal with the impact of this natural disaster — as good neighbors should always do in trying times,’ the statement said…”

Candidate Trump’s promise that Mexico will pay for the wall will be one of the many promises which President Trump will not be able to keep.

Michael Moore: Trump Will Be Re-Appointed in 2020

Fast Company wrote on August 28:

“Three weeks into the run of his anti-Trump Broadway show, ‘The Terms of My Surrender,’ filmmaker and activist Michael Moore tells Fast Company that the president will be reelected in 2020. ‘I should say re-appointed, because we will have an even larger population that will vote against him in 2020,’ Moore says. ‘But he will win those electoral states as it stands now.’”

We agree with Michael More that Trump would be re-elected or re-appointed in 2020.

“Sebastian Gorka Leaves White House for Breitbart News”

JTA wrote on August 27:

“White House adviser Sebastian Gorka, accused of having ties to far-right groups in Europe, has left the Trump administration… Gorka’s exit comes a week after White House chief strategist Stephen Bannon left his post… Bannon returned to his position as executive chairman of Breitbart News after leaving the White House. Gorka, former editor of Breitbart, said… that he would be returning to the website in some capacity.”

It is a mystery why President Trump appointed controversial Breitbart representatives such as Bannon or Gorka in the first place.

Presidential Pardon for Convicted Former Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio

NBCSanDiego wrote on August 25:

“President Donald Trump spared former Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio the prospect of serving jail time in granting the first pardon of his turbulent tenure, wiping away the lawman’s recent federal conviction stemming from his immigration patrols that focused on Latinos… Trump granted the pardon less than a month after a judge found Arpaio guilty of a misdemeanor contempt-of-court charge in a trial that was prosecuted by the president’s own Justice Department…

“GOP leaders were mixed in reacting to the pardon. Sen. John McCain criticized the move and said it undermines Trump’s ‘claim for the respect of rule of law as Mr. Arpaio has shown no remorse for his actions’…

“Trump issued the pardon seven months after taking office, though it is not unprecedented for a president to issue a pardon in their first year in office. George H. W. Bush granted clemency after seven months in office…

“It is not unheard of for a president to exercise his broad power to grant pardons without formal input from the Justice Department… President Bill Clinton ignited a major controversy on his final day in office with a last-minute pardon for fugitive financier Marc Rich, the ex-husband of a major Democratic fundraiser. Former President George W. Bush set off a political backlash over his decision to commute the prison sentence of I. Lewis ‘Scooter’ Libby on a perjury and obstruction of justice case that stemmed from a CIA leak. And Gerald Ford pardoned Richard Nixon for his involvement in the Watergate scandal just days after taking over [from] his predecessor…

“Prosecutors… were… recommended by the judge who presided over the profiling case, which began in the Bush administration. The judge in the profiling case was a Bush appointee… Lawyers in Trump’s Justice Department prosecuted the case during a five-day trial this summer, and the judge handed down the conviction last month…”

The Wall Street Journal wrote on August 26:

“House Speaker Paul Ryan on Saturday criticized President Donald Trump for pardoning a former Arizona sheriff, Joe Arpaio… The pardon is the latest point of friction between the president and Mr. Ryan, who have sparred periodically since the campaign. On Thursday, Mr. Trump sent a pair of tweets faulting Mr. Ryan and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky for their legislative strategy in raising the debt ceiling…

“Other Republicans also criticized the pardon, including… Jeb Bush, the former Florida governor… Citing Mr. McCain’s statement [quoted in the previous article], Mr. Bush tweeted: ‘John McCain is right on the mark.’…”

Much of the criticism stems from the perception that Sheriff Arpaio violated the law and was rewarded for it by the President, as “the end justifies the means.”

US Closes Three Russian Diplomatic Facilities

The Washington Post wrote on August 31:

“The Trump administration has ordered three Russian diplomatic facilities in the United States closed following the expulsion of American diplomats from Russia…

“Last month, Russia demanded that the U.S. diplomatic presence there be reduced by hundreds of people. In retaliation, the State Department has ordered the Russian government to close its consulate general in San Francisco, a chancery annex in Washington, D.C., and a consular annex in New York City. These closures must be complete by Saturday.

“The diplomatic reprisals underscore the continued deterioration of relations between the ­nuclear-armed nations, with more acts of payback to come. And they appear to place President Trump’s hope for closer ties with Russia farther out of reach.”

Never a Trump in Germany?

Der Spiegel published a lengthy propagandistic article on August 23, arguing that a German Trump would be impossible or next to impossible. However, many of the arguments were flawed and misleading, but even then, the article shows, albeit unintentionally and inadvertently, that the possibility of a German Trump DOES exist and that it is NOT only a faint possibility. We are giving you a few excerpts to show why Germany’s self-assurances, as depicted by Der Spiegel, are on shaky ground.

“What is it that made the rise of a man like Trump possible in his own country, but impossible here?…

“Germany has a different concept of reality than the U.S., a clear separation between the spheres of dreams and politics…

“Germans once believed they had found a savior, but then he tried to destroy the world, and now their belief in salvation has vanished…

“In the U.S., it’s not only showbiz celebrities who stand good chances of coming to power, but also members of the country’s political dynasties — that is to say, the Kennedys, Bushes and Clintons [We could add the Roosevelt family as part of the “enriched dynasties” governing in the early 20^th century]… In Germany, these kinds of careers are basically impossible. The parties have almost complete control over the recruitment of political staff… Candidates are polished and schooled in the art of adaptation and compromise along the way… In the U.S., the individual may prevail, but in German politics it is the system that rules… The governing system in Germany is more stable, uniform and enduring…

“… there is no truly powerful right-wing medium in Germany. Therein also lies a problem that revealed itself during Germany’s crisis year of 2016 which saw a backlash against the hundreds of thousands of refugees that had entered the country the previous year. Some Germans feel that their understanding of reality, their view, isn’t represented in the media, and they feel shut out. Instead, they have turned to the internet, where political communication can take place without mediation from the media and the parties. At some point, that will create an opportunity in Germany for an individual, a freak or outsider, to turn him or herself into a political force independent of the system. It is here where the possibility arises, faint though it may still be, of a German Trump…

“The refugee crisis of autumn 2015 turned Germany into a new moral political superpower, albeit one that can only afford its pacifist inclinations because the Americans still provide Germany with security…

“Who could emerge as a German Trump? There are no men like him in the German political world…”

The opinion of Der Spiegel that a German Trump could not happen is illusionary and also, to a large extent, dangerous, as it is based on false assertions and concepts and erroneous conclusions. As the Bible tells us that ten nations or groups of nations will give their power and authority to a charismatic political European leader, the beast, so it is clearly foreseeable that Germany’s established parties will give their voice to one of their political leaders as well, or that a new popular party with a strong leader will arise (who will turn out to be the beast). Furthermore, we must not forget that the beast will be a person who will not be viewed originally as someone who should be occupying the office; that he will gain power through flattery, sinister schemes and intrigue; and that the world had looked at the person as being “dead” politically, and that they will marvel at his come-back. But the authors of the Der Spiegel article would not know any of this.

Germany Needs To Lead Europe Militarily

Express wrote on August 24:

“Germany should abandon its military reluctance and lead Europe, Angela Merkel has been told by a leading historian. In an article for Der Spiegel that would have been unthinkable a few short years ago – with  (while)  Germany’s reluctance to be a military power stems from its defeat in two world wars and the lingering legacy of the Nazi Holocaust – Polish-American historian Anne Applebaum said it was time for the nation to act…

“Trump may be an aberration, but he does reflect a very real American exhaustion, and real American doubt about the worth of the trans-Atlantic alliance. Germans should have a plan to deal with threats in America’s absence… ‘If Germany does not want a powerful army, it should still, as a matter of urgency, work with the institutions it has built, most notably the European Union, and especially with France… to create a multinational European force that can be deployed in defence of Europe’s borders, and in Europe’s name, at any time.”

Germany will lead Europe militarily, perhaps in collaboration with European countries such as France and others.

Merkel’s Refugee Policy

The Telegraph wrote on August 27:

“Harsher measures should be taken against asylum seekers if they take a holiday in their country of origin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said… The issue is… indicative of the tensions that have built in Germany as a result of the influx of refugees. Mrs Merkel said she has no regrets over her refugee policy, which saw Germany controversially open its doors to hundreds of thousands of refugees two years ago, despite the deep rifts the decision caused in her party…

“Just four weeks ahead of the German election, an Emnid opinion poll on Sunday suggested Merkel’s refugee policy was not likely to lose her the election, putting her Christian Democratic Union (CDU) 15 points ahead of the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD). However, 46 per cent of voters have yet to make up their minds, according to a survey for Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper.”

What the German Election Means for Europe

Politico wrote on August 28:

“Germany’s election on September 24 is not just about who will become chancellor — it will influence the future design of the European Union… Although Merkel has a comfortable poll lead… her conservatives will most likely need the support of at least one if not two other parties to govern. The same is true for Schulz’s Social Democrats (SPD), if the former European Parliament president defies expectations and overtakes Merkel.

“With six groups expected to enter the Bundestag, the business-friendly Free Democrats (FDP) and the Greens are potential coalition partners for the two big parties, while the far-left Die Linke and the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD)… are unlikely to be courted. It’s still possible there could be another ‘grand coalition’ between Merkel’s Christian Democrats (CDU) and their Bavarian sister party, the CSU, with Schulz’s SPD…

“All parties [except for Die Linke and AfD] support European cooperation… No matter who wins, expect them to push for a European defense union…

“Expect Germany to advocate a two-speed Europe during the next couple of years… The SPD wants a European finance minister… The conservatives are more cautious, speaking of ‘developing the eurozone further step-by-step… by creating its own monetary fund’… there is broad consensus in support of empowering certain member countries to integrate more deeply than others in a ‘two-speed Europe.’ While the SPD and FDP say this explicitly in their manifestos, the conservatives don’t mention it but have embraced such ideas in the past. The Greens are open to the idea, if only ‘as a temporary solution.’…

“All parties are sorry the U.K. is leaving the EU but want to make sure the Brits will be worse off after their departure. Don’t expect Germany to stick up for the U.K. during the negotiations. One way or another, all parties echo Berlin’s official position that in order to enjoy the privileges of the EU, countries need to respect all four of its guiding principles: free movement of goods, people, services, and capital…

“The Euroskeptic AfD suggest that unless the EU is reformed drastically, Germany should follow the British example and leave the bloc. This remains a fringe position in a country where, according to recent polls support for the EU is actually on the rise.”

No matter who wins the German election, the fulfillment of prophecies about a united Europe under German leadership will go forward.

Jewish Lawmakers Visit Temple Mount

Times of Israel wrote on August 29:

“Jordan condemned a visit by two Jewish lawmakers [MKs Yehuda Glick (Likud) and Shuli Moalem Refaeli (Jewish Home)] to the Temple Mount on Tuesday, saying Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to allow a one day ‘trial’ for Knesset members to enter the flashpoint holy site for the first time in nearly two years was ‘irresponsible.’…

“Under a decades-old agreement enforced by Israel, only Muslims are allowed to pray inside the compound, which is known to Arabs as Haram al-Sharif and which contains the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque…

“In 2014, a Palestinian terrorist attempted to assassinate Glick because of his Temple Mount activism. The shooter told Glick, right before pulling the trigger, that he was ‘an enemy of al-Aqsa.’…

“MK Ahmad Tibi, of the Joint (Arab) List, decried the visits of the Jewish MKs, calling them a ‘provocation’… He added that the right-wing Jewish lawmakers were seeking to change the status quo on the site…  Glick ‘stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque with a message of peace,’ said Tibi. ‘He calls for turning the site into what he calls the “third Temple,” in a message of peace…’”

We can only imagine how the Arab world will react when the Jews will begin bringing sacrifices on the Temple Mount and commence construction of the third Temple on the site.

ISIS’s Plans for Spain

PRI wrote on August 25:

“A week after the deadly attack in Barcelona, ISIS released a new propaganda video, saying it wants to restore al-Andalus to the Muslim world. Al-Andalus was the word for Muslim-ruled areas of Spain and Portugal in the Middle Ages.

“The Muslim invasion of Spain began at Gibraltar in 711 A.D., less than 80 years after the death of the Prophet Muhammad. In the preceding decades, Muslim armies had swept across North Africa, overthrowing or subduing Christian and pagan kingdoms and territories in their path. Spain was no different, and Muslim emirs soon established control of what’s now Portugal and most of Spain, except for a few mountainous districts of the far north. Muslim armies then invaded France until famously checked at Poitiers in 732 A.D…

“For many Muslims, this era represents a golden age for Islam, with similar strides in civilization taking place in Baghdad, Damascus and Cairo at the same time…

“Córdoba fell to the Christians in 1236, and by 1249 only the emirate of Granada remained. Granada itself finally fell in 1492, the same year Christopher Columbus sailed to America for the first time. The 700-year struggle to fight Muslim rule is known in Spain as La Reconquista — ‘The Reconquest’…

“…  persecution of non-Catholics began the so-called Spanish Inquisition. That’s chiefly remembered in Europe and the West for the persecution of Jews, but Muslims were just as vulnerable… in the early 1600s, the Spanish authorities implemented a policy of absolute intolerance… Anyone found to be practicing a faith other than Catholic Christianity after that date faced the risk of torture, imprisonment and death…

“[Isis terrorists] ‘play that up so they can have a narrative of victimhood, which draws people to their cause,’ says [Rukmini] Callimachi [of The New York Times].”

Terrible things have happened in the name of Christianity and Islam, as well as in the name of other religions. All are guilty, and history may have a strange way of repeating itself to an extent.

Dangerous Flu Vaccinations

The Website of EAWO wrote on August 26:

“In 2015, a whole new slew of flu vaccines found themselves getting approved by the Federal Drug Administration.  This isn’t an uncommon practice; most flu vaccines pass inspection every year.  It’s well known advice that has been passed down from doctor to patient that the flu vaccine is something that we all should get, but it has been quickly surfacing that what’s in the vaccines–especially those from 2015 and after–might actually be more damaging then simply rolling the dice on getting the flu.

“The ingredient that is getting the most flack is called an adjuvant.  The particular one involved is called Squalene, and it has been linked to auto-immune disease side effects.  In fact, it may have been used during chemical attacks in the Gulf War.  Symptoms include chronic fatigue, muscle aches, and neurologic damage. While it may be a contested subject, it remains that we aren’t really sure what’s going into these vaccines we’re being convinced should be used.

“Dr. Russell Blaylock, a neurosurgeon and author of ‘The Blaylock Wellness Report’ [wrote:] ‘Not only is the vaccine not safe, it doesn’t even work…The vaccine is completely worthless, and the government knows it… The government also says that every baby over the age of six months should have a vaccine, and they know it contains a dose of mercury that is toxic to the brain…They also know the studies have shown that the vaccination has zero — zero — effectiveness in children under five…

“For most people, flu vaccinations don’t prevent the flu but actually increase the odds of getting it. The mercury contained in flu shots is such a strong immune depressant that a flu shot suppresses immunity for several weeks…This makes people highly susceptible to catching the flu… Mercury overstimulates the brain for several years, and that activation is the cause of Alzheimer’s and other degenerative diseases. One study found that those who get the vaccine for three to five years increase their risk of Alzheimer’s disease 10-fold… Vaccinations are a pharmaceutical company’s dream. They have a product that both the government and the media will help them sell, and since vaccinations are protected, they can’t be sued if anyone has a complication…”

These are mind-boggling allegations, worthy of our contemplation.

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.

America’s Dilemma

The Nation (a website maintained in Pakistan) wrote on August 19:

“American president Harry S Truman, when asked about the major achievement of his presidency, said, ‘We totally defeated our enemies and then brought them back to the community of nations.’…

“Reconstruction in Germany was carried out under the auspices of Marshall Plan. Japan rose from the ruins under the leadership of General Douglas MacArthur. In the current era, America invaded Afghanistan, ousted the Taliban regime and poured billions to reconstruct the war torn country but failed. Moreover, Washington toppled Saddam in the military offensive ‘Operation Enduring Freedom’; the aim of the invasion was to install democracy and neutralise alleged chemical weapons. America… failed miserably in Iraq and currently the country is the hotbed of regional proxy wars…

“The threat from North Korea is imminent. [The] United States has many options to act but there is hardly any option without the risk of destruction. If [the] United States launches a preemptive strike [then] there is no guarantee that it will neutralise all nuclear launching pads of North Korea and if it fails [then] the result of the Pyongyang nuclear retaliation will be devastating. North Korea has warned of a nuclear strike on Guam, a tiny island [which] is home to 165,000 people and thousands of US soldiers. The island historically acted as the permanent aircraft carrier for [the] US navy in [the] strategically important region of the Pacific Ocean… If a war escalates it will result in devastation and destruction. If [the] United States is able to defend itself from missiles, the chances of defending South Korea are minimal as Seoul is in the range of North Korean missiles…”

The article carried the headline, “America’s Retreat.” It is indeed true that America’s current role in the world has been one of defeat and failure.

“With Color and Fury, Anti-American Posters Appear in North Korea”

The New York Times wrote on August 19:

“The language on the North Korean posters is as bombastic as the images are eye-popping and the colors blindingly bright. One blue-lettered poster shows a barrage of missiles heading toward a map of the United States that is in flames. It boasts, ‘The entire mainland United States is within our range!’ Another says: ‘Military option. Preventive war. Sanctions.’ Then it shows red missiles emerging from a North Korean flag to slam into the United States Capitol and eviscerate the American flag. It carries the words: ‘The Korean answer!’

“A third poster displays a red missile mounted on a giant red tank. It lambastes United Nations sanctions and hails the North’s self-reliance with the words: ‘No one can stop our march forward!’ The posters and defiant slogans were unveiled this past week, the latest sign that tensions remain high between Washington and Pyongyang over the North’s nuclear ambitions and the sanctions imposed by other nations…

“The government in the North has long used posters and rallies to whip up anti-American sentiments and national fervor. They are mainly for domestic consumption. But these military-themed posters also send a message to President Kim Jong-un’s perceived enemies abroad…”

CNN added on August 20:

“North Korea warned Sunday that the upcoming US-South Korea military exercises are ‘reckless behavior driving the situation into the uncontrollable phase of a nuclear war.’  Pyongyang also declared that its army can target the United States anytime, and neither Guam, Hawaii nor the US mainland can ‘dodge the merciless strike.’”

Wars begin with words and propaganda, which can easily get out of hand. Note the next article.

Could Trump Ignite Nuclear War with North Korea?

The Huffington Post wrote on August 19:

“[Trump] raised the prospect of a preemptive strike [against North Korea], marking a radical departure from his predecessors who have always sought to avoid aggravating nuclear armed states… Instead of calming a situation which involves the lives of millions of people, Trump sought to escalate his rhetoric, and enter a dangerous game of nuclear brinkmanship with the mercurial Kim Jong Un.

“… we have certainly entered some dangerous territory. After all, as Trump’s domestic troubles escalate, he may look to military exploits overseas as a means of distraction. As Gideon Rachman writes in the FT, embattled governments are ‘more inclined to adventurism abroad: ‘The German government that led Europe into the first world war felt under acute threat from domestic political enemies. But on the day war broke out, an exultant Kaiser told a crowd: “I no longer recognize any parties or affiliations; today we are all German brothers.”’

“All of this inevitably leads one to question whether Trump could unwittingly ignite another world war. His recent actions towards North Korea illustrate how his erratic behaviour could provoke Kim, leading both sides to escalate out of control until the unthinkable happens…”

A nuclear war between the USA and North Korea is NOT impossible. Note the next article.

The Threat of Worldwide Nuclear War

On August 23, former German Foreign Minister and Vice Chancellor Joschka Fischer wrote in project-syndicate.org:

“As someone who was born in 1948, the risk of a nuclear World War III was a very real part of my childhood. That threat – or at least the threat of East and West Germany both being completely destroyed – persisted until the end of [the] Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union…

“As the current situation in North Korea shows, the nuclearization of East Asia or the Persian Gulf could pose a direct threat to world peace… Ultimately, there are no good options for responding to the North Korean threat… as the China-South Korea-Japan triangle has become the new power center of the twenty-first-century global economy, no country would be spared from the economic fallout…

“A North Korea with nuclear weapons and the means to use them would add pressure on South Korea and Japan to develop their own nuclear capacity, which they could easily do…

“The situation in Asia today has the nuclear attributes of the twentieth century and the national-power dynamics of the nineteenth century. That could prove to be a highly inflammatory cocktail…

“Instability within the US is cause for global concern. If the US can no longer be counted on to ensure world peace and stability, then… [we] will be left with a leadership vacuum, and nowhere is this more dangerous than with respect to nuclear proliferation.

“Another nuclear danger looms this fall. If the US Congress imposes new sanctions on Iran, the nuclear agreement between that country and the P5+1 (the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, plus Germany) could fail… All of this would be taking place in a region that is already riven by crises and wars. And, because Russia, China, and the Europeans would stick to the nuclear deal, the US would find itself alone and at odds with even its closest allies…”

What Joschka Fischer does not understand, and most politicians don’t understand it either, is that the power vacuum caused by the failing USA WILL be filled, but not by powers which most expect.

Trump’s Isolation

The website of npr published the following article on August 19:

“There is a telling photo that has gotten some attention in social media after Steve Bannon’s exit as President Trump’s chief strategist… It shows President Trump behind the desk in the Oval Office, surrounded by his top advisers… Vice President Pence and national security adviser Mike Flynn;… chief of staff Reince Priebus, chief strategist Steve Bannon and press secretary Sean Spicer. That was Jan. 28, eight days after Trump was inaugurated. Today, only Pence remains… It’s all a reminder… that for the many stories of palace intrigue in this White House, Trump is Trump. He makes the final call…

“Republican elected officials have broken with him post-Charlottesville, from Bob Corker in Tennessee questioning his ‘stability’ and ‘competence’ to South Carolina’s Tim Scott, the only black Republican in the Senate, saying the president’s ‘moral authority is compromised’…

“The ouster could mean less chaos in the White House, but more outside. Shortly after Bannon’s ouster, there were signs Trump could not only be fighting the mainstream media… but also the Breitbarts of the world… After news of Bannon’s exit, Breitbart editor Joel Pollak tweeted simply, #WAR. And a headline on Breitbart’s site was: ‘WITH STEVE BANNON GONE, DONALD TRUMP RISKS BECOMING ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER 2.0.’

“For his part, Bannon said Friday evening… ‘If there’s any confusion out there, let me clear it up: I’m leaving the White House and going to war for Trump against his opponents — on Capitol Hill, in the media, and in corporate America…’ He painted his exit in stark terms in an interview with the conservative outlet The Weekly Standard: ‘The Trump presidency that we fought for, and won, is over…’ However Bannon decides to fight, what is clear is he is not going quietly…”

It is not entirely clear on whose side Bannon will fight. Donald Trump tweeted on August 19: “Steve Bannon will be a tough and smart new voice at Breitbart News… maybe even better than ever before. Fake News needs the competition!”

Is Bannon Going to War Against Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner?

JTA wrote on August 21:

“Former White House chief strategist Stephen Bannon reportedly is ‘going to war’ against several White House targets, including Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, according to reports.

“A report Sunday evening in Vanity Fair… said that Bannon’s targets in the West Wing are the ‘globalists,’ identified as Ivanka Trump, Kushner and former Goldman Sachs president Gary Cohn, the chief economic adviser to Trump and director of the National Economic Council, as well as the ‘hawks,’ identified as National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster and his deputy, Dina Powell…

“An unnamed Bannon ally told Vanity Fair that [Bannon and Kushner] clashed fiercely on personnel decisions and policy debates, both domestic and international, many of which Bannon lost.

“Unnamed Bannon allies told the magazine that Bannon had lobbied the president ‘aggressively’ to move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv, a move that they say was blocked by Kushner. The report also noted that Bannon stayed away during a May visit by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to the White House, texting to a friend that ‘I’m not going to breathe the same air as that terrorist.’

“On Sunday, the Breitbart website’s lead story was headlined ‘Report: Ivanka Trump Helped Push Steve Bannon Out Of The White House,’ based on a Daily Mail report that said ‘Trump’s daughter Ivanka pushed out Bannon because of his “far-right views” clashing with her Jewish faith.’

“Breitbart updated the article to say ‘A senior White House aide informed Breitbart News that the Daily Mail report was “totally false” and called into question the sources in the article of having any real knowledge of the Trump family.’”

Most Divided Administration in US History?

Daily Mail wrote on August 20:

“Steve Bannon has called President Donald Trump’s administration the most divided in history in a candid interview about policy divides in the White House and Republican Party. ‘No administration in history has been so divided among itself about the direction about where it should go,’ Bannon told the Washington Post on Saturday, one day after leaving the White House.

“Bannon said that Trump’s base is frustrated by Congressional foot-dragging on his campaign promises, including trade, immigration, and taxes… Media reports suggest that the ‘opposition’ consist of senior economic adviser Gary Cohn, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and National Security Adviser HR McMaster, officials Bannon views as moderating forces in the West Wing steering the President away from a nationalist agenda…”

Rumors of Trump’s Demise Are Greatly Exaggerated

CNBC wrote on August 18:

“It may seem like all Americans are at least frustrated that President Trump often shoots himself in the foot with unnecessary comments and tweets. But this also exemplifies Trump’s fighting nature that so many voters clearly like. Many conservatives feel like they tried ‘nice’ before… but that still resulted in no real reduction in condemnation and bile from the left. For better or for worse…

“Both party establishments still need a vote-getting leader… He has enormous executive power at his fingertips… The U.S. is not a parliamentary democracy where individual leaders can be ousted with previously unscheduled votes of no confidence or by coalitions of once opposing parties that come together to form a new ruling majority.

“That leaves his die-hard opponents praying for long shot outcomes like impeachment or resignation. And those two possibilities aren’t demonstrably closer to reality today than they were [in the past]…”

President Trump won’t be impeached, nor will he resign voluntarily.

Public Stand of the Joint Chiefs of Staff against Their Commander in Chief

Haaretz wrote on August 20:

“This is unprecedented in U.S. history. Never before have the generals and admirals been so united. There was a ‘revolt of the admirals’ against the reduction of naval forces over air force bombers; and the Joint Chiefs of Staff worked together against Chairman Colin Powell and President George H.W. Bush on the issue of tactical nuclear weapons in the ground forces.

“But there is no precedent for this united front, a calculated provocation against the president who is capable – legally and temperamentally – of dismissing them all, even if it also means the resignation of Secretary of Defense James Mattis… This is a crisis of values the likes of which America has never known before, because it has never known a character like Trump.”

The revolt occurred because of President Trump’s comments pertaining to Charlottesville. This reaction by the chiefs of staff is uncalled for, but such opposition within the military against their leader could make any meaningful unified action against a foreign enemy much more difficult.

America’s New Strategy for “Lasting Peace in Afghanistan”

Fox News reported on August 23:

“President Trump’s comprehensive new strategy to achieve a ‘lasting peace’ in Afghanistan was enthusiastically received Tuesday by the government of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, which praised the increasing number of U.S. troops in the country as another way to strengthen weakened Afghan forces.

“Trump’s speech also created pressure on the Pakistani government, which the U.S. has long suspected of sponsoring terrorism in Afghanistan… Addressing a new plan for the 16-year conflict in Afghanistan Monday night, Trump asked India — Pakistan’s archrival — to help the U.S. economically in Afghanistan… ‘We have been paying Pakistan billions and billions of dollars at the same time they are housing the very terrorists that we are fighting,’ Trump also said.

“One senior intelligence official in Islamabad told Fox News, on the condition of anonymity, that, ‘U.S. failure in Afghanistan is evident as casualties of civilians and troops are at record-high level, they are finding a way to get out from Afghanistan, the U.S. can’t run away [from] the failures of their own policies of the Ghani-led government and are blaming Pakistan.’

“‘The U.S. wants a face-saving exit from Afghanistan, and sooner or later they will completely withdraw from Afghanistan, leaving the war-torn country mercilessly on its own fate,’ said Shahzad Chaudhary, a Pakistani defense analyst.”

The Week wrote on August 22:

“… in all likelihood, we are headed toward another disastrous troop surge that will end the way every previous attempt to ‘win’ in Afghanistan has ended: in failure…

“The United States has been fighting without interruption in Afghanistan since October of 2001, when George W. Bush launched a nimble invasion to dislodge the Taliban from power… Ever since, we have been waging what is essentially an unwinnable struggle against Taliban guerillas…”

The Week added on August 23:

“Many anti-war Americans have been sunk in despair over Afghanistan since Barack Obama announced his own troop surge back in 2009, which failed spectacularly just as Trump’s is 100 percent guaranteed to do…

“American troops… should be immediately withdrawn.

“Two years ago… [Afghanistan was] an awesomely corrupt basketcase. It had a fraud-ridden electoral system and ranked 172nd out of 176 countries on Transparency International’s corruption measure. It supplied most of the world’s raw opium, and the Taliban in effect controlled huge swathes of the country.

“Today, Afghanistan is up to a whopping 169^th place in the corruption rankings. In other areas, it’s doing even worse than before… the still-ongoing presence of American forces… inflames nationalist resentment. Trump’s announcement that he will ‘lift restrictions and expand authorities’… make this much worse…

“At some point the Afghan government will have to face the Taliban mostly on its own. More American troops can only delay the day of reckoning…”

No matter what arguments may be advanced for the necessity of war, the Bible tells us that war is a curse and will NEVER bring good and peaceful results.

University of Texas Removes Confederate Statues

The Week wrote on August 21:

“Late Sunday night, work crews removed four statues from a main mall on the University of Texas campus in Austin, three of them Confederate leaders and the fourth a former Texas governor. UT Austin President Greg Fenves said the three Confederate statues — two generals, Robert E. Lee and Albert Sidney Johnston, and Confederate postmaster general John Reagan — ‘run counter to the university’s core values.’ The events in Charlottesville last weekend, he added, ‘make it clear, now more than ever, that Confederate monuments have become symbols of modern white supremacy and neo-Nazism.’”

What utter nonsense and childish reaction! Insofar as General Robert E. Lee is concerned, he was married to George Washington’s granddaughter. It has been reported that he fought with the future General Ulysses S. Grant during the Mexican-American war. He believed slavery was a great evil and his wife broke the law by teaching slaves to read and write. He disliked the prospect of the South leaving the Union. After the Civil War, he became very popular with the Northern states and in 1962, the barracks at West Point were named in his honor.

Most Americans Opposed to Removal of Confederate Statues

Newsmax wrote on August 21:

“The Rasmussen Reports survey released Monday found 50 percent of registered voters agree with Trump’s tweet it is ‘sad to see the history and culture of our great country being ripped apart with the removal of our beautiful statues and monuments.’ According to the survey, 37 percent disagree with the tweet and 12 percent are undecided.

“On whether removal of the monuments will help race relations, 28 percent believe it will – but 39 percent think removal will only hurt relations. Twenty-six percent say removal would not have any impact…

“The findings come in the wake of a Reuters poll showing 54 percent of adults believe the Confederate statues ‘should remain in all public spaces’ while only 27 percent say they ‘should be removed from all public spaces.’”

Note the next article for another unwise response to the threat of neo-Nazism.

Removing Neo-Nazis from the Web Sets Dangerous Precedent

Fortune Magazine wrote on August 18:

“The Electronic Frontier Foundation, a digital advocacy group, has issued a lengthy statement critical of decisions by several web services companies which effectively removed the white supremacist publication The Daily Stormer from the web. The EFF argues that the decisions set a dangerous precedent that could threaten freedom of speech online.

“The Daily Stormer is a news and commentary operation aimed at neo-Nazis and white supremacists, and rooted in the meme- and troll-driven tactics of the so-called ‘alt-right.’ In response to the role of the Stormer in organizing last weekend’s deadly white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, the site’s domain registration was revoked, first by GoDaddy and then by Google. Security firm Cloudflare has also terminated the publication’s account. The site is no longer accessible through conventional web browsers.

“According to the EFF, the ability of domain registrars and security companies to unilaterally remove a site from the web—even one representing a reprehensible ideology—weakens freedom of speech online. ‘Any tactic used now to silence neo-Nazis will soon be used against others, including people whose opinions we agree with,’ the group writes…

“Cloudflare CEO Matthew Prince seems to agree, despite making the decision to suspend the Daily Stormer’s account. In an internal email, he described his own decision as ‘arbitrary’ and emotional, and acknowledged that he individually held too much power over content on the Internet…

“The Stormer has now moved to the so-called dark web, but the organization faces many new obstacles to spreading its message.

“Stormer’s Twitter and Facebook accounts have also been suspended, and companies from payment networks to music streaming sites are refusing their business.”

These developments do indeed set a dangerous presence and could very well constitute further threats for constitutionally protected free speech.

Market Crash in Less than a Year?

CNBC wrote on August 21:

“The former Republican Congressman from Texas [Ron Paul] believes escalating dysfunction in Washington will create even more pain for Wall Street. ‘A 50 percent pullback is conceivable,’ Paul said… ‘I don’t believe it’s ten years off. I don’t even believe it’s a year off.’ According to his calculations, it would cut the S&P 500 Index in half, to 1212, and the blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average would collapse to 10,837.

“Paul noted that there’s a lot of chaos in Washington right now, with an ‘unpredictable president’ and those who are inclined to ‘tear him apart’ but if the market takes that big of a tumble, he doesn’t see it as Trump’s fault. ‘It’s all man-made. It’s not the fault of Donald Trump in the last week. If the market crashes tomorrow and we have a great depression, he didn’t do it in six months. It took more like six or ten years to cause all these problems that we’re facing,’ he said… ‘I see the foundation of our system built on sand, and a big wind comes along to blow it down,’ Paul said.”

Christ compared a person who listens to His words and does not do them as somebody who has built his house on sand, which will fall when the winds and rain come.

Bloomberg wrote on August 22:

“HSBC Holdings Plc, Citigroup Inc. and Morgan Stanley see mounting evidence that global markets are in the last stage of their rallies before a downturn in the business cycle.

“Analysts at the Wall Street behemoths cite signals including the breakdown of long-standing relationships between stocks, bonds and commodities as well as investors ignoring valuation fundamentals and data. It all means stock and credit markets are at risk of a painful drop…

“Citigroup analysts also say markets are on the cusp of entering a late-cycle peak before a recession that pushes stocks and bonds into a bear market.”

Queen Has No Intention of Stepping Down

The Times wrote on August 20:

“The Queen has no intention of stepping aside for Prince Charles and insists it is ‘duty first, nation first, I’m going to be there’…

“Royal insiders said the Queen, the world’s longest-reigning living monarch, remained as committed as ever to her duty. They dismiss claims that she will request that the Regency Act come into force in the foreseeable future. Neither Buckingham Palace nor Clarence House is planning for a regency…”

Queen Elizabeth sits currently on the throne of David, which will be transferred to Jerusalem and occupied by Christ after His return. We expect that Queen Elizabeth will be replaced by her son or grandson before Christ comes back.

Anti-Semitism in Britain…

The Jewish Press wrote on August 20:

“… one in three British Jews has become so fearful of mounting anti-Semitic crime and the failure to excise anti-Semites from politics that they have considered leaving Britain altogether…

“37% of UK Jews conceal their Jewish identity in public; 17% don’t feel welcome in their own country; in fact, only 59% of UK Jews say they feel welcome in the UK. 52% of British Jews said that the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is not doing enough to fight anti-Semitism, and only 39% of British Jews felt confident that anti-Semitic hate crime would be prosecuted. Also, more than 80% of British Jews believe the Labour Party is harboring anti-Semites in its ranks.”

Anti-Semitism in Spain…

The Independent wrote on August 20:

“Barcelona’s chief rabbi has urged Jews to move to Israel because “Europe is lost” to radical Islam. Meir Bar-Hen has been encouraging his congregation to flee Spain, which he called a ‘hub of Islamist terror for all of Europe.’

“The chief rabbi’s warning came after a terror attack in Barcelona left 13 people dead and over 120 wounded and was followed by another attack hours later that killed one person and injured others in the seaside town of Cambrils. Isis claimed responsibility for both attacks, which authorities believe were the work of a large terrorist cell that had been plotting for some time…

“[Bar-Hen’s] comments were at odds with the Federation of Jewish Communities of Spain, which said it had ‘full confidence in security forces who work daily to prevent fanatics and radical Muslims from inflicting pain and chaos on our cities.’”

ISIS Fighters Addicted to Dangerous Drug

The New York Post wrote on August 18:

“ISIS fighters have been using a drug called Captagon, dubbed ‘chemical courage,’ to stay alert in battle… Captagon… is highly addictive – and became illegal in most countries in 1986. Captagon keeps users awake for long periods of time. It also makes users feel energetic and happy… [it] produces ‘a kind of euphoria – you’re talkative, you don’t sleep, you don’t eat, you’re energetic.’

“It’s made cheaply, with a street value of between $5 and $19, in countries including Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey and Syria. Fake versions of the drug are also widely available…

“Addiction to Captagon is rife within the ranks of ISIS in Syria… Suicide bombers… are said to be pumped full of drugs before they are sent on a mission, giving them red eyes and a distinctive look of confusion. The drug turns the terrorists into ‘unforgiving killing machines,’ Arab News reports. The drugs often leave extremists suffering from a crippling addiction, further boosting their reliance on their cruel jihadi masters. According to reports, a growing number of demoralized Syrian citizens have also resorted to taking the drug.

“A massive shipment of the drug was seized in France for the first time earlier this year, sparking fears that ISIS could be forming Mafia-style organized crime gangs in the country…”

The use of mind-altering drugs and the demonic influence or demonic possession of insane ISIS fighters is a deadly combination.

Meet Austria’s Sebastian Kurz

Deutsche Welle wrote on August 20:

“To call Sebastian Kurz (30) ambitious would be an understatement akin to regarding a hurricane as a light drizzle. In 2013, he managed to become the youngest foreign minister in the world at the age of only 27. And earlier this year, he maneuvered to become chief of one of Austria’s strongest political parties, the conservative Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP).

“The ÖVP, which rules in coalition with the left-leaning Social Democrats (SPÖ), promptly called snap elections—to be held a year early, in October 2017… Kurz is aiming not only to become the youngest chancellor in the history of the republic, but to steer his country toward a more conservative migration policy, stop radical Islamist terrorism, ‘break apart the old system’ of politics and shift his nation into a more powerful position in Europe.

“… he is internationally the most recognizable face in Austrian politics – much more so than Chancellor Christian Kern…

“In an interview with Germany’s weekly Welt am Sonntag on Sunday, Kurz outlined his vision for the future should he win the chancellor’s seat in October, including ending the ‘chaos’ of NGOs getting involved in Europe’s migration wave… To stop the chaos, Kurz wants to end ‘economic migration’ to the EU, which he makes clear is different from those fleeing war and violence in countries like Syria…”

Austria will play an important role in European politics, and a person like Sebastian Kurz might very well be someone who might be taken note of.

Austria Sends Troops to Italian Border

The EUObserver wrote on August 17:

“Austria is sending soldiers to stop migrants coming from Italy, while Bulgaria has said the EU should ‘defend’ its borders by ‘force of arms’…. Austria, Denmark, Germany, Norway, and Sweden have the European Commission’s blessing to impose temporary border checks despite being part of Schengen, the passport-free travel zone in Europe.

“Italy and Greece are still the main route for asylum seekers and economic migrants trying to enter the EU… The EU border crackdown has been criticised on humanitarian grounds… The majority of those coming to Greece were fleeing the war in Syria. Many of those coming via Libya to Italy had fled poverty, but faced torture and sexual violence in Libyan detention camps…”

Europe feels threatened by the ongoing migration crisis and is willing to resort to armed forces to combat the influx.

Martin Schulz’s Stance on Military Spending and Nuclear Weapons

Reuters reported on August 23:

“The leader of Germany’s Social Democrats (SPD) pledged to have U.S. nuclear weapons withdrawn from German territory if, against the odds, he defeats Angela Merkel to become chancellor next month. Addressing a campaign rally in Trier late on Tuesday, SPD leader Martin Schulz also said he, unlike Merkel, would resist demands by U.S. President Donald Trump for NATO members to increase their defence spending…

“About 20 U.S. nuclear warheads are thought to be stationed at a military base in Buechel, in western Germany, according to unofficial estimates. The U.S. embassy in Berlin said it does not comment on nuclear weapons in Germany. Taking advantage of Trump’s extreme unpopularity in Germany, Schulz also said he would use the money Merkel had earmarked for increased military spending for other purposes…

“After 12 years in office, Merkel has become increasingly confident on the global stage. She has pushed for Germany to become more militarily self-reliant, partly in response to Trump’s hinting that he might abandon NATO allies if they do not spend more on defence…”

Schulz’s positions in these regards would not be in accordance with biblical prophecy.

Angela Merkel Responds to Donald Trump

Deutsche Welle wrote on August 23:

“German Chancellor Angela Merkel had some harsh words for US President Donald Trump… Speaking with reporters, she warned that Germany would not blindly [and ‘automatically’] follow the United States into a war with North Korea. She added that Trump’s ‘America First’ attitude was putting him at risk of decreasing his country’s importance on the world stage.

“‘An America that does not care about the rest of the world and just thinks about itself does not make for a big and great country,’ said the chancellor, contradicting the US president’s insistence that his isolationist policies will make the US ‘win’ against its rivals.”

Fight Between Turkey and Germany Intensifies

AFP wrote on August 20:

“Erdogan… caused consternation in Berlin by urging ethnic Turks in Germany to vote against both parties in Chancellor Angela Merkel’s ruling coalition in the September 24 legislative elections. Gabriel condemned Erdogan’s comments as an ‘unprecedented act of interference’ in Germany’s sovereignty…

“Analysts estimate that some 1.2 million people of Turkish origin will have the right to vote in the September polls as German citizens.”

The deteriorating relationship between Germany and Turkey totally destroys any realistic hope for Turkey to ever become a member of the EU.

Turkish Arrogance Reaches Spain through Dubious Interpol Activities

The EUObserver wrote on August 21:

“The arrest of a Turkish dissident has again highlighted the way rogue regimes use Interpol to hunt their enemies inside the EU. Armed police arrested Dogan Akhanli on Saturday (19 August) morning at his hotel in Granada, Spain, handcuffed him and drove him for questioning at a regional HQ. The 60-year old writer was later freed, but is not allowed to leave Spain until judges have decided whether to extradite him to Turkey…

“The Spanish police came after him because Turkey had filed a so called ‘red notice’ for his arrest as a terrorist with Interpol, an international police agency based in France. The writer, who is a critic of Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan and of Turkey’s denial of the Armenian Genocide, fled to Germany in the 1990s and later obtained German citizenship after being persecuted in his home country. ‘I thought I was safe in Europe. I thought Turkish arrogance cannot reach Europe, but probably this is not quite true,’ he said. ‘I find it a shame because Spanish democracy has experience with Franco and fascism and such tricks as have just been tried by Turkey,’ he said, referring to a former Spanish dictator…

“The Akhanli case is one of several in recent years to expose Interpol’s openness to political abuse. Germany itself, in 2015, arrested Ahmed Mansour, a journalist for the Al-Jazeera news agency, on the basis of an Interpol notice issued by the Egyptian regime. Belgium, last year, arrested Maxime Azadi, a Kurdish journalist on a Turkish Interpol request. Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Russia have routinely used Interpol red notices and so called ‘diffusions’ to hunt and harass political opponents in the EU.”

Deutsche Welle added on August 21:

‘It was unclear why Turkish authorities issued the arrest warrant, but [it was] suggested that Turkey had targeted the Cologne-based writer for advocating the recognition of Turkey’s mass killing of Armenians as genocide… Akhanli has lived in Germany since he fled Turkey in 1991 and has citizenship. He has written extensively on Turkey’s human rights record and the Armenian genocide…

“The relationship between Turkey and Germany has become increasingly strained following last year’s failed coup. Under a state of emergency, authorities have fired or suspended some 150,000 people and detained over 50,000 people. Those detained include German human rights activist Peter Steudtner and German-Turkish journalist Deniz Yucel. Turkey accuses Germany of supporting coup plotters and terrorists, charges that officials in Berlin vehemently denies.”

Jewish Visitors of Temple Mount Increase Drastically

The Jewish Press wrote on August 17:

“So far this year, 20,000 Jewish visitors have ascended to the Temple Mount. The record has been 20,060 Jewish visitors ascending to the Temple Mount within one year, and that was set during the first year of the liberation of the sacred site from Jordanian occupation. Last month saw more Jewish Israelis visit the Temple Mount in one month – approximately 3,200 – than in any other month since 1967.

“Jordan’s Foreign Affairs Minister Ayman Safadi described the visits to the Temple Mount by Israeli Jews as ‘extremists who stormed Al Aqsa’ in his speech last month to Muslim nations in Istanbul… Safadi warned at the gathering of Islamic nations that many more ‘crises’ can be expected ‘as a result of continued Israeli violations … if the occupation doesn’t end, if east Jerusalem is not independent and not the capital of the sovereign Palestinian state along the 1967 lines.’”

The Temple Mount will continue to be in the news, while Jordan’s position in the matter is abominable. It destroys any chance for meaningful peace negotiations.

Philippines Catholic Church vs. President Duterte

Deutsche Welle wrote on August 20:

“The head of the influential Catholic Church of the Philippines on Sunday sharply criticized President Rodrigo Duterte’s brutal war on drugs that has left dozens of people shot dead in the past week alone… The scale of the crackdown has brought renewed criticism of Duterte’s ruthless war against alleged drug dealers and users, even as the president praised police when they killed 32 drug suspects in a single day this week.

“Among those gunned downed by police over the past week was a 17-year-old whose death caused a public uproar after evidence emerged he may have been framed and killed by police. The highest-ranking Church official [Manila Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle] said in a statement, read at all Sunday masses across the predominately Catholic country, that those behind the deaths should stop wasting human lives…

“More than 2,000 people have been killed in drug-related crimes and some 11,000 other people murdered under mysterious circumstances. Critics blame the police for extrajudicial killings and using vigilante groups to go after suspected drug dealers or users. The government and police deny the allegations. Several allies of the president have started to voice concern over the scale of the drug war, even as Duterte remains popular and the public largely supports the crackdown…

“The president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines on Sunday echoed Tagle’s criticism and called for church bells to ring every night for 15 minutes over the next three months. ‘The sound of the bells is a wake-up call for a nation that no longer knows how to condole with the bereaved, that is cowardly to call out evil. The sound of the bells is a call to stop consenting to the killings!’ Archbishop Socrates Villegas said in a statement.”

The stance of the Roman Catholic Church in the Philippines is remarkable. The Church sides with most political leaders in the world who strongly condemn President Duterte’s conduct, which, as the article points out correctly, is very popular in the country.

 Pig Virus Spreads to Humans

The Sunday Times wrote on August 20:

“A leading British supermarket may unwittingly have infected thousands of people with a pig virus that causes liver cirrhosis and neurological damage… Hepatitis E (HEV) is transmitted by sausages and pork products from Europe, mainly Holland and Germany. UK pigs do not have the virus strain in question.

“Scientists… have traced the shopping habits of infected people and found that a common factor is consumption of own-brand sausages from ‘Supermarket X’… two separate sources said it was Tesco.”

The human consumption of pigs is prohibited by God in the Bible. Eating unclean meat, including pork, is hazardous to human health.

Ignorant “Fundamental Christians”

Express wrote on August 20:

“Monday’s total solar eclipse will be the first for 99 years to cross the US from coast to coast. The eclipse signals the end of days according to some fundamental Christians. Many fundamentalist Christians see this as a significant warning of the impending apocalypse, the second coming of Christ and the rapture. The ‘Great American Total Solar Eclipse’ as it is called is said to be a warning sign from God, as it allegedly fulfils a Bible prophecy. Pastor Paul Begley, host of the Coming Apocalypse radio show, said the eclipse could possibly fulfil a prophecy recorded in the book of Joel. This states: ‘The sun shall be turned to darkness before the Day of the Lord come.’…

“Writing for Unsealed.org, Gary Ray says the eclipse may mean that 2017 will mark the beginning of the Tribulation, a time the Bible describes as a period of conflict and suffering on a scale never experienced in mankind’s history. He said that another solar eclipse in seven years will slash across the US in the opposite direction from Texas to Maine, making an eclipse X over northern America.

“Scott Clarke of ERF Ministries believes the eclipse is intimately connected to a September 23 astronomical alignment. He says it involves the constellations Virgo and Leo, along with Mercury, Mars, Venus and Jupiter.  On that date, Jupiter will exit the lower part of Virgo (the virgin) in a way that Clarke says fulfils the ‘man child’ of Revelation 12 being birthed by the woman. He says Regulus and the other stars of Leo—along with the other three visible planets—comprise the ‘crown of twelve stars’ that Revelation 12:1 says will be upon the travailing woman’s head…”

All of this is complete and utter nonsense. The ignorance of these foolish and ungodly opinions is mind-boggling. The eclipse and the astronomical alignment have absolutely NO prophetic relevance. In addition, the Bible makes it very clear that the “heavenly signs,” when the sun shall be turned to darkness, will occur AFTER the great tribulation has begun… not before then. The Bible does not teach a rapture. And the book of Revelation does NOT describe in any way an astronomical alignment. Please view our StandingWatch program, “False Endtime Predictions for 2017.”

But also note the next article:

Are Solar Eclipses Proof of God?

Fox News wrote on August 20:

“So this sort of thing doesn’t happen anywhere else in our solar system. But our planet has just one moon that happens to be just the right size and just the right distance from Earth… Anywhere but here on this planet on Monday, the view of these two objects is nothing special… It’s almost as though what we will marvel at was artfully arranged specifically for our benefit…

“… the diameter of the sun… is precisely 864,576 miles. The diameter of the moon [is] listed at 2,159 miles… the distance from Earth to the sun… is generally given as 93 million miles… the distance from Earth to the moon… is given as 239,000 miles [on an average].

“… I divided the sun’s diameter (864,576) by the moon’s (2,159) and got 400.452… dividing the distance from the Earth to the sun (93,000,000) by the distance from the Earth to the moon (239,000)… yielded 389.121… Was the correlation in these ratios mere coincidence?… our planet has just one moon that happens to be just the right size and just the right distance from Earth.

“I found the precision necessary for all of this unbelievable… there was no way this could be a mere coincidence. It seemed almost planned. In fact, it seemed utterly planned, as all things of such precision must be. Three thousand years ago a man in Israel wrote:  ‘The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.’ That man didn’t have a telescope or a Brittanica, but he saw something many of us today still do not see. He saw a God behind it all. It may be true that seeing a Grand Designer behind these breath-taking events requires what we call a leap of faith; but it may also be true that seeing mere coincidence behind them requires an even greater leap of faith…”

These observations are very valid. They prove the existence of God. But the astronomical phenomena in August and September are NO PROPHETIC SIGNS for an impending end-time disaster.

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.

Violence in Virginia

Deutsche Welle reported on August 13:

“At least one person died and 19 others were injured when a car drove into a crowd of counter-protesters at a violence-ridden right-wing rally in Charlottesville in the US State of Virginia on Saturday. Footage showed the car slowing down before accelerating towards the crowd, sending people flying and seemingly crushing one person between two other stationary cars. The silver sedan then reversed away rapidly. Police later arrested a 20-year-old man who was allegedly the driver. He was being charged with multiple offenses including second-degree murder…

“As many as 6,000 protesters, including supporters of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK), descended on the university town of Charlottesville on Saturday to protest the removal of a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee from a public park…

“Hundreds of white nationalists marched Friday night on the Charlottesville campus of the University of Virginia, carrying burning torches – a symbol associated with the KKK and its lynchings in the early to mid 20th century… Rally organizer Jason Kessler described Robert E. Lee as a symbol of white people threatened by immigration and ‘ethnic cleansing.’…”

Terrorism by White Supremacists

The Telegraph wrote on August 13:

“Donald Trump… has been criticised by senior Republicans after condemning the hate and bigotry ‘on many sides’ rather than giving an unequivocal condemnation of the neo-nazis who organised the rally… Some critics of Mr Trump argue that his refusal to pin the blame on white supremacists [is] because he fears he could [lose] some of the voters who swept him into power.

“David Duke, the former Ku Klux Klan leader, said Mr Trump should remember it was white Americans who propelled him to power, not ‘radical leftists’. [He tweeted on August 12: ‘I would recommend you take a good look in the mirror & remember it was White Americans who put you in the presidency, not radical leftists.’]…

“Marco Rubio, the [Republican senator from] Florida… said it was important to hear the president to describe events in Charlottesville as a terror attack by supremacists. Cory Gardner, the Republican senator from Ohio, was equally unequivocal, urging Mr Trump to call evil by its name, describing events in Charlottesville as domestic terrorism. Orrin Hatch, the Republican senator from Utah, said his brother did not die fighting Hitler for Nazi ideas to go unchallenged in the United States. Iowa’s senator, Chuck Grassley, said what white nationalists were doing in Charlottesville was terrorism which should not be tolerated.”

Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump tweeted on Sunday that there was “no place in society for racism, white supremacy and neo-nazis.”

Hatred Against Jews and Blacks

The Times of Israel wrote on August 13:

“Among the 500 white supremacists were men and women bearing signs like… ‘Jews are Satan’s children.’ There were Nazi flags. There were men all in black, T-shirts and slacks and army boots and helmets, jogging along with plastic shields. There were the men who sang of ‘blood and soil’ as they marched to the Emancipation Park event. And when the white supremacists got their act together and gathered in McIntire Park, they shouted ‘Jew’ every time the name of Charlotteville’s Jewish mayor, Michael Signer, was mentioned.

“And of course, the hostility was not confined to Jews: As targets, Jews were not even preeminent; blacks were… Marching along McIntire Road, the white supremacists shouted out the N-word at drivers passing by…”

What About the Fascistic Left?

Breitbart wrote on August 12:

“Originally billed as a protest in favour of free speech — alongside the disdain over the removal of Confederate statues in the city — the ‘alt-right’ rally found itself transformed into a torch-wielding, Nazi-flag waving dereliction of American values… what transpired amounted to a disgusting and unwelcome throwback to segregationist ideas and rhetoric at a time when patriotic conservatism is gaining ground. While many media minutes and deliberations will be afforded to the fascistic right, almost none will be dedicated to the fascistic left…

“… it can be said with demonstrable authority that while Republicans and conservatives are very swift to decry extremists claiming to act in the name of their causes, the left do no such thing. In fact, they continue to fund and support antiFa [anti-Fascist] and radical elements in their ranks…”

The Anti-Fascist Movement

Newsweek added on August 13:

“It’s unclear who or how many people are organizing the AntiFa movement. The secretive U.S. effort has been traced to militant leftist movements in Germany, Italy and Spain before World War II… Anti-Fa protesters have been linked to violent protests against the far-right. During Trump’s inauguration, for example, police arrested more than 200 people after protesters dressed in black smashed local windows, set some cars on fire and attacked law enforcement officials on the streets of Washington, D.C…

“The conservative leaning National Review warned its readers about AntiFa protesters in June… The mainstream media has slowly been chronicling the rise of the AntiFa movement…

“In its upcoming September issue, The Atlantic followed AntiFa protesters in Portland, Oregon rallying against fascism and Nazis… It describes the AntiFa movement as violent…”

Violence is deplorable and must be strongly condemned, regardless of whether it originates with the ultra-right or the ultra-left. Compare Psalm 11:5: “The LORD tests the righteous, But the wicked and the one who loves violence His soul hates.”

Donald Trump Defiant

AFP wrote on August 16:

“US President Donald Trump sparked another political firestorm Tuesday when he doubled down on his initial response to the violent white supremacist rally in Charlottesville that ended in bloodshed, saying there was ‘blame on both sides.’ The Republican president — who one day ago solemnly denounced racism and singled out the Ku Klux Klan and neo-Nazis as ‘criminals and thugs’ — also hit out at what he called the ‘alt-left’ over the weekend melee…

“In a rowdy exchange with journalists at Trump Tower in New York, Trump made clear on Tuesday that he was fed up with continued questioning about the issue. ‘I think there is blame on both sides,’ Trump said… ‘You had a group on one side that was bad, and you had a group on the other side that was also very violent. And nobody wants to say that, but I’ll say it right now,’ Trump continued. ‘What about the alt-left that came charging… with clubs in their hands, swinging clubs?…’

“… Trump’s comments were immediately welcomed by David Duke, a former ‘grand wizard’ of the Ku Klux Klan and a key figure at Saturday’s rally… But on the political left, the president’s words were met with indignation. Trump’s predecessor Barack Obama, the first black US president, said on Twitter: ‘No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin or his background or his religion.’ Obama’s tweet was the most liked in history, according to the site…

“Trump’s fellow Republicans were also quick to distance themselves from his remarks… And the condemnations also spilled beyond the political realm… After the contentious press conference, the head of the main US labor union, the AFL-CIO, joined several high-powered executives in stepping down from Trump’s manufacturing advisory panel…

“Trump called Fields, who has been charged with second-degree murder, a ‘disgrace to himself, his family and this country.’ But he also said that while there were troublemakers at the rally, there were also many people there ‘to innocently protest and very legally protest’ the removal of a ‘very important statue’ of Confederate general Robert E Lee. ‘I wonder, is it George Washington next week? And is it Thomas Jefferson the week after?’ he said angrily, referring to the fact they owned slaves…”

Deutsche Welle added on August 16:

“German Justice Minister Heiko Maas criticized Trump’s latest response to the violence, saying that there’s no way to relativize anti-Semitism and racism… On Monday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel told broadcaster Phoenix that clear action was needed to combat far-right extremism. She noted that Germany had ‘quite a lot to do at home ourselves’ to address a recent rise in anti-Semitism…

“Republican Senator Marco Rubio of Florida addressed Trump in a six-stage tweet, saying he could not allow white supremacists to share only part of the blame…”

Newsmax added on August 15:

“Mitt Romney on Tuesday rejected President Donald Trump’s statement ‘both sides’ were responsible for the violence in Charlottesville, Va… Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., made similar comments on Twitter…”

Fox News added on August 16:

“President Trump’s renewed claim that ‘both sides’ share blame for the deadly violence at last weekend’s Virginia rally organized by white supremacists has stoked new tensions with congressional Republicans. ‘I don’t understand what’s so hard about this,’ Ohio Rep. Steve Stivers, chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, tweeted Tuesday after Trump’s comments. ‘White supremacists and neo-Nazis are evil and shouldn’t be defended.’… Stivers’ comments were noteworthy considering he leads House Republicans’ campaign arm. The internal tensions come as the party is preparing for the 2018 midterm elections…

“The White House, though, is not backing down. A memo of talking points obtained by Fox News stated that Trump’s remarks Tuesday in the lobby of Trump Tower were ‘entirely correct — both sides of the violence in Charlottesville acted inappropriately, and bear some responsibility.’”

There should be no question that in regard to the incident in Charlottesville, President Trump is correct on many points, even though he is not saying things which are politically correct or “expedient” and which are approved by politicians and the mass media around the world. The US media, anxious to find fault with Donald Trump, is focusing on the extreme violent right, without mentioning the extreme violent left. During the encounter in Charlottesville, masked trouble-makers from the far left were seen on video, with clubs in their hands, and the illegal destruction of the statue of Robert E. Lee by violent anti-right protestors was a disgrace. None of that should have a place in the USA, but in a divided country, violent elements from extreme movements have their field day.

The US Justice Department’s Unconstitutional Fishing Expedition?

The Guardian wrote on August 15:

“The US government is seeking to unmask every person who visited an anti-Trump website in what privacy advocates say is an unconstitutional ‘fishing expedition’ for political dissidents. The warrant appears to be an escalation of the Department of Justice’s (DoJ) campaign against anti-Trump activities, including the harsh prosecution of inauguration day protesters.

“On 17 July, the DoJ served a website-hosting company, DreamHost, with a search warrant for every piece of information it possessed that was related to a website that was used to coordinate protests during Donald Trump’s inauguration. The warrant covers the people who own and operate the site, but also seeks to get the IP addresses of 1.3 million people who visited it, as well as the date and time of their visit and information about what browser or operating system they used.

“The website, www.disruptj20.org, was used to coordinate protests and civil disobedience on 20 January, when Trump was inaugurated. ‘This specific case and this specific warrant are pure prosecutorial overreach by a highly politicized department of justice under [Attorney General Jeff] Sessions,’ said Chris Ghazarian, general counsel for DreamHost. ‘You should be concerned that anyone should be targeted simply for visiting a website.’ The warrant was made public Monday, when DreamHost announced its plans to challenge the government in court. The DoJ declined to comment…”

This action of the DoJ under controversial Attorney General Jeff Sessions and the fact that a judge even issued a search warrant are indeed very troubling developments.

Venezuela in the News

Ever since President Trump threatened military actions against Venezuela last week, the world focuses on both North Korea and Venezuela.

Deutsche Welle wrote on August 12:

“Venezuela faces deadly clashes between security forces and a massive protest movement aimed at ousting President Nicolas Maduro. The unpopular Maduro is backed by the military, the Supreme Court, and the newly established Constitutional Assembly, while the opposition wields the two-thirds majority in the largely sidelined parliament. With the death toll mounting in the impoverished country, several minor military groups have also turned against Maduro and urged their fellow soldiers to side with the opposition…

“Maduro, a former bus driver, succeeded the charismatic populist Hugo Chavez as the president of Venezuela in 2013. He previously served as vice president under Chavez, who personally endorsed him as his political heir before dying of cancer…

“Maduro soon faced protests over raising inflation and the rapidly deteriorating economy. He responded by locking away political opponents and accused the US of plotting to overthrow him…

“Venezuela’s inflation continues to climb and the country faces shortages for food, energy, and basic medicine, fueling the anti-government protests. The looting and riots have prompted the Maduro regime to declare a state of emergency. Over 120 people have been killed since the latest anti-government protests erupted in April 2017.

“Throughout the crisis, Maduro repeatedly insisted that he was fighting a US-backed conspiracy against the socialist revolution of his late mentor Chavez. He also accused Washington of driving down the price of oil, prompting the economical downfall in the oil-rich Venezuela…”

The Bible warns us that in the end time, we will hear more and more of wars and rumors of wars (Matthew 24:6).

Who Would Support America in Case of War with North Korea?

Deutsche Welle reported on August 12:

“The world is currently holding its breath… if there were to be a military confrontation [between North Korea and the USA], it would affect the whole international community.

“Article Five of the North Atlantic Treaty states that ‘an armed attack against one or more [member states] in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them all.’ However, this is limited by Article Six, which says that this mutual assistance obligation applies only to attacks ‘on the territory of any of the Parties in Europe or North America’ or ‘on the territory of or on the Islands under the jurisdiction of any of the Parties in the North Atlantic area north of the Tropic of Cancer.’ This elaborately formulated clause excludes the island of Guam, as it is too far south…

“Support… does not inevitably mean that all the allies would send battleships to the South Pacific if Guam were attacked… As far as Germany is concerned [it is being speculated that it] would provide diplomatic help [but it wouldn’t provide military support… [It is not believed that] Britain would leap to America’s aid if Guam really were to be attacked… as the UK does not have as much of a presence in the western Pacific region as it once did…

“Australia has already assured America of its support… Australia is regarded as a reliable partner in military operations: It participated in both the Korean and the Vietnam Wars, and sent relatively high numbers of troops to both. This is also the case with South Korea, which sent the highest number of troops to Vietnam after the United States. However, if the conflict with North Korea were to escalate, the question would not really arise, as South Korea would in any case probably be the country worst affected by North Korean aggression… the Japanese are unlikely to get involved militarily… the United States has sufficient military might to respond to any such military strike without the aid of its European allies…”

We can safely say that Russia or China would not support America either. This means that with the possible exception of Australia and South Korea, the USA would find itself alone.

Deutsche Welle wrote on August 11:

“US President Donald Trump on Friday brushed aside German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s criticism of the increasing tension between the United States and North Korea, saying she did not speak for his country. ‘Let her speak for Germany,’  Trump told reporters in New Jersey when asked about her comments… Merkel had earlier Friday condemned the escalating rhetoric between Pyongyang and Washington, saying that Germany’s government believed the conflict could not be solved by military means…

“European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said she had called EU member states to an extraordinary meeting next week to discuss what action to take regarding North Korea…”

North Korea Backs Off Guam Missile-Attack Threat

The Wall Street Journal wrote on August 14:

“North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has decided not to launch a threatened missile attack on Guam, Pyongyang’s state media reported on Tuesday, but warned that he could change his mind ‘if the Yankees persist in their extremely dangerous reckless actions.’… Mr. Trump warned Pyongyang last week that the U.S. military was ‘locked and loaded’ and could engulf the North in ‘fire and fury,’ while North Korea, through its state media, had threatened to fire four missiles in a bid to surround the U.S. territory of Guam in ‘enveloping fire.’…

“Guam is home to two major U.S. military bases. The island is situated roughly 3,800 miles west of Hawaii and 2,100 miles south-southeast of Pyongyang.”

Uncertainty Continuing…

CNN wrote on August 15:

“[The North Korean] State media KCNA… report… appears [to] put the onus to act on Trump, saying Kim would ‘watch a little more the foolish and stupid conduct of the Yankees.’ The report is assumed to be referring to the US joint military drills with South Korea, known as the Ulchi-Freedom Guardian, which are scheduled to start August 21. The annual 10-day military drills antagonize North Korea, as Pyongyang believes they are preparations for an invasion…

“China’s Global Times newspaper, a state-run tabloid, was scathing of South Korea’s decision to proceed with the drills. ‘The drill will definitely provoke Pyongyang more, and Pyongyang is expected to make a more radical response,’ it said in an editorial…

“South Korea President Moon Jae-in [pointed] out the US would need its approval before launching any attack on North Korea…”

The Washington Post wrote on August 15:

“North Korea denounced the exercise Monday, warning that even an accident in the midst of it could trigger a nuclear conflict. But the war game also has drawn scrutiny this year from Russia and China, which have suggested canceling the operation to alleviate tensions. The United States has rejected that option, saying the exercise is needed to deter North Korean aggression as Washington seeks peaceful means to stop Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons development…”

While all of this is going on, Variety reported on August 14 that “President Donald Trump signed an executive order to give the green light to a potential investigation into unfair Chinese trade practices, including the theft of intellectual property, in a move that may eventually lead to tariffs on some imports. In Beijing, the official state run newspaper, China Daily, said that the move was a ‘rash’ decision. ‘Instead of advancing the United States’ interests, politicizing trade will only acerbate the country’s economic woes, and poison the overall China-U.S. relationship,’ the newspaper said.”

Former German Chancellor Schröder’s Rehabilitation?

The Washington Post wrote on August 12:

“For seven years, Gerhard Schröder was the leader of the most populous democracy in Western Europe. He modernized the country’s social security system, angered George W. Bush by refusing to participate in the invasion of Iraq and was only narrowly ousted in an election defeat to Angela Merkel in 2005. Schröder could have easily spent the rest of his career as an elder statesman, attending summits and writing books. Instead, Schröder — a friend of Vladimir Putin who has defended Moscow’s top man as a ‘flawless democrat’ — opted for a career in the Russian business world.

“Schröder has spent much of the past decade working for the Russian energy industry, serving as a board member of several consortia in which Russian-government-controlled energy company Gazprom is either the majority or sole shareholder. His astonishing career in the Russian energy industry reached new heights this week when the former chancellor was nominated for a position as an independent director on the board of Rosneft, Russia’s largest oil company — and one in which the Kremlin also holds a controlling stake. The nomination… was confirmed by a government decree published late on Friday night…

“At a time when Russian business connections among members of Trump administration have come under growing scrutiny, Schröder’s case stands out as the perhaps most blatant example of a Western politician having conflicts of interests when it comes to Moscow…

“Yet, despite his obvious links to the Russian government which are considered embarrassing by many Germans, Schröder has recently made a comeback among Germany’s Social Democrats, or SPD. The former chancellor was applauded by party members during a rare campaign speech at a party convention in June. ‘What happens in the U.S. needs to be openly and harshly criticized,’ said Schröder in the speech, during which he did not mention alleged Russian election interference, the conflict in Ukraine or Russian human rights abuses… he went on to criticize the United States’ ‘monstrous’ political influence, and he urged Germans to ignore Trump’s demands to spend at least 2 percent of GDP on defense. There was long applause for his remarks, which implied the need to improve relations with Russia…

“Schröder’s rehabilitation also fits in with the traditional patterns of German politics. ‘Germans on the left and the far right have always had a weak spot for Moscow — [perhaps because] the relationship seemed to be on more equal footing than with the U.S. which remains the only superpower,’ said Bierling, the Regensburg international politics professor. ‘If Putin had not invaded Crimea and eastern Ukraine, many Germans would see him as a natural ally in times of transatlantic estrangement.’

“Indeed, the current anti-Putin sentiment in Germany might not last forever. With global confidence in the U.S. in free-fall due to the Trump administration’s policies, Schröder and other pro-Russian voices in Germany are finding it easier again to defend Putin, said Bierling — and so, too, are many Germans finding it easier to forgive and forget when it comes to their former leader.”

The hate/love relationship between Russia and Germany has deep historical roots, reaching all the way back to the Kaisers and the Tsars. Friendly cooperation was replaced with actions of war, and vice versa. In more recent times, World War II followed the Hitler-Stalin Pact of “non-aggression” in 1939; and the Iron Curtain and the Berlin Wall separated both countries for many years. Now, with anti-Americanism growing in Germany, a friendly relationship with Russia might be temporarily restored, but the Bible tells us that ultimately, nuclear war will break out between Russia and Europe under German leadership.

Martin Schulz Turns His Ire to Trump

Newsmax wrote on August 13:

“German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s chief rival, Social Democrat Martin Schulz, slammed U.S. President Donald Trump and said he still stands a chance to win the election despite polls showing him trailing six weeks ahead of the contest. Schulz said he wouldn’t criticize Merkel’s approach to a possible nuclear conflict over North Korea, saying German political parties should stand together.

“Instead, he turned his ire to Trump, saying the U.S. leader was responsible for sowing chaos at home and abroad, referring to a white nationalists’ demonstration in Virginia over the weekend. ‘I certainly won’t exploit a crisis that this completely irresponsible man in the White House has produced, both in the U.S. — take a look at these Nazi demonstrations — as well on the international level,’ Schulz told broadcaster ZDF on Sunday…

“Schulz declined to be drawn out on whether the Social Democrats would agree again to join a Merkel-led government, insisting that he shouldn’t be ruled out as the next chancellor…”

We will see.

Germany’s “Far-Right” AfD Third-Largest Party?

The Local wrote on August 15:

“The Alternative for Germany (AfD) have their nose ahead of the other minor parties in Germany, putting them on course to become the third largest party in the Bundestag after September’s election… [A new poll] found that the far-right AfD are on course to win 10 percent of the vote at the September 24th vote. That would put them in third place behind the Social Democrats (SPD) on 25 percent and Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats (CDU) on 37 percent. The far-right party, who were set up in 2013 and have recently built popularity on their staunch criticism of Merkel’s refugee policies, are only just ahead of the competition, though. The pro-business Free Democrats (FDP) are set to win 9 percent of the vote, as are Die Linke (The Left Party)… The Green party meanwhile lags behind on 7 percent.

“If the AfD were to become the third largest party in the Bundestag it would act as a lightning bolt striking German politics, where conservative votes have been hoovered up by the CDU and their Bavarian sister party the CSU throughout the postwar period. The AfD have caused public outrage on several occasions, with leaders being accused of anti-Semitism, racism and even Nazi sympathies based on comments they have made in public and private.

“But Merkel’s decision to open the country’s borders to refugees from Syria and other war-torn countries proved unpopular with many conservative voters. Meanwhile a string of terrorist attacks and mass sexual assaults in Cologne and other cities during New Year 2015/16 soured the public mood towards asylum seekers, providing the AfD with a string of state election successes in 2016. If the AfD were to win 10 percent of the vote it would complicate coalition building after the election, as all the other parties have ruled out building a coalition with them.

“The two most likely options for a coalition would be a repeat of the current SPD/CDU/CSU alliance, or a so-called Jamaica coalition, which would be made up of the CDU/CSU plus the Greens and the FDP. The creation of a Jamaica coalition would be a historic moment, as it has never been formed on the national level…”

Terrorism in Spain

The Telegraph wrote on August 18:

“Terror returned to the streets of Europe on Thursday when a van ploughed into a crowd of people in Barcelona, killing at least 13 and injuring more than 100 others. Footage of the scene showed dozens of bodies sprawled across the pavement in Las Ramblas, a street popular with tourists. Two men, one Spanish and one Moroccan, were arrested but police said the driver of the van was still at large.

“On the early hours of Friday morning, in the town of Cambrils, 70 miles away, police said they were dealing with a ‘possible terrorist attack’.  Police later said they had killed four terror suspects. One suspect was injured. Police said the suspects were thought to have been plotting a similar attack to Barcelona.

“Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) claimed responsibility for the Barcelona attack as Joaquim Forn, Catalonia’s police chief, warned: ‘Unfortunately the number of fatalities will likely rise.’”

How Britain Capitalized on the Iraq War With Sales of Weapon

The Guardian wrote on August 12:

“The British government saw Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait as an ‘unparalleled opportunity’ to sell arms to Gulf states, according to recently declassified secret documents… the UK won £6bn of arms deals in 2016 – representing 9% of the global market. Half of the total value was to the Middle East. Over 10 years, the report ranks Britain as the second biggest arms dealer in the world behind the US…”

Britain and the US should be ashamed of themselves… as this is true for all countries which capitalize on the sale of weapons to warring nations.

More Talks on a European Army

Express wrote on August 14:

“GERMANY and France will quickly take great strides towards the militarisation of the European Union now that Britain is set to leave the club, Emmanuel Macron’s former defence advisor has predicted. Fancois Heisbourg, who advised the new French president before his election victory, said… he expected ‘surprising’ developments in the drive to establish greater EU military forces after Angela Merkel’s expected victory in the German general election next month.

“France under Mr Macron is pushing for a significant ratcheting up of European defence integration, including the creation of a multi-billion euro EU defence fund and new military headquarters.”

The Coming Europe—One Sovereign State without Borders?

Express wrote on August 16:

“A panel of experts discussing the current political climate in Poland, told a political discussion show that instability in the nation was caused by the EU’s goal to deprive Europe of its independence.

“Krzysztof Karoń, Polish publicist… said: ‘In March this year the European Commission signed its white paper, which was dubbed the Rome Declaration… It is written in the programme that ‘the first goal is to erase borders dividing Europe into sovereign states’ and that ‘every single undertaking must be verified under this first point’…

“His comments were mirrored by Stanisław Michalkiewicz, a lawyer and political commentator, who tore into the EU by accusing it of being a ‘Fourth Reich’… ‘With the use of European institutions it heads towards the dissolution of countries and nations, but even when that happens, someone will have to steer the European Union.’ Mr Michalkiewicz went on to say that he believed, it is Germany’s goal to take over leadership as the EU’s ‘political director’…”

We read in the book of Revelation that ten European powers will give their authority to a coming charismatic political and military leader—the beast, who will be of German or Austrian descent.

Son of Sam Killer Surrendered to Satan

Time wrote on August 12:

“The ‘Son of Sam’ killer who terrorized New York 40 years ago says he thought he was doing something ‘to appease the devil’… [and] that he ‘surrendered to those very dark forces’ when he killed six people and wounded seven. Thursday was the 40th anniversary of Berkowitz’s Aug. 10, 1977 arrest… The 64-year-old Berkowitz is now a born-again Christian…

“Berkowitz [was asked] what he would say to his 23-year-old self. Berkowitz says he would tell himself to ‘turn around before it’s too late because destruction is coming.’”

Many capital crimes are directly influenced by Satan and his demons, even though most people don’t realize this and scoff at this fact.

Pope Francis Warns against Astrology and Fortune Telling

The website of catholic.org wrote on August 14:

“The August 21 solar eclipse will be visible mostly in the United States, but it’s impact is already being noticed around the world. It’s fueling an interest in astrology and fortune telling… People are flocking to astrologers and fortune tellers to find meaning in the event…

“A solar eclipse is the product of the Moon passing in front of the Sun from the perspective of a person on the surface of the Earth. There is no meaning beyond this.

“Yet, astrologers are enjoying renewed interest in their trade. Scientific experiments have proved that there is no connection between what happens in the heavens to what happens in our daily lives. And fortune tellers have repeatedly been exposed as hoaxes, performing cold readings and other tricks to convince customers they are real. [Our remark: Not all fortune tellers are hoaxes. Some are clearly influenced, if not possessed, by demons.]

“The Bible provides a warning against entertaining these deceptive practices. In fact, the Old Testament suggests harsh penalties for people who engage [in] fortune telling… Christians should… shy away from astrology and fortune telling… they are also distractions from what Christians ought to trust, which is Jesus Christ.

“Pope Francis reminded audiences on Sunday when he said, ‘When we do not cling to the Word of the Lord, but consult horoscopes and fortune tellers, we begin to sink.’ Pope Francis connected his comment to the Gospel reading in which Peter began to sink in the water but was saved by Christ. The word of God, Pope Francis said, is ‘like an outstretched rope to cling to in front of the hostile and turbulent waters.’…”

Pope Francis is correct. Astrology, horoscopes and fortune telling are wrong and must be avoided by true Christians.

Tropical Diseases Transported to Europe

The EUObserver wrote on August 9:

“Asian Tiger mosquito and Yellow Fever mosquito species are now present in parts of Europe thanks to warmer temperatures, bringing the risk of tropical diseases with them… Italy saw the first locally acquired case of ‘chikungunya’ in Europe, with over 200 individuals affected. Chikungunya causes fever and severe joint pain that is often debilitating and can vary in duration. There have also been cases of ‘dengue fever’ in France, Madeira, and Croatia. Dengue causes bleeding, low levels of blood platelets and plasma, joint pain, and fever. And the first EU cases of ‘West Nile fever’ were detected in Italy and Romania in 2016…

“It is thought that the invasion of the foreign mosquito species occurred when eggs were contained within bamboo imports to Europe, and in standing water found within imported vehicle tires… European doctors are not familiar enough with the diseases to diagnose them when patients have symptoms. The patient can, due to late or misdiagnosis, become much sicker before the appropriate treatment begins. A further challenge for healthcare systems is that the diseases concerned are transmissible by blood.

“The region of Ravenna, Italy, that saw the Chikungunya outbreak in 2007, suspended blood donations in the affected area to reduce the risk of transmission through blood transfusion… donations of blood by those who have travelled to an endemic region for tropical diseases, like malaria, would be refused for a period of months after their return as a precaution… malaria kills more than half a million victims worldwide every year. Around 40 percent of the world’s population is exposed to this disease, and 250 million cases are reported annually. The growing number of cases in Europe provide important lessons for healthcare systems on how… migration, travel and insect disease factors fit into that picture.”

The Bible speaks of worldwide disease epidemics in the not-too-distant future (Matthew 24:7; Luke 21:11).

“Lucifer” Fueling Wasp and Bee Attacks in Europe

 Motherboard wrote on August 12:

“A lethal heat wave is plaguing parts of Europe, and it’s so intense that meteorologists are calling it ‘Lucifer.’ The heat wave is fuelling wildfires, shutting down tourist attractions, and being blamed for causing heart attacks. But as if that isn’t enough, Romanians also have to worry about Lucifer fueling wasp and bee attacks.

“According to local Romanian news sources, seven people swimming in a river were rushed to the hospital this week after being attacked by what eyewitnesses claim were wasps. Three victims reportedly went into anaphylactic shock, and one of them later died. Local sources claim that dozens of other attacks have taken place over the past couple of weeks, including a severe attack on a 19-year-old…

“Oriental hornets are notorious for attacking humans… Oriental hornets are a seasonal species—meaning the colony dies off in the winter, and the surviving queen bees start new colonies the following spring. So more queen bees making it through the winter means you can expect more colonies…”

Even wild animals will become more and more hostile towards mankind. Note Revelation 6:8, describing the effects of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse as follows: “And power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with the sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth.”

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 Progress in Brexit Talks

The EUObserver wrote on August 7:

“The EU’s budget commissioner has warned that the UK would have to pay into the EU’s coffers until at least 2020, even after it has left the bloc in March 2019. Guenther Oettinger told the German newspaper Bild on Monday (7 August) that Britain is obligated to honour commitments it has made to the EU’s long-term programmes…

“The commissioner’s comments come as the Sunday Telegraph reported that the government in London is ready to pay €40 billion if the EU agrees to negotiate the financial settlement as part of the deal on future relations – including a trade deal… The 40 billion sum was dismissed by Downing Street sources, speaking to the Guardian. Several Conservative MPs questioned the need to pay at all…

“The EU’s chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, told EU ambassadors earlier that the lack of a UK position on the financial settlement is one of the main obstacles to any progress in the Brexit talks… Earlier figures of between €60 billion and €100 billion have circulated in the media.”

The relationship between continental Europe and the UK will deteriorate further and further, and in the end, any “results” of the Brexit negotiations will turn out to be very disadvantageous for the UK.

MPs Call for an Autocratic European Army

Express wrote on August 6:

“Euro MPs have drawn up terrifying plans for a complete EU army, navy and air force which could be deployed by Brussels without consulting member state parliaments. They say Brussels needs ‘autonomous’ military capabilities which would have their own budget, be under the direct command of eurocrats and wear the EU ensign into battle. The document, which has no official weight and is likely to be rejected by member states, will nonetheless unnerve some politicians who fear the bloc is creeping towards ever greater militarisation.

“EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini has repeatedly insisted eurocrats are not creating their own army, but critics say a raft of recent defence reforms are preparing the ground for precisely that. The vision put forward by ALDE, which is dominated by eurofederalists, will almost certainly be deemed wildly unrealistic but even a significantly watered down version would mark a radical shift in the role of the EU.

“Committed europhiles have been pressing for more EU military integration for decades but with Britain – a longstanding opponent to such an approach – leaving the bloc there is a sense some of their ambitions will now come to pass. Linking to the document, Mr Verhofstadt tweeted: ‘The Internal & external threats Europe faces call for a major leap towards full-fledge European Defence Union, NOW!’…”

The Bible prophesies that such a European army WILL in fact be created; and member states will give their FULL authority and power to a charismatic political and military leader.

French President Macron—Jupiter of the Roman Gods

Breitbart and The Associated Press wrote on August 6:

“Less than three months after his election, France’s energetic and image-conscious president has seen his popularity drop… The reversal might not affect the visible international profile he has cut since taking office, but it could hurt Macron’s ability to secure his ambitious domestic agenda…

“The French media have started calling Macron ‘Jupiter,’ a reference to the mythological king of the Roman gods and what is perceived as the president’s superior attitude… Macron’s image also has taken a hit during his standoff with the French military chief over budget cuts. Gen. Pierre De Villiers resigned and was quickly replaced, but some saw last month’s public dispute as evidence of the president’s authoritarian tendencies…”

Even though his declining popularity in France (so is President Trump’s popularity rapidly declining in the USA), the reference to Macron as Jupiter, king of the Roman gods, is quite revealing.

Germany’s Schulz Against America’s Trump

On August 3, Der Spiegel Online conducted an interview with Martin Schulz, the former president of the European Parliament who wants to unseat Angela Merkel as chancellor in September. We are bringing you the following excerpts:

“DER SPIEGEL: Before the U.S. election, you told us that as president of the United States, Donald Trump would be ‘not only a problem for the EU, but also for the entire world’…

“Schulz: It has actually been far worse… the merciless nepotism with which he conducts politics, in which he places himself and his family above the law, I wouldn’t have considered that possible… When it comes to a U.S. president, I consider the reduction of politics to a tweet to be truly dangerous. Trump is a risk to his country and the entire world.

“DER SPIEGEL: How would you deal with Trump if you became chancellor?

“Schulz: Fifteen years ago to the day, Gerhard Schröder showed how it is done by giving an unequivocal ‘no’ to a U.S. president on his war of aggression against Iraq that violated international law. At the end of the day, men like Donald Trump need to be given that which they themselves dispense: clear messages. I would confront him as clearly and explicitly as possible. It is not only the right, but also the duty, of the leader of a German government to do that…”

Schulz, who has been referred to in the press as the “German Trump,” would clearly be much more aggressive towards Trump than Merkel. It will be interesting to see what will transpire in September. While Schulz is an advocate for a strong united Europe and a powerful united European defense force, he is against spending much more money on the German army.  

The Local reported on August 9:

“Six weeks before Germany’s national election in which Merkel will seek a fourth term, her main rival Martin Schulz is lagging behind in the polls. In the most recent survey at the end of July…, Schulz sank to his lowest level of support since being nominated as the Social Democrats’ (SPD) chancellor candidate. Just 21 percent of respondents said that hypothetically speaking, they would choose Schulz if they were able to vote directly for him. This was compared to 52 percent who said the same for Merkel.”

Merkel’s Fight with Russia’s Hackers and Fake Media

Time wrote on August 8:

“With German elections scheduled for Sept. 24, the Chancellor knows that her bid for a fourth term in office may be subject to the same dirty tricks employed in the U.S. presidential race. As Europe’s most powerful leader and its most determined critic of the Kremlin, Merkel has long been a target of Russian influence campaigns. Troves of emails were stolen from her political allies in 2015 by the same Russian hackers who later targeted the U.S. presidential race…

“Her concern is not just the Russian media outlets that spread disinformation… It is also the automated algorithms, known as bots, that help false reports go viral much faster than politicians or fact-checkers can debunk them…

“Russia and Germany have emerged as the most determined players in the scramble to adapt to this terrain and, where possible, to reshape it. The German vote will be an early test: either the campaign will unfold in the same atmosphere of hacks, leaks and disinformation that marred the U.S. elections last fall, or they will progress in typically German fashion, orderly and somewhat boring, under the rules that Merkel’s government is trying to rewrite on the fly…

“In an analysis of Russia’s influence operation in Germany published in June, the Digital Forensics Lab of the Atlantic Council, a non-partisan think tank based in Washington, found News Front to be one of the Kremlin’s three main propaganda outlets in Germany, alongside Sputnik and RT. Taken together, these three operations have a sizeable audience in Germany, with nearly half a million followers on Facebook, enough to rival some of the country’s leading publications…”

The Germans will not take kindly any Russian interference in their parliamentary election. On the other hand, the gullible belief by some, if not many Germans in Russian propaganda is shocking.

Turkey Threatens Germany

Express wrote on August 5:

“Warmongering rhetoric is being spewed by Turkey towards Europe after a newspaper close to the Turkish regime declared the country could overrun Germany in three days… the move is the latest in a political spat between Ankara and Berlin… The paper said: ‘Germany is abandoned by its citizens. If we start in the morning, we can have our evening prayer in [Germany’s] Bellevue Castle.’…

“In April [Mr Erdogan]… called the EU ‘a continent that is rotting in every which way’. And he also made reference to going to war with the EU, saying in another interview: ‘If you continue to behave like this, not a single European will be able to securely take a step on a road anywhere in the world by tomorrow.’…

“Recently Berlin issued new travel warnings for tourists visiting the country, and foreign minister Sigmar Gabriel said he could no longer guarantee investment in Turkey…”

At a very minimum, these developments will increase the negative attitudes of many Germans towards foreigners and especially Turks.

ISIS Trains Terrorists in Syria and Elsewhere to Attack European Cities

The Sun wrote on August 7:

“A secret unit behind the Paris and Brussels atrocities is training ISIS jihadis to launch murderous attacks in Britain, a member of the terror group has claimed. The ISIS fighter said European fanatics are put through a gruelling seven-month training camp before being smuggled out of Syria on a deadly mission to bring carnage to the West. Would-be suicide bombers are coached in bomb making, put through harsh physical endurance tests and drilled in fanatical ideology as they prepare to blow themselves up…

“British and European jihadis who cannot travel to Syria are given online instruction by the ISIS ‘external operations unit’ in how to carry out mass casualty atrocities, he said. One such attack by a ‘sleeper cell’ in Britain is said to have been foiled before the terrorists could put their plan into action. The captured jihadi’s account appears to tally with US and British intelligence reports that an ISIS external operations unit was behind the linked Paris and Brussels attacks that killed more than 160 people…

“He claimed the unit was still operational and using a smuggling route via Turkey as recently as February, despite huge losses of territory to Kurdish and Syrian government forces… He estimated 50 fanatics from countries including Germany, France, Belgium and Britain had completed the special training program. He said: ‘They will make more suicide attacks in Europe… They also want to carry out attacks in Lebanon.’

“Last week… a sinister list of 173 fanatics poised to strike in Europe had been found in a former ISIS stronghold in Mosul, Iraq.”

The threat from ISIS and other terrorist groups is real, and Europe will be forced to respond militarily.

Iran and North Korea

The Jewish Press wrote on August 7:

“In a resolution drafted by the United States after negotiations with China, the United Nations Security Council on Saturday unanimously approved new sanctions on North Korea. The sanctions include a ban on exports worth more than $1 billion [The resolution bans North Korea from exporting coal, seafood, lead, lead ore, iron, and iron ore and prohibits countries from starting new joint ventures with North Korea, according to The Week.] … But six rounds of sanctions already imposed by the UNSC have done nothing to halt the DPRK’s drive to improve its nuclear and missile capabilities.

“Moreover, the Jerusalem-based Begin-Sadat Center (BESA) pointed out… that economic sanctions against North Korea will not be enough to convince Pyongyang to give up its nuclear and missile capabilities. Korean and Asian affairs expert Dr. Alon Levkowitz wrote that state leaders who suggest sanctions against North Korea will convince Pyongyang to give up its nuclear and missile program are ‘succumbing either to wishful thinking or false assumptions about North Korea.’

“Among others, China has been one of the major actors to selectively impose sanctions against Pyongyang, he contended, adding that some sanctions can be bypassed, particularly those dealing with the nuclear and missile industry. In many cases, Iranian companies were able to do the same, Levkowitz noted, simply by ‘changing their names or working with new middlemen. North Korea uses the same tactics with the help of Chinese middlemen whom it pays for the service.’

“The bottom line, he wrote, is that sanctions are not effective. And soon North Korea will have the capability to launch a nuclear missile. ‘It will become more difficult to constrain it through sanctions, particularly as long as China and Russia fail to implement them…’

“Iran’s newly inaugurated President Hassan Rouhani… welcomed North Korean officials to Tehran on Wednesday in time for… the opening of the new North Korean embassy. The newly-built DPRK embassy was ‘built to boost exchanges, contacts and cooperation between the two countries for world peace and security and international justice,’ according to the KCNA (Korean Central News Agency)… Iranian vice-minister Ebrahim Rahimpour said in his speech, ‘The Iranian people, who remember the DPRK’s sincere help and solidarity to Iran when it was in hard times, will fully support the struggle of the Korean people at all times.’…

“‘There could be very problematic cooperation going on because of the past history and because it makes strategic sense, especial for Iran now,’ Emily Landau told CNBC this weekend. Landau is a senior research fellow at the Israel Institute for National Security Studies think tank affiliated with Tel Aviv University… ‘For North Korea… [it’s] all about who can pay in hard cash. That’s what makes North Korea a very dangerous source of nuclear technology, components and know-how.’”

Reuters reported on August 7:

“North Korea denounced the United Nations’ latest sanctions [and] reiterated Pyongyang’s previous stance that it will never place its nuclear program on the negotiating table as long as the United States maintains a hostile policy against the North…”

North Korea, in collaboration with Iran, and the clandestine support of China and Russia, remains a threat to the West and especially the USA. Short of military actions, the USA does not seem to have any viable options, but a war with North Korea might prove devastating for the region and may set in motion a cataclysm of terrible repercussions. But military action and a preemptive strike are apparently measures which the USA might be contemplating. Note the next article.

Trump’s Apocalyptic Warning to North Korea

AFP wrote on August 8:

“US President Donald Trump issued an apocalyptic warning to North Korea on Tuesday, saying it faces ‘fire and fury’ over its missile program, hours after US media reported Pyongyang has successfully miniaturized a nuclear warhead.”

The Wall Street Journal elaborated on August 8:

“President Donald Trump on Tuesday demanded North Korea not ‘make any more threats’ to the U.S., saying the U.S. would respond ‘with fire and fury like the world has never seen.’… Mr. Trump’s remarks came in response to provocative statements from Pyongyang in recent days, including a threat to use nuclear weapons against the U.S. if militarily provoked, and a vow never to negotiate on its nuclear and missile weapons programs… If the U.S. attacks North Korea, the country ‘is ready to teach the U.S. a severe lesson with its nuclear strategic force,’ the country said in a statement… Other countries weren’t being threatened unless they joined the U.S. in a military attack, it said.”

Breitbart added on August 8:

“A grim milestone appears to be passing, as both U.S. and Japanese intelligence analysts believe North Korea has developed the technology to miniaturize nuclear warheads and fit them inside long-range [intercontinental ballistic] missiles, years ahead of schedule.

“Japan’s annual defense review, released on Tuesday morning, described the threat from North Korea’s nuclear missile program as ‘acute.’… The Washington Post reported on Tuesday afternoon that U.S. analysts at the Defense Intelligence Agency reached similar conclusions about North Korea’s capabilities… The DIA report also raised the official estimate of North Korea’s nuclear inventory considerably, from the handful of bombs hypothesized by most earlier analyses to almost 60 nuclear devices…

“A new poll from the Chicago Council on Global Affairs released on Monday found 90 percent of Americans ‘reject the idea that North Korea should be allowed to produce nuclear weapons,’ 75 percent see the North Korean nuclear program as a ‘critical threat facing the United States,’ and 62 percent would support using American troops to defend South Korea from a North Korean attack.”

These percentages are frightening.

The Sun added on August 9:

“Donald Trump has said that the US nuclear arsenal is ‘more powerful than ever before’ in a fresh warning to North Korea after… Kim Jong-un threatened to unleash ‘enveloping fire’ around its Guam airbase.

“Trump today tweeted: ‘My first order as President was to renovate and modernize our nuclear arsenal. It is now far stronger and more powerful than ever before. Hopefully we will never have to use this power, but there will never be a time that we are not the most powerful nation in the world!’…”

However, the Bible says that time will come soon when the USA is no longer the most powerful nation on earth—and the “pride of your power” will be broken!

Trump’s Sole Power to Order a Nuclear Strike

The Week wrote on August 9:

“President Trump is headed toward a conflict with North Korea that he likely doesn’t understand… Trump drew a red line. North Korea crossed it hours later when it said in a statement that it would effectively burn the U.S. territory of Guam to the ground… Now Trump surrogates and allies on television are spinning military action as inevitable…

“It seems what Trump loves most about the military… is the fact that they’ve taken the pressure off of him when it comes to actual decision making. But there is one decision they can’t take away: whether or not to go to war. And though that power technically lies with Congress, it’s been so eroded over the decades that Trump wouldn’t be stopped from personally directing the military to attack North Korea. And, of course, the president alone has the power to order a nuclear strike.

“Given what we know about how the president governs and receives information he is given by aides, the possibility for an uninformed and rash act of war with North Korea is high, higher perhaps than with almost any other president in history…”

Fear of Nuclear War in Light of 72^nd Anniversary of Nagasaki

Fox News wrote on August 9:

“President Trump’s warning of coming ‘fire and fury’ was meant to send ‘a strong message’ to North Korean despot Kim Jong Un, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on Wednesday… Tillerson’s comments come as Japan is marking the 72nd anniversary of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki amid threats of a new bombing in the region resulting from the growing tension between the U.S. and North Korea.

“Nagasaki Mayor Tomihisa Taue said the fear of another bomb attack is not in the distant future and urged nuclear states to abandon their weapons. He criticized Japan’s national government, being under the U.S. nuclear umbrella, for not contributing to the U.N. nuclear arms ban treaty…

“The U.S. launched the world’s first atomic attack with a bomb dropped Aug. 6, 1945, that killed 140,000 people in Hiroshima. The bombing of Nagasaki three days later killed 70,000 more…”

Frightening Perversion of Biblical Teaching

The Huffington Post wrote on August 8:

“A right-wing pastor who serves on Donald Trump’s evangelical advisory board claims God has given the president ‘full power’ to launch an attack on North Korea. Robert Jeffress, head of the First Baptist Dallas megachurch, told CBN on Tuesday that a biblical passage in Romans allows rulers to use ‘whatever means necessary ― including war ― to stop evil.’…

“While the New Testament is full of pacifist teachings, Jeffress told The Washington Post that those instructions are aimed at Christians. The government, he said, has another set of rules laid out in Romans 13… Jeffress told the Post ‘that gives the government the authority to do whatever, whether it’s assassination, capital punishment or evil punishment, to quell the actions of evildoers like Kim Jong Un.’…”

This perspective is appalling, but not surprising, given the fact that orthodox Christianity has perverted true biblical teaching in many respects. For more information, please read our free booklet, “Should YOU Fight in War?” Please also view our StandingWatch program, “Obeying Trump to Launch Nuclear Strike?”

China’s Betrayal

Reuters reported on August 10:

“If North Korea launches an attack that threatens the United States then China should stay neutral, but if the United States attacks first and tries to overthrow North Korea’s government China will stop them, a Chinese state-run newspaper said on Friday.”

Pacific Daily News added on August 10:

“If North Korea fires missiles toward Guam, they would take about 14 minutes to reach the island, said Guam Homeland Security spokeswoman Jenna Gaminde.”

Israel and Jordan

Deutsche Welle wrote on August 7:

“King Abdullah II has flown to the West Bank to meet with Palestinian President Abbas for the first time in five years…

“Abdullah’s visit comes amid rising Jordanian-Israeli tensions and is seen as a message to Tel Aviv that the Jordanian monarch is aligning with Palestinians on key issues – particularly concerning a contested Jerusalem holy site. A crisis erupted last month at the Al Aqsa mosque compound when Israel installed metal detectors at Muslim entrances following the killing of two Israeli policemen…

“Jordan has been the custodian of Jerusalem’s… holy sites since the 1920s… “

The Times of Israel wrote on August 7:

“Abdullah did not meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the trip, which was seen as the latest in a series of diplomatic measures meant to underline Amman’s unhappiness with Israel…

“Recent weeks… have seen Palestinian officials openly criticizing the White House for its handling of the Temple Mount tensions, and its inability to curb Israeli settlement construction and back the long-accepted two-state solution to the conflict…

“Palestinian Authority Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki told journalists after the two-hour meeting between Abdullah and Abbas that ‘… [it] was agreed to form a joint crisis team, which will continue to assess the past phase and its lessons, and to assess any challenges we may face at the Al-Aqsa Mosque’…”

The challenges or conflicts at the Temple Mount will continue.

Israel after Netanyahu?

The New York Times wrote on August 8:

“For the past eight years, Mr. Netanyahu has dominated the Israeli political scene and become nearly synonymous with the state on the world stage. Long called ‘the magician’ for his survival skills, he has quashed rivals from right and left despite never enjoying particular popularity in the street. Yet Mr. Netanyahu, the longest-serving prime minister since Israel’s first, David Ben-Gurion, suddenly appears not so invincible after all…

“Mr. Netanyahu has fought off swirling scandals for much of his public life, but experts say that Friday’s signing of a state’s witness agreement by Ari Harow, who served as Mr. Netanyahu’s chief of staff and directed his 2015 re-election campaign, could be a game changer. Mr. Harow was offered a light sentence in an unrelated matter in return for information about Mr. Netanyahu in what the police have called Case 1000 and Case 2000.

“In Case 1000, investigators are looking at whether Mr. Netanyahu offered favors in return for gifts of expensive cigars, pink Champagne and other goods from wealthy friends… Case 2000 involves back-room dealings with a local newspaper magnate… Mr. Netanyahu has vehemently denied any wrongdoing…

“There is, as yet, no clear contender to replace Mr. Netanyahu, who is serving his third consecutive term and fourth overall. An Israel without Mr. Netanyahu at the helm would, in any case, be an unfamiliar place for its inhabitants, the Middle East and the world… A departure would leave Israel, its allies and its enemies in uncharted terrain…”

JTA wrote on August 9 about further investigations against Mr. Netanyahu’s family and close associates:

“Here’s some info on Cases 3000 and 4000, targeting Netanyahu’s associates, plus another scandal involving his wife and another his son… ‘Case 3000’ involves alleged corruption in the sale of German submarines to Israel. Police have accused businessman Michael Ganor of bribing government officials to become the negotiating agent for ThyssenKrupp, the German company that built the subs. In addition, Netanyahu’s personal lawyer, David Shimron, was simultaneously acting as Ganor’s representative during the negotiations over the sale.

“In ‘Case 4000,’ the director-general of Israel’s Communications Ministry, Shlomo Filber, is accused of illicitly allowing Bezeq, the national telephone company, to buy shares of YES, a satellite cable provider. Filber was appointed by Netanyahu, who also serves as communications minister.

“Meanwhile, Sara Netanyahu is likely to be indicted for misusing public funds at the couple’s official residences. The Israeli first lady is accused of using government money to pay for private chefs at family events, a caregiver for her father and weekend electrical work at the couple’s home in the tony coastal town of Caesarea…

“Finally Molad, a left-wing Israeli think tank, has sued Yair Netanyahu for libel. Yair, the eldest son of the Netanyahus at 26, wrote a Facebook post last week calling the group a ‘radical, anti-Zionist organization funded by the Fund for Israel’s Destruction’…

“So what does this all mean for the prime minister…? It depends on two factors: Whether he is indicted, and whether that creates enough pressure to force him to resign… A poll by Israel’s Channel 10 found that 66 percent of Israelis believe Netanyahu should resign if indicted. There is intrigue within Netanyahu’s Likud party as well…

“Nine years ago, facing multiple corruption scandals, centrist Prime Minister Ehud Olmert resigned even before police recommended an indictment. But stepping down didn’t help him, as Olmert was sentenced to prison in 2015 and served 16 months before going free in July. Nor did resigning help Olmert’s Kadima party. His successor, Tzipi Livni, lost the subsequent election in 2009 — to Benjamin Netanyahu.”

Whether or not Mr. Netanyahu will be removed from office or resign is an interesting question—even with the somewhat and so far weak charges against him. He is a staunch advocate for his nation, and his knowledge of history relative to the Jewish people places him in a role that just may be for establishing the third Temple… even though he has so far publically denied any ambition to change the status quo regarding the Temple Mount. But this could change very quickly.

Global Stock Market Crash Coming?

Express wrote on August 7:

“Barry James said the global market was ‘upside down’ and in the ‘latter stages’ of an economic meltdown. In a flashing red warning, share valuations have soared to their second-highest ever level, suggesting that many stock investments are over-bought and could be in bubble territory. The only other time indicators were at this level was before the dot com crash at the turn of the millennium.

“Mr James, president of the James Advantage Fund, said although there were currently good signs, there were vital concerns for the future… Stock markets in both the United States and Britain have continually topped their highest ever levels in recent months. But experts are now worried that history is about to repeat itself.

“If companies are in good health and profits are growing, soaring share prices may be justified. But one method of assessing share values… suggests that stocks are very expensive. Another measure of stock health also suggests the picture may not be as rosy as soaring indices suggest. Dividend cover for UK’s largest listed companies, a measure of how sustainable share payouts are, is at its lowest level since 2009…”

The worldwide economy, and especially the economy in the USA and the UK, is very fragile. A complete global crash in the not-too-distant future is not impossible.

The Death of Glen Campbell and the Demon of Alcoholism and Cocaine

Bloomberg and Newsmax wrote on August 8:

“[Famous American country and pop singer Glen Campbell (81)] died Tuesday… No cause was given. Campbell and his wife [Kimberly] disclosed in June 2011 that he had Alzheimer’s disease…

“His failed marriages, plus a turbulent romance with Tanya Tucker, offered hints at a troubled private life that included abuse of alcohol and what he called ‘my personal demon,’ cocaine. He said in his autobiography that the ‘self-imposed mental and spiritual bondage’ of his life was in stark contrast to ‘my public image of the clean-cut, all-American boy next door.’ He kicked his destructive habits in the late 1980s, crediting his evangelical Christian faith and the support of his fourth wife, the former Kimberly Woollen.

“A 2003 drunk-driving arrest in Phoenix produced a widely published, unflattering mug shot and a painful reminder for Campbell of the price of addiction. He spent a few days in the Maricopa County Jail and a month in rehabilitation at the Betty Ford Center in Rancho Mirage, California…

“Campbell had five children from his first three marriages, all of which ended in divorce… His fourth marriage to Kimberly…  produced three children, all musicians who accompanied their father on his farewell tour…”

Alcoholism and drug addiction can destroy a person. Please view our two sermons on the topic, titled “Alcoholism in the Bible” and “What Does the Bible Say about Smoking”?

“Lucifer”—Uncommon Heat Wave in Europe

The New York Times wrote on August 6:

“The long hot spell gripping parts of Europe this past week is uncommon. People looking for relief from the heat in countries like France, Spain and Italy grappled for just the right name for the phenomenon — and settled on ‘Lucifer.’ The waves of heat sent temperatures soaring to record highs for several days, caused at least two deaths, kindled wildfires and drove tempers through the roof…

“High temperatures this summer have brought punishing heat to regions in the United States like the Pacific Northwest — where generations had shunned air-conditioning — reaching as high as 104 in Seattle and 107 in Portland, Ore. In parts of Asia, like Pakistan, a blast of scorching weather this year also had people there reaching for comparisons to hell on earth…

“Sun-kissed Italy has become sun-cursed. With temperatures in recent days regularly rising north of 100 degrees, a nationwide drought leaving rivers and mouths dry and countryside kindling and arsonists combining to ignite the landscape, Italians are, well, boiling. Farmers are lamenting more than $1 billion in revenue lost to drought and singed fields… About half of Spain was placed under an emergency alert over the weekend because of the heat wave, as forecasts predicted temperatures of up to 111 degrees Fahrenheit (44 degrees Celsius). In the southern city of Córdoba, the temperature reached almost 113 degrees on Friday afternoon…

“The French Riviera was not spared either, especially inland. In Puget-Théniers, a village about 25 miles northwest of Nice in the Alpes-Maritimes Department, the national weather forecaster registered a record high of 104 degrees Fahrenheit on Tuesday… Temperatures were forecast to reach 108 degrees in parts of mainland Greece over the weekend… Scorching temperatures also caused dramatic weather breakdowns, including strong storms that brought a whirlwind, as well as hail the size of tennis balls, injuring dozens of people across the country [of Poland]…

“Of course, there were some parts of Europe… that have escaped the blistering heat. ‘There is no heat in Germany. It is a cool 68F in Berlin, and even chillier in Munich. Parts of Austria are being flooded, so there is no heat in the German-speaking world’… ‘No sweltering in Moscow. Been the coldest summer for years. Today was considered “hot,” but temp only rose to low 70s. Much the same in Baltics…’”

In general, the Bible predicts unprecedented rising temperatures and excruciating heat waves. The terms “Lucifer” and “hell on earth” might give us a clue as to why these conditions will occur.

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.

Terror Attack in Hamburg, Germany

Deutsche Welle wrote on July 29:

“Police have searched a refugee shelter where a man who stabbed Hamburg shoppers, killing one of them, had stayed. Authorities said the suspect, from the United Arab Emirates, is mentally unstable and a known Islamist. City-state Interior Minister Any Grote on Saturday thanked bystanders who caught the fleeing knife assailant near the supermarket in Hamburg’s Barmbek district in scant minutes before police arrived. The attacker, a rejected asylum seeker, who earlier on Friday had inquired at a city office for foreigners on whether expulsion papers had arrived, had become radicalized… The suspect had no criminal record in Germany, with the exception of an alleged shoplifting incident in April that was dropped as a ‘slight’ matter… the assailant had first purchased bread at a branch of the German supermarket chain Edeka. He briefly boarded a bus, but got off, and returned to the supermarket’s entrance, according to Henning.

“He ripped the brand new knife, with a 20 centimeter (8 inch) blade, from its wrapping and ‘brutally’ attacked two men, including a 50-year-old man who died… Among those injured was a 19-year-old and two persons on bicycles, she added. A 50-year-old woman and four men aged between 19 and 64 were also all injured, as well as a 35-year-old man who chased and overpowered the suspect. The attacker, who was arrested by police, was said to have shouted ‘Allahu Akbar’ (God is the Greatest) during the rampage… Hamburg Mayor Olaf Scholz said the attack had been motivated by ‘hate.’ It appeared that the suspect was facing deportation but this had not proceeded because necessary papers were lacking, Scholz said… Scholz added that the case showed ‘all the more urgently that these legal and practical barriers to deportation must be removed.’

“… The website of the Spiegel news magazine said the individual was named Ahmad A., who had arrived in Germany seeking asylum and had contact with the Islamist scene, as well as a history of drug use and mental health problems. Germany has been on high alert over the possibility of another Islamist attack since Anis Amri drove a truck into a crowd at a Berlin Christmas market in December last year, killing 12 people and injuring 48 others. Like the alleged Hamburg attacker, Amri was a failed asylum seeker who could not be deported for lack of documents. The similarity between the cases risks reopening wounds over Chancellor Angela Merkel’s decision to allow more than a million migrants into Germany since 2015.”

Violence in Constance, Germany

Regarding a separate incident in Germany, Deutsche Welle reported on July 30:

“A discotheque shooting in Constance in southwestern Germany has left two people dead, including a patron, say police. The attacker died after a subsequent shootout. Police have ruled out terrorism.  A terrorist motive was ruled out by a police spokesman, who said the incident appeared to have been a crime of passion by a sole perpetrator.

“Three other persons inside the venue had been injured as well as a police officer hurt during the later shootout. [The police] declined to confirm multiple reports that the dead suspect was an Iraqi who had long lived in Constance and was not an asylum seeker.”

The fact that attacks in Germany by foreigners hit the news could have some influence on the parliamentary elections in September; especially if Angela Merkel does not take a strong stance regarding the migrant crisis.

Incredible Neglect and Incompetency

The website of kgw.com in Portland, Oregon, reported on July 29:

“A man accused of breaking into a 65-year-old woman’s home, sexually assaulting her and stealing her car was arrested after allegedly assaulting another woman and running from police… According to court documents filed in March 2017, Martinez has a history of illegal entry into the United States. He has been a transient in the Portland area for more than a year and has been deported 20 times. Martinez has at least five probation violations for re-entering the United States. His most recent removal was in November 2016, according to the March court documents.

“Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) lodged an immigration detainer against Martinez, asking authorities to notify them before releasing Martinez to allow ICE to take him into custody. The Department of Homeland Security said… the authorities did not notify ICE…

“Prior to the July 24 arrest, Martinez’s criminal record shows a felony conviction for burglary and three misdemeanor convictions for battery, theft, and obstructing a public officer… The new charges Martinez is facing include first-degree kidnapping, first-degree robbery (two counts), second-degree assault, first-degree sex abuse, first-degree sodomy and first-degree burglary. Martinez threatened to kill the woman while he sexually assaulted her, according to the probable cause affidavit. Before he left, he punched her in the head several times and slammed her head onto a wood floor… Police said the suspect, Martinez, was armed with a knife and he assaulted the woman.”

This whole immigration system is indeed broken. THESE are the individuals the ICE should be most concerned about.

Trump’s Distorted View of Loyalty

Deutsche Welle wrote on July 29:

“One week after the resignation of Donald Trump’s spokesman Sean Spicer and the appointment of Anthony Scaramucci as the president’s chief communicator, White House chief of staff Reince Priebus is also out the door… Two other embattled officials, Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Chief Strategist Steve Bannon have survived the week, but it is unclear for how long. Both Sessions… and Bannon… are portrayed as not loyal enough to the president by Trump himself and by the new key player in the White House, Scaramucci.

“…To appoint [John] Kelly, the former Homeland Security secretary, as his chief of staff, is a huge gamble… The president’s much bigger gamble, however, is severing the already frayed ties with the Republican Party. Spicer and Priebus, both creatures of the GOP, played a key role in trying to align Trump’s agenda with Congressional Republicans. That this did not work well was evident…

“Firing Sessions or special counsel Robert Mueller – a move that has reportedly been considered by Trump and that would effectively end the Russia probe that has been vexing him – could be one step too far even for this president… Trump’s distorted view of loyalty essentially means fealty and can come only from family and people who are close to him personally…”

Subsequently, President Trump fired Anthony Scaramucci after only ten days in office. The White House is in turmoil, as the next article shows as well.

“Anthony Scaramucci Not the Problem—Trump Is”

Deutsche Welle wrote on July 31:

“Even for the Trump administration the reign of chaos that has engulfed the White House in the past few days is unprecedented… the removal of President Trump’s press secretary Sean Spicer, his chief of staff Reince Priebus and his newly minted communications director within days of each other is in reality too serious to poke fun at…

“The incessant intrigue that has been the one constant in Trump’s White House has left it completely rudderless and chaotic in a time of numerous domestic and international challenges…  And while the political and professional inexperience of many key Trump aides certainly has helped to create it, it is not the main reason for the inability of this White House to get the Trump presidency on track. The main reason, make no mistake, why this White House has been largely dysfunctional until now, is the president himself. That’s because President Trump not only handpicked most of the staff himself, often against the advice of experienced observers, but also that he appears to think that a cut-throat culture that mercilessly pits individuals and factions inside the White House against each other, will produce a good outcome. It doesn’t…

“Coupled with Trump’s penchant to stir up trouble via Twitter and his – let’s call it...unusual – way of looking at current events – it amounts to making the White House and by extension his administration ungovernable… The latest case in point came this morning when Trump ended a tweet pronouncing ‘No chaos in the White House’ only hours before Scaramucci’s exit…”

President Trump would be well advised to read our Current Events sections for a better understanding as to what is really happening in the USA and around the world.

Bible Studies in the White House

Israel National News reported on August 2:

“… senior cabinet members are holding weekly sessions dedicated solely to Bible (both Old and New Testament) study. Ralph Drollinger, a retired NBA player, who has taught weekly Bible lessons in the Senate and the House of Representatives and initiated religious studies in the US House of Representatives of about 40 American states, recently began a weekly class of about 12 members of the Cabinet.

“The lessons include Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, and Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price, and is chaired by Vice President Mike Pence. The meetings are headed by Vice President Mike Pence, whose passion for Bible study is well known…”

“US President Donald Trump is not known to be particularity devout, having once called the Bible only his second favorite book, after the bestseller which he penned, ‘The Art of the Deal.’ He did win large amounts of evangelical support however, carrying 80% of the vote, the most since George W. Bush took 78% in 2004.”

The big question is: Will their Bible studies conducted by a retired NBA player influence and help them to make right and godly decisions?

Trump’s Disasterous Threats re Health Care

Newsmax wrote on July 29:

“President Donald Trump threatened on Saturday to end government payments to health insurers if Congress does not pass a new healthcare bill… ‘If a new HealthCare Bill is not approved quickly, BAILOUTS for Insurance Companies and BAILOUTS for Members of Congress will end very soon!’ The tweet came a day after Senate Republicans failed to muster enough votes to repeal parts of the Affordable Care Act, President Barack Obama’s signature healthcare bill commonly known as Obamacare.

“The first part of Trump’s tweet appeared to be referring to the approximately $8 billion in cost-sharing reduction subsidies the federal government pays to insurers to lower the price of health coverage for low-income Americans…

“Many insurers have been waiting for an answer from Trump or lawmakers on whether they will continue to fund the annual government subsidies. Without assurances, many insurers plan to raise rates an additional 20 percent by an Aug. 16 deadline for premium prices.

“With Republican efforts to dismantle Obamacare in disarray, hundreds of U.S. counties are at risk of losing access to private health coverage in 2018 as insurers consider pulling out of those markets…

“Regardless of the stance of congressional lawmakers, the healthcare law has frayed edges as some Americans are forced to pay exorbitant rates in order to have health insurance, while the burden of funding has not diminished to subsidize those who qualify. Some are left without a choice or only one choice at all and CNBC predicts health insurers will likely pull out completely from 49 counties in the nation in 2018…”

The disastrous Obamacare, coupled with the incompetence of the Trump Administration and the bickering and disunited House and Senate will lead to the suffering of millions of Americans. Far from making America great again, America is facing an abyss of disastrous proportions.

Mueller Impanels Grand Jury in Russia Probe

The Wall Street Journal reported on August 3:

“Special Counsel Robert Mueller has impaneled a grand jury in Washington to investigate Russia’s interference in the 2016 elections…

“Grand juries are powerful investigative tools that allow prosecutors to subpoena documents, put witnesses under oath and seek indictments, if there is evidence of a crime…

Thomas Zeno, a federal prosecutor for 29 years before becoming a lawyer at the Squire Patton Boggs law firm, said the grand jury is ‘confirmation that this is a very vigorous investigation going on.’…

“According to a January report from the U.S. intelligence community, the highest levels of the Russian government were involved in directing the electoral interference. Its tactics included hacking state election systems; infiltrating and leaking information from party committees and political strategists; and disseminating through social media and other outlets negative stories about Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and positive ones about Mr. Trump, the report said…”

North Korea’s New Missile Launch Threatening American and European Cities

Reuters wrote on July 29:

“North Korea fired a missile on Friday that experts said was capable of striking Los Angeles and other American cities, and the United States and South Korea responded by staging a joint missile exercise…

“The unusual late-night launch added to exasperation in Washington, Seoul and Tokyo over Pyongyang’s continuing development of nuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) to deliver them. North Korean President Kim Jong Un’s military had already raised alarms early this month with its first ICBM launch.”

“Had it been fired at a standard trajectory, the rocket could have reached Los Angeles, Denver and Chicago and would have even had New York and Boston within its sights, according to analysts… Although Kim Jong-un hasn’t expressed a strong desire to attack mainland Europe, the new analysis would suggest London, Paris, Berlin and Rome are all within range although the missiles would have to soar above land as opposed to the Pacific… The French Foreign Ministry condemned the launch and called for ‘strong and additional sanctions’ by the United Nations and European Union.”

“The United States was considering ‘military response options’ on Friday night after North Korea carried out its second test of an intercontinental ballistic missile in a month… Washington,  which has branded North Korea the ‘most urgent and dangerous threat to peace,’ condemned the launch as reckless. ‘By threatening the world, these weapons and tests further isolate North Korea, weaken its economy, and deprive its people,’ Donald Trump said in a statement. ‘The United States will take all necessary steps to ensure the security of the American homeland and protect our allies in the region.’

“South Korea said it was ready to take its own steps to deal with the threat… US and South Korean military officials were discussing military options last night. Donald Trump’s administration has said that the period of ‘strategic patience’ towards North Korea is over. US officials have also expressed growing frustration with Beijing for not doing more to pressure its neighbour to rein in its military ambitions. Britain and Australia this week joined the US in calling for China to exert more pressure on Pyongyang. However, China says it has little leverage over leaders in Pyongyang…”

Newsmax wrote on July 29:

“President Donald Trump slammed China Saturday for doing ‘nothing for us with North Korea’ in light of Pyongyang’s latest missile test, vowing that ‘we will no longer allow this to continue.’”

The New York Times wrote on July 29:

“The United States agreed to start negotiations to allow South Korea to build more powerful ballistic missiles in order to counter North Korea’s fast-advancing missile technologies, the office of the South’s president said on Saturday… Earlier on Saturday, Mr. Moon also ordered his government to cooperate with the United States to install an advanced American missile defense battery… But China has adamantly opposed installing the Thaad missile defense system in South Korea…”

The situation with North Korea has indeed reached a stage of unprecedented dangers.

The Week wrote on August 2:

“The State Department announced Wednesday that starting Sept. 1, U.S. passport holders will be banned from traveling to North Korea, and urged Americans already in the country to leave before then… The ban makes passports invalid for travel to, in, or through North Korea, and will be in place for one year, unless the secretary of state extends or revokes it. Humanitarian workers and journalists will be able to apply for exceptions to the ban.”

Iran’s and North Korea’s Friendship Leading to Nuclear War?

Breitbart wrote on July 28:

“The only thing more difficult than attempting to stop one rogue nation from acquiring nuclear weapons is attempting to stop two rogue nations collaborating to do so.

“As we explore our options in shutting down North Korea’s nuclear weapons and missile programs, we must recognize we are also dealing with Iran’s programs, which have piggybacked upon Pyongyang’s. Ever since Iran’s war with Iraq (1980-1988), during which North Korea began providing Tehran with SCUD missiles, both countries nurtured a relationship that would allow them eventually to gain membership into the nuclear arms club. In recent years, the evolution of this relationship has allowed Iran to step into the shoes of North Korea’s former and longtime best friend, China. It is also why China has been unresponsive to U.S. calls to reel Pyongyang in…

“Tehran’s mullahs have not hesitated to use Pyongyang over the past several years as a test case for American resolve. As such resolve has been non-existent, Iran came to recognize it could move forward simultaneously and in coordination with Pyongyang. Having developed this close working relationship, Iranian observers began showing up at North Korean military tests. It was also this relationship that led to North Korean technicians working secretly to build a nuclear facility in Syria. Its development was closely monitored by Israel which, after the U.S. refused to take action to stop construction, destroyed it in an air attack in September 2007… a North Korea capable of striking the US with nuclear weapons will result in nuclear conflict…”

These are frightening thoughts. Is there anything that America can do to avoid a nuclear conflict with North Korea and Iran?

Ready to Obey a Trump Nuclear Strike Order

ABC News reported on July 27:

“The U.S. Pacific Fleet commander said Thursday he would launch a nuclear strike against China next week if President Donald Trump ordered it, and warned against the military ever shifting its allegiance from its commander in chief. Adm. Scott Swift was responding to a hypothetical question at an Australian National University security conference following a major joint U.S.- Australian military exercise off the Australian coast…

“Asked by an academic in the audience whether he would make a nuclear attack on China next week if Trump ordered it, Swift replied: ‘The answer would be: Yes… Every member of the U.S. military has sworn an oath to defend the constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic and to obey the officers and the president of the United States as commander and chief appointed over us…’”

This is the same flawed reasoning which was employed by German officers for obeying Hitler’s orders. Note our new StandingWatch program, “Obeying Trump to Launch Nuclear Strike?”.

Russia’s Retaliation Against the USA

The Guardian wrote on July 31:

“When it comes to diplomatic expulsions… the Russian move is so severe that… it is likely to paralyse the work of US diplomats in Russia… [Russia demands] that the Americans reduce their presence in Russia —the Moscow embassy, as well as consulates in St Petersburg, Ekaterinburg and Vladivostok – to a total of 455 people… Putin said on Sunday evening that the Russian order meant that 755 employees would have to ‘cease their work’…

“The cuts will be a huge challenge for the incoming US ambassador Jon Huntsman, who – if he is confirmed by the Senate – is expected to arrive in the Russian capital at the end of the summer…”

President Trump Signs Russia Sanctions Law

The EUObserver wrote on August 2:

“US leader Donald Trump has signed into life new Russia sanctions that put EU firms… at risk of fines. The president said in a note published the same day (2 August) that the sanctions bill was ‘significantly flawed’ because it undermined his ‘exclusive constitutional authority’ on foreign relations… The law… stops Trump, who is under suspicion of colluding with Russia to sway last year’s US election, from undoing Russia sanctions without a Congressional review… The bill was earlier backed by a huge majority in Congress meaning that Trump’s veto would likely have been overturned had he chosen to wield it…

“The EU has… threatened to react, with the European Commission having said last week that it would act within ‘days’ of the sanctions becoming law. Its options, as set out in a leaked internal memo, included trying to circumscribe US jurisdiction or imposing counter-sanctions on US firms.  Germany and Austria have also threatened retaliation because the fines could hit Austrian firm OMV and German firms Uniper and Wintershal, as well as French firm Engie and Anglo-Dutch firm Shell, for their role in Nord Stream II, Russia’s planned gas pipeline to Germany…”

Reuters added on August 2:

“New sanctions on Russia which U.S. President Donald Trump has signed into law are tantamount to a ‘full-scale trade war,’ Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said on Wednesday. Medvedev also said in a Facebook post that the sanctions showed the Trump administration was utterly powerless. ‘The hope that our relations with the new American administration would improve is finished,’ he wrote.”

The Washington Post wrote on July 29:

“Russia is now Washington’s greatest political foe… The Russian establishment has been angry with the West before but rarely so filled with contempt.

“Predictions for autumn are frank: economic war… One idea voiced by the Kremlin is to expand cooperation with Europe, and possibly with China, to counterbalance U.S. power. European leaders have expressed anger over the planned U.S. sanctions, saying they could backfire, dealing a blow to transatlantic efforts to curb Russian aggression against Ukraine and sparking a trade war between Europe and the United States…

“Meanwhile, dialogue between the countries is minimal… The impasse is total. Conflict is assured.”

Wherever America turns, it is facing conflict. God has clearly withdrawn His blessings from the USA.

Trump Helps King of Jordan in Opposition to Israel

The Jerusalem Post wrote on July 30:

“US President Donald Trump and Jordan’s King Abdullah II spoke by phone on Friday to discuss the Temple Mount crisis, with the king expressing his appreciation of Trump’s support and ‘the important role that the US administration played to help contain the Aksa Mosque/Al Haram Al Sharif crisis.’ ‘His Majesty also stressed the importance of intensifying coordination to avoid the recurrence of such crises and preserve the historical and legal status quo at al-Aksa Mosque/Al Haram Al Sharif,’ Amman said in a statement.

“The president’s son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner, spoke on the phone with Abdullah last weekend as the crisis was at its peak – when Israel was standing its ground on the implementation of new security measures on the holy plateau, as riots were raging in the streets and spreading to Arab capitals. Those measures have since been rescinded… President Trump also emphasized Jordan’s important role in regional security… Abdullah said, had a historical, political and legal role to play in stopping the ‘Judaization of holy sites.’ It was important, he said, for all parties to work together to ensure that the status quo on the Temple Mount was respected.

“Aside from the Temple Mount, Abdullah has had harsh words with regard to the July 23 incident in which an Israeli security guard at the embassy in Amman, killed a Jordanian teenager who attacked him with a screwdriver… Abdullah said Saturday that his government would work to ensure that justice was served. Two days earlier, he demanded that Israel put the security guard on trial. He was particularly upset that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had embraced the guard as a hero after his return to Israel… Protesters gathered near the Israeli Embassy in Amman on Friday to protest the incident, with scores chanting ‘Death to Israel‘ and calling for the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador and scrapping of an unpopular peace treaty with Israel.”

The Trump administration’s “involvement” in the Middle East leads to a more and more adversarial position against Israel.

Lebanese Descendants of Canaanites?

Israel National News reported on July 29:

“A new genetic study proves the modern-day Lebanese are descendants of the ancient Canaanites (Phoenicians)… The Canaanites’ genetic material was found to be 93% similar to that of 99 modern Lebanese… In addition, the Bronze Age inhabitants of Sidon, a major Canaanite city-state in modern-day Lebanon, have the same genetic profile as people living 300 to 800 years earlier in present-day Jordan…

“Researcher Dr. Marc Haber of the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute said, “The present-day Lebanese are likely to be direct descendants of the Canaanites, but they have in addition a small proportion of Eurasian ancestry that may have arrived via conquests by distant populations such as the Assyrians, Persians, or Macedonians.’ … When Lebanon was founded in 1929, the Christians said, ‘We are Phoenician.’ The Muslims didn’t accept that and they said, ‘No, we are Arab.’… Ancient Canaan occupied all of modern-day Lebanon.”

We are presenting this article for the reader’s information, without taking a definitive position on it. It is also believed that some Canaanites migrated to America and became known as belonging to some of the American Indians tribes.

Europe Retaliates Against UK

The Daily Mail wrote on August 1:

“British holidaymakers faced further travel misery today as security staff at Barcelona airport took industrial action causing long queues [with up to four hours waiting time] and missed flights. Staff at the El Prat airport were working to rule and deliberately taking the maximum of ten minutes to pass each passenger through security. The industrial action during peak holiday season has caused around 1,000 people to miss flights at the airport in the past few days, airline bosses said….

“Airports popular with British tourists, including Paris, Madrid and Lisbon, have seen queues stretching hundreds of yards as the stricter checks are imposed on entry and exit… British and Irish passengers have already faced long delays at other airports in Spain and around Europe because of tough new border controls.

“Last month the new EU controls – coupled with a lack of staff – caused Brits to miss flights out of Palma airport in Majorca. Passengers have been warned to expect queues of ‘hundreds of meters’ at airports including Madrid, Palma, Lisbon, Lyons, Paris Orly and Milan. The new rules, requiring checks on passengers from non-Schengen countries including the UK and Ireland, were introduced following terror attacks in Paris and Brussels.”

The Telegraph added on August 2:

“Ministers have been accused of ignoring warning over the passport chaos causing misery to British airline passengers as the busiest week of the holiday season approaches… The delays continued on Wednesday with some flights half-empty as a result, and there were separate problems for British Airways passengers flying out of the UK because of fresh problems with its check-in computers. Airlines UK, the industry body for British-registered carriers, said it had written to the Department of Transport in May warning ministers of trouble ahead. But it was only on Wednesday that Lord Callanan, the aviation minister, called his counterparts in the worst-affected countries to demand action.”

The State’s Dictatorial Oppression of Parents’ Rights

The website of undergroundjournalist.com wrote on July 29:

“It’s a case where a family in the U.K. was told their son was terminally ill and there was nothing that could be done to save his life; that was, until doctors in the U.S. thought they could save him with experimental treatment. Charlie’s parents wanted to do everything to save their baby so they raised the money to be able to bring him to the U.S. for that treatment. And that’s when things got ugly. The government told Charlie’s parents that they couldn’t take their own child from the U.K. to seek experimental treatment elsewhere.

“The case was brought to court and the courts refused to order the child be released into his parents’ custody, thus preventing him from receiving any of the care which was offered… What’s most disturbing about this case is that the State believes they know better than parents on what’s best for their own child. What’s even more disturbing is those on the left believe the same thing…

“In a piece for The Guardian entitled ‘Despite Charlie Gard’s Tragic Story, We Must Respect The Process Of Our Courts,’ UCL health professor, Ian Kennedy, expressed sympathy for the plight of Charlie, but ultimately justified it on the basis that ‘children do not belong to their parents.’… In other words, parents have no actual rights to make decisions for their children if the State doesn’t agree with those decisions…”

This is a horrible position for the British state and the courts to take, which is usually employed by hostile dictatorships.

“Saint Nicholas Back in Italy”

Zenit wrote on July 28:

“Today, Friday, July 28, 2017, a mixed Italian-Vatican delegation will bring back from St. Petersburg to Bari the relic of Saint Nicholas, Bishop of Mira, which has been exhibited for the veneration of Russian faithful since last May 21… Saint Nicholas is invoked by the faithful of different Christian Churches and denominations as Defender of the weakest and persecuted, and as Protector of girls, of sailors and of children. The universality of his devotion transforms the Paleo-Christian Saint into a true and proper ‘bridge between East and West,’ said Dominican Hyacinthe Destivelle, official of the Vatican Dicastery…

“Saint Nicholas is very popular in Russia… a good… third of churches are under his patronage and in all rooms there is his icon before which protection of the family is requested…

“For his part, the Archbishop of Bari-Bitonto, Monsignor Francesco Cacucci, who is also part of the delegation, welcomed an ‘ecumenism of the people‘ as being particularly significant. In his address on the arrival of the relic, the Russian Orthodox Patriarch of Moscow and All Russians, Cyril I spoke, in fact, about ‘an intervention open to Christian unity.’

“Saint Nicholas of Mira was born to a Christian family at Patara in Lycia around the year 270. Remaining an orphan after the plague, the future Saint, heir of a large patrimony, dedicated his fortune to good works. He was one of the 318 Bishops that condemned Arianism during the First Council of Nicea (325). After his death, perfumed oil or essence gushed from his tomb… After the fall of Mira to the Seljuk Turks, in 1087 an expedition of Bari businessmen took the Saint’s relics from his tomb and brought them to Puglia.”

The entire concept of Saint Nicholas, being the modern Santa Claus, is a hoax and an invention. It is doubtful whether a Saint Nicholas ever existed. We say the following in our free booklet, “Don’t Keep Christmas”:

“According to legend, there was a Catholic priest who allegedly gave gifts to children in December. This priest was supposedly the Bishop of Myra, and he was called ‘Nicholas.’ He reportedly died on December 6, 326 AD.  This is the ‘official’ explanation, as to why the ‘day of St. Nicholas’ is celebrated today on December 6. Many historians doubt, however, that there is any legitimacy to this legend. They even question whether such a priest ever existed.

“One record that was published under Pope Paul VI in 1969 raises doubts whether Nicholas was a saint or whether he was only a ‘legendary’ hero, if he even lived at all. Since 1969, the Catholic Church has left it to its followers to decide for themselves whether or not to worship Nicholas as a saint.

“On the other hand, it is a historical fact that pagans did worship a pagan god that shows great similarities with the modern Santa Claus. This pagan deity was the old Germanic god ‘Wodan.’ He was called ‘Odin’ in Scandinavia.  Wodan or Odin was a sun god. According to pagan belief, he gave his life for the world by ‘hanging on a tree’ or a cross for nine nights, after which he was ‘pierced by a spear.’

“… Earl W. Count, B.D., Ph.D., Professor of Anthropology, states in ‘4000 Years of Christmas,’ on pp. 11 and 54: ‘We do not really know when the Christ Child… was born; or the time and place when Christmas was first celebrated; or exactly how it was that, over the centuries, a bishop-saint of Asia Minor and a pagan god of the Germans merged to become Santa Claus… Of most interest to us, however, is the fact that Wodan [or Odin] has become – Santa Claus, or, as he is better called, St. Nicholas.’…

“In pagan legends… Santa Claus or St. Nicholas is accompanied by a servant, called ‘Knecht Ruprecht.’ In ‘The Pageantry of Christmas,’ published by the editors of Life magazine, we are told on page 62: ‘Knecht Ruprecht, the assistant to St. Nicholas, … was as capable of punishing as he was of rewarding, and the horns on his head reveal his demonic origin… He was also known as Black Peter.’”

Legends seldom die, and so the “Christian” world celebrates and idolizes Santa Claus, erroneously thinking that they are thereby honoring and worshipping a mysterious “saint.” Whatever the “relics” are which have been transferred from Russia to Italy, the collaboration between the two big “Christian” churches should remind us of the description of Babylon the Great in Revelation 17.

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.

Violence on the Temple Mount

The Guardian wrote on July 23:

“Israelis and Palestinians braced for further confrontations in Jerusalem as death toll rises in wake of new security crackdown. Amid a mounting toll of deaths and injuries in the crisis, Israelis and Palestinians are braced for weeks of confrontation, as both sides appeared to dig in to their position… Israel has also began installing sophisticated security cameras at one of the entrances to the compound housing the al-Aqsa mosque, known to Muslims as the Haram al-Sharif and revered by Jews as the Temple Mount…

“The issue exploded into more serious violence on Friday, after days of night-time clashes after the metal detectors installation, which followed the attack on 14 July that killed two Israeli policemen at the entrance to the site by three Israeli Arabs who Israel says smuggled weapons into the compound.

“In clashes that have grown in intensity since mass protests on Friday, four Palestinians have been killed in confrontations with Israeli security forces, while a family of three Israeli settlers was stabbed to death by a Palestinian who entered their home in the West Bank citing the issues around the al-Aqsa mosque as his motive.

“The sheer scale of the risks involved was made clear on Sunday morning when the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas – who has long threatened to end security cooperation with Israel – cancelled a planned security meeting after announcing he was cutting all contacts…”

Deutsche Welle wrote on July 24:

“The death toll stemming from the Temple Mount crisis is continuing to grow. As both sides look for a solution, the conflict is taking on an increasingly religious dimension that could be difficult to control.

“Israel’s security cabinet early on Tuesday decided to remove metal detectors at the entrance to a sensitive Jerusalem holy site, after the new security measures unleashed a deadly round of unrest. A statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said it would replace the metal detectors with ‘a security inspection based on advanced technologies and other means.’… ‘What is happening is the beginning of the judaization of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, which has been planned since the founding of Israel in 1948,’ wrote the popular Palestinian newspaper Al-Quds. For this reason the newspaper sees a connection between the current incidents and the visit to the Temple Mount by former Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon in September 2000 – a move viewed by many Palestinians as a religious provocation…

“The crisis has led to an uproar in other parts of the world…”

Israel National News wrote on July 23:

“‘The Temple Mount is in our hands,’ [an Israeli governmental official] said, quoting the soldiers who liberated Jerusalem’s Old City during the Six Day War. ‘We will not cede sovereignty. The State of Israel is responsible for preserving law and order on the Temple Mount.’… Cabinet members authorized Israel Police to make any decisions necessary ‘to ensure safe and free access to holy places, while ensuring public safety and order’ on the Temple Mount.”

Israel will not give up sovereignty over the Temple Mount. In fact, very soon, a Temple will be built on the Temple Mount and sacrifices will be given there, which will set the region on fire.

More Violence in the Middle East

On July 21, Euronews published an article by Joschka Fischer, former German Foreign Minister and Vice Chancellor:

“With the retaking of Mosul in northern Iraq, the so called Islamic State (ISIL) could soon be a thing of the past. But the defeat of ISIL and the demise of its self-proclaimed Iraqi-Syrian caliphate won’t bring peace to the Middle East, or even an end to the Syrian tragedy. Rather, it is likely to open a new chapter in the region’s bloody and chaotic history – one no less dangerous than the previous chapters since the fall of the Ottoman Empire at the end of World War I…

“Western powers are hardly blameless for the Middle East’s woes. Any mention of the Sykes-Picot Agreement, by which Great Britain and France partitioned the post-Ottoman territories, still incites such rage in the Arab world that it seems as if the plan, devised in secret in 1916, had been conceived only yesterday. Nor should we forget Czarist Russia’s role in the region. Following World War II, its successor, the Soviet Union, and its Cold War rival, the United States, began their multiple interventions.

“Indeed, the US may be the most significant contributor to today’s regional turmoil… America’s involvement in Afghanistan, too, has had profound repercussions for the Middle East. The US-backed insurgency of the 1980s, launched under the banner of jihad against the occupying Soviet Union, transformed two close American allies – Pakistan and Saudi Arabia – into strategic threats. This became clear on September 11, 2001, when it emerged that 15 of the 19 attackers sent by al-Qaeda were Saudi citizens. And it was Pakistan that created the Taliban, which provided al-Qaeda a haven for hatching its plots against the US and the West.

“The success of the first Gulf War, launched in January 1991 by President George H.W. Bush, was fatally undermined 12 years later by his son, President George W. Bush, whose own Gulf War caused a regional catastrophe that continues to this day. Whereas the senior Bush had pursued the limited objectives of liberating Kuwait and didn’t seek regime change in Iraq, his son’s aims were far more ambitious.

“The idea was to topple Saddam Hussein and bring about a democratic Iraq, which would catalyze comprehensive change throughout the Middle East and transform it into a democratic and pro-Western region. Within the younger Bush’s administration, imperial idealism prevailed over hardheaded realism, resulting in sustained destabilization of the Middle East as a whole and helping to place Iran in a position to expand its influence.

“After the Islamic State’s demise, the next chapter in the history of the Middle East will be determined by open, direct confrontation between Sunni Saudi Arabia and Shia Iran for regional predominance. So far, this long-smoldering conflict has been pursued under cover and mostly by proxies. The two global powers active in the region have already clearly positioned themselves in this conflict, with the US siding with Saudi Arabia and Russia with Iran… And with Saudi Arabia and four Sunni allies imposing isolation on Qatar, in part owing to the Qatari’s’ close relations with Iran, this conflict has reached its first potential tipping point at the very center of the region, the Persian Gulf.

“Any direct military confrontation with Iran would, of course, set the region ablaze, greatly surpassing all previous Middle East wars. Moreover, with the fires in Syria still smoldering, and Iraq weakened by the sectarian struggle for power there, ISIS or some successor incarnation is likely to remain active. Another destabilizing factor is the reopening of the ‘Kurdish question.’ The Kurds – a people without a state – … want to use their new political and military clout to make progress toward autonomy, or even an independent state… the next chapter in the region’s history promises to be anything but peaceful… the US… cannot win a land war in the Middle East, despite its vastly superior military power. President Barack Obama sought to withdraw US forces from the region, which proved difficult to achieve both politically and militarily. That’s why he ruled out military intervention – even from the air – in the Syrian civil war, leaving a vacuum that Russia quickly filled, with all of the known consequences.

“Obama’s successor, Donald Trump… clearly faces a steep learning curve when it comes to the Middle East – a region that won’t wait for him to master it. There is no reason to be optimistic.”

Indeed, the Middle East is entering a phase of unparalleled violence and war, which the Bible describes as the “great tribulation.”

ISIS in the Philippines

USA Today wrote on July 25:

“The Islamic State, also known as ISIS, views the drawn-out battle as a major win at a time when it is being driven out of its base in Iraq and Syria, bringing greater attention to the Philippines and Southeast Asia as a new beachhead for extremists… While residents [in Mindanao] blame the extremists for the violence and chaos, many are also growing impatient with the military and its heavy airstrikes…

“The Philippine congress voted Saturday to extend martial law on Mindanao until the end of the year. President Rodrigo Duterte had declared martial law for 60 days when the fighting began…

“As ISIS loses ground in the Middle East, militants from around this region are moving their operations to Southeast Asia — primarily the Philippines, said Sidney Jones, director of Jakarta-based Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict. ‘The idea that the Philippines is now the destination of choice rather than Syria has sunk in,’ she said. ‘That’s definite now.’

“Jones warned that the Philippine military is treading a thin line by using excessive force, because of its long history of taking a harsh stance against extremist groups in Mindanao. ‘One theme that was used to bring people on board to the ISIS message is the brutality of the security services,’ she said. ‘This was before even the airstrikes. So I think there’s got to be a serious re-think of how the Duterte administration responds to extremism. Because if they’re not careful, they’re going to be building a new generation of extremists, not eradicating the generation that’s there now.’”

Hawaii to Roll Out Plan on how to Deal with North Korean Nuke

The Star Advertiser reported on July 20:

“The public education and information campaign will emphasize steps to be taken on short notice, according to state officials, because a North Korean ICBM would arrive in just 20 minutes, leaving just 12 to 15 minutes to warn the populace… The plan… will include school students drilling for evacuation…

“The tourism industry is not at all happy with the arrival of the campaign, which it fears could spook tourists… But state officials say they want to get out ahead of North Korea’s goose-stepping march toward greater nuclear capability — even if it would be suicide for leader Kim Jong Un to launch missiles at the United States…”

With North Korea’s mad leader, anything seems to be imaginable. Note the next article.

North Korea and Iran vs. USA

Fox News reported on July 26:

“Two enemies of America are poised for upcoming rocket launches… with another North Korean intercontinental ballistic missile launch expected… and Iran on the verge of sending its own vehicle into space. Iran’s Simorgh space-launch vehicle is believed to be carrying a satellite, marking the second time in more than a year that Tehran has attempted to put an operational satellite into orbit…

“North Korea and Iran have long been accused of sharing missile technology… U.S. officials are skeptical, however, that North Korea and Iran are coordinating their rocket and missile launches.

“While Iran insists its space program is for peaceful purposes, officials have long said any components used to put a satellite into orbit can also be used for building an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of hitting the United States…”

New US Sanctions Against Russia Are Raising Concerns

Deutsche Welle wrote on July 26:

“The US House of Representatives on Tuesday overwhelmingly endorsed  [a] bill that places restrictions on President Donald Trump from loosening sanctions on Russia, a measure that could tie his hands as he seeks a reset in relations with Moscow. Lawmakers voted 419-3 to pass the legislation, which also imposes a new round of sanctions on Russia, Iran and North Korea. The legislation must now go to the Senate, where it is likely to pass before being sent to the president’s desk, possibly as early as August.

“The bill is a rare case of Republicans allying with Democrats against their own president, whose administration has been plagued by investigations into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 election and possible collusion between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin. A key feature of the bill is a requirement for the president to seek permission from Congress before removing sanctions on Russia – an attempt to block any unilateral move to lift sanctions. The Trump administration is against the bill… Trump has not said whether he would veto the bill…

“Russia has warned against the new sanctions and their impact on relations with the US, but has said it would wait until the final wording of the bill is clear… Russia could retaliate against the United States by escalating or playing a spoiler role in any number of areas, ranging from Ukraine and Syria to Afghanistan and North Korea…

“The Russian bill has also raised concern with the European Union because it could result in fines and other measures against companies involved in the Russian Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project… It would also limit the access of European energy firms to US banks… The sanctions have particularly unnerved Germany and Austria, home of large energy companies that could be negatively impacted by the new bill. On Wednesday, German Foreign Ministry warned that Berlin ‘could not accept’ the US using sanctions against Russia as a tool of industrial policy…

“EU Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker warned of far-reaching consequences for transatlantic ties. ‘If our concerns are not taken into account sufficiently, we stand ready to act appropriately within a matter of days,’ he said in a statement… ‘America first cannot mean that Europe’s interests come last.’ Juncker added that the EU was  ‘raising its concerns via all diplomatic channels with the US and its counterparts.’”

Even though sanctions against Russia’s activities are highly appropriate, economic interests in Europe seem to be more important.

Chemical and Biological Weapons in the Hands of Terrorists

The Sun wrote on July 23:

“Black Death could once again wipe out millions in Britain if terrorists sprayed an antibiotic resistant form above a city… The plague killed a third of Europe’s population in the Middle Ages – but scientists and governments fear it could return. It comes after research papers were found hidden at Mosul University after the fall of ISIS detailing experimentation using chemical weapons on human beings… with ISIS imploding in Iraq and Syria it is feared the death cult could step-up any clandestine development and wreak revenge on the West.

“World Health Organisation researchers estimated releasing a 50 kg aerosol cloud of plague bacteria over a city the size of London and its surrounding areas could cause at least 300,000 to become infected with 72,000 perishing from the nightmarish disease. Meanwhile the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the US believe plague is a major concern along with anthrax, smallpox, and viral fevers like Ebola and Marburg… health writer Eric Boodman writes: ‘After all, the bacteria were being used as weapons long before anyone even knew to call them bacteria. Plague-infected corpses were catapulted over walls. Venetians plotted to distill deadly liquid from swollen lymph nodes. Japanese planes sprinkled a rainfall of infected fleas. If those with nefarious motives and technical expertise wanted to weaponize the bacteria today, they could.”

This is a frightening scenario. The Bible shows that biological and chemical weapons will be used in addition to nuclear weapons, threatening the very survival of mankind.

Merkel’s Re-Election Not Assured

Deutsche Welle wrote on July 23:

“Social Democratic (SPD) candidate Martin Schulz… took aim at what is perhaps Merkel’s Achilles heel: her policy toward migrants from Muslim countries. ‘In 2015 more than 1 million refugees came to Germany, mostly without government monitoring,’ Schulz told Bild. ‘The chancellor opened our border with Austria for humanitarian reasons but unfortunately without consulting our partners in Europe. If we don’t act now, that situation could repeat itself.’

“Merkel has promised German voters that there will be no repeat of what happened two years ago when hundreds of thousands of people, many fleeing war-torn Syria, arrived in Germany. Numbers of migrants lessened last year but could well be set to rise again as people try to escape political uncertainty and economic hardship of places like Nigeria and Eritrea…

“Well over 70,000 migrants made the extremely risky Mediterranean crossing to Italy in the first half of this year, representing an increase over 2016 of more than 25 percent. Italy has asked other EU states for help in dealing with the new arrivals, but it has so far been rebuffed…

“At the height of the refugee crisis in 2015 and early 2016, Merkel and her conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) fell to historic lows in public opinion polls, with more than 80 percent of those asked saying they believed her government didn’t have control over the situation. Merkel and her party have since recovered and currently lead Schulz and the SPD by around 15 percentage points in opinion surveys…

“The greater threat could come from the right, where Merkel is considerably more liberal than the vast majority of conservatives in Germany and the rest of Europe…

“CSU chairman Horst Seehofer couldn’t resist calling out the chancellor on the issue. In an interview with Welt newspaper, Seehofer said ‘everybody knows’ that the ‘waves of migration will continue.’ Seehofer predicted that Merkel’s decision to open Germany’s borders would cost the CDU-CSU an absolute majority in September’s election and claimed that conservatives throughout Germany were coming round to the CSU’s position…

“The connection between refugee policy and the AfD cannot be dismissed. Germany’s right-wing populists made a quantum leap in the polls… All of this suggests that the upturn in the number of migrants to Germany this summer would benefit the AfD at the polls and possibly have an effect on Angela Merkel’s attempt to win a fourth term as chancellor….”

It will be interesting to see what will happen in September. From a prophetic standpoint, both Angela Merkel’s re-election and Martin Schulz’ election could lead to meaningful developments.

Senate Votes to Begin Debate on Repealing Obamacare

Deutsche Welle wrote on July 25:

“The United States Senate has voted to begin the process of repealing the 2010 Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare… The vote to begin the repeal process was deadlocked at 50-50, with all senate Democrats voting against the measure. Vice President Mike Pence cast the tie-breaking vote to push the debate towards a bill forward. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska were the only two Republican senators who did not vote yes on the measure…

“Republican senator John McCain of Arizona returned to an ovation as he cast his ‘yes’ vote after being diagnosed with cancer  last week…  ‘I know many of you will have to see the bill changed substantially to support it,’ McCain said, adding that he would not vote for the Republican health care plan ‘as it is today.’”

No Democrat voted for the measure. The future debate on Obamacare vs. Trumpcare will be interesting. To just repeal Obamacare without replacing it, which has been advocated by some, seems to be a ridiculous proposition. 

The New York Times reported on July 25:

“The Senate voted narrowly on Tuesday to begin debate on a bill to repeal major provisions of the Affordable Care Act, but hours later, Republican leaders suffered a setback when their most comprehensive plan to replace President Barack Obama’s health law fell far short of the votes it needed. The Tuesday night tally needed to reach 60 votes to overcome a parliamentary objection. Instead, it fell 43-57. The fact that the comprehensive replacement plan came up well short of even 50 votes was an ominous sign for Republican leaders still seeking a formula to pass final health care legislation….”

It is hoped that ALL Americans will finally be given an affordable and meaningful health-care bill, without the corrupt political bickering and self-serving special interest groups we are all used to. But this would be a miracle.

No Transgender People in the Military

The New York Times reported on July 25:

“President Trump announced on Wednesday that the United States will not ‘accept or allow’ transgender people in the United States military, saying American forces ‘must be focused on decisive and overwhelming victory’ and could not afford to accommodate them…’ After consultation with my generals and military experts, please be advised that the United States government will not accept or allow transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. military,’ Mr. Trump wrote. ‘Our military must be focused on decisive and overwhelming victory and cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail.’

“The sweeping policy decision reverses the gradual transformation of the military under President Barack Obama, whose administration announced last year that transgender people could serve openly in the military. Mr. Obama’s defense secretary, Ashton B. Carter, also opened all combat roles to women and appointed the first openly gay Army secretary…”

Deutsche Welle wrote on July 25:

“The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), a non-profit and non-partisan rights advocacy organization, immediately launched a counter-series of Tweets… The Democratic leader in the Senate Nancy Pelosi (California) described Trump’s ban as ‘vile and hateful’ and a policy that would ‘weaken our military and the nation it defends.’… she also highlighted that on this same date in 1948, then US-President Harry Truman signed an executive order desegregating the US military – a ground-breaking move that helped usher in a era of civil rights legislation. ‘President Trump has shown his conduct is driven…by raw prejudice,’ the senator wrote…

“Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, the Republican’s most senior woman in the House, also spoke out against Trump’s ban announcement. The Florida representative has a transgender son and has been a long-term Republican supporter of same-sex marriage…”

How individuals claiming to obey God and His Word can support the practice of transgender, homosexuality and same-sex marriages is hard to understand. Based on the Bible, President Trump’s decision is correct.

Why Russia Is Afraid of the Jehovah’s Witnesses

Business Insider wrote on July 23:

“Jehovah’s Witnesses deny the Trinity. For most Christians, God is a union of three persons… Instead, Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that Jesus is distinct from God – not united as one person with him. The ‘Holy Spirit’ then refers to God’s active power. Such doctrines distinguish Jehovah’s Witnesses from mainline Christian denominations, all of which hold that God is ‘triune’ in nature…

“Their biblical interpretations and missionary work certainly have critics. But it is the political neutrality of the group that has attracted the most suspicion. Jehovah’s Witnesses accept the legitimate authority of government in many matters. For example, they pay taxes… But they do not vote in elections, serve in the military or salute the flag. Such acts, they believe, compromise their primary loyalty to God… Jehovah’s Witnesses have no political affiliations, and they renounce violence. However, they make an easy target for governments looking for internal enemies, as they refuse to bow down to government symbols. Many nationalists call them ‘enemies of the state.’ As a result, they have often suffered persecution throughout history in many parts of the world.

“Jehovah’s Witnesses were jailed as draft evaders in the US during both world wars. In a Supreme Court ruling in 1940, school districts were allowed to expel Jehovah’s Witnesses who refused to salute the American flag…  In Nazi Germany, Jehovah’s Witnesses were killed in concentration camps; a purple triangle was used by the Nazis to mark them. In the 1960s and ‘70’s, scores of African Jehovah’s Witnesses were slaughtered… for refusing to support dictator Hastings Banda. Many Witnesses fled to neighboring Mozambique, where they were held in internment camps.

“Now it is Russia. The Russian Supreme Court maintains that the country needs to be protected from disloyal religious fanatics. But given their commitment to God above all things, Jehovah’s Witnesses see themselves as being persecuted by those who value loyalty to country over any other principle… Many Jehovah’s Witnesses [pointed out that] April 20, the day the Russian Supreme Court first ruled against them, is also the birthday of Adolf  Hitler.  Their memories of persecution have not faded with time.”

Many of the “peculiar” teachings of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, which are mentioned in this article, are also held by many Sabbath-keeping Churches of God, which denounce violence and refuse to serve in the military or to vote in governmental elections. To be clear, the Jehovah’s Witnesses deny the divinity of Christ, which the Churches of God uphold, but both do not believe in the Holy Spirit being a Person. It should be clearly seen that totalitarian governments such as Russia will direct their persecution against those Church of God groups as well.

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.