This Week in the News

Trump at an All-Time High

The Washington Post wrote on December 15:

“Following his proposal to temporarily bar Muslims from entering the country, Donald Trump has increased his lead in the Republican primary to its largest margin yet, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll. The results are the latest sign that Trump’s outspoken comments on immigration and terrorism continue to find an audience among rank-and-file Republicans in spite of sharp condemnation from Democrats, GOP leaders, some of Trump’s rivals and a chorus of world leaders.

“The survey puts Trump’s support at 38 percent among registered Republicans and GOP-leaning independents, six points higher than in October and November. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, who also is running an anti-establishment campaign, has surged into second place with 15 percent, effectively doubling his support since last month.

“Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida and Ben Carson are tied for third, with 12 percent each… No other candidate in the new poll registers in double digits…

“In Iowa, which kicks off the nominating season with caucuses on Feb. 1, Trump trailed Cruz [by more than 10 points] in a Des Moines Register-Bloomberg Politics poll released over the weekend. Trump continues to lead in New Hampshire, which holds the first primary on Feb. 9…”

In the most recent Republican Presidential Debate on December 15, Trump emerged as the undisputed winner, followed by Ted Cruz. Nationwide, according to several polls, Trump leads convincingly by a wide margin.

Buchanan to GOP: “Support Trump or Lose to Clinton”

Newsmax reported on December 10:

“Veteran conservative voice Patrick Buchanan issued a stern warning to the Republican Party on Thursday: Throw your weight behind GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump now — or prepare to lose next year’s election to Hillary Clinton. Buchanan, an adviser to Presidents Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan and Gerald Ford, told Newsmax TV the freak-out over Trump’s proposal to temporarily bar all Muslims from entering the U.S. is misguided…

“Buchanan said he made the same arguments for limits on entry into the U.S. when he ran for president in 1996 and 2000…”

Ben Carson Blasts Corrupt GOP Conspiracy

Newsmax reported on December 11:

“Ben Carson said Friday that he would not run as an independent candidate amid reports that Republican Party officials had met to discuss the possibility of a ‘brokered’ convention to name a presidential nominee in Cleveland next year as Donald Trump continues to lead in national polls. ‘If it became clear that they were using various types of procedures to get around the will of the people, I would leave,’ the retired pediatric neurosurgeon told Neil Cavuto on Fox News in a telephone interview from Iowa… ‘I would not want to be a part of the deception,’ Carson said. ‘That’s the reason I got into this: to see if somehow we can turn this thing around and bring back integrity.’

“The Washington Post reported late Thursday that 20 top GOP officials, along with Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, attended a private dinner on Monday to outline the party’s convention strategy… Generally, most delegates are required to support the candidate chosen in primaries or caucuses, the Post reports. That would not hold, however, if no nominee is chosen. This could lead to a ‘brokered’ convention, in which deals are made to attract delegates to another candidate. The Republican National Convention will be held July 18 to 21, 2016.

“Carson slammed party leaders, charging that any brokering of an eventual nominee would usurp ‘the will of the people’… ‘I don’t want to be part of corruption,’ Carson said. ‘One of the reasons that I got into this race is because I want to return America to we, the people — and the last thing I want to be part of is a bunch of establishment party bosses thwarting the will of the people.’

“Carson blamed leaders from both political parties for creating the current political climate in which he and Trump have thrived as outside candidates since their campaigns began earlier this year… ‘It’s been the conventional political establishment on both parties that have manipulated for the last many decades that has gotten us into this position,’ he told Cavuto. ‘They used the press, they use whatever they have, to manipulate the population and make them think that they’re getting what they want when in fact they are not. And I’m tired of it,’ Carson declared. ‘A lot of people are tired of it — although they still a lot of times don’t realize they’re being manipulated, and we just have to fight this.’”

These comments are very true. The corrupt political system in the USA, with its “politicians” and “political leaders,” is a total disgrace. However, during the Republican Presidential Debate on December 15, Dr. Carson claimed that he was assured by the GOP leadership that the report in the Washington Post was false, and that no such tactics, as alleged, will be employed. We will see.

Why Trump Would Clash with Germany

The Local wrote on December 10:

“Donald Trump would find plenty to dislike in the Federal Republic of Germany.

“Angela Merkel… beat out Trump to win the coveted TIME magazine Person of the Year award on Wednesday December 9th. Trump immediately made his feelings clear with an angry tweet that Merkel was ‘ruining Germany’. The two couldn’t be more different as politicians…

“A big part of Merkel being named person of the year was her decision in August to allow refugees fleeing conflict in Syria free passage into Germany from Hungary. That wouldn’t go down well with Trump, who famously called this week for all Muslims – not just Syrians or refugees – to be banned from the USA. There are sizeable Muslim communities all over Germany, and up to a fifth of people in the country have some kind of link to migration in their background. Just this year, German leaders of all political stripes have insisted that Islam ‘is a part of Germany’ – something Trump would definitely never say about the USA…

“Germans love nothing more than being green… Across the country, people recycle everything from glass bottles to electronic waste. Trump, meanwhile, thinks that global warming is ‘very expensive bull…’

“In Germany, people are often prosecuted for the crime of inciting people to hatred… It’s made far-right movements, such as anti-immigration, anti-Islam Pegida, very wary about the words they use to express their aims. You can also get into serious trouble with the authorities for saying or doing something that ‘endangers the basic democratic order’ of the country. That’s not something Americans like Trump have to worry about, thanks to the First Amendment to the US Constitution, which guarantees freedom of speech…

“Germany has some of the strictest gun laws in the world – you have to prove that you need a gun for a good reason, such as hunting or target shooting… Trump, meanwhile, regularly expresses his support for gun ownership…

“Trump has regularly said that he thinks he’d ‘get along’ with Russian leader Vladimir Putin. That might not sit too well with Merkel, who has faced down the Russian leader over his annexation of the Crimea from Ukraine and support for pro-Russian rebels in the east of the country…

“In conclusion: Please don’t come to Germany, Donald – you’ll only regret it.”

There are of course many other reasons which would make Trump’s America clash with German leadership. For instance, Trump insisted that Germany should do more for Ukraine, rather than relying on the USA. He also favors the death penalty which is outlawed in Germany. But most importantly, an American President with the name of Donald Trump would be perceived as being in fierce competition with Europe regarding the economy. While wanting to make America great again and to re-regulate and renegotiate deals, Trump would by necessity antagonize Germany. This would include America’s terrible “deal’ with Iran to which Germany was a party.

Trump vs. Much of the Rest of the World

CNN wrote on December 11:

“If Donald Trump were to become president, he’d be starting off on the wrong foot with many of Americas’ allies…

“British Prime Minister David Cameron put out a rare statement criticizing the GOP presidential front-runner’s statements, calling them ‘divisive, unhelpful and quite simply wrong.’…

“Shortly after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office repudiated the proposal, Trump canceled a planned December trip to visit Israel and meet with Netanyahu…

“The foreign minister of America’s neighbor to the north (Canada) also publicly rejected Trump’s comments…

“Trump has also been called out by other Western allies, including politicians in France and the Netherlands…

“On Friday, a member of the Saudi royal family and business magnate tweeted that Trump was a ‘disgrace’… Trump also received a warning that he would ‘not be welcome’ in Muslim countries…”

Putin Praises Trump

AFP wrote on December 17:

“Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday described US Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump as ‘talented’ and ‘outstanding,’ welcoming his stance on Russia.”

Bloomberg added on December 17:

“Putin hailed Donald Trump as the ‘absolute leader’ in the U.S. presidential contest, praising the candidate’s talk about building a deeper relationship with Russia.”

The Bible does not indicate any war between Russia and the USA, but it DOES prophesy a war between continental Europe and the USA, the UK and the state of Israel; and a subsequent war between Europe and Russia.

“Paul Ryan Betrays America”

Slate.com wrote on December 16 about “The Paul Ryan Compromise,” continuing, “The new speaker’s first big deal is just like all of the ones that infuriated conservatives under Boehner…”

Breitbart minced no words and published the following headline on December 16:

“Paul Ryan Betrays America: $1.1 Trillion, 2,000-Plus Page Omnibus Bill Funds ‘Fundamental Transformation of America’…”

The article continued:

“Ryan’s first major legislative achievement is a total and complete sell-out of the American people masquerading as an appropriations bill… The Ryan-Pelosi package represents nothing short of a complete and total betrayal of the American people… By locking in the President’s refugee, immigration, and spending priorities, Ryan’s bill is designed to keep these fights out of Congress by getting them off the table for good…

“What may prove most discouraging of all to Americans is that recent reports reveal that conservatives in the so-called House Freedom Caucus are praising Ryan even as he permanently locks in these irreversible and anti-American immigration policies… the House Freedom Caucus will ‘give Ryan a pass’ even as he funds disastrous policies that prioritize the interests of foreign nationals and global corporatists above the needs of the American people whom lawmakers are supposed to represent.”

The Netherland’s Geert Wilders “Politician Of The Year” for the Third Time—Supports Trump

Breitbart wrote on December 15:

“Anti-Islamisation politician Geert Wilders has been named politician of the year for the third time in a Dutch poll as his Freedom Party gains ground in the country. In a survey of 37,000 people, Mr Wilders won 25 per cent of the vote, making him the first politician to win the vote three times. Dutch news site NDTV says he beat his nearest opponent, Green-Left leader Jesse Klaver, by 11 per cent. In third place, Labour’s finance minister Jeroen Dijsselbloem had just nine per cent.

“[Mr Wilders’] party is currently leading opinion polls in the country, with one poll recently suggesting they would win 35 out of 150 if elections were held tomorrow. The poll comes just days after Mr Wilders endorsed U.S. Republican frontrunner Donald Trump’s proposed temporary halt on Muslim immigration. Mr Wilders said: ‘I hope [Donald Trump] will be the next US President… We need brave leaders’. He added: ‘Also in The Netherlands, 100,000 Muslims – 11% – say it’s acceptable to use violence.’

“In September, he called Europe’s ongoing migrant crisis an ‘Islamic invasion’ that threatens the continent’s ‘prosperity, security, and identity’. Then in November, he said that Europe should close its borders to Muslims, telling AFP: ‘I’m not asking for anything strange, I am asking that our government close its doors as Hungary did … that we close our borders to those we consider to be migrants, not refugees.’

“Mr Wilders has also supported the ‘Draw Mohammed’ campaign of Pamela Geller, pledging to show Mohammed cartoons on Dutch television.”

Stunning Defeat of Le Pen in France

Breitbart wrote on December 13:

“Marine Le Pen has steered France’s Front National (FN) from pariah status into the mainstream, and despite her party’s defeat in regional elections on Sunday, she sounded a typically defiant and vitriolic note, lashing out at the traditional parties for teaming up against her and vowing to press on…

“The first round of the regional elections had given the anti-mass immigration FN the highest share of the vote… But Sunday’s results showed the 47-year-old lawyer by training still has some way to go before convincing the majority of French voters.

“In the northern Nord-Pas-de-Calais-Picardie region, she broke the symbolic 40-percent mark in the first round on December 6, exploiting anger over the dismal economy and the large numbers of migrants camped out in squalid conditions as they try desperately to reach Britain. But as so often for the FN, it was trounced in the second round after the ruling Socialists withdrew candidates and urged voters to back the centre-right.”

It is interesting that through political maneuvering and tactical manipulation, victories can be achieved (in this case for the French Socialists and the Republicans), which otherwise would not materialize. The Bible predicts that a very powerful German or Austrian leader (the “beast”) will arise on the world scene, gaining popularity and a high-ranking political office through flattery and deceit.

Does Merkel Cause More Damage Than Trump?

The Telegraph wrote on December 11:

“… we now have a great many Muslims in our midst – far more here, proportionately, than in Mr Trump’s country, and more in France than here. The risk of violence rises with the total. Even if it is true that 99 per cent of Muslims would not hurt a fly, when you increase the numbers you inevitably get more of those who would. People are, therefore, right to worry more about mass immigration from, say, Syria, than from, say, Poland…

“The founders of the European Union wanted… to give Christendom modern democratic form, but this is now nearly invisible. The leader of the union’s largest Christian Democrat party, Angela Merkel, has let more than a million mainly Muslim immigrants into her country this year alone. The East German pastor’s daughter is surely a much nicer person than Donald J Trump, but I wonder if she is not doing more actual harm to the future of the West.”

Merkel Rejects Multiculturalism

The Huffington Post wrote on December 14:

“In an address to the Christian Democratic Union on Monday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel pledged to limit the flow of refugees entering the country, addressing critics in her own party who have questioned her decision to open Germany’s borders. As a top economic and political power, Germany has a ‘humanitarian imperative’ to accept people fleeing turmoil in Syria, Merkel said. Yet after accepting roughly 1 million refugees so far this year, she added that the country must now ‘noticeably reduce’ the number of new arrivals.

“… Merkel said refugees will have to make an effort to assimilate into German society. She also dismissed the idea of multiculturalism, which in parts of Europe is associated with a policy of encouraging distinct cultural groups to live in separate communities. ‘Those who seek refuge with us also have to respect our laws and traditions, and learn to speak German,’ she said. ‘Multiculturalism leads to parallel societies, and therefore multiculturalism remains a grand delusion.’…

“Her comments on Monday were neither new nor unexpected. In 2011, the Netherlands abandoned a policy of multiculturalism that allowed separate ethnic communities to live side by side without integration efforts. At a speech she gave to her party in 2010, Merkel said immigrants were welcome in Germany — but they should be prepared to adapt. ‘The approach [to build] a multicultural [society] and to live side-by-side and to enjoy each other … has failed, utterly failed,’ she said at the time.”

DHS Under Severe Scrutiny

The Washington Free Beacon wrote on December 6:

“At least 72 employees at the Department of Homeland Security are listed on the U.S. terrorist watch list, according to a Democratic lawmaker… Rep. Stephen Lynch (D., Mass.)… ‘The [former DHS] director had to resign because of that,’ he said… Lynch referred to a recent report that found the Transportation Security Administration, which is overseen by DHS, failed to stop 95 percent of those who attempted to bring restricted items past airport security…

“Lynch said he has ‘very low confidence’ in DHS based on its many failures over the years. For this reason, he voted in favor of recent legislation that will tighten the vetting process for any Syrian refugees applying for asylum in the United States… ‘I have even lower confidence that they can conduct the vetting process in places like Jordan, or Belize or on the Syrian border, or in Cairo, or Beirut in any better fashion, especially given the huge volume of applicants we’ve had seeking refugee status,’ Lynch said.”

Muslim Brotherhood Very Active in the USA with White House Support

Breitbart wrote on December 7:

“Though President Barack Obama claimed that America must ‘enlist Muslim communities’ to combat terrorism in his Sunday evening Oval Office address, former FBI Counterterrorism Agent John Guandolo said… that since 9/11, ‘we collectively have received nearly zero help from the Muslim Community.’

“Guandolo… pointed out… that a ‘vast majority’ of U.S. mosques and Islamic centers are a part of a much larger ‘jihadi network’… He also pointed out that the Holy Land Foundation, the largest Islamic charity in America, was a ‘Hamas organization at the time it was indicted and Hamas is an inherent part of the Muslim Brotherhood.’ He said it will be nearly impossible to… successfully combat terrorists ‘so long as the U.S. government… emboldens and empowers Muslim Brotherhood organizations here.’…

“He also called out Saudi Arabia for being the top financier of Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas, and al-Qaeda projects in the United States. Guandolo said these organizations build lavish mosques that can hold thousands of people in areas where there are only 12 Muslims because their strategy is to claim ground ‘up to three miles around the mosque.’ He said the Saudis help these organizations purchase homes in the area at substantially above-market prices in order to ‘occupy that space around that mosque.’”

ISIS May Print Fake Syrian Passports

ABC News wrote on December 10:

“With the U.S. and other countries on high alert for ISIS attacks, American authorities are warning the terror group’s followers may have infiltrated American borders with authentic-looking [Syrian] passports ISIS has printed itself with its own machines…

“Former Department of Homeland Security intelligence official and ABC News consultant John Cohen said, ‘If ISIS has been able to acquire legitimate passports or machines that create legitimate passports, this would represent a major security risk in the United States.’

“Fake Syrian passports have already been discovered in Europe, most notably two used by suicide bombers in the horrific terrorist attack on Paris last month. The two men are believed to have slipped into Europe with a flood of Syrian refugees fleeing the violence in their homeland…

“[Allegedly] fake Syrian passports can be obtained in Syria for $200 to $400 and… backdated passport stamps to be placed in the passport cost the same…”

Saudi Arabia’s Coalition vs. ISIS, but without Iran

Express wrote on December 15:

“Saudi Arabia [a Sunni country] has announced a huge 34 state military alliance tasked with wiping out the Islamic State and other terrorist groups… Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudi defence minister, said the group would fight terrorist activities in Iraq, Syria, Libya, Egypt and Afghanistan…The huge coalition combines Arab countries like Egypt, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates with Islamic countries like Malaysia, Pakistan and Turkey.

“However [Shiite] Iran, Saudi Arabia’s arch rival for influence in the Arab world, is not part of the coalition. The two countries are locked in proxy conflicts across the Middle East. [Saudi Arabia and Iran support opposite sides in the wars raging in Syria and Yemen.] In Yemen, Saudi and Gulf Arab forces have been locked in battle with Iran-allied rebels, with an uneasy ceasefire soon to take place in the region.

“The alliance comes after western pressure, particularly from the USA, for nations like Saudi Arabia to help tackle ISIS, otherwise known as Daesh. Saudi Arabia is currently leading a military intervention in Yemen against Shiite Houthi rebels and is part of the US-led coalition bombing ISIS in Iraq and Syria.”

All these Middle Eastern and other Islamic countries, as mentioned in the article, are of a dictatorial and totalitarian nature, suppressing individual freedoms and liberties of their citizens. Any coalition between the USA and Saudi Arabia and other Muslim nations will not hold. In addition, note the next article.

Saudi Arabia’s “Alliance” Makes No Sense

The Washington Post wrote on December 17:

“Saudi Arabia’s ‘Islamic Military Alliance’ against Terrorism makes no sense… First, some of the countries apparently in the alliance [including Pakistan, Malaysia and Lebanon] claim to have never heard of it… Other countries listed as being part of the alliance [including Uganda, Gabon, Benin and Togo] do not have Muslim majorities… A number [of] major Muslim countries [including Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan and Indonesia] are not part of the alliance… 

“It’s unclear what exactly the alliance is aiming to do… Saudi Arabia has also gone to lengths to suggest that the alliance would not be limited to attempts to fight the Islamic State, but would focus on terrorism in general… Saudi Arabia’s definition of terrorism is worryingly broad… Under a law introduced last year, virtually any criticism of the kingdom’s political system or its interpretation of Islam counts as terrorism…”

ISIS Envisions Destruction of Rome

The Daily Mail wrote on December 11:

“The Islam State has released a chilling new video showing its apocalyptic vision of a final showdown with the West, which includes jihadists advancing toward the Colosseum in Rome. The disturbing footage, named ‘Meeting at Dabiq’, is focused on the notion of a deadly battle for world domination, in which ISIS ‘believers’ will fight western ‘crusaders’ in the Italian capital.

“… in a digitally-altered scene, an ISIS armoured unit is filmed heading toward the Colosseum. The male narrator describes how militants will destroy the ‘crusader’ sites… As well as the famous amphitheatre, St Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City also features in the footage.”

ISIS will not destroy Rome, but it is interesting to see what goals ISIS has in mind.

Does Turkey Provoke Russia Deliberately?

Express wrote on December 13:

“The Russian plane shot down by Turkish forces last month was targeted in a cold-blooded ambush, according to a defence and aviation expert. Pierre Sprey, an American defence analyst involved in the development of the F-16 fighter jet, has revealed that he thought it was clearly a ‘pre-planned operation.’… He concluded: ‘The evidence looks pretty strong that the Turks were setting up an ambush.’

“The Russian Su-24 bomber was shot down as it returned to an air base following a military operation in Syria. According to the Turkish government, the Russian aircraft had crossed into their territory and refused to change direction despite receiving ten warnings in five minutes. However, the Russian military has responded by saying that their jet had not crossed the border and said it was one kilometer outside of Turkish airspace when it was shot down.

“They also claimed that they had not received any warnings, something Mr Sprey believes could be true. He said: ‘Now it so happens that Su-24s have no radios onboard for receiving UHF-frequency signals, a fact which is well known to American, NATO and Turkish intelligence. Those warnings may have been deliberately transmitted only on the international civilian frequency so that the Su-24s would never hear them.’”

Deutsche Welle added on December 13:

“Russian media reported on Sunday that the defense ministry had summoned Turkey’s military attaché in Moscow over a near-miss in the Aegean Sea. According to the Kremlin, a Russian destroyer only narrowly avoided Turkish vessel despite repeated warnings on the part of the Russian navy.

“‘The crew of the Russian patrol ship Smetlivy which was located 22 kilometers from the Greek island of Lemnos in the northern part of the Aegean Sea avoided collision with a Turkish seiner,’ said a ministry statement. ‘Despite numerous attempts by the Smetlivy, the crew of the Turkish seiner would not engage in radio contact and did not respond to special visual signals,’ the statement continued. The Smetlivy then fired small arms as a warning, ‘to prevent the collision of the ships.’

“The incident was sure to add to the tensions between the two nations, which has been at a fever pitch since a Russian warplane was shot down by Turkish security forces at the end of November, killing a pilot… Moscow has been particularly insistent that Turkey is funding terrorism by buying oil from ‘Islamic State’ (IS) jihadists.”

The Bible indicates that Turkey will ultimately collaborate with the EU and apparently against Russia.

Catholic Church Will Not Attempt to Convert Jews… at Least Not for Now

The New York Times wrote on December 10:

“Catholics should not try to convert Jews, but should work together with them to fight anti-Semitism, the Vatican said on Thursday in a far-reaching document meant to solidify its increasingly positive relations with Jews. Despite a long history of mutual suspicion and conflict, Christianity and Judaism are deeply intertwined, and Christians should treat the subject of the Holocaust with sensitivity and repel any anti-Semitic tendencies, the Vatican wrote.

“… the commission wrote that the church was ‘obliged to view evangelization to Jews, who believe in the one God, in a different manner from that to people of other religions and world views.’ It specified that ‘the Catholic Church neither conducts nor supports any specific institutional mission work directed towards Jews.’…

“‘It clearly states that salvation doesn’t come from the Jews’ conversion, but it’s very respectful of their own mission,’ said Alberto Melloni, the director of a liberal Catholic research institution, the John XXIII Foundation for Religious Studies in Bologna… Coming 50 years after the Vatican formally repudiated the idea of collective Jewish guilt for Jesus’ death, the document emphasized the tight and inescapable link between Christianity and Judaism. ‘A Christian can never be an anti-Semite, especially because of the Jewish roots of Christianity,’ it stated…

“Jewish leaders praised the document and the way that Catholic-Jewish relations had progressed… Before the Second Vatican Council of 1962-65, Catholic prayers said on Good Friday, the day that commemorates Jesus’ crucifixion and death, called Jews ‘perfidious.’ The revisions to the Mass ordered by the council eliminated that characterization, but some other language that Jewish groups found offensive continued to be said by ultratraditional Catholics using old-style Latin prayers, including a reference to ‘the blindness of that people.’ Pope Benedict XVI ordered those prayers changed in 2008.

“The Vatican’s efforts to improve relations with Jews gained major impetus under Pope John Paul II. He was the first pope to pray in a synagogue, the first to acknowledge the failure of individual Catholics to act against the Holocaust and the first to call anti-Semitism a sin ‘against God and man.’…”

What is of course missing from this nice-sounding dialogue is the biblical truth that even though salvation is of the Jews (John 4:22), salvation is not possible except through acceptance of Jesus Christ, the Son of Man. To be a true Christian, one has become a spiritual Jew, who will accept both the Old and the New Testament, but there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved, and there is no salvation in any other but in Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12).

©2024 Church of the Eternal God