Update 1115

On June 15, 2024, Kalon Mitchell will present the sermonette, titled, “Take Heed How You Build” and Norbert Link will present the sermon, titled, “God’s Spirit of Love.”

The live services are available, over video and audio, at http://eternalgod.org/live-services/ (12:30 pm Pacific Time; 1:30 pm Mountain Time; 2:30 pm Central Time; 3:30 pm Eastern Time; 8:30 pm Greenwich Mean Time; 9:30 pm Central European Time). Just click on Connect to Live Stream.

NOTE: Sunday, June 16, 2024, is the Feast of Pentecost. Live services will be presented at the same time as our weekly Sabbath services. The Offertory, titled, “Earnest,” will be presented by Eric Rank, and the Sermon, titled, “What Does God Want?” will be presented by Dave Harris.

Some feel that they are not an essential part of this Work because they are not appointed to some service in the Church of God. For no apparent reason, they allow feelings of discouragement and dejection to affect them.

Why is that?

Could it be that the adversary, Satan the devil, knows that discouragement and disheartenment are the easiest ways to prevent us from doing our part? Satan is desperately trying to get each of us to neglect and eliminate the gift of God’s Holy Spirit that we have received.

We read in 1 Timothy 4:14: “Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership.” The Living Bible renders: “Be sure to use the abilities God has given you…”

If Satan succeeds in making us neglect and eventually lose the gift of the Holy Spirit within us, then we will be forever unfit and unable to enter the Kingdom of God. John 15:6 writes: “If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.”

What Satan hates above all else is the establishment of the Kingdom of God on this earth. That is because Satan and his demons will be stripped of their authority when this great event occurs (compare Revelation 20:3).

Therefore, Satan and his demons try day and night to prevent us from entering the Kingdom of God when the return of Christ to this earth takes place. 1 Peter 5:8 admonishes us: “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” We are warned not to give the devil any room. We must recognize Satan’s schemes and resist him.

James 4:7 says: “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”

We need to understand the deception he is using today against God’s people, against us! Satan is trying to make us feel that the power that is in each of us, if we have been baptized in the proper way, namely the Holy Spirit of God, is not important or of great significance! Through this trickery of Satan, some have not fully made use of or even totally ignored the Holy Spirit that God has given us by grace. It is time to recognize this and to fight against it. We must be aware of this danger. 

The end-time Church has been given the great commission by Christ to preach the gospel to the whole world for a witness; a Work that cannot possibly be accomplished without the Holy Spirit of God!

Why is no other church outside the body of Christ proclaiming the true gospel of the Kingdom of God? They may understand and preach some parts of the Truth. But not a single one of them preaches the full true message of Christ – the gospel of the Kingdom of God! The Church of God is a body that Satan cannot control and prevent from proclaiming this important message because the Church is led and directed by God the Father and Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit.

Satan therefore tries to negatively influence the human instruments through which the Holy Spirit works and even render them useless. Therein lies the danger for every individual in the Church of God. We must surrender to God so that He can constantly fill us with His Holy Spirit of power! Only with this power will we be able to accomplish the Work He has commissioned us to do.

Without using the power of the Holy Spirit, we will fail. If not every member of the body is functioning properly, the body will not be as effective as it should be in carrying out the commission of Christ.

We are warned about false prophets in Matthew 7:15. Satan has always used such false prophets, which includes false “brethren” to stir up some in the Church against the ministry that GOD has appointed over them. And, brethren, he is still working in the same way, trying to get some to find errors and accuse the ministers of GOD, or to get others to slack off, become lazy and stop contributing to supporting this Work of GOD!

We need to recognize whom we are following when we fall into one or the other of these conditions. When some are hardened against those whom God uses to accomplish His Work, they begin to speak arrogantly about them (compare 2 Peter 2:10-15).

This should not sound strange to us. These people become dissatisfied when they can’t be at the pinnacle or center of the Church.

Vanity fills them so much that they are unwilling to be an active part of the body of Christ, whatever that part may be (compare Colossians 2:19). Satan knows that a member who separates him- or herself from the Church is in danger of withering spiritually and burning in the lake of fire. Thus, another one of the members of the body of Christ becomes useless (compare Ephesians 4:15-16) – a member who could have contributed not only in this time when there are so few laborers to fulfill God’s commission to His Church, but also to become a member of the coming Kingdom of God who could have inherited eternal life.

We must take “every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5) and let Him instruct us through those He has called as His ministers. God has set His ministers over the Church members – the saints – for spiritual growth and perfection and for the “work of ministry” (compare Ephesians 4:11-12).

If we diligently seek to do the Work we have been called to do, rather than trying to do someone else’s work, we can confidently say, “Christ in me is my hope of glory!” The question is whether we go back to living our old life and its vanity, or whether Christ lives in us and accomplishes His Work through us as members of the body of Christ. Let us remember that we are now a part of the body of Christ if we live the Way He lived as a human being. And Christ was humble and willing to “do the last thing” – as the “last one.” We must follow this example.

Initial translation from German: Daniel Blasinger

by Norbert Link

We begin with the different treatment of Steve Bannon and Peter Navarro in comparison to Merrick Garland and Hunter Biden, proving again that the idea that “nobody is above the law” is a sham and a farce.

We continue with America’s outrageous national debt and the probability of civil war in the USA. 

We speak on Russian warships in Cuba; interesting news about the Church of Rome; and Israel’s daring rescue mission freeing four of Hamas’ hostages for which Israel is being condemned by Europe and the UN.

We address Europe’s new laws to control the USA; violent attacks on European politicians; and the surprising outcome of the European elections with different reactions from Macron of France and Scholz of Germany who have both lost greatly. We also speak on Germany’s preparations for war.

Throughout this section, we have underlined pertinent statements in the quoted articles, for the convenience and quick overview of the reader.

Bannon to Be Jailed

Breitbart wrote on June 6:

“Former top Donald Trump advisor Steve Bannon was ordered by a federal judge on Thursday to report to prison by July 1 to begin serving his four-month sentence for contempt of Congress. Bannon, 70, was convicted of contempt in July 2022 for defying a subpoena to testify before the congressional panel that investigated the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol by Trump supporters. One of the masterminds behind Trump’s successful 2016 presidential campaign, he was sentenced to four months in prison in October 2022, but has remained free while appealing his conviction.

“A US federal appeals court upheld the conviction last month. US District Judge Carl Nichols revoked his bail at a court hearing Thursday and ordered him to report to prison by July 1. A defiant Bannon addressed reporters outside the Washington courthouse after the judge’s order, saying ‘there’s nothing that can shut me up and nothing that will shut me up… There’s not a prison built or a jail built that will ever shut me up,’ he said…

“Another top Trump advisor, Peter Navarro, was also convicted of contempt of Congress and began serving a four-month sentence in a Florida prison in March. Navarro, 74, is the highest-ranking former member of the Trump administration to spend time behind bars for actions stemming from the Republican former president’s efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.”

This is an outcry when comparing it to the next articles about Garland.

Merrick Garland in Contempt

On May 16, Politico reported:

“Republicans on the Judiciary Committee voted on Thursday to recommend Attorney General Merrick Garland be held in contempt of Congress after the Justice Department refused to hand over the audio of former special counsel Robert Hur’s interview with President Joe Biden…

“The White House notified lawmakers on Thursday that Biden was asserting executive privilege over the audio of Biden’s interview with Hur — effectively precluding Garland from facing criminal charges over defying the two congressional subpoenas.”

Newsmax wrote on June 11:

“The full House has cited only three sitting Cabinet officials to be in contempt of Congress: Attorney General Eric Holder in 2012, and Attorney General Bill Barr, and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross in 2019. The move Wednesday largely [is] symbolic, though, because the DOJ declined to prosecute Holder, Barr, and Ross in the previous instances and likely will do the same with Garland.”

The New York Post wrote on June 12:

“House Republicans voted Wednesday to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress…

“Lawmakers approved the contempt measure along party lines, with 216 Republicans in favor and 207 Democrats opposed…

Breitbart added:

“The move — seen as symbolic, since Garland’s own officials would ultimately decide whether to press charges — is the latest escalation in hostilities between allies of Republican Donald Trump and the White House ahead of November’s election.”

Newsmax wrote:

“… it is unlikely that the Justice Department — which Garland oversees — will prosecute him. The White House’s decision to exert executive privilege over the audio recording, shielding it from Congress, would make it exceedingly difficult to make a criminal case against Garland.”

Nobody is above the law? This is just such a crying shame! There is truly no justice in the land, as the Bible says.

Hunter’s Laptop from Hell

Fox News wrote on June 7:

“Hunter Biden’s scandalous laptop, which was originally dismissed as Russian disinformation by many media outlets, pundits and even liberal allies in the intelligence community, was formally entered into evidence and confirmed by the FBI this week in his ongoing federal gun crime trial. The ‘laptop from hell,’ which is filled with videos and photos of drug use, sex acts, and sensitive business communications, was shown to the jury on Tuesday to try to prove the president’s son lied about using drugs on a gun purchase form. While the laptop has since been authenticated by a variety of news outlets, it was rejected when the New York Post first reported it in the weeks leading up to the 2020 election. Twitter, claiming the story violated its terms of service on hacked materials, locked the New York Post out of its account for weeks and even blocked users from sharing the story link…

“The Russian disinformation narrative stemmed in part from an open letter penned by 51 former intel officials… who declared that the laptop had ‘all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation.’ The letter… suggested the emails were hacked and could have been tampered with by the Kremlin in order to make its contents look incriminating. Among the signatories include former DNI-turned-CNN analyst James Clapper, former CIA Director-turned-MSNBC analyst John Brennan and former CIA chief of staff-turned-MSNBC analyst Jeremy Bash… Now, the U.S. government is saying this is not only legitimate, but it wasn’t tampered with…”

USA Today wrote on June 6:

“During the 2020 debate, Biden angrily defended his son (and himself)… ‘There are 50 former national intelligence folks who said that what he’s accusing me of is a Russian plant,’ Biden said. ‘They have said that this has all the … five former heads of the CIA, both parties, say what he’s [Trump] saying is a bunch of garbage.’… It turns out the ones who were spreading garbage were Biden and these disinformation ‘experts,’ who along with a complicit mainstream news media, quashed and discounted an important story just weeks before the presidential election…

“The laptop story is important because the way it was handled is far from an isolated incident... Democrats and the legacy media often team together to form a narrative.  And anyone who questions this determined narrative is considered fringe or even dangerous.

“Take for instance the claims of Russian collusion with the Trump campaign ahead of his 2016 victory. Democrats wouldn’t let the accusation go and sought to taint Trump’s entire presidency with allegations of wrongdoing. The news media happily followed along…”

Fake news propaganda by the mass media!

Hunter Biden Convicted

The Associated Press wrote on June 11:

“Hunter Biden was convicted Tuesday of all three felony charges related to the purchase of a revolver in 2018 when, prosecutors argued, the president’s son lied on a mandatory gun-purchase form by saying he was not illegally using or addicted to drugs… Joe Biden has said he would accept the verdict involving his son and would not seek to pardon him….

“Hunter Biden’s legal troubles aren’t over. He faces a trial in September in California on charges of failing to pay $1.4 million in taxes…”

Breitbart added on June 11:

“Hunter faces up to 25 years in prison and $750,000 of fines, court filings say… ‘We don’t yet know what the sentencing guidelines would be if he’s convicted on all counts,’ NBC News reported, ‘but one legal expert said they likely would specify around a year in prison.’

“Hunter’s gun trial judge, Maryellen Noreika, recently delivered a one-year sentence to a defendant in a similar gun case. The defense asked for a six-month sentence, but Noreika gave him one year.”

The jury in Wilmington, Delaware, deliberated for only about three hours over two days. The date for sentencing has not been set yet but the timeline is usually within 120 days. That would place it no later than a month before the Nov. 5 U.S. presidential election. So has justice been served? Hardly. Note the next article.

Protecting Hunter

Breitbart wrote on June 12:

“The White House left open the idea that President Joe Biden might commute Hunter Biden’s pending federal sentence following his gun-related conviction… Joe Biden believes Hunter is a victim of the weaponization of justice, a person familiar with the conversation told Politico.”

To “commute a sentence” is the power to substitute a sentence imposed by the judiciary for a lesser sentence. So, nobody is above the law?

Newsmax wrote:

“According to the Justice Department, a presidential commutation could reduce, partially or totally, a person’s sentence once it has begun, ‘but it does not change the fact of conviction, imply innocence, or remove civil disabilities that apply to the convicted person.’”

Subsequently, Biden told a reporter that he would not commute Hunter’s sentence. We will see.

America’s National Debt

The Daily Hodl wrote on June 7:

“The US national debt just hit a new all-time high of $34.667 trillion…  That’s a $677 billion increase from the start of 2024, when the nation’s debt stood at $33.990 trillion…

“The new record high comes amid a report from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) warning that the greater the nation’s debt, the less money Americans will earn. ‘The current law debt trajectory will reduce income growth by 12% over the next three decades and 13% annually by Fiscal Year (FY) 2049. Rapidly rising debt could reduce income growth by 33% over the next three decades and 42% annually by FY 2049.”

America will never be able to repay its debt.

Civil War in America?

Politico wrote on June 11:

“In a spring report titled ‘Disruptions on the Horizon,’ a quiet office known as Policy Horizons Canada, proposed American civil war as a scenario that Ottawa should consider preparing for.

“This hypothetical was tucked into the middle of the 37-page document which sketched the possibility in 15 spare words: ‘U.S. ideological divisions, democratic erosion, and domestic unrest escalate, plunging the country into civil war.’

“It’s an unsettling thing to find out your immediate neighbor is getting nervous about the possibility of gruesome violence in your home.

“There has been no shortage of apocalyptic forecasting about Trump-era American politics. Since the 2016 election, left-leaning nonprofits, political consultants and academics have indulged in endless speculation and role-playing exercises, ostensibly to help them defend democracy. In practice, much of this has amounted to self-indulgence…

“The Policy Horizons report struck me as different: not dark fan fiction (or anti-fan fiction) from American partisans, but a sober branch of a friendly foreign government contemplating our national crackup…”

US Supreme Court Upholds Right to Mifepristone

NBC wrote on June 13:

“The Supreme Court has preserved access to mifepristone, a medication that was used in nearly two-thirds of all abortions in the U.S. last year, in the court’s first abortion case since conservative justices overturned Roe v. Wade two years ago.

“In a unanimous decision, the high court ruled that abortion opponents who challenged the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of the medication, and subsequent actions to ease access to it, lacked the legal right or standing to sue. The court notes that the doctors and groups suing the FDA ‘do not prescribe or use mifepristone,’ nor is the FDA requiring them to do so. ‘Rather, the plaintiffs want FDA to make mifepristone more difficult for other doctors to prescribe and for pregnant women to obtain,’ Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote for the court’s opinion. Kavanaugh was part of the majority to overturn Roe…

“The FDA approved mifepristone in 2000 as a safe and effective way to end early pregnancies. Last year the pill was used in more than six in 10 of the abortions in the U.S. Mifepristone blocks the hormone progesterone and primes the uterus to respond to the contraction-causing effect of a second drug, misoprostol. The two-drug regimen has been used to end a pregnancy through 10 weeks gestation.

“The central argument of the conservative group challenging mifepristone is that the Food and Drug Administration overlooked serious problems with the drug when it eased restrictions on the drug, including making it available via mail in 2021… But the FDA has long argued its decision to drop in-person appointments to get mifepristone, among other requirements, came after 20 years of monitoring its safety. In that period the agency reviewed dozens of studies in thousands of women in which serious problems — including hospitalization — occurred less than 0.3% of the time… Because of the highly technical nature of reviewing drug data and research, courts have long deferred to FDA’s scientific judgements on safety and effectiveness…

“Kavanaugh acknowledged what he described as the opponents’ ‘sincere legal, moral, ideological, and policy objections to elective abortion and to FDA’s relaxed regulation of mifepristone.’ But he said they went to the wrong forum and should instead direct their energies to persuading lawmakers and regulators to make changes…”

Abortion (killing life after it has been conceived) is wrong and condemned by God.

Russian Warships in Cuba

Miami Herald wrote on June 12, 2024

“A group of Russian warships that sailed close to Florida shores, closely watched by U.S. destroyers, entered the port of Havana on Wednesday morning ahead of Russian military exercises in the Caribbean… the top of the nuclear-powered submarine Kazan was visible outside Havana Harbor before it submerged again…

“The official Russian government news agency Tass reported Wednesday that the Kazan, a modern nuclear submarine, is capable of ‘quietly approaching U.S. shores within 50 km and carrying out assigned combat missions… the submarine is equipped with Zircon hypersonic missiles. Zircons travel so fast — nine times the speed of sound, or close to 7,000 miles per hour — that one could hit the United States in seconds from Havana…”

Unpleasant memories of the famous Cuba missile crisis under JFK?

The Church of Rome

CNA wrote on June 10:

“Pope Francis gazed over the ancient ruins of the Roman Forum during a visit to Rome’s historic Capitoline Hill on Monday in which he reflected on how the ‘Rome of the Caesars’ transformed into the ‘Rome of the Popes.’…

“Pope Francis praised ancient Rome as ‘a radiating center of civilization,’ which with its legal developments and organizational capacities built solid and lasting institutions and an ancient culture with ‘many good values, which on the other hand needed to elevate itself, to confront a greater message of fraternity, love, hope, and liberation.’”

“Telling” comments by a deluded pope.

Four Hostages Freed

The New York Post wrote on June 8:

“Israeli forces freed four hostages held captive by Hamas during a daring raid in central Gaza Saturday — including Noa Argamani, the young Israeli woman who became the tragic face of the terrorists’ murderous incursion on the Jewish state. The hostages… all were kidnapped at the Supernova music festival on the morning of Oct. 7, when savage Hamas terrorists killed 1,200 people and kidnapped another 251 during their bloodthirsty rampage across southern Israel…

“Saturday’s raid was the largest single recovery of hostages captured by Hamas, bringing the total number rescued up to seven… The IDF acknowledged that civilians were killed amid the fighting, placing the blame on Hamas for holding the hostages in a civilian environment…”

Israel Condemned

Jordan News wrote on June 9:

“European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell Saturday condemned the Israeli army’s operation in the Nuseirat camp in central Gaza that killed over 200 people [based on numbers given by the Gaza Health Ministry]… Borrell said reports about another massacre against civilians are ‘horrific’ and urged immediate halt to what he described as a ‘bloodbath’ in Gaza…”

The Guardian added on June 9:

“Israel’s foreign minister, Israel Katz, lashed out at critics of the operation in a post on X: ‘Only Israel’s enemies complained about the casualties of Hamas terrorists and their accomplices.’

“Gary Epstein, a writer for the Times of Israel, said: ‘Hamas engaged in kidnapping and hostage-taking. Hamas embedded itself in hospitals, schools and United Nations facilities. Hamas uses human shields. Hamas holds hostages in residential neighbourhoods. Where is the outrage? What is Israel supposed to do in these circumstances?’”

Israel Today wrote on June 9:

“A journalist and a doctor were among the family members holding Israeli hostages in their home in Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip, the Israel Defense Forces confirmed on Sunday night. Following checks by the IDF and the Shin Bet, it can be confirmed that [journalist] Abdullah al-Jamal was an operative of the Hamas terrorist organization…”

The UN’s Hypocrisy

Israel 365 News wrote on June 9:

“Francesca Albanese, the U.N. special rapporteur for Palestinian-controlled territories, tweeted that she was ‘relieved’ four hostages had been ‘released.’ However, she went on to state that the operation ‘should not have come at the expense of at least 200 Palestinians, including children, killed and over 400 injured by Israel and allegedly foreign soldiers, while perfidiously hiding in an aid truck.’

“The figures cited by Albanese, who has a long-documented history of anti-Israel and antisemitic rhetoric, including outright support for Hamas, come from the terrorist organization, which runs the Gaza Health Ministry.

“According to Israeli officials, the extraction force came under heavy fire during the operation, leading to a firefight in the heavily populated Nuseirat neighborhood. Hamas forces fired rocket-propelled grenades at the extraction teams and hostages from within civilian buildings, according to the IDF spokesperson…

“Albanese went on to assert that ‘Israel could have freed all hostages, alive and intact, eight months ago when the first ceasefire and hostage exchange was put on the table. Yet, Israel refused in order to continue to destroy Gaza and the Palestinians as a people,’ calling it ‘genocidal intent turned into action’… U.S. President Joe Biden has… rejected accusations of genocide leveled at Israel over its campaign against Hamas.

“Balakrishnan Rajagopal, the U.N. Special Rapporteur on the right to housing, tweeted on Saturday that ‘Countries that celebrate the release of four Israeli hostages without saying a word about the hundreds of Palestinians killed and thousands held in arbitrary detention by Israel, have lost moral credibility for generations and don’t deserve to be on any U.N. human rights body.’

“The U.N. Human Rights Council, which appoints special rapporteurs, has long been criticized for including some of the world’s worst human rights offenders, including current members such as China, Cuba and Eritrea.”

The UN’s hypocrisy is stunning and so is Europe’s hatred for Israel, but it is all according to prophecy. But note the following insightful article.

Israel Should Be Applauded

The New York Post wrote on June 10:

“Israel pulled off a hostage rescue that deserves to go down in the annals of extraordinary daring highly successful military operations, yet it is being condemned for it. The secretary-general of the Gulf Cooperation Council denounced the ‘heinous and terrorist crime that targeted defenseless innocents with brutality,’ while Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon have decried Israel’s alleged criminal tactics… The media coverage in the US has taken a skeptical or negative tone, emphasizing the civilian casualties.

“According to the laughably unreliable Gaza health ministry, the operations killed 274 Palestinian civilians. It stands to reason, then, that it was almost certainly fewer than that. The IDF says the toll was less than 100.  While everyone would prefer that every military operation [was] completely antiseptic, that’s not how the world works…

“One side wants to free non-combatants from their nightmarish imprisonment to live again at home with their families as they please; the other side grabbed innocent people in a bloodthirsty pogrom, has hideously abused them, and refuses to release them. 

“Once Israel forces encountered military resistance in dire circumstances, what were they supposed to do? Give the hostages back? Surrender? Apologize and ask to come back at some other time?… The Israeli military used the force necessary to get their operators and the hostages out alive, as any other country would have done (one commando was killed in the raid).

“Either out of profound moral confusion, enmity toward Israel, self-loathing of the West or all of the above, many people since Oct. 7 have confused victim with victimizer, hostage-rescuers with hostage-takers and the forces of civilization with the forces of barbarism.

“If Israel can’t even bring home its own, the world is truly upside down — just the way Hamas wants it.”

Europe to Control the USA

Fox News wrote on June 10:

“In May, officials in the European Union finalized a sweeping new law that will radically change business activities around the world and, by extension, the societies they operate in. The law… will not only apply to companies that are based in the European Union, but also to businesses headquartered in other countries that provide products and services in the EU… That means countless businesses within the United States will be affected by this law. 

“The [law] mandates that large businesses reduce and reverse biodiversity loss [the loss of a variety of living things and their interactions], limit water and land consumption, prohibit certain kinds of ‘disinformation,’ guarantee rights for labor unions, and adopt climate transition plans that phase out fossil fuels, among numerous other requirements. Large companies will also be forced under the law to adhere to numerous U.N. resolutions, EU regulations and international agreements…

“Failure to meet the EU requirements could result in massive fines equal to as much as 5% of a company’s net worldwide turnover. Companies who violate the law could also be sued by individuals or activist groups for alleged damages caused by their undesirable practices.”

America beware!

Attacks on European Politicians

Yahoo!News wrote on June 8:

“Danish authorities said Saturday that an attack on Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, which she said left her ‘shaken’ but ‘fine’, was not thought to be politically motivated… The attack was widely condemned by leading European politicians, including EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, who said it was a ‘despicable act which goes against everything we believe and fight for in Europe’…

“In 2019, Frederiksen became the country’s youngest prime minister at the age of 41 and kept the post after emerging victorious in the 2022 general election. The incident follows a spate of attacks on European politicians from across the political spectrum ahead of this week’s EU elections.

“Several politicians in Germany [notably from the AfD] have been attacked at work or on the campaign trail. On May 15, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico was shot four times at close range as he greeted supporters after a government meeting. Fico, who survived the assassination attempt, underwent two lengthy hospital surgeries.”

Macron and Scholz Lose Big in European Election

Newsmax and The Associated Press wrote on June 9:

“Right wing parties made major gains in European Union parliamentary elections Sunday, dealing stunning defeats to two of the bloc’s most important leaders: French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. In France, the National Rally party of Marine Le Pen dominated the polls to such an extent that Macron immediately dissolved the national parliament and called for new elections. It was a massive political risk since his party could suffer more losses, hobbling the rest of his presidential term that ends in 2027.

“Le Pen was delighted to accept the challenge. ‘We’re ready to turn the country around, ready to defend the interests of the French, ready to put an end to mass immigration,’ she said…

“In Germany, the most populous nation in the 27-member bloc… the AfD overcame a string of scandals involving its top candidate to rise to 16.5%, up from 11% in 2019. In comparison, the combined result for the three parties in the German governing coalition barely topped 30%.

“Scholz suffered such an ignominious fate that his long-established Social Democratic party fell behind [the AfD], which surged into second place…

“The four-day polls in the 27 EU countries were the world’s second-biggest exercise in democracy, behind India’s recent election. At the end, the rise of the far right was even more stunning than many analysts predicted…

“The center-right Christian Democratic bloc of EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, which already weakened its green credentials ahead of the polls, dominated in Germany with almost 30%, easily beating Scholz’s Social Democrats, who fell to 14%, even behind the AfD…

“EU lawmakers, who serve a five-year term in the 720-seat Parliament, have a say in issues from financial rules to climate and agriculture policy. They approve the EU budget, which bankrolls priorities including infrastructure projects, farm subsidies and aid delivered to Ukraine. And they hold a veto over appointments to the powerful EU commission… Since the last EU election in 2019, populist or far-right parties now lead governments in three nations — Hungary, Slovakia and Italy — and are part of ruling coalitions in others including Sweden, Finland and, soon, the Netherlands. Polls give the populists an advantage in France, Belgium, Austria and Italy.”

The New York Post wrote on June 9:

“In the Netherlands, anti-immigrant populist Prime Minister Geert Wilders increased his seats of the European Parliament from one to seven — though liberal parties narrowly won the most votes… In Belgium, the Prime Minister Alexander De Croo announced he would resign after national elections in the nation of 11.5 million people saw his center-right party’s vote share projected to drop to less than 5%…. Austria’s right-wing Freedom Party [came] out on top…”

No Early Elections in Germany

Deutsche Welle wrote on June 10, 2024

“Germany will not hold a snap election as demanded by the opposition despite bruising EU election results for all three parties in the ruling coalition, the spokesman for Chancellor Olaf Scholz has said. Steffen Hebestreit rejected calls from Bavaria’s state premier, Markus Soeder, to follow in the footsteps of French President Emmanuel Macron…  ‘The election date is next fall as planned, and we plan to follow that through,’ Hebestreit said…

“A call for snap elections also came from Alice Weidel, the co-leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which saw a surge in support at the elections for the European Parliament. Weidel accused the German government of making policies against Germans, saying, ‘People have had enough.’”

Jews Worried

JTA wrote on June 11:

“The success of German extremists in Sunday’s European Parliament election has mainstream Jewish leaders and politicians worried. Some say they fear the country is veering into political territory that resembles the era just before the rise of the Nazis here nearly a century ago…

“Government statistics show that most antisemitic crimes whose perpetrators are identified are committed by someone with a far-right background. But many crimes are never solved…”

European Court Fines Hungary

The Guardian wrote on June 13:

“Hungary has been ordered to pay a €200m (£169m) fine for its refusal to uphold the rights of asylum seekers… by the bloc’s highest court. The European court of justice in Luxembourg also ordered Budapest to pay €1m a day until it complies with EU laws guaranteeing refugees the right to claim asylum inside Hungarian borders.

“In a major judgment issued on Thursday, the court said Hungary had shown ‘deliberate evasion’ in applying EU policy, which it described as ‘an unprecedented and exceptionally serious infringement of EU law’ and ‘a significant threat to the unity of EU law and to the principle of equality of the member states’…

“Responding to the judgment, the Hungarian prime minister, Viktor Orbán, described the court’s ruling as ‘outrageous and unacceptable’, adding: ‘It seems that illegal migrants are more important to the Brussels bureaucrats than their own European citizens.’ The legal ruling comes less than three weeks before the Hungarian government takes charge of the rotating presidency of the EU council of ministers. It highlights the profound challenge to the bloc…”

With the ongoing fighting between Hungary and the rest of the EU members, it will be interesting to see what will happen when Hungary takes over the presidency of the EU council on July 1, 2024.

Preparing For War

CNN wrote on June 9:

“Conscription, rationing, and subway stations turned into bunkers. For the first time since the Cold War, Germany has updated its plans should conflict erupt in Europe, with ministers citing the threat by Russia. The 67-page document… envisions the complete transformation of daily life for German citizens in the event of war. Under wartime conditions, mandatory conscription into the army would be reinstated and skilled laborers aged over 18 could be made to work certain jobs including in bakeries and post offices – as well as being prevented from quitting their jobs. Doctors, psychologists, nurses and vets may also be repurposed in military and civil service roles.

“Rationing would also be brought in. In the event of dwindling food supplies, the government would stockpile food to provide citizens with ‘one hot meal a day’ for an undisclosed period of time, according to the document. Federal reserves would include foods like rice, pulses and condensed milk. Other key resources such as petrol and oil could also be rationed with coupons if they become scarce.

“It also outlines civil protection measures including transforming underground stations into makeshift bunkers and preparing hospitals for an influx of patients… The document warns that Germany’s hospitals would have to prepare to treat large numbers of patients over a long period of time…

“On Wednesday, German Defensive Minister Pistorius was quoted by newspaper Der Spiegel as saying: ‘We must be ready for war by 2029.’ Pistorius added, ‘We must not believe that Putin will stop at Ukraine’s borders when he gets that far.’ Similarly, voices from within the British government have expressed the need to be war-ready. Former UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace in February stated that ‘war is coming’ to Britain by the end of the decade…

“In recent weeks Russia has issued some of its starkest warnings to the West yet… The Russian leader specifically pointed to a breakdown in Russia’s relations with Germany, claiming that the appearance of German tanks in Ukraine had resulted in a ‘moral, ethical shock,’ because ‘the attitude towards [Germany] in Russian society had always been very good, very good.’ ‘Now, when they say that some more missiles will appear that will strike targets on Russian territory, this, of course, is ultimately destroying Russo-German relations,’ he added.”

The Sun wrote on June 7:

“GERMANY has revealed its plans for war with Russia, with provisions ranging all the way from national service to bin collection… National conscription would return and citizens could ‘be drafted at any time’… All of Germany’s tanks and military vehicles would get priority on roads and railway lines throughout the country – limiting normal traffic. Air traffic could also be blocked at a moment’s notice as well as public transport including buses, subways and trains.

“Companies across the country would focus on making defence products… If World War 3 was to break out between Nato and Russia, Germany would become a crucial port to ferry through troops, weapons and more… In order to protect Germany – a large number of its troops would move to border its eastern flank. Nato soldiers from its allies would also be housed, fed and protected on German soil as they moved to fight Putin’s troops.

“National media would be made to broadcast important war announcements ‘immediately’…

“Only days ago, Putin vowed to send his terrifying set of long-range missiles to allies across Europe after learning of the West’s renewed support for Ukraine…  Today Nato secretary general Jens Stoltenberg said Ukraine has the right to strike inside Russia when hitting ‘legitimate, military targets.’

“Vladimir Putin has threatened all-out war if Ukraine uses Western weapons to hit Russia. The tyrant singled out Britain — warning ‘countries with small territory and dense populations’ should be careful… Putin said: ‘Constant escalation can lead to serious consequences. Nato members, particularly in Europe, should beware of what they are playing with.’”

Still, Russia will not attack Britain, and there will only be war between Russia and continental Europe after Europe has destroyed the USA… and Britain, in nuclear warfare.

Much More Money for Ukraine

Deutsche Welle wrote on June 13:

“G7 leaders plan to use interest from $300 billion in frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine… The world has already committed €297 billion ($321 billion) in aid to Ukraine. But the country clearly needs more…. Washington wanted to use the seized [frozen Russian] money to bankroll Ukraine’s war effort. As most of the funds seized took place in Europe, Brussels said no, due to the huge legal black hole created by freezing assets when the West is not directly at war with Russia… After two years of wrangling, a compromise has been found… Instead of spending the $300 billion principal amount, the new plan will utilize the interest made on those assets — estimated to be a few billion a year — as collateral for a one-off loan of up to $50 billion for Ukraine…

“Ukraine’s government… requires $100-150 billion annually to run the country and the war… Worse still… only half of the latest $61 billion committed by the Biden administration will go directly to Ukraine. The rest will boost the US Department of Defense’s coffers. There is also a large disparity about what countries have promised and delivered…. Ukraine’s need for aid is likely to remain high for several years, including billions for the reconstruction of damaged power infrastructure during the conflict, and the rebuilding of cities once it is over….

“Kyiv is now preparing hikes to income tax, excise duties, sales tax and other indirect levies…”

Newsmax added on June 13:

“Beyond the war in Ukraine, Pope Francis will become the first pope to address a G7 summit… The G7 includes Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States. Italy…  is hosting the summit.”

Another shocking example describing the curse of war and the damage it inflicts upon everyone. 

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.

When we read 2 Samuel chapter 8, we find there is a list of the wars and military conquests of king David. It also lists who he put in charge of the various responsibilities of the army, civil service and religious service. This chapter also reveals in verse 15 a responsibility David himself had. “So David reigned over all Israel; and David administered judgement and justice to all his people.”

Here we find the terms judgement and justice used. Is this a redundancy, or do these words have significantly different meanings? Again, this expression is repeated in Isaiah 9:7 which describes the kingdom which will be established at the time of the coming of Jesus Christ to the earth. “Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgement and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.”

Justice and judgement are translated from two different Hebrew words; justice is translated from mishpat and Judgement from tsedaqah. What is the difference between these two Hebrew words? Mishpat refers to the literal letter of the law.  God gave Israel a very comprehensive law and it provided certain specific penalties if these laws were broken. So why was anything else needed?

If we examine Deuteronomy 17:8-11, we find that the Hebrew term for judgement is used. “If a matter arises which is too hard for you to judge, between degrees of guilt for bloodshed, between one judgement or another, or between one punishment or another, matters of controversy within your gates, then you shall arise and go up to the place which the LORD your God chooses. And you shall come to the priests, the Levites, and to the judge there in those days, and inquire of them; they shall pronounce upon you the sentence of judgement. You shall do according to the sentence which they pronounce upon you in that place which the LORD chooses. And you shall be careful to do according to all that they order you. According to the sentence of the law in which they instruct you, according to the judgement which they tell you, you shall do; you shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left from the sentence which they pronounce upon you.”

The implication here is not so much guilt or innocence but the degrees of guilt and accordingly what sentence should be applied. If it was just a matter of guilt or innocence, they would not have to go to the judge at Jerusalem. If the person was guilty, then the letter of the law should be applied, and there would be no problem. But obviously if they have to show them the sentence of judgement and they have to instruct them how to arrive at it, we are dealing with things that fall between the cracks. Things that aren’t specifically covered.

For example, it says in God’s law, that if a man has a slave, and he puts out the slave’s eye, or he breaks his tooth, the slave is entitled to his freedom. But what if he mangles his hand? Is the slave entitled to his freedom? The law does not mention mangled hands. It only talks about a tooth and an eye. What’s the answer? It must have happened that some other part of the anatomy was damaged, and the slave would wonder, does this give me my freedom or doesn’t it? So, the intent of the law had to be extracted from the literal instruction, looked at and a decision had to be made. Yes, this was obviously what God intended. He wasn’t just interested in eyes only or teeth only, He was interested in serious bodily injury, perpetrated on a slave. So, any such serious bodily injury would give the slave the right to his freedom. In other words, they looked behind the letter of the law to determine the intent of the law, so they could have equity. This was to enable the equitable intent of the law to be applied. This is what tsedaqah is.

In the Revised Standard Version, they use a different word. They use justice to translate mishpat, and equity to translate tsedaqah, to show that it is the equitable intent of the law which is meant by the Hebrew term tsedaqah. Literally, the Hebrew word tsedaqah means righteousness. In fact, many versions translate tsedaqah as righteousness. However, Hebrew does not have as many words as English. In Hebrew, one word frequently has a wide range of meanings. You have to know which meaning is intended in a particular passage, and not just blindly translate it the same way all the time. And so, it is obvious from the grammatical construction and the way it was applied in David’s reign, that this was the intent. The equitable intent of the law is what is meant by tsedaqah, and by ensuring equity is applied, righteousness will be obtained.

The Bible preserves for our instruction several situations which David faced; situations where he had to apply tsedaqah as well as just mishpat. It may not be just a case of something not covered in the law. Sometimes a crime was committed and there is no doubt the crime has been committed. It is a crime specifically mentioned in the law, a penalty is specifically assigned in the law for that crime, but to just apply the penalty would not really carry out true equity or righteousness. Equity would not be served. Justice would not truly be served by carrying out blindly the penalty for the infraction. And so, because of the special circumstances, something has to be done with the penalty. It needs to be made stiffer, a harsher penalty than provided for in the law be exacted to achieve equity, or because of the special circumstances, the opposite may be true. You have to soften the penalty because of the special circumstances. That’s what equity sometimes requires.

In our system, we don’t always have that leeway. Many times, sentences cannot be reduced or increased beyond certain limits because of sentencing laws enacted by the government of the day. But in Israel they could go either way because the interest was to ensure justice. So, if justice was served by making the penalty harsher, the judge could do it. If justice could be truly served by making it less harsh, the judge could do that as well.

In this Q&A, we will cover two situations in the life of David. The first situation mentioned where David was required to make a judgement was after he had committed adultery with Uriah’s wife Bathsheba and murdered Uriah. We find this in 2 Samuel 12:1-6. “Then the LORD sent Nathan to David. And he came to him, and said to him: ‘There were two men in one city, one rich and the other poor. The rich man had exceedingly many flocks and herds. But the poor man had nothing, except one little ewe lamb which he had bought and nourished; and it grew up together with him and with his children. It ate of his own food and drank from his own cup and lay in his bosom; and it was like a daughter to him. And a traveler came to the rich man, who refused to take from his own flock and from his own herd to prepare one for the wayfaring man who had come to him; but he took the poor man’s lamb, and prepared it for the man who had come to him.’ So David’s anger was greatly aroused against the man, and he said to Nathan, ‘As the LORD lives, the man who has done this shall surely die! And he shall restore fourfold for the lamb, because he did this thing and because he had no pity.’”

In a case like this, the law prescribes a penalty. Exodus 22:1 states, “If a man steals an ox or a sheep, and slaughters it or sells it, he shall restore five oxen for an ox and four sheep for a sheep.” Nowhere does the law specify that the death penalty is required. Applying mishpat (justice) only requires restoration of four sheep. So why did David say the rich man should die? This is where tsedaqah (judgement) comes into play. The reason for David’s judgement was that the rich man had no pity. The lamb meant everything to its owner and wasn’t just an animal to him. It was like a son or daughter to him. He had a deep personal relationship with his lamb. He had raised it like a child. The rich man could easily have provided out of his own abundance for the wayfaring stranger and not even have missed it. But he hardened his heart to such a point that he took this poor man’s possession.

The fact that the owner of the lamb was poor of itself did not affect the penalty.  God’s law specifically says not to favor the poor. God stated this in Leviticus 19:15. “You shall do no injustice in judgement. You shall not be partial to the poor, nor honor the person of the mighty. In righteousness you shall judge your neighbor.”

After David declared the righteous judgement, Nathan informed him in 2 Samuel 12:7-12, that he was the rich man. “Then Nathan said to David, ‘You are the man! Thus says the LORD God of Israel: “I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. I gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives into your keeping, and gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if that had been too little, I would have also given you much more! Why have you despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in His sight? You have killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword; you have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the people of Ammon. Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me, and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.” Thus says the LORD: “Behold, I will raise up adversity against you from your own house; and I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, before the sun.”’”

In this statement by Nathan, God reminded David that God gave him Saul’s house, or office, and Saul’s wives. When David was anointed king, he inherited Saul’s wives, and they joined his already existing harem. In the Middle East, this is how it was publicly symbolized that a person had succeeded to the throne. He may or may not have relations with them but they are his. It’s a sign of coming to royal power. When we read of Absalom’s rebellion soon after this, one of the things he did was to have sexual relations with David’s wives publicly. This was a way of saying “I have taken over the kingship.”

We should also point out that it was wrong for David to have more than one wife. Note our Q&A on polygamy for further explanation. https://www.eternalgod.org/question-and-answer-713/

We can also note that God gave David the house of Israel and Judah. After the death of Saul, the houses of Israel and Judah were never truly united. They had one king over them but they were partially divided, and finally totally divided after the death of Solomon.

Because David truly repented, God did not demand the death penalty that David himself had proclaimed, but God applied other severe penalties until David’s death. But nowhere did God state that David’s pronouncement of the death penalty for the rich man was excessive.

Another incident where David was required to give a judgement is in 2 Samuel 14. In this instance, David’s son Amnon had raped Absalom’s sister Tamar. Two years later, Absalom had his half-brother Amnon murdered. He then fled to his maternal grandfather’s homeland of Geshur and remained there for another three years.

In 2 Samuel 13:39, we read, “And king David longed to go to Absalom. For he had been comforted concerning Amnon because he was dead.” Here we see that David longed to go to Absalom but felt legally he could not because Absalom was a murderer. He longed after Absalom but analyzing the law, it wasn’t just a matter that Absalom deserved to be sentenced to death, but David himself quite possibly could have been the executioner if he was the nearest male relative of the murdered Amnon. He could have been considered to be the avenger of blood.

At this time Joab, the commander of the army, saw the problem that David was experiencing over this matter with Absalom. In 2 Samuel 14:1-3 we read what Joab did to resolve this problem. “So Joab the son of Zeruiah perceived that the king’s heart was concerned about Absalom. And Joab sent to Tekoa and brought from there a wise woman, and said to her, ‘Please pretend to be a mourner, and put on mourning apparel; do not anoint yourself with oil, but act like a woman who has been mourning a long time for the dead. Go to the king and speak to him in this manner.’ So Joab put the words in her mouth.”

In 2 Samuel 14:4-11 she pleads her pretended case. “And when the woman of Tekoa spoke to the king, she fell on her face to the ground and prostrated herself, and said, ‘Help, O king!’ Then the king said to her, ‘What troubles you?’ And she answered, ‘Indeed I am a widow, my husband is dead. Now your maidservant had two sons; and the two fought with each other in the field, and there was no one to part them, but the one struck the other and killed him. And now the whole family has risen up against your maidservant, and they said, “Deliver him who struck his brother, that we may execute him for the life of his brother whom he killed; and we will destroy the heir also.” So they would extinguish my ember that is left, and leave to my husband neither name nor remnant on the earth.’ Then the king said to the woman, ‘Go to your house, and I will give orders concerning you.’ And the woman of Tekoa said to the king, ‘My lord, O king, let the iniquity be on me and on my father’s house, and the king and his throne be guiltless.’ So the king said, ‘Whoever says anything to you, bring him to me, and he shall not touch you anymore.’ Then she said, ‘Please let the king remember the LORD your God, and do not permit the avenger of blood to destroy anymore, lest they destroy my son.’ And he said, ‘As the LORD lives, not one hair of your son shall fall to the ground.’”

Here we see an example of David weighing up the circumstances of this supposed case and pronouncing his judgement. If only justice was considered, the brother should be put to death, if he was guilty of murder; or he had to flee to a city of refuge to stay there until the death of the high priest, if he was guilty of manslaughter (compare Exodus 21:12-14). But David considered that the widow had no one else to provide for her in her old age, as she said, “they would extinguish my ember that is left,” as embers provide warmth, symbolic of support. He also considered the fact that the inheritance might be removed from this part of the family and given to a different part of the family for their benefit, thus extinguishing this particular line of the family’s inheritance, Therefore, David removed the justified penalty. Another factor was that there was no one in the field to intervene in the fight and prevent the murder or manslaughter.

In 2 Samuel 14:12-17, the supposed widow then explains how this case and judgement that David has pronounced also applies to the situation with David, Amnon and Absalom. “Therefore the woman said, ‘Please, let your maidservant speak another word to the lord the king.’ And he said, ‘Say on.’ So the woman said: ‘Why then have you schemed such a thing against the people of God? For the king speaks this thing as one who is guilty, in that the king does not bring his banished one home again. For we will surely die and become like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. Yet God does not take away a life; but He devises means, so that His banished ones are not expelled from Him. Now therefore, I have come to speak of this thing to my lord the king because the people have made me afraid. And your maidservant said, “I will now speak to the king; it may be that the king will perform the request of his maidservant. For the king will hear and deliver his maidservant from the hand of the man who would destroy me and my son together from the inheritance of God.” Your maidservant said, “The word of the lord my king will now be comforting; for as the angel of God, so is my lord the king in discerning good and evil. And may the LORD your God be with you.”’”

So, the widow requested that as David pardoned the widow’s son who killed or perhaps even murdered his brother, he should also be able to pardon Absalom who murdered his half-brother Amnon.

Now David realized that Joab was involved in this case and that David could pardon Absalom because of the similarities in both situations. Both the invented case brought by the widow and the real case of Amnon and Absalom involved brother killing brother. One particularly strong reason for the similarities, and one that condemned David himself, was that no one was in the field to part the widow’s sons. In the case of Absalom murdering Amnon, David was very angry, but there is no mention of him punishing Amnon for his crime of rape, this being a breach of justice. If David had been the intercessor and had punished Amnon justly, Absalom might not have murdered Amnon two years later. This implies that David might have been a causative factor in the crime of murder.

After all these events, David pardoned Absalom and allowed Joab to bring Absalom back to Jerusalem, but David did not see Absalom. 2 Samuel 14:28 says: “And Absalom dwelt two full years in Jerusalem, but did not see the king’s face.” But when Absalom was killed by Joab for rebelling and assuming the kingship, David wept over his death. He probably realized that he was partly responsible for this unfortunate outcome.

So, while David was overall a man after God’s heart, and is praised because he ruled mainly with judgement and justice, he still exhibited human frailties, one of them being not applying correct justice and judgement within his own family.

As mentioned above, when Jesus Christ returns, He will rule in judgement and justice, and this is mentioned in Isaiah 11:3. “His delight is in the fear of the LORD, And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, Nor decide by the hearing of His ears; But with righteousness He shall judge the poor, And decide with equity for the meek of the earth; He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, And with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked.”

In the book of Habakkuk, God reveals why He does not hear Habakkuk’s cry to Him. A large part of the reason is the lack of true justice and judgement. Habakkuk 1:4. “Therefore the law is powerless, And justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; Therefore perverse judgement proceeds.”

In concluding passages, God gives us a warning about judging in an unrighteous manner. This is explained well in Matthew 7:1-2 in the Amplified Bible (copyright 2015). “Do not judge and criticize and condemn [others unfairly with an attitude of self-righteous superiority as though assuming the office of a judge], so that you will not be judged [unfairly]. For just as you [hypocritically] judge others [when you are sinful and unrepentant], so will you be judged; and in accordance with your standard of measure [used to pass out judgment], judgment will be measured to you.”

But John 7:24 informs us how we should judge. Again, from the Amplified Bible, “Do not judge by appearance [superficially and arrogantly], rather judge fairly and righteously.

As we have the hope of being like God and being God—a member of the God Family—we should learn to live with both justice and righteous judgement, copying Christ’s example, in order to please Him.

Lead Writer: Paul Niehoff (Australia)

A new Member Letter (June 2024) has been posted and mailed to our subscribers. Pastor Michael Link presents an extensive review of our recent Church Conference.

“Gottes Geist der Liebe,” is the title of the German sermon for Pentecost, presented by Norbert Link. Title in English: “God’s Spirit of Love.”

“Krieg – er liegt in der Natur des Menschen,” the German sermonette presented by Mike Richter, is now posted. Title in English: “War – It Is in Human Nature.”

“Our Life Saver,” last Sabbath’s sermonette presented by Michael Link, is now posted. Here is a summary:

There are occupations where lifesaving plays an important role for physical protection but there is something else they can’t provide. How can our lives be saved and what is required of us to achieve this? What has God given us that would save our lives and do WE not offer life-saving advice to the world?

“Time,” last Sabbath’s sermon presented by Brian Gale, is now posted. Here is a summary:

This sermon looks at the matter of time – something that we can’t see, touch, feel, smell or taste but something that we are well aware of. There are seven different points which are discussed.